Lebanese pound down again after brief respite

Lebanese pounds and dollars are seen at an exchange shop in Beirut, April 24, 2020. (The Daily Star/Mohamad Azakir)

BEIRUT: The Lebanese pound resumed its fall Wednesday after a brief respite, trading at LL17,750 to the dollar on the black market, exchange dealers said. They said they were buying the greenback for LL17,700 and selling it for LL17,800, compared to LL17,750 over the last two days. The pound has now shed over the past three weeks almost all its …

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Mikati denies any wrongdoing after Pandora Papers revelations

FILE: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati talks during a joint press conference after his meeting with his Jordanian counterpart at the Grand Serail in Beirut, on September 30, 2021. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati has denied any wrongdoing after he was named in the Pandora Papers among political and financial officials with wealth hidden in offshore tax havens. The Pandora Papers, published on Sunday, are based on 11.9 million confidential files leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), which found links to more than 330 politicians and …

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Beirut blast judge summons four ex-officials for questioning

The Justice Palace in Beirut, Aug. 14, 2019. (The Daily Star/Hasan Shaaban)

BEIRUT: Judge Tarek Bitar summoned Tuesday a former prime minister and three ex-ministers for interrogation on suspicion of negligence and maladministration over last year’s catastrophic Beirut Port blast, judicial sources said. The sources said Bitar set Oct. 12 to interrogate former Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, Oct. 13 to question former Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and former Public Works Minister …

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EU ready to support govt’s economic rescue plan: EU envoy

Mikati receives EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf in Beirut, Oct. 5, 2021. (The Daily Star/Dalati Nohra, HO)

BEIRUT: The European Union is ready to support the Lebanese government’s plan to rescue the debt-ridden country from its worst economic and financial crisis, the EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf said Tuesday. Tarraf spoke to reporters after he and ambassadors of other EU countries in Lebanon met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who briefed them on the government’s financial …

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Lebanese pound nudges higher to snap losing streak

An exchange dealer in Beirut, Dec. 7, 2020. (The Daily Star/Mohamad Azakir)

BEIRUT: The Lebanese pound rose on the black market Friday, trading at LL16,850 to the dollar, ending a six-day losing streak. Exchange dealers said they were buying the greenback for LL16,800 and selling it for LL16,900, compared to LL17,400-LL17,500 Thursday. The pound’s respite came after Lebanon named members of its team to conduct negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, whose …

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