Japanese automaker Nissan's profit plunged in the last quarter to less than half of what it was a year earlier as the COVID-19 lockdown in China and a global semiconductor shortage slammed production.

Nissan Motor Co. reported Thursday that its April-June net profit totaled 47.1 billion yen ($349 million), down from 114.5 billion yen in the same period of 2021. That change marks a 59% drop. Quarterly sales rose 6% 2.14 trillion yen ($15.9 billion).

Head of Finance Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan said Thursday that the committee has asked the Ministry of Finance to review the state budget for the last time and to submit clarifications before the committee's next session on Tuesday.

Kanaan accused the Cabinet and the Parliament of shifting responsibility, as he urged for "more transparency and less selectivity."

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said Thursday that achieving food security is a priority for Arab countries.

Mikati, in an Arab agriculture ministers summit in Lebanon, urged the sisterly Arab countries to support Lebanon during its crisis.

Shipping companies are not rushing to export millions of tons of grain trapped in Ukraine, despite a breakthrough deal to provide safe corridors through the Black Sea. That is because explosive mines are drifting in the waters, ship owners are assessing the risks and many still have questions over how the deal will unfold.

The complexities of the agreement have set off a slow, cautious start, but it's only good for 120 days — and the clock began ticking last week.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have imposed a slew of new taxes on imported clothes and office supplies just ahead of the new school year, sparking limited but rare protests in the impoverished coastal strip.

The move by the militant group comes at a time when Gaza's 2.3 million people are suffering not only from a 15-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade, but also from a new jump in prices caused by global supply-chain issues and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Lebanon plans to build two new grain silos to fight its its worsening food security crisis, the country's caretaker economy minister told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Amin Salam said that several countries and international organizations have expressed an interest in funding and bidding for the new silos, which will cost a total of $100 million.

Lufthansa passengers faced massive travel disruption Wednesday as a strike led the German airline group to cancel almost all its flights from its domestic hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.

Boeing reported a drop in second-quarter profits on Wednesday due to the continued travails of the 787, but the company said it was close to receiving regulatory approval to resume deliveries of the plane.

German chemical giant BASF, the largest gas consumer in Germany, said Wednesday its factories would continue production on a reduced scale even if supplies of the fuel are rationed.

Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam announced Wednesday that “49,000 tons of wheat will enter the country at the end of this week.”

“We should not see queues (outside bread bakeries) after that and we will prosecute whoever wants to fabricate a crisis,” Salam said in a TV interview.