News Briefs
Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt on Tuesday at the Grand Serail to discuss the latest domestic developments.
Following his meeting with Hariri Jumblatt said the road to Damascus was now open, in reference to his expected visit to Syria, whose date he said would soon be set by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (more...)
Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir reiterated to his visitors on Tuesday that "the presidency remains above all else" and wondered whether the sources of the campaign against President Michel Suleiman were "internal or external."
Sfeir was responding to the attack of President Suleiman by former minister Wiam Wahab , who called on him to resign.
Sfeir also discussed with his visitors the issue national dialogue , hoping it "would achieve the hoped for results." (more...)
So much for a crisis in the Israel-U.K. relationship.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking on a day his government moved to expel an Israeli diplomat over an alleged forged-passports case, wowed a gathering of Washington’s most powerful pro-Israel lobby by reaffirming his support for the Jewish state.
“I am always described as a friend of Israel. It is true,” Blair told the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “I am proud of it and tell you why.” (more...)
A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed in a in a US court by relatives of passengers killed in an Ethiopian Airlines crash in Lebanon earlier this year.
They have charged that US plane-maker Boeing was responsible for severe mechanical failure which they have alleged was probably behind the tragedy.
The lawsuit, filed in Chicago, follows the downing of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800, which fell to the ground minutes after taking off from Beirut in bad weather on January 25th. (more...)
Municipal elections planned for Lebanon later this year must be free and fair, a senior United Nations official said today as he urged the country’s political leaders to continue to pursue dialogue to ensure that tensions are eased ahead of the polls.
Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, spoke to reporters in Beirut after meeting Prime Minister Saad Hariri to brief him on recent developments, particularly the Security Council briefing on Lebanon earlier this month. (more...)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he feared Middle East peace talks could be delayed for another year unless Palestinians dropped their demand for a full settlement freeze. Reuters
- Talks between US Vice President Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu were "candid" and "productive" the White House said Tuesday, hours before the Israeli leader was to meet President Barack Obama. (more...)
- US President Barack Obama is to meet the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the first time since a row over settlements in East Jerusalem. (more...)
- Change and Reform bloc leader MP Aoun told reporters after the bloc meeting in Rabieh: "The US has not changed its policy on Lebanon. When the US rejects Palestinian naturalization, informs Israel that naturalization is not a solution, stops treating certain Lebanese in a bad manner and cancels its security measures on Lebanese travelers, then we can say a change has been made. However, promises are ineffective. " (more...)
Lebanon's Former Prime Minister Omar Karami , another ally of Syria defended on Tuesday the verbal attacks made against President Michel Suleiman by former minister Wiam Wahab.
"President Suleiman's silence is a strange thing because silence means acceptance," Karami told reporters after meeting Wahab.
Former minister Wiam Wahab a staunch ally of Syria attacked President Michel Suleiman last Wednesday and and called on him to resign for allegedly failing to govern the country. (more...)
Syria's ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali conveyed a "message of support" from Syrian President Bashar Assad to his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman, during a meeting at the Baabda palace in Baabda, according to a presidential statement . (more...)- The final two suspects in the daring mid-day robbery at the Hyatt Hotel were taken into custody. The final two suspects who remained at large –and were thought to have fled the country– Mustafa Ucarkus and Jihad Chetwie, turned themselves in at Tegel Airport in Berlin. (more...)
- A Lebanese military court on Tuesday handed 20 people jail sentences of up to 15 years after convicting them on charges of belonging to Al-Qaeda and plotting "terrorist attacks," a judicial source said. (more...)
- Britain will expel an Israeli diplomat shortly over the use of forged British passports by suspected killers of a Hamas commander in Dubai, according to the BBC. (more...)
Lebanon is under pressure to participate in the Arab League summit in Libya scheduled for March 27-28 . Several countries ( including Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey) in addition to the Arab League are trying to mediate this participation.
According to local reports Lebanon may decide to send a lower level delegation headed by Khaled Ziade the Ambassador to Egypt and Arab League , to attend the summit.
The cabinet is reportedly planning to discuss this issue and make a final decision during its Wednesday session at the Baabda palace. (more...)
Google Inc.'s decision to brazenly challenge Internet censorship laws in China may encourage other firms doing business in the Middle Kingdom to adopt a bolder tone, industry experts say.
However, they say potential benefits of the rapidly-developing Chinese market mean that any emerging chorus of dissent against local laws -- or perceived local favoritism at the expense of foreign players -- could be slow to materialize. (more...)
Al-Hayat newspaper reported that the 11-strong investigation team, dispatched from Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare's office, will on Monday begin filming a 3-D crime scene near Saint George Hotel.
Al-Hayat said the team will also review past testimonies given by witnesses before the U.N. investigation committee.
It said international investigators will also listen to dozens of new testimonies of witnesses in the Hariri case. (more...)- The European Union will put pressure on Iran to stop jamming satellite broadcasts from the BBC and other international channels. Iran has been blocking news channels broadcast into the country from a French satellite following widespread anti-government protests there. (more...)
- THE EU Naval Force said one of its warships rescued 13 sailors on an Iranian dhow who had been left for dead after a pirate attack. (more...)
Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday praised the role of Turkey in supporting Lebanon and the Palestinian cause.
"Turkey had earned the appreciation of the whole world with its stance on the Palestinian issue", he said
During a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Ali Şahin, Berri lauded the welcoming he received from the Turkish leadership.
Berri voiced his rejection "to what Israel is doing to the holy sites and Palestinian people and lands," noting that "rebuilding the Hourva synagogue on the ruins of a mosque and near al-Aqsa Mosque reflects the Israeli expansion policy and Judaization attempts."
