Lebanon

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Sarkozy Breaks Off Syria Talks
Sarkozy Breaks Off Syria Talks
Dec 31, 2007 4:30 AM CST

Sarkozy Breaks Off Syria Talks

Stop blocking progress in Lebanese presidential stalemate, French prez warns

(Newser) - France has lost patience with Syria and has cut off mediation talks until Damascus stops obstructing the election of a new president in Lebanon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced yesterday. Lebanon has been without a president since November and the Syrian-backed parliamentary opposition has been accused of blocking the election...

White House Tells Lebanon, Pick a Prez!

Factions plan to meet Monday; they may have to amend constitution

(Newser) - Washington pressed Lebanon today to pick a new president after the office has been left empty for three weeks, the AP reports. The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch said the election would “restore dignity and respect to the most important Christian office." Lebanese...

Lebanese General Killed in Blast
Lebanese General Killed in Blast
Dec 12, 2007 5:45 AM CST

Lebanese General Killed in Blast

Death of official about to head army could jeopardize presidential deal

(Newser) - An explosion outside of the Lebanese presidential palace near Beirut has killed at least four people, including a prominent general. Gen. Francois al-Hajj had been slated to become army chief if the current leader, Michel Suleiman, becomes president. The army believes that the bomb was a coordinated attack on Hajj,...

Sex Is Okay With 'Pleasure Marriage'

Muslims date sans guilt in sanctioned trysts, and marry later

(Newser) - What Americans call dating, Muslims increasingly permit as “pleasure marriage,” Bloomberg reports. Twenty-somethings who want sex but can’t afford marriage—a problem in the Middle East, where pay is low and unemployment high—get guilt-free dating clearance with a short-term contract. Men often keep it and “...

Lebanon Backs General as Prez Candidate

Government moves to break deadlock

(Newser) - The Lebanese government is attempting to clear a deadlock over who will run the nation by approving Lebanon's army chief as a presidential candidate. Gen. Michel Suleiman has provisional support from both the right-wing Christian ruling party and the Hezbollah-led opposition. His selection would require a constitutional amendment endorsed by...

Lebanon PM Tries to Ease Fears of Unrest

He takes control as nation begins stretch without president

(Newser) - Lebanon's PM called for calm today and said his cabinet would run the nation while it remains without a president, Reuters reports. Fouad Siniora also pledged to push for quick elections. The developments come a day after President Emile Lahoud's term ended without a successor in place. Siniora rejected Lahoud's...

Lebanon Under Emergency Rule
Lebanon Under Emergency Rule
Nov 23, 2007 5:15 PM CST

Lebanon Under Emergency Rule

At end of term, Lahoud orders controversial military takeover

(Newser) - Lebanon teetered on the brink of chaos tonight as its president declared a state of emergency just hours before his term expired and transferred power to the military. The outgoing Emile Lahoud refused to give power to his rival, PM Fouad Siniora, who immediately rejected the legality of Lahoud's move,...

Lebanon Picks No Prez Today
Lebanon Picks No Prez Today
Nov 22, 2007 5:40 PM CST

Lebanon Picks No Prez Today

Streets quiet over civil war fears as sides negotiate

(Newser) - Lebanon's parties failed to pick a new president today, leaving them 24 hours to find a replacement before President Emile Lahoud's term ends, the Wall Street Journal reports. Lahoud has said the army chief may take over if sides remain deadlocked tomorrow at midnight—a turn that could spark blocs...

Former FBI, CIA Agent Had Hezbollah Ties

Lebanese immigrant scammed entry, snooped in FBI files

(Newser) - Lebanese native Nada Nadim Prouty overstayed her student visa, obtained US citizenship through a sham marriage, waitressed at a Detroit restaurant suspected of laundering money for Hezbollah, and became a CIA agent with access to sensitive intelligence. The case of Prouty, who tapped into government computers to obtain information about...

Cheney Amps Up Rhetoric Against Iran

Threatens 'serious consequences' over nuke program

(Newser) - Cheney threatened "serious consequences" today if Iran doesn't drop its nuclear program, Reuters reports. "Our country and the entire international community cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its most aggressive ambitions," he told the audience at a think-tank forum. One analyst called Cheney's threat "...

