Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday called for an end to “the politicization of the judiciary,” as he warned against changing Lebanon’s “economic identity.”
“The Lebanese do not want an alternative to the state and they don’t want a partner for it. They are looking forward to a halt to the politicization of the judiciary and administration,” al-Rahi said in his Easter sermon.
Full StoryPresident Michel Aoun on Sunday said “those who are obstructing the judiciary are known,” in response to a question about the stalled port blast investigation.
“The families must go to those who are obstructing the judiciary and they saw who paralyzed Cabinet,” Aoun added ahead of Easter Mass in Bkirki, apparently referring to Hizbullah and Amal Movement.
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Supporters of Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement on Saturday intercepted supporters and members of a rival electoral list in the southern region of Sarafand.
Full StoryMaronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Saturday called on the Lebanese to elect a “patriotic” parliamentary majority that believes in “sovereignty and independence" and in “the Lebanese Army as the sole authority for arms and security” in the country.
“We are the movement of change, freedom and sovereignty in this Levant and we are the pioneers of political and intellectual renaissance. We resisted when resistance was an adventure, we rebelled when the uprising was being suppressed, and we raised the voice when voices fell silent,” al-Rahi said in his annual Easter message.
Full StoryCentral Bank Governor Riad Salameh has said that he is willing to meet with Swiss prosecutors over a money-laundering investigation.
"I have already informed the Swiss justice that I am ready to go," he told Swiss television SRF.
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Russian officials on Thursday accused Ukraine of sending helicopters to bomb a town in the southern Bryansk region about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border, after reporting seven injured in shelling.
Full StoryCabinet on Thursday agreed to demolish the blast-hit silos at Beirut’s port, which according to a technical report are facing the threat of collapse, as it approved the use of funds from the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights for importing wheat and incurable disease medicines.
“The banking secrecy law will be re-discussed at the next Cabinet session,” Information Minister Ziad Makari said after the meeting.
Full StoryHizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has announced that his party wants a “national unity” government to be formed after the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“Our project is partnership with everyone and a national unity government,” Qassem said in an interview with Hizbullah’s al-Nour radio station.
Full StoryPresident Michel Aoun on Thursday reassured that the May 15 parliamentary elections will be held on time.
“We’re a month away from the parliamentary elections, and some are still questioning whether the vote will be held or not. I reiterate that the vote will be held on time and that the additional funds for it have been approved,” Aoun said at the beginning of a Cabinet session in Baabda.
Full StoryA UNIFIL patrol belonging to the French contingent was intercepted Wednesday in the southern town of Blida, al-Jadeed TV said.
The patrol was passing in a narrow internal road, accompanied by a Lebanese Army vehicle, when it got stuck in an alleyway, the TV network said.
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