France recalls ambassador from Iran, pushes tougher sanctions

France is recalling its ambassador from Iran for consultations a day after protesters stormed the British embassy in Tehran, and will push for tougher sanctions at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Thursday.
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Seven soldiers, six civilians dead in Syria

Seven Syrian soldiers were killed by army renegades and six civilians were shot dead on Wednesday as regional pressure tightened on President Bashar al-Assad with Turkey imposing tough economic sanctions on Damascus. (more…)

US welcomes Mikati’s funding of Lebanon’s share of STL

Washington on Wednesday welcomed Lebanon’s decision to pay its dues to a UN-backed tribunal probing the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri but said the country’s commitment to the court did not stop with the funding. (more…)

Geagea: Hezbollah has to hand over to STL the 4 suspects

Hezbollah and its allies “can no longer claim” that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is an Israeli-US court Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said in a statement on Wednesday after Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that he transferred the funds to STL (more…)

Jarrah: Mikati should explain how he did it

March 14 MP Jamal al-Jarrah said on Wednesday that the “way” in which Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the transfer of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was “questionable.”

“Mikati announced the transfer of the STL funds without holding a cabinet session and without explaining how the transfer was carried out,” Jarrah a key member of the Future Movement bloc told MTV. (more…)

Lebanon PM transfers funds to STL

Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister, said he had transferred its share of funding to a UN-backed court probing the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri, an issue that threatened to spark the collapse of his government.

He said the decision was in Lebanon’s interest and would protect the country from the upheavals shaking the region. (more…)

Lebanon-Israel rocket fire exchange is on camera

A security camera recorded Monday night the launching of two Grad rockets from Lebanon and also shows that they landed in Israel near Aita al Shhab and Rmaish . The cameras also show that Israel responded by firing 6 artillery shells that landed in the outskirts of Aita al Shaab , Debel and Haneen in south Lebanon. (more…)

Petrol bombs hurled in Cairo’s Tahrir Square

Unidentified youths hurled petrol bombs in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday as Egypt concluded the first phase of largely peaceful voting in the first election since the downfall of Hosni Mubarak, television pictures showed. (more…)

Syria: Is Homs 2011 Hama 1982 in slow motion?

The UN Human Rights Council has released its report on abuses in Syria, and it reads like a catalog of misery and disregard for human life:

Lebanese call Syria ‘terrorist’ footage a fabrication

Seven Lebanese men on Tuesday denounced Syria’s authorities for what they said was false usage of footage filmed in 2008 to prove “terrorist” involvement in unrest rocking Syria.

The seven men at a press conference in Tripoli’s impoverished Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood showed what they said was the original video they had shot and posted on Facebook, and identified themselves one by one. (more…)