Lebanon MPs Deadlock, But Deal Looms

After last week's killing, possible presidential compromise awaits

(Newser) - As expected, the Lebanese parliament deadlocked today as it tried to select a successor to outgoing president Émile Lahoud. But after last week's assassination of an anti-Syrian MP, this week brought promising signs of a compromise between the ruling party and more pro-Syrian opposition groups, including Hezbollah. Another vote...

Despite Assassination, Lebanon Will Hold Elections

Defiant government says it won't retreat

(Newser) - As the country mourns yesterday's death of anti-Syrian politician Antoine Ghanem, Lebanon's government is determined to hold presidential elections as scheduled next week, the BBC reports. "The hand of terror will not win," Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said today. "The Lebanese will … have a new president...

Car Bomb Kills Lawmaker in Lebanon
Car Bomb Kills Lawmaker in Lebanon
Sep 19, 2007 12:11 PM CDT

Car Bomb Kills Lawmaker in Lebanon

Anti-Syrian MP among victims of massive pre-election blast

(Newser) - Anti-Syrian lawmaker Antoine Ghanem was one of at least seven people killed by a car bomb in Beirut today, just days before Lebanon’s parliament is set to select a successor to pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud. Ghanem was a member of an anti-Syrian governing coalition, which has been locked in...

Top Terror Leader Killed
Top Terror Leader Killed
Sep 4, 2007 2:57 AM CDT

Top Terror Leader Killed

Led militant fighters in refugee camp

(Newser) - Islamic militant leader Shaker al-Abssi, wanted for the murder of a US diplomat in Jordan, was killed by Lebanese troops in the bloody climax of the battle for the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp near Tripoli. Al-Abssi was one of 39 militants killed by Lebanese special forces Sunday after a three-month...

Lebanese Rout Militants in Camp
Lebanese Rout Militants in Camp
Sep 3, 2007 3:30 AM CDT

Lebanese Rout Militants in Camp

Months of fighting leaves refugee camp in ruins

(Newser) - Jubilant Lebanese celebrated with soldiers yesterday after they finally wrested control of a besieged Palestinian refugee camp from an al-Qaeda ally, Fatah al-Islam. Lebanese special forces attacked strongholds that remained inside the ruins of the Nahr al-Bared camp near Tripoli after nearly three months of fighting, reports the London Times.

France Eyes Diplomatic Role in Iraq
France Eyes Diplomatic
Role in Iraq
Aug 22, 2007 7:50 AM CDT

France Eyes Diplomatic Role in Iraq

New foreign minister may take on peace conference

(Newser) - "Everyone knows the Americans will not be able to get this country out of difficulty alone," the new French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, told a French radio station on his way out of Iraq yesterday. Kouchner 's 3-day visit confirmed that the French see a role for themselves...

Pro-Democracy Campaign Falters
Pro-Democracy Campaign Falters
Aug 20, 2007 6:34 PM CDT

Pro-Democracy Campaign Falters

Second-term initiative stalls, battered from within and without

(Newser) - President Bush has announced his intention to end "tyranny in our world," but promoting democracy is proving as unpopular among Republicans as Democrats. His plans have met internal opposition, even from Dick Cheney, but a more formidable roadblock is the plan's close association with the unpopular chief executive,...

US to Label Iran's Elite Force Terrorists

Move allows action to block Revolutionary Guard's assets

(Newser) - Iran's elite military branch, the Revolutionary Guard, will be officially designated a terrorist organization by the US, the Washington Post reports. The declaration will allow Washington to block assets and disrupt the operations of businesses linked to the unit worldwide. The 125,000-member Guard, a  powerful political force, is increasingly...

Lebanese Hopes Pinned to Reluctant Billionaire

Can a $2.3B fortune keep Saad Hariri alive long enough to become PM?

(Newser) - Portfolio profiles Saad Hariri, the billionaire who now leads Lebanon's pro-Western majority party and America's last, best Middle Eastern hope. Hariri, pulled into politics when his former-PM father was assassinated in 2005, spends most of his days barricaded inside his Beirut mansion, trying to avoid being murdered by Hezbollah guerrillas.

Forget the Pyramids—to the Bat Cave!

Tall monuments are great, but what about the caverns under the surface?

(Newser) - To appreciate the earth's natural beauty, sometimes you have to dig under the surface. Jaunted tips you off to the best caves in the world.
  1. Waitomo Glow Worms Caves, New Zealand: Abseil down a tiny hole, black-water raft for 3 hours, and then see a glow-worm-studded cave ceiling.

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