Lebanon
Latest stories
Nun Found Dead in Family's House in Mansouriyeh

Nun Ramza Barakeh was found dead inside her family’s house in the town of Mansouriyeh, state-run National News Agency reported.

After examining the body of the 69-year-old victim, a forensic said the death happened on Monday and that the corpse was hidden in the bathroom.

W140 Full Story
Nasrallah Urges Govt. to 'Work Night and Day', Says Syrian Regime Won't Fall

The government must “work night and day” and in a “serious” manner even if its survival depended on the political factors and the developments in Syria, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday, calling on some parties to “reevaluate” their calculations “given that the general course of things in Syria has become clear.”

“It is true that there are some details and problems and that the security situation needs some time (to return to normalcy) in Syria … but the inclination is clear and thus there’s no need for futile bets,” Nasrallah said in a televised address on the occasion of the inauguration of the Hizbullah-affiliated Sayyeda Zainab Complex in Haret Hreik.

W140 Full Story
Ahmadinejad Stresses Continued Support for Lebanon

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed Tehran’s continued support for Lebanon in a letter that the country’s visiting deputy foreign minister delivered to President Michel Suleiman on Friday.

The letter states “Iran’s permanent support for Lebanon in all fields and at all levels,” a presidential statement said.

W140 Full Story
Oil Sector Suspends Planned Strike

The oil sector announced on Friday the suspension of its planned strike on April 2-4 to pave the way for more negotiations with Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.

The decision came following a large-scale meeting held by the Association of Petroleum Importing Companies, the Syndicate of Gas Station Owners and the Syndicate of Tank Owners.

W140 Full Story
Report: Mansour, Khaireddine Searching for New Foreign Ministry Location

The government has tasked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and State Minister Marwan Khaireddine with finding a new location for the foreign ministry after experts warned that parts of Bustros Palace could collapse, An Nahar daily reported Friday.

An Nahar said that both Mansour and Khaireddine are now searching for the location for the ministry’s employees, including diplomats and administrative staff.

W140 Full Story
Berri Lauds Electricity Decisions but Criticizes Slow Rate of Oil Authority Appointments

Speaker Nabih Berri hailed the government for reaching a deal on how to resolve the country’s lingering electricity crisis but criticized it for failing so far to appoint the members of the oil authority.

In remarks to As Safir daily on Friday, Berri said a government session at Baabda Palace on Wednesday “was probably the first productive session for a long time.”

W140 Full Story
Hamadeh Says MPs to Question Cabinet over Electricity Decision

MP Marwan Hamadeh revealed on Friday that the electricity crisis will be discussed during the parliamentary session set to hold a general discussion in April to assess the governments’ performance.

Hamadeh told An Nahar newspaper that the lawmakers will call for a vote of confidence on Energy Minister Jebran Bassil for “violating laws approved a couple of months ago but weren’t implemented.”

W140 Full Story
Report: Negotiations Kicked Off with Power Vessels Companies

The ministerial committee tasked with following up the leasing of power-generating vessels kicked off negotiations with the two companies, a Turkish and an American, which won the tenders, An Nahar newspaper reported on Friday.

The daily said that Prime Minister Najib Miqati headed the primary negotiations with the two companies’ representatives, although the committee members are set to resume their meetings on Monday.

W140 Full Story
Thousands Mark Land Day at Beaufort Castle Amid Heavy Security

More than 3,000 Lebanese, Palestinian and foreign demonstrators marched to the Beaufort Castle in Nabatiyeh on Friday to mark Land Day, an annual protest against discriminatory Israeli land policies.

Waving Palestinian flags and singing Palestinian national songs, the protestors performed the traditional dabke dance as security forces kept them from moving beyond the Crusader-built castle that lies 15 kilometers from the Israeli border.

W140 Full Story
Miqati Says Bassil 'Most Competent Minister', Denies Rift with Safadi

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Thursday described Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil as the “most competent minister” in his government, denying the presence of a dispute with Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi, his main ally in the 2009 parliamentary elections.

“I’m a man of compromises and I propose compromises in a positive spirit,” Miqati said in an interview on LBC, in reference to the latest controversy over the issue of leasing power-generating vessels.

W140 Full Story