Sayegh resigns from his Phalange post, report

Social Affairs Minister Selim Sayegh resigned from his post as the deputy leader of the Phalange party, Central News Agency reported on Friday.

According to CNA, Sayegh took the decision in order to better fulfill his obligations in the Ministry . (more…)

STL indictment to be based on testimony by an Iranian, report

According to a report in Naharnet which was based on an article in the Lebanese newspaper Ad-Diyar , an indictment will be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon , which will based on testimonies made by a new “king witness”, Ali-Reza Asgari. (more…)

Allawi: Iraqi parliament walkout signals distrust

For former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, the dramatic parliamentary walkout of his Iraqiya bloc on Thursday represents a deep-seated lack of trust among Iraqi politicians, and it underscores the threat to forming a new Iraqi government.

“This is a new dictatorship that is happening in Iraq” Allawi declared in an interview with CNN on Friday. (more…)

Bakri sentenced to life in Lebanon

The radical Muslim cleric, Omar Bakri Mohammad, has been sentenced to life in prison by a military court in Lebanon.

He told the BBC from his home in Tripoli that he had been informed by his lawyer of the verdict on Thursday. (more…)

Siniora: Nasrallah’s statement over 2006 war inaccurate

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Friday that Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s Thursday statements during his speech last night were inaccurate.

Nasrallah accused Siniora’s cabinet last night of trying to prolong the 2006 July War. (more…)

Sunni-backed Iraqi speaker elected

Iraq lawmakers have approved a Sunni-backed coalition’s choice for parliament speaker, setting in motion the process for forming a new government under a deal that returns Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to power. (more…)

Hezbollah vows to block arrests over Hariri killing

Lebanon’s Hezbollah will not allow the arrest of any of its members if the inquiry into the 2005 killing of statesman Rafik al-Hariri indicts them, the group’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday.

Hezbollah and Western diplomats say that the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the killing of Hariri is expected to indict members of the group, possibly by the end of the year. (more…)

Clinton: Syria’s behavior has not lived up to Washington’s hopes

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during an interview with An-Nahar newspaper:
No one knows what the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will do, whom it will accuse in its indictment, or what time it will choose to move. (more…)

Saudi Supreme court rejects Sabat death sentence

Saudi Arabia’s high court has rejected the execution sentence of a Lebanese man convicted of sorcery and recommended that he be deported after a new trial, a newspaper reported Thursday. (more…)

Hariri tells Nahas: You will pay dearly for you comments

Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement Telecoms Minister Charbel Nahas, fought it out last night during the cabinet meeting at the Baabda palace according to local reports.

The cabinet met to discuss the issue of the false witnesses. The March 8 opposition called for a vote on this issue while the March 14 rejected the proposal. (more…)