Lebanon retirees scuffle with police; 2022 budget approved

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese army retirees have scuffled with parliamentary guard troops as they briefly broke through a cordon leading to Parliament in downtown Beirut. They were protesting their decimated pay amid the country’s economic meltdown. Riot police pushed the crowd back and fired teargas, forcing the men to turn away. Hours later, parliament approved the 2022 budget a key demand by the International Monetary Fund. Also on Monday, banks partially reopened following a weeklong closure amid a wave of heists and protests. Anxious Lebanese huddled around ATM machines, truing to withdraw cash. Lebanon’s crisis has since plunged three-quarters of the population into poverty, while the Lebanese pound lost 90% of its value against the dollar.