BEIRUT, October 25 (Reuters): Lebanon's top Christian cleric urged Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri on Sunday to avoid back-door deals and to quickly form a new government that will start lifting the country out of financial crisis. Veteran Sunni politician Hariri was named premier for a fourth time on Thursday, a year after huge protests against the ruling elite pushed him to quit. Hariri promised a cabinet of specialists to enact reforms set out in a French plan

BEIRUT, August 16 (Reuters): Lebanon's top Christian cleric called on Sunday for early parliamentary elections and a government formed to rescue the country rather than the ruling "political class" after the vast explosion in Beirut's port threw the nation into turmoil. The now-caretaker cabinet resigned amid angry protests over the Aug. 4 blast that killed more than 172 people, injured 6,000, left 300,000 homeless and destroyed swathes of the Mediterranean ci

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 14 (IANS): Air India has informed employees that it is no longer accepting withdrawals of resignations and several cabin crew employees are being relieved as the national carrier has said implicitly "it does not have the financial ability to pay". It is also learnt that a number of cabin crew were terminated on Thursday night by Air India. A letter reviewed by IANS from Air India's personnel department to a pilot makes the company's stand clear

BEIRUT, August 12 (Reuters): Sitting amid the debris, Lebanese on Wednesday expressed their frustration at the state for abandoning them in their desperate efforts to rebuild after last week's catastrophic Beirut port explosion compounded a dire financial crisis. Lebanon has been plunged into further political uncertainty after the government resigned this week over the Aug. 4 blast that killed at least 171 people, injured some 6,000 and wrecked homes and businesses in larg