85 percent of the Lebanese do not trust their politicians, according to an opinion poll by Beirut-based Information International. Although the results do not dispute