From his small music shop on Beirut's Hamra Street, Michel Eid witnessed the rise and fall of Lebanon through the changing fortunes of this famed boulevard for more than 60 years.

Hamra Street represented everything that was glamorous about Beirut in the 1960s and 1970s, with Lebanon's top movie houses and theaters, cafes frequented by intellectuals and artists, and ritzy shops. It saw a revival the past decade, with international chain stores and vibrant bars and restaurants.

After two weeks of talks, the IMF said Friday it has advanced efforts to secure an aid program to help Lebanon overcome its "unprecedented and complex" economic crisis, but more work is needed.

Police are punishing Chinese traders for cashing in by reselling scarce dolls of Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen at up to 10 times retail price.

Buyers stood in line overnight in freezing weather and emptied store shelves after the Winter Games opened Feb. 4. News reports say factory employees were called back from their Lunar New Year holiday to make more panda mascots.

World shares declined Friday after a sell-off on Wall Street spurred by news that inflation in the U.S. jumped 7.5% in January.

Benchmarks fell in London, Paris and Hong Kong and U.S. futures also were lower. Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday.

Without much fuss and even less public attention, the nation's egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains.

In a decade, the percentage of hens in cage-free housing has soared from 4% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, and that figure is expected to more than double to about 70% in the next four years.

Mehmet Bogday says his jaw dropped when he saw his electricity bill — it was higher than the rent he pays for his Istanbul restaurant selling traditional Turkish wraps, and more than double what he paid a month ago.

"This is unsustainable," said Bogday, who owns the Asmali Mescit Durumcusu restaurant. "If it continues this way, we will have to lay off staff. If it continues this way, we won't be able to make this work. We'll either downsize, or close and go sit at home."

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said Friday that a new law for the ports, including the port of Beirut, is being prepared.

He added, in a ceremony at the Grand Serail, that Beirut's port must be rebuilt for it to attract optimal investments.

The Cabinet on Thursday approved the 2022 state budget during a session at the Baabda Palace.

Speaking at a press conference after the session, Prime Minister Najib Miqati said the budget’s revenues are expected to be LBP 39,000 billion and its expenditure is expected to be LBP 47,000 billion.

Twitter's shares jumped in early trading Thursday after it posted strong revenue growth last year and announced a $4 billion share buyback program. That's despite losing money in 2021 and falling short of Wall Street's expectations for user growth in the final quarter of the year.

Revenue increased 37%, to $5.08 billion, compared with 2020. But it reported a net loss of $221 million for the year largely tied to the settlement of a shareholder lawsuit.

U.S. markets were mixed ahead of the opening bell Thursday as investors awaited data on U.S. inflation and employment.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial were up a slight 0.2%, while futures for the S&P 500 declined by 0.1%.