Lebanon

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council resolution that leaves only one of two border crossings open for aid deliveries from Turkey into rebel-held northwestern Syria will cost lives and intensify the suffering of 1.3 million people living there, aid agencies said.

Western states had pressed for aid access to continue through two crossings at the Turkish border, but Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s main ally in his war against, and China vetoed a last-ditch effort on Friday to keep both open.

12 July 2020; MEMO: Negotiations between representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Lebanese government have been suspended in the middle of the worst economic crisis that the country has endured.

08 July 2020; MEMO: One Lebanese woman asked for sugar, milk, and soap in exchange for a child’s dress. Another wanted canned goods in return for gym equipment.

A 65-year-old seamstress now exchanges her sewing services for food, because her clients can no longer afford to pay her.

Bartering on Facebook has become the last resort for some people in Lebanon, where a financial meltdown has sent prices skyrocketing this year.

BEIRUT, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds protested on Sunday near Lebanon's state power utility Electricite Du Liban (EDL) against increased power cuts in the country, a local media outlet reported.

Protesters highlighted the increased corruption and money squandering at EDL, vowing escalatory measures as peaceful demonstrations are not reaping positive results, said Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.

05 July 2020; MEMO:Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar discussed on Friday exchanging Iraq’s oil with Lebanon’s food and other industries, news agencies reported.

According to Anadolu Agency, the discussions took place during Jabbar’s visit to Beirut and his meeting with Diab and other Lebanese ministers.

BEIRUT (AP) — Alaa Arnous and his family found the photo of his father Mohammed online last week, the first proof of his fate since he was seized by Syrian government forces seven years ago. The image showed his corpse, his face battered and bruised, his mouth hanging open.

The elder Arnous was among thousands of Syrians who, since their country’s civil war began in 2011, went missing into Syrian government prisons. Survivors and rights groups say thousands more are known to have died under torture.

02 July 2020; MEMO: Iranian cargo ships in Lebanese waters have been prevented from docking and unloading over fears the move may lead to the extension of US sanctions onto the Mediterranean state, according to a report by Al-Hurra.

The imports include foodstuffs, medicine and fuel, among other items and are intended to help alleviate the deteriorating living standards in Lebanon as the country faces its worst economic crisis since the end of the civil war in 1990.

BEIRUT, July 2 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanese Defence Minister, Zeina Akar, accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of basing its support for Lebanon on political considerations, LBCI TV channel reported.

“The IMF decided not to open up to our government, even if it announces readiness to offer great support, when structural reforms are achieved,” Akar said.

Lebanon must not wait for foreign aid, she added, noting, officials can save the country if they work seriously on structural reforms without wasting more time.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - As accelerating poverty fuels anger, despair and fear of a social explosion, efforts by Lebanon’s ruling elite to salvage the country from a financial meltdown with IMF help seem to be going in reverse.

A country known across the Middle East for its glamorous lifestyle and commercial savoir faire now projects images of people begging on the streets, scavenging in the garbage for something to eat or trading furniture for food.

BEIRUT, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian refugees in Lebanon demonstrated on Wednesday against the U.S. Middle East peace plan, known as the "Deal of the Century," online independent newspaper Elnashra reported.

"This deal aims to eliminate the Palestinian cause and prevent Palestinians from returning to their homeland," the refugees said during protests in Beirut and south and north of Lebanon.

They assured that Palestinians will remain united to face the annexation of the West Bank by Israel, said Elnashra.