"Israel doesn't want peace and not Arabs; and I don't believe that the U.S. can't influence its ally," Berri added. (more...)
Feature Articles
By Grace Halabi
Lebanese-American George Haddad endured a treacherous trip to the Earth’s southernmost continent, ran a 26 mile marathon, and raised the flag of Lebanon at the end.
Traveling from southern Turkey to Lebanon via Syria in a car full of family members is an experience that I will never forget.
By Ali Hussein
Wiam Wahab’s call for the resignation of the president was obviously not a personal opinion as he stated during his visit to MP Michel Aoun at Rabiyeh.
Afghanistan Al Qaeda Aoun Assad Berri Christians Druze Dubai Earthquake Economy Egypt Elections ET409 Ethiopia Ethiopian Airlines France Gaza Geagea Ghassan Karam Hamas Hariri Hezbollah Iran Iraq Israel Jumblatt Lebanon March14 Muslims Nuclear Obama Pakistan Palestinians Russia Saudi Arabia Shiites Suleiman Syria Terrorism Tribunal Turkey U.S. UAE US Yemen
Finally Syria said yes to Jumblatt’s visit according to a statement issued by Hezbollah on Monday. Jumblatt will reportedly head to Damascus on March18
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, president Michel Suleiman discusses Middle East peace, Lebanese–Syrian relations, UN, Iran and other issues.
By Ghassan Karam
Arguably one of the most productive and positive attribute of a free democratic society is the free exchange of ideas that it promotes.
As troops massed on his border near the start of the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein weighed the purchase of a $150 million nuclear “package” deal
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that Antoine Choueiri, 69, a prominent Lebanese businessman and media tycoon, died on Tuesday after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
Lebanon’s rival political groups have resumed national reconciliation talks and the defense strategy was the main topic on the agenda.
In the run-up to today’s historically significant parliamentary polls in Iraq, a a question that begs asking is where do Iraq’s neighbours stand on these critical elections.
Lebanese State minister Mona Ofeish who had followed the issue of women’s rights for over 25 years, asked :“How can a woman who has carried a baby in her womb for nine months, and then raised it, not have the right to give the baby her citizenship?”
By Ghassan Karam
It is not very often that the object of a not-for-profit organization is a major party in funding the effort to help it overcome its challenges.
By: Robert Fisk
Once more we have to forget the Armenian Holocaust – the first of the 20th century – in order to appease the Turks. Bill Clinton did it.
Kuwaiti Author Dr. Ibtihal Al-Khatib said during an interview with LBC that like Israel, Hezbollah should investigate its conduct in the 2006 war.
Imagine the following: The de facto independent Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq declares independence, secedes from Iraq, and inspires Kurds in Turkey and Iran to join a “Greater Kurdistan.”
Despite Turkey’s objection, a resolution calling the World War I -era killing of Armenians genocide has narrowly passed a key committee of the U.S. Congress.
Few have thought longer or harder over the Iranian challenges than Zbigniew Brzezinski , who was the White House national security adviser when the Iranian revolution erupted.
I’m sometimes haunted by weird thoughts, rash feelings, and a hasty desire to celebrate. It is as if I hadn’t become more knowledgeable or learned my lessons.
“A lot is made about American misperceptions about Muslim communities, but there’s a lot of misperceptions that Muslim communities have about the United States,” says the new U.S. envoy to the Muslim world
There are a barrage of statements and counter charges by all parties concerned with the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET409.This report explains how blame in such cases are determined
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ’s meeting in Damascus last Thursday with the Iranian and Syrian presidents outraged Lebanon’s majority alliance
By Ghassan Karam
It is well known that the market fails to deliver on its promises of efficiency for many reasons such as the predominance of negative externalities;
Chile is on a hotspot of sorts for earthquake activity. And so the 8.8-magnitude temblor that shook the region overnight was not a surprise
If you want to get an early read on the ultimate success or failure of the Obama administration’s policies for the Middle East, keep an eye on Syria.
By Olivia Sterns
When Olympic skier Chirine Njeim tells people she’s from Lebanon, they often laugh in disbelief.
Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea spoke out against Hezbollah and the possibility of an imminent war with Israel, declaring “I am against irrational war.”
By Ghassan Karam
It is not very often that we get credible ecological news that is not full of negative news and dark projections. Well I am glad to say that the following
Press freedom is suffering in Lebanon, despite a modicum of maneuverability allowed by the law and the government’s non-interference with journalists
Following their meeting in Mukhtara, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP walid Jumblatt and Free patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun held a joint press conference .
“We’re finished … God have mercy on us,” were the last words of the pilot of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET409 before crashing into the Mediterranean Sea on January 25, 2010.
An interview with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton by Michel Ghandour of Al Hurra
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned israel during his speech on Tuesday : “If you target Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, we will strike Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport,”
By Ghassan Karam
Sovereign debt, as a potentially crippling fiscal problem world wide, has risen to the forefront over the past few months.
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said the March 14 slogan of Lebanon First does not work for him adding: “I am a Palestinian Arab and I can’t abandon my Arabism.”
Tens of thousands of Lebanese headed to Martyrs square in downtown Beirut on Sunday to participate in the rally that marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minster Rafik Hariri.
By Ghassan Karam
One of the most common definitions of a state is the one given by the great sociologist Max Weber: “it is that organization that has monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”.
During an interview with Future and MTV Lebanon’s prime minister Saad Hariri stressed that he is the PM because March 14 won the elections and went to Syria to build state-to-state relations :
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