Lebanon's medicine importers Sunday said they had run out of hundreds of essential drugs and warned of further shortages if the cash-strapped central bank did not unblock funds.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is continuing the foreign tour that started in the UAE and later included Turkey and Egypt, a media report said on Sunday.

“Hariri’s stances have not changed and the idea of giving up the (government) formation mission is not currently on the table,” Center House sources told the al-Anbaa news portal of the Progressive Socialist Party.

The members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil producing countries will reconvene on Friday a day after failing to reach agreement on production quotas from August onwards.

Thursday was a busy day of video-conferencing for the alliance's ministers, starting with a meeting between the 13 members of OPEC proper led by Saudi Arabia, followed by a technical meeting (JMMC) and full discussion between the 23 members of OPEC+.

From his shock detention to an audacious escape from Japan, the rollercoaster saga of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn made headlines around the world.

The trial in Tokyo of two Americans charged with helping Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, flee Japan wrapped up Friday with prosecutors seeking prison terms of more than two years for each of them.

The Americans, former Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, were arrested in Massachusetts last year and extradited in March. They acknowledged guilt when their trial opened last month and have apologized for their alleged roles in Ghosn's escape.

Nissan launched plans Thursday for a vast battery gigafactory in northeastern England, where it will manufacture a new electric vehicle as companies and governments accelerate away from fossil-fuel cars.

The UAE and Israeli flag-carriers announced a codeshare cooperation deal on Thursday, the latest sign of deepening ties between the two nations following September's normalization of diplomatic relations.

Gunmen took to the streets in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Wednesday, firing in the air and at times throwing stones at soldiers amid rising anger at power cuts, fuel shortages and soaring prices.

The anger was fueled by rumors that a young girl died after electricity cuts stopped a machine that supplied her with oxygen. A Lebanese security official denied the rumors and reports on social media about the girl. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that the International Monetary Fund is expected to grant Lebanon’s central bank $900 million on September 23, as parliament approved the ration card plan during a legislative session at the UNESCO Palace.

“The IMF decided Monday to return the reserves lodged by some countries with it and Lebanon’s share from this issue is $900 million,” Berri told parliament, adding that the caretaker finance minister “has been informed of this.”

Ibrahim Arab waits in line several hours a day in the hot summer sun to buy gas for his taxi.

When he's not working, the 37-year-old father of two drives from one Beirut pharmacy to another, looking for baby formula for his 7-month-old son -- any he can find -- even though the infant got severe diarrhea and vomiting from an unfamiliar brand.