Banks are reporting a huge excess in cash in Lebanese pounds resulting from a swap operation engineered by the Central Bank earlier this year. “The Central Bank purchased around LL10 trillion [$6.6 billion] of Treasury bills and CDs held by commercial banks and paid them in advance the return on ...

Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Republican Donald Trump of racism, sexism and tax avoidance on Monday, putting him on the defensive during a debate that a snap poll said boosted her White House chances. Trump, a real estate tycoon making his first run for public office, said Clinton’s long years of ...

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Monday kicked off a wide range of consultations with top leaders aimed at ending the vacuum in the country’s top Christian post amid sharp differences between the rival factions on who should be Lebanon’s next president. Hariri traveled to north Lebanon where he met with ...

The nations may agree to a production freeze, which could have an immediate impact on prices. Plus the other economic stories to look out for in the next seven days The Independent Hamish McRae September 26, 2016 If you have low expectations you won’t be disappointed – not a bad ...

Resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi Wednesday criticized Future Movement’s inflexible endorsement of Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh for the presidency, saying that it brought the situation from bad to worse. The Future Movement’s parliamentary bloc Tuesday reiterated its commitment to supporting Frangieh as head of state, effectively dismissing any ...

Cellular operator Alfa took the first step to cut the prices of 4G and internet services following an appeal by Telecom Minister Boutros Harb to reduce charges in a bid to help Lebanese consumers. Alfa CEO and Chairman Marwan Hayek announced the launch of two new post-paid bundles offering discounts ...

The impending divorce of Hollywood’s golden couple 12 years after their first film together comes just two years after By the Sea, a strange melodrama about a couple in meltdown that is hard not to now read as autobiography The death of Edward Albee this week was an excuse to ...

A summit hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama garnered pledges from dozens of countries to resettle or allow the lawful admission of some 360,000 refugees, doubling the number of slots that were available last year, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said. But Ambassador Samantha Power said that was ...

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and his brother President Raul Castro during a one-day state visit in Havana on Monday. His sit-down with Fidel Castro was an unusual encounter since Cuba’s 90-year-old retired president receives only a few people. Officials did not say where ...

World leaders gather at the United Nations for their annual meeting Tuesday with an array of global crises that desperately need solutions, topped by the Syrian conflict, escalating attacks around the world by I extremists, and millions of people fleeing fighting and poverty. Whether the 135 heads of state and ...