Lebanese PM Hariri cancels cabinet meeting, set to speak on protests
October 18, 2019, 9:41 am

Lebanese PM Hariri cancels cabinet meeting, set to speak on protests

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri will make an address after protesters took to the streets in central Beirut and other Lebanese cities. (File photo AFP)

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri cancelled the Friday cabinet meeting and is set to make an address in response to a second day of fiery protests in the country, according to a website affiliated to his political party.

The Lebanese TV Channel al-Manar also reported that Hariri cancelled the meeting at Friday around midday, citing Lebanon's Interior Minister Raya El Hassan.

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces political party, said that the best Hariri could do was to consider the resignation of the cabinet and the formation of a new government.

Lebanon’s sovereign dollar-bonds tumbled as much as 1.9 cents on Friday after the biggest protests in years continued for a second day throughout the country, which is mired in an economic crisis.

On Friday, protesters again blocked roads in Beirut, including the road leading to the Lebanese presidential palace, reported Al Arabiya's correspondent. The Lebanese Civil Defense extinguished fires caused by protesters setting car tires alight on several roads in the capital.

Lebanese security forces had used tear gas to disperse protesters in the early hours on Friday, causing some to faint, reported Lebanon’s al-Jadeed TV.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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