News

Brazilian breaks Olympic medal, wants another one

Felipe Kitadai, of Brazil, kisses his bronze for the men's 60kg judo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

LONDON: A Brazilian who won Olympic bronze in judo accidentally broke his medal when he took it to the shower with him. Now his fight is to have it replaced by the International Olympic Committee. Felipe Kitadai said he was carrying the medal everywhere he went and decided to take it to the shower as well as a joke, but …

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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 govtโ€™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 governmentโ€™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 governmentโ€™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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Karpowership stops electricity supply to Lebanonย 

Turkish Karadeniz Powership Fatmagul Sultan, an electricity-generating ship, is seen docked at Beirut port, Monday, Feb. 18, 2013. (The Daily Star/Mohammad Azakir)

BEIRUT: Turkey’s Karpowership said it stopped supplying Lebanon with electricity from its two power ships Friday as its contract expired. โ€œAs of Oct. 1, our contract with EDL has come to an end and as such we will begin the process of shutting down the two powerships,” the company said in a statement. “We are acutely aware of the countryโ€™s …

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UN unveils Emergency Response Plan for Lebanon

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi. (The Daily Star/ Maghie Ghali)

BEIRUT: The United Nations held a news conference Friday at the ESCWA offices to outline their Emergency Response Plan for Lebanon, seeking to provide essential support to 1.1 million of Lebanonโ€™s most vulnerable people. The UN estimates that almost 2 million people are affected by the ongoing crises Lebanon is facing, and intends to facilitate a yearlong series of humanitarian …

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