Internet shutdowns hit cash-strapped Lebanon due to strike

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Internet shutdowns are plaguing Lebanon, as the country’s telecom workers go on strike. Several neighborhoods in Beirut and towns across Lebanon on Tuesday woke up to internet outages as employees of state-owned Ogero went on strike demanding higher wages. The country is struggling through a crippling economic crisis that has plunged over three-quarters of its population into poverty. The Lebanese pound has lost over 90 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar. Ogero Chairman Imad Kreidieh told The Association Press the company has not had the resources to pay higher wages, as it struggles with skyrocketing operational costs. He urged the government to take swift action.