Lebanese Information Minister Jamal Jarrah speaks to journalist at the Government House in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 24, 2019. Jarrah says the government has agreed on a 2019 budget, wrapping up weeks of haggling over an austerity budget that aims to cut public spending and reduce the deficit. (Hassan Ammar/Associated Press)BEIRUT — Lebanese Cabinet ministers wrapped up weeks of haggling, agreeing on a 2019 draft budget that aims to avert a financial crisis by cutting public spending and reduce a ballooning deficit. Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said the ministers were aiming for a budget likely to be the most austere in Lebanese history. Protesters gathered daily in a square outside the government house where the ministers were meeting, shouting “Thieves!”“Today, we have finished discussing and endorsing the articles and figures in the 2019 budget,” Jarrah said, without disclosing details of the bill.

Source: Washington Post May 24, 2019 15:03 UTC