Merkel’s Presidential Candidate Wulff Wins in 3rd round

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s candidate for the German presidency, Christian Wulff, was elected in a third round of voting, as delegates used the first two secret ballots to take a swipe at her coalition.

The vote today by the 1,244-member assembly of federal lawmakers and state delegates, stretching over more than eight hours, (more…)

Opinion: The Real Palestinian Revolution

Pssssst. I’ve got a stock tip. Ready? The Al-Quds Index. What’s that? It’s the P.S.E., or Palestine Securities Exchange

Geagea: March 8 acting as if they were involved in Hariri murder

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized some in the media on Wednesday for jumping to conclusions over the arrest of the mobile (Alfa cell ) phone company employee Charbel Kazzi, who was accused of collaborating with Israel, a statement from LF said.

“The March 8 alliance media linked Kazzi’s case with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), although no indictment from the STL has been issued. (more…)

UNIFIL: The UNIFIL says Protests in South Lebanon were the result of misunderstanding

Neeraj Singh, UNIFIL spokesman said on Wednesday that protests by residents in South Lebanon were the result of a misunderstanding, National News Agency (NNA) reported. (more…)

Activists call for a smoking ban in Lebanon

A woman walks past Lebanese environmental activists displaying banners as they stand outside the offices of Philip Morris in Beirut. The project was organized by the League of Independent Activists (IndyACT) and it calls for a law to ban smoking in public places. (more…)

Lebanon-Israel-Syria peace talks a priority for Obama

President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah agreed in a meeting in Washington on the need to renew talks between Israel and Syria and Lebanon respectively, the White House said in a statement.

Obama urged bold action to secure the “Palestinian homeland” on Tuesday as he welcomed Abdullah to the White House for the first time since taking office. (more…)

Israel: Hezbollah pushed Lebanon to back off Ghajar deal

The Lebanese government backed off from agreements over the border village of Ghajar most probably under pressure from Hezbollah, political sources told Israel radio.

The sources said, however, that such a move does not create an obstacle to reaching a deal on Israel’s pullout from the northern part of the village. (more…)

Hezbollah angry over UNIFIL presence in South Lebanon

Continued border patrols conducted by U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon not only have angered residents but Hezbollah, too.

Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad slammed UNIFIL, criticizing the patrol operations as “maneuvers.”

Angry residents on Tuesday blocked Adeisseh-Kfar Kila road in southern Lebanon and hurled stones at a U.N. vehicle in Khirbit Selim to protest passing of UNIFIL patrols. (more…)

Israeli officer accused of spying for Hezbollah

An Israeli warrant officer and five Israeli citizens are suspected of working with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Israeli military said Wednesday.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that a warrant officer working with Israeli forces and “a number of Israeli civilians” were involved in drug smuggling activities in Israel and Lebanon. The identity of the prime suspect is still under a gag order. (more…)

Freedom and Hypocracy

By Ghassan Karam
I have to ask the readers of this space to be patient with this post. It appears that very few people have had access to the “offending” short article that has created the ire of president Suleiman.