Since an unprecedented financial crisis hit Lebanon in late 2019, the currency has lost more than 95 percent of its value and much of the population has been plunged into poverty.

Factional deadlock has left the country largely leaderless in the face of the political and economic turmoil, with a vacant presidency, a central bank chief under European investigation and a government with only caretaker powers.

A sit-in inside the parliament building was still underway Friday, with more legislators joining the two independent lawmakers who had announced they won't leave until Speaker Nabih Berri holds an open-ended session to elect a new president.

MPs Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba of the Change parliamentary bloc had begun on Thursday the open-ended sit-in inside parliament to press for an end to the presidential deadlock.

Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf has said, during a reception at the EU residence in Beirut, that the EU has the tools to support Lebanon, should its decision makers decide to make the required reforms.

"This place and this flag are the symbol of a unique model in today’s world. A model that grew from an economic union between six countries to a strong partnership between 27 states, spanning many areas, from personal freedoms, justice and security to climate and health.

Lebanon, Venezuela and South Sudan are in arrears on paying dues to the United Nations' operating budget and are among six nations that have lost their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N. chief said in a letter circulated Thursday.

According to the secretary-general's letter, the minimum payments needed to restore voting rights are $1,835,303 for Lebanon, $76,244,991 for Venezuela, $619,103 for Equatorial Guinea, $196,130 for South Sudan, $61,686 for Gabon, and $20,580 for Dominica.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday called for the election of “a brave president who is willing to sacrifice.”

The Belgian Parliament has voted unanimously in favor of a resolution calling on the European Union to impose sanctions on Lebanese politicians.

The bill had been submitted by Malik Ben Achour, a member of Belgium’s socialist party who introduced the bill more than two years ago.

Established in 2013, EDUCITY, the leading fair organizer, has launched SchoolTec, the first national exhibition for Educational Supplies and Solutions, which is taking place for the first time in Lebanon.

The opening ceremony took place on Wednesday January 18, 2023 in the presence of hundreds of educators. And the fair will continue on Thursday January 19, and on Friday January 20 from 3:00 until 9:00 p.m. in Mövenpick Hotel Beirut – Lebanon.

MP Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba of the Change parliamentary bloc on Thursday began an open-ended sit-in inside parliament to press for an end to the presidential deadlock.

In a statement, Khalaf said he will not leave parliament until MPs hold successive and open-ended sessions to elect a new president.

The value of the Lebanese pound hit an all-time low Thursday, trading at 50,000 to the U.S. dollar, as the country's deeply-divided parliament failed to elect a president for an 11th time.

The cash-strapped country's national currency, once valued at 1,500 to the dollar, has been tanking since late 2019 and has since lost over 90% of its value. The financial crisis has plunged three-quarters of the population into poverty, with millions struggling to cope with some of the world's sharpest inflation. Experts blame the country's entrenched ruling elites for decades of corruption and financial mismanagement.

Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar has stressed that he “will not give up the port file under any pressure.”

“I will not step down from this case,” Bitar added, in remarks to the al-Modon news portal.