Chief economist at Bank Audi said that the Middle East economy was not immune from the negative effects of the global financial crisis."The regional economy was definitely not insulated from the global financial crisis. Most particularly, crisis spillovers manifested through

The inadequate use of chemical pesticides in spraying fruits and vegetables is affecting the agricultural exports and the consumption of these products in Lebanon said Zouhair Berro, head of consumers' protection association on Friday."Many countries have recently returned imported Lebanese

It was described as an expression of frustration or a tactical ploy; magnanimity or maneuvering, depending on the commentator. However, one thing is still certain; the decision taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday not to run in elections

Bailed out insurance giant AIG announced Friday a profit of $455 million in the third quarter, a massive turnaround from a $24.4 billion loss in the same period last year.The earnings from group, the largest recipient of US government aid

G20 finance ministers met Friday to shore up the recovery from the global financial crisis and discuss funding for a still uncertain agreement on climate change.The ministers from the world's 20 most powerful and fastest emerging economies held the third

The US unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983, and is likely to go higher.Nearly 16 million people can't find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. The Labor

Wanted: outgoing and enthusiastic applicants to work as restroom ambassadors in central New York location. Good pay.Amid a struggling US economy, hundreds of jobseekers applied on Thursday at the open auditions for the opportunity to interact with guests at the

British Airways Plc. fell to a worse-than-expected first-half loss and forecast annual revenues 1 billion pounds lower than last year, but said traffic volumes and yields had stabilized.The airline, whose alliance with American Airlines and Spain's Iberia is being scrutinized

China denounced as protectionist new US anti-dumping duties on steel pipes and launched its own investigation into imports of US-made automobiles on Friday, a week before a visit by President Barack Obama.It also called for Washington's swift recognition that China

Despite signs of an economic revival gathering pace around the globe, the millions of people laid off during the worst recession in 70 years are unlikely to see relief any time soon as joblessness is still climbing in many of

With the "re-election" of President Hamid Karzai, if that's the right word for a process that featured fraudulent balloting and a canceled runoff, the United States now confronts the hardest puzzle of all about Afghanistan: How to improve governance there

A popular view among economic forecasters and market bulls is that "the deeper the recession, the quicker the recovery." They are right - up to a point: immediately after a normal recession, economies do, indeed, often grow much faster than

President Mahmoud Abbas [Abu Mazen] is known as the Palestinian politician most dedicated to a peacefully negotiated end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. His possible absence from the scene could have serious implications for the peace process.Abu Mazen advocated dialogue between

Opposition politicians rushed on Wednesday to condemn the UN Secretary General's report on Resolution 1701, calling it "unbalanced" and free of any "practical steps" that could end Israeli violations of Lebanon's sovereignty.Ban Ki-moon's 11th report on the implementation of UN

The distribution of ministerial portfolios made little headway on Wednesday as cabinet discussions were halted after Tuesday's rejection of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri's proposal to the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).Meanwhile, the Council of Maronite Bishops' monthly meeting endorsed Patriarch Nasrallah

Israeli commandos seized a ship Wednesday that defense officials said was carrying hundreds of tons of weapons from Iran bound for Lebanon's Hizbullah - the largest arms shipment Israel has ever commandeered.The Israeli military said an Iranian document was found

The mufti of Mount Lebanon Sheikh Mohammad Ali Jouzou has sought to defuse tensions over his recent challenge to Maronites to return to Syria, saying he had been misunderstood.Jouzou issued a statement on Wednesday in which he stated he had

A recent decision by Lebanese judicial authorities to make public the results of an investigation into disappeared persons is an encouraging first step toward recognizing the right of families of victims of enforced disappearances during the 1975-90 Civil War, five

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison on Wednesday announced that Washington was providing an additional $2.35 million in funding to support demining activities in South Lebanon. Speaking during a visit to the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC), Sison said the

Rival camps in student elections at Universite Saint Joseph (USJ) claimed victory Wednesday, as leading politicians put their own spin on the results.While USJ failed to post the official results on its website, the newspaper An-Nahar claimed that March 14-affiliated