Prime Minister Saad Hariri renewed on Friday Leba non’s commitment to its partnership with Europe.“Lebanon has always been the portal of Europe to the Mediterranean and the portal of the Mediterranean to Europe as well,” Hariri said.“Thanks to its strategic geographic position and historical openness to the countries bordering the Mediterranean.

The World Bank has approved a $300 million Development Policy Loan (DPL) to Jordan to support the Government’s medium-term development program in the context of the current global economic crisis.The approval of the Recovery under Global Uncertainty Loan, came during a meeting of the World Bank’s governing goard of executive directors in Washington on Thursday.

The Fraser Institute’s annual Index of Economic Freedom in the Arab World ranked Lebanon in second place in 2009 among 15 Arab countries included in the survey, up from fifth place in 2008 and fourth place in 2007, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.The index measures the degree of economic freedom in each country.