Prime Minister Najib Mikati revealed, after his meeting this morning with President of the Republic General Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace, that the general budget for the year 2022 is ready, and that as soon as he receives it within the next two days, it becomes necessary for the Cabinet to convene in order to approve it and refer it to the Parliament.

It is a prerequisite for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and for all the reform issues it is working on. Consequently, he will call the Council of Ministers to convene after receiving the budget, to study it, as it is the most important issue at the present time, and then refer it to the Parliament for approval.

Mikati also assured that the financial benefits that he had previously promised to employees of the public sector and public administrations will be released.

Despite the tough health and economic conditions, Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut has witnessed high traffic these days as a result of the high number of departures from Lebanon days after the end of the year, and vacations and return to work and study in most countries of the world.

The number of daily departures approached 12,000 passengers, the majority of whom are Lebanese expatriates who came to Lebanon to spend the holidays.

To shed more light on this topic, the Head of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies, Jean Abboud , joined us.