BEIRUT: Dozens of Lebanese military and security veterans are protesting for the second time in two weeks against proposed cuts to their pensions and benefits, as the government discusses a budget bill that aims to cut public spending and usher in austerity measures.
The protesters gathered Friday in downtown Beirut outside the government offices to denounce what they called "painful" and "unpopular" measures. They asked the government to address corruption and retrieve lost funds instead of slashing their benefits.
Professors in the state-owned Lebanese University also protested Friday potential cuts to their wages.
The government is facing public discontent as it prepares a budget that aims to tackle a widening deficit and a national debt that stands at more than 150 percent of GDP.
Protests return to Lebanon as government discusses austerity
Protests return to Lebanon as government discusses austerity
- The protesters gathered Friday in downtown Beirut outside the government offices to denounce what they called "painful" and "unpopular" measures
- They asked the government to address corruption and retrieve lost funds instead of slashing their benefits
Iranian FM slams WEF’s double standards after revoking his invite, but keeping Israeli President’s
DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticised the World Economic Forum (WEF) for rescinding his invitation to the annual meeting in Davos amid his government’s harsh crackdown on nationwide protests, accusing the forum of succumbing to Western pressure and applying “blatant double standards.”
The WEF confirmed that Araghchi will not attend this year’s summit, running until Jan. 23, saying that “although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year.”
In a series of posts on X, Araghchi rejected the decision, claiming his appearance was cancelled “on the basis of lies and political pressure from Israel and its U.S.‑based proxies and apologists.”
The Iranian minister criticised what he called the WEF’s “blatant double standards” for keeping an invitation open to Israel’s president despite ongoing allegations of civilian deaths in Gaza. He also referenced Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s participation in last year’s forum in Davos in January 2024 despite facing charges of genocide at the International Criminal Court.
“If WEF wants to feign a supposedly ‘moral’ stance, that is its prerogative. But it should at least be consistent about it,” Araghchi wrote, arguing that the decision exposed a “moral depravity and intellectual bankruptcy.”
