Archives

How a public spat between Aoun and Hariri reveals the deeper political rift preventing cabinet’s formation

BEIRUT — In October 2020, almost a year to the day after resigning in the face of mass protests calling for him to step down, Saad Hariri secured enough votes from Parliament to again head a new...

Georgi Azar, 23 March 2021

The Economy Ministry has raised the price of bread for the fourth time this year, citing rising costs due to the lira’s slide. Large bundles will grow to 960 g and cost LL3,000, a 9% price hike per gram. Small packs will grow to 445 g and cost LL2,000, an effective 15% price hike

23 March 2021

The FPM’s parliamentary bloc has accused Premier-designate Saad Hariri of maneuvering to obtain a majority in cabinet for him and his allies, a day after Hariri accused President Michel Aoun, the FPM’s founder, of obstructing cabinet formation to secure veto power

23 March 2021

Lebanon has registered 3,851 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Forty-two more people have died, bringing the total death toll to 5,850

23 March 2021

Lebanon will receive 33,600 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine tomorrow, caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced. In April, high school teachers, official exam staff and 55–65-year-olds in "productive sectors" will be designated priority vaccination groups, he added

23 March 2021

After his first meeting with President Michel Aoun since May 2019, Saudi Ambassador Walid Boukhari called for the cabinet's formation but said his country does not interfere in Lebanon's domestic affairs

23 March 2021

His comments follow recent media reports that Premier-designate Saad Hariri was seeking Saudi approval on cabinet proposals, which Hariri denied

23 March 2021

Judge Tarek Bitar questioned four detained military officials today as part of his probe into the Aug. 4 port blast, a judicial source told L’Orient Today. Bitar, who took over from Fadi Sawwan as investigator last month, is set to question the remaining detainees this week

23 March 2021

Other towers face similar collapse due to the theft of their metal parts, EDL said, calling on the security forces to find those responsible to prevent further "negative impact on the power grid's stability"

23 March 2021

A major power line connecting the Deir Ammar power plant to Bekaa, Beirut and South Lebanon has been disrupted since Monday after strong winds caused a pylon to collapse, EDL said. Some of the pylon's metal supports had been stolen, EDL added

23 March 2021

Acute food insecurity in Lebanon is likely to rise from March-July due to soaring inflation and the lira’s depreciation, a new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program has found

23 March 2021

The Council for Development and Reconstruction has issued a statement saying no judicial body has notified it of any charges against it. Yesterday, the Special Investigation Commission agreed to lift banking secrecy on the accounts of some CDR officials over fund-wasting charges

23 March 2021

Finance and Budget Committee head MP Ibrahim Kanaan (FPM/Metn) has announced that a proposed law “to recover stolen funds” has been approved at parliamentary committee level, adding that it is essential the law be implemented

23 March 2021

New Amnesty International report accuses Lebanese authorities of torturing more than 20 Syrian detainees

BEIRUT — Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Lebanese authorities of “cruel and abusive” treatment of more than 20 Syrians it said had been tortured in prison or during interrogation. In...

23 March 2021

An Amnesty International report published today documents brutal torture techniques used by Lebanese security forces against 25 Syrian refugees, including four children, arbitrarily detained between 2014 and 2021 on terrorism-related charges

23 March 2021

The Arab League has urged an end to the political deadlock in Lebanon and highlighted its readiness “to do whatever was asked from it to heal the current rift” and form a cabinet committed to the French initiative, Reuters reports the organization as saying in a statement

23 March 2021

Caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni has sent a draft decree for a fund transfer from the 2021 treasury budget reserves to the Interior Ministry to finance by-elections for 10 empty Parliament seats. The outgoing interior minister has indicated polls will not be held before May

23 March 2021

Aoun and Hariri spar, lira falls, record ICU patients: Everything you need to know to start your Tuesday

Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up . Prospects for a new government look slimmer than ever following a war of cabinet proposals between Saad Hariri and Michel Aoun....

23 March 2021