MP Hashem Alameddine passed away

National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday that Lebanon First bloc MP Hashem Alameddine—who represents North Lebanon’s Menyeh region—passed away on Thursday from an undisclosed illness.

Alameddine who was born in Menyeh was the son of former Lebanese MP Mohammad Mustafa Alameddine.
Alameddine was first elected as a parliament member in 2005. He was reelected in 2009. (more…)

HRW: Mideast maids unprotected from abuse

Human Rights Watch said Thursday that reforms undertaken by governments in the Middle East to protect domestic workers from abuse are insufficient

MEA pilots go on strike

Pilots at Lebanon’s national carrier are striking at Beirut International Airport to press for demands for improved working conditions.

Some 170 Middle East Airlines pilots began their 24-hour strike at 3 a.m. (0000GMT) Thursday.

The strike by the pilots’ union forced the cancellation of 23 international flights to Mideast, European and African destinations and affects some 5,000 passengers. (more…)

Suspect in murder of 4 was killed by angry residents- update

Residents of the Mount Lebanon village of Ktirmaya on Thursday killed the murder suspect of two grandparents and their two young grandchildren.

Lebanon’s National News Agency identified the killer as Mohammed Salim Mosallam who allegedly shot to death Youssef Abu Merhi, 75, and his wife Kawthar, 70, along with their grandchildren Zeina, 7, and Amneh, 9. (more…)

Visit by US delegation to border area causes confusion

A visit by a US security delegation to the Masnaa border area created a lot of confusion in Lebanon specially since this visit comes after the reports of Scud missiles being shipped from Syria to Hezbollah.

Al-Markaziya news agency quoted an unnamed US official as saying that the US security delegation’s Wednesday visit to the Masnaa border area took place on the invitation and in coordination with the Lebanese government. (more…)

Iranian president seeks U.S. visa

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad applied Wednesday for a visa to enter the United States, the State Department confirmed. (more…)

Berri: The scud missiles issue is a cover up

Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted by MPs who attended the weekly Wednesday meeting as saying that bringing up the issue of Scud missiles is a ploy to divert attention from the developments between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. (more…)

Hezbollah slams U.S. over weapons

A Hezbollah official on Wednesday slammed comments by the U.S. defense secretary accusing the militant group of having more weapons than most governments in the world, and pledged to continue arming. (more…)

Lebanon, Qatar sign 13 agreements

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani arrived on Wednesday in Beirut accompanied by several officials , where he was received by Prime Minister Saad Hariri at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport. (more…)

Iran sanctions: A Dilemma in June?

The Lebanese are concerned because Washington wants to put forward a new Security Council resolution for sanctions against Iran as soon as possible.