For the past few months, 14 Beirutis and 14 Pittsburghers have been trading letters. This transatlantic exchange will now serve as the basis for a new virtual play, starting Thursday, which seeks to bridge the empathy gap between strangers and commemorate the fading use of handwritten letters. Written by Molly Rice and directed by Rusty […] Read more
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he was working with international partners to create a financial mechanism to ensure important public services can continue to work in Lebanon despite its deep political and economic crisis. Lebanon is struggling to find enough foreign currency to pay for fuel and other basic imports, its finances crushed […] Read more
The stalled Cabinet formation process appeared Sunday up in the air a tension-filled Parliament session that saw Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri accuse President Michel Aoun of deliberately blocking the government formation and seeking to remove him and change the Constitution. Hariri’s tough speech in response to Aoun’s letter to Parliament over the obstacles hindering the […] Read more
Lebanon’s most senior Christian cleric, Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, called for a meeting with Iranian-backed political and paramilitary group Hezbollah as he urged neutrality in regional conflicts to save the beleaguered Middle Eastern country from further chaos. “I assert that there has been no sincere and clear position with regards to neutrality from Hezbollah,” Al-Rahi […] Read more
Scattering spinach and hot chilli onto fluffy flatbread in Lebanon’s capital, 54-year-old Abu Shadi bemoans better times before the economic crisis when all Lebanese could afford his simple meals. The veteran baker is famed for his take on Lebanon’s manousheh, a circle of freshly baked dough sprinkled with anything from thyme to meat, then folded […] Read more
While street protests over the deteriorating economic and living conditions raged Wednesday for the second day in a row, there was no indication that public agitation over the collapsing pound would push top leaders to meet in a bid to break the monthslong Cabinet formation deadlock. The pound held at the 10,000 resistance point against […] Read more
The Lebanese pound rose slightly against the dollar on the black market for the second straight day Wednesday, after reports that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was in Paris for talks with French officials on Lebanon’s government impasse Exchange dealers were selling the greenback for LL8,850 and buying it for LL8,750, compared to LL8,900-8,800 Tuesday. Dealers […] Read more
Sorrow and solace come hand in hand this Christmas for the families of the Beirut blast victims who continue to mourn their loved ones. Sharing their grief, Lebanese joined the victims’ families to light a Christmas tree facing the devastated port to honor and remember those whose lives were lost in the tragedy. The initiative […] Read more
Protesters have blocked roads in the Lebanese capital Beirut over reports that government subsidies for some basic goods will be cut. Demonstrators burned tyres in the city centre, and some also attempted to reach the parliament building. The head of the country’s central bank earlier said the subsidies on flour, fuel and medicines could not […] Read more