Lebanon
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Aoun insists on naming 2 ministers as al-Khalil meets Mikati and Paris intervenes

President Michel Aoun is still insisting on “his right to name the Druze and Sunni ministers who will replace Minister of the Displaced Issam Sharafeddine and Economy Minister Amin Salam,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

“This may reflect a difficulty that is still obstructing the announcement of the formation of a new government,” the daily added.

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EU envoys express to Aoun 'grave concern' on Lebanon situation

The Ambassadors of the EU and its Members States resident in Beirut, along with the Ambassadors of Switzerland and Norway, met with President Michel Aoun on Tuesday to express “grave and growing concern about the current situation in Lebanon,” EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf said.

“We urged the President to do his utmost to support and actively contribute to the implementation of the crucial economic, monetary and fiscal reforms that Lebanon has committed to,” Tarraf tweeted.

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Karish gas field key to Israel's energy strategy

Israel is preparing to activate an offshore gas field partly disputed by Lebanon, aiming to boost energy exports to Europe but risking further tensions with its northern neighbor.

Israel and Lebanon, still technically at war, have engaged in on-off U.S. mediated talks since 2020 to delineate their Mediterranean border, which could allow both parties to boost offshore natural gas exploration.

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US court awards millions to 'victims of Hezbollah rockets'

A U.S. court has ordered Hezbollah to pay millions of dollars in damages to a group of Americans who sued saying they were wounded by the group's rockets during the 2006 war with Israel.

The case was brought under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and alleged that Hezbollah caused the plaintiffs physical and emotional injury and damaged their property. The judge ordered Hezbollah to pay damages of $111 million to the plaintiffs.

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After meeting Jumblat, Bukhari meets Geagea in Maarab

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea met Tuesday with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari in Maarab.

Bukhari had met on Monday with Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat.

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Cyprus helps rescue 477 migrants from 2 boats that came from Lebanon

Cyprus has assisted in rescue of a small wooden boat crammed with more than 300 migrants that was floating adrift 203 kilometers west of the island nation, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.

Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Commander Andreas Charalambides told the Associated Press that the captain of the 18-meter (60 foot) boat sent out a distress call Monday afternoon after experiencing engine trouble.

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Mikati to meet Macron in New York

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Mikati had on Monday took part in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London before leaving for the United States where he will lead Lebanon’s delegation to the works of the U.N. General Assembly.

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Israeli PM vows to begin production in Karish

Israel's prime minister has vowed to begin production at a contested Mediterranean natural gas field "as soon as it is possible," threatening to raise tensions with Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Yair Lapid's announcement in a statement from his office came at a sensitive time in long-running efforts by a U.S. mediator to resolve a dispute over the countries' maritime border. U.S. officials have said they are making progress, but need more time to reach a solution.

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Lebanon's past echoes its grim present in exhibition  

In a war-scarred Beirut heritage house turned museum, archives of Lebanon's troubled past fuse with artistic depictions of its grim present to portray a country seemingly in perpetual turmoil.

Newspaper clippings, film negatives and diary entries from the years before Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war tell a story of government corruption, public sector strikes and student protests.

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Mikati heads to New York after attending Queen Elizabeth's funeral

Caretaker Prime Minister and PM-designate Najib Mikati on Monday took part in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Mikati was accompanied by his wife.

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