BEIRUT, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The American University of Beirut (AUB) announced on Friday the layoff of 800 employees, prompting workers of the AUB Medical Center to hold a sit-in at the center, a local media outlet reported.
A number of security forces were deployed near the medical center in case of violent protests, according to Lebanon Files.
Fadlo Khuri, president of the AUB, announced earlier this year that the university was facing its greatest crisis since its foundation in 1866 and would be forced to cut costs in the coming year.
"This is the result of a confluence of calamities, starting with the collapse of the Lebanese economy, now compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated global recession," Khuri was quoted as saying in a statement published on AUB's website. Enditem
