Workers in Lebanon Stage General Strike Over Crises

Workers in Lebanon staged a nationwide strike to protest the poor living conditions and the failing economy in the country as well as its lack of a functioning government. The general strike on Thursday closed stores, government offices, businesses and banks, as protesters blocked roads in Beirut and set alight trash bins.

The country’s currency, the lira, has lost 90% of its value in the last 18 months, meaning that most families can only afford to purchase the bare necessities. Meanwhile, the country has been ruled by a caretaker government since August, when the whole government resigned over the Beirut port explosion.