2 killed in Baalbeck clashes

Two people were killed in a clash in Baalbek’s neighborhood of Sharawneh in Lebanon on Thursday. (more…)

Embassies tighten travel warnings for Lebanon

Several embassies have tightened travel warnings for Lebanon, advising their nationals to avoid parts of the country due to unrest in neighbouring Syria and the kidnapping of a group of Estonians. (more…)

Clash between Syrian troops, defectors kills 3

An activist group says clashes between Syrian troops and armed men believed to be army defectors in a northwestern town have killed at least three people.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says explosions and cracks of heavy machinegun fire could be heard on Thursday in Binnish, a town in Idlib province. (more…)

Hague warns Syria about harassing citizens living in UK

The British government has warned Syria it will not allow “harassment and intimidation” of its citizens living in the UK.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had summoned the Syrian ambassador on Thursday to express concerns about the actions of his embassy staff. (more…)

Palestinians criticize Hamas on prisoner swap

Some Palestinians criticized Hamas on Thursday for conceding too much in its deal to swap a captured Israeli soldier for more than a thousand Palestinian inmates.
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Alleged Iran plot may have violated U.N. treaty

An alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States may have violated a U.N. treaty protecting diplomats and could escalate the crisis to an international court. (more…)

Safadi criticized the cabinet over involvement in labor wages

Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi criticized the cabinet on Thursday and said that intervened “more than it should” concerning the increase in the minimum wage. (more…)

Nahhas calls 40% min wage increase ” scientific”

Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas defended on Thursday the cabinet’s decision over the increase in the labor minimum wage calling it “scientific.”

“ The decision was scientific, and more than a result of workers’ demands,” Nahhas told Free Lebanon radio. (more…)

Israel-Hamas prisoner swap suggests Mideast shift

The Egyptian-brokered deal to free Sgt. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli who has been held by Gaza-based militants for more than five years, marked a step by the military-led government in Cairo toward restoring the country’s coveted role as a regional diplomatic play maker. (more…)

Cabinet approves Mikati-Union deal over wage increases

The Lebanese cabinet met at Baabda Presidential Palace on Wednesday evening and approved the wage increases that were agreed on Tuesday night between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the General Workers Union. (more…)