Lebanon president: 2019 budget should be agreed by end of May

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun urged ministers on Tuesday to speed up the debate over the 2019 budget so parliament can approve it by the end of May.

Ministers convened at Baabda Palace to start discussing the draft budget, which the finance minister has said includes wide spending reductions. The Lebanese government, wrestling with years of low economic growth, has vowed to carry out overdue reforms.