A US general voiced Washington's backing for Lebanese stability on Wednesday on a visit that triggered a protest by demonstrators including supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah against US policies in the country.
General Kenneth McKenzie's visit (...)
Lebanon is facing a "financial siege" imposed by international powers and its priority is staving off strife caused by the country's economic meltdown, leading politician Gebran Bassil said on Tuesday.
Bassil, an ally of the Iran-backed Shi'ite (...)
Ordinary Iranians did not need to hear it, but nonetheless top Iranian officials stated the obvious many times in the last few days: this year has been the toughest so far on Iranians.
The economic situation is getting worse and coronavirus (...)
One hilarious joke once circulating in Iraq referred to an imaginary “anti-concern” medicine named after former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, known as much for his diplomatic clichés voicing concern over the tragic events in the country while (...)
Lebanon's negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are on hold pending the start of economic reforms and agreement on the Lebanese side on a common approach for calculating losses, Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni said on Thursday.
Wazni (...)
Tokyo prosecutors said Friday they have filed a request for the extradition of two Americans arrested in the U.S. for allegedly helping Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan, flee Japan while he was out on bail.
``We express our deepest (...)
Lebanon's talks with the IMF are on hold pending the start of economic reforms and agreement on the Lebanese side on a common approach for calculating losses, Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni said.
Wazni will remain in contact with the IMF until the (...)
With Beirut's airport partially reopening from a three-month virus shutdown, the government is hoping thousands of Lebanese expatriates will return for the summer — and bring dollars desperately needed to prop up the crashing economy.
But Lebanon's (...)
The Lebanese government on Tuesday raised the price of a 900-gramme loaf of partially subsidised bread to 2,000 pounds from its pre-October-crisis price of 1,500 pounds in the first such price change in eight years.
The pound, which is officially (...)
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has given the green light to the Sovereign Fund of Egypt (SFE) and leading local investment bank EFG Hermes to start examining the financial situation of the state-owned Arab Investment Bank (AIB) as a first step (...)
Known to be a man who loves making deals, US President Donald Trump apparently came close to talking about the ultimate deal – a comprehensive new nuclear deal with Iran – only for his aides in the White House to sabotage his efforts.
The revelation (...)
On 17 June, the US announced it had begun implementing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which targets the Syrian regime and parties cooperating with or supporting it.
Washington also issued a first list of 39 people and entities under (...)
The Lebanese pound continued to plummet on the international exchanges this week, and it is now selling at 7,000 to the dollar after having stood at 1,500 to the dollar before the present crisis in the country started.
However, the fortunes of its (...)
Economic chaos, soaring food prices and the coronavirus pandemic are plunging Syria deeper into crisis as the country's civil war grinds into its 10th year, European Union and United Nations officials said Tuesday at an online conference to raise (...)
The director general of Lebanon's Finance Ministry and a member of the country's team negotiating with the International Monetary Fund resigned from his post on Monday amid a worsening economic and financial crisis, the ministry said.
The (...)
A senior member of Lebanon's negotiating team with the IMF resigned as finance ministry director general on Monday, saying vested interests were undermining the government's economic recovery plan.
Alain Bifani, who held the ministry post for 20 (...)
Several public transportation companies operating in Egypt have been facing a potential halt in business following successive losses due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The affected companies include Lotus, Ibrahimiyyah, Al Salam, (...)
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) agreed to take immediate action to facilitate the recovery of tourism in a number of countries, including Egypt, Ahram Online (...)
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she does not yet have reason to see a breakthrough in negotiations with Lebanon to help resolve the country's economic crisis.
Georgieva told a Reuters Newsmaker webcast event (...)
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) are joining forces to boost the tourism sector's recovery across the 38 economies where the Bank invests.
The rapid spread of the (...)
Growing desperation in Syria could trigger another mass exodus unless donor countries send more funds to alleviate hunger and the international community ensures aid shipments can reach the war-ravaged country, the head of the U.N. food agency said (...)
A senior United Arab Emirates official (UAE) said Lebanon was paying the price of deteriorating ties with wealthy Gulf Arab states as it struggles to cope with a deep economic crisis.
Gulf states have long channelled funds into Lebanon's fragile (...)
President Michel Aoun warned on Thursday of an "atmosphere of civil war" during recent unrest in Lebanon and what he described as attempts to stir up sectarian tensions as a financial crisis sweeps the country.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was (...)
The Lebanese real estate sector has witnessed a spike in activity in the past three months despite an economic crisis that has seen the exchange rate of the dollar reach 6,000 lira, four times the official price.
Raja Makarem, a property expert and (...)
In 2010, a scientific study suggested that the Mediterranean Basin has 192trn cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.7bn barrels of oil.
Other sources say these numbers are only what scanned satellite imagery of the region shows, but that the true numbers (...)
