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Full text of Israel-Lebanon maritime border deal

Several Lebanese TV networks on Wednesday published the final Arabic-language text of the sea border demarcation agreement submitted by U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein to Lebanon and Israel. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper has meanwhile published the English-language text of the deal.

Below is the full English-language text as published by Haaretz:

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Israel announces sea deal with Lebanon, but doubts remain

Israel's prime minister said Tuesday that Israel has reached a "historic agreement" with neighboring Lebanon over their shared maritime border after months of U.S.-brokered negotiations.

The agreement would mark a major breakthrough in relations with the two countries, which formally have been at war since Israel's establishment in 1948. But the deal still faces some obstacles, including key legal and political challenges in Israel.

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A bump and a miss: Saudi oil cut slaps down Biden's outreach

U.S. President Joe Biden has effectively acknowledged the failure of one of his biggest and most humiliating foreign policy gambles: a fist-bump with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, the crown prince associated with human rights abuses.

Biden's awkward encounter with Mohammed bin Salman in July was a humbling attempt to mend relations with the world's most influential oil power at a time when the US. was seeking its help in opposing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting surge in oil prices.

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Ziad Hayek to Naharnet: My presidential chances have surged

Naharnet has interviewed presidential hopeful and Lebanon’s former candidate for World Bank chief Ziad Hayek about his presidential chances and plans.

Hayek, 63, was Secretary General of Lebanon's High Council for Privatization and PPP from 2006 until he was nominated to be President of the World Bank in February 2019. Hayek is currently Vice Chair of the Bureau of the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe Working Party on PPP, Head of the International Center of Excellence in PPP for Ports, President of the World Association of PPP Units & Professionals, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Member of the Investment Committee of World YMCA, and High Commissioner for Lebanon at the World Business Angels Investment Forum.

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Iran protests persist, becoming threat for Tehran

Protests in Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman detained by the country's morality police have stretched into a third week, even after authorities disrupted the internet, deployed riot troops and attacked perceived enemies abroad.

That playbook of repression has worked before, but the spontaneous demonstrations over the death of Mahsa Amini persist and keep changing. In one recent incident, high school students chased away a hard-liner while famous politicians and actresses abroad now are cutting off their hair with scissors, following Iranian women protesters who have done the same.

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Analysts: Lebanon far from gas riches even if Israel deal agreed

Lebanon is grappling to strike a deal with Israel over contested maritime gas fields, but even with an agreement the cash-strapped country faces multiple hurdles before tapping potential hydrocarbon riches, analysts say.

"A deal would mark one step forward but it does not mean that Lebanon has become a gas- or oil-producing country," said Marc Ayoub, an associate fellow at the American University of Beirut's Issam Fares Institute.

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As Europe's leaders meet, some fear for EU membership hopes

Leaders from more than 40 countries meeting in the Czech capital Thursday are set to launch a "European Political Community" aimed at boosting security and prosperity across the continent. But critics claim the new forum is an attempt to put the brakes on European Union enlargement.

The Prague meeting is the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron and is backed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. It's taking place with Russia's war on Ukraine in its eighth month and as pressure builds to allow Ukraine to join the 27-nation EU.

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Why has Yemen's truce failed and what happens next?

A six-month truce in Yemen that expired Sunday had provided a rare respite for the war-ravaged country, but failed attempts to extend it have stoked fears of fresh conflict.

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A look at some of the world's major crowd disasters

Police fired tear gas after violence broke out at an Indonesian soccer match in East Java province when Persebaya Surabaya beat Arema Malang 3-2. Panic and a rush for the exit left at least 125 dead, most of whom were trampled, police said Sunday. Here's a look at some of the major crowd disasters in recent decades:

Dec. 3, 1979 — Eleven people are killed as thousands of fans rush to get into a concert by The Who at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

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Exiled for decades, Iranian Kurds in Iraq come under fresh fire

When Iranian strikes came crashing on northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, nurse Rezane Hassan rushed to the scene to help the victims, never imagining that her own fiancé would be one of them.

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