Economics and policy Lebanon’s government and public sector unions may be moving closer towards a deal to end the two-week long strike in the country. More from The Daily Star Brent crude dropped more than $1 to below $109 a barrel on Monday in its steepest fall in nearly three weeks as the dollar strengthened after an unusual bailout proposal for Cyprus threatened to trigger fresh turmoil in the euro zone. More from Reuters Egypt and the International Monetary Fund made very good progress in talks on Sunday, an IMF official said, after meeting with government officials seeking a $4.8bn IMF loan to help relieve a currency and budget crisis. More from Reuters The leaders of Yemen's political, tribal and religious groups are set to begin six months of talks today aiming at healing a divided country and ensuring the survival of the republic's institutions. More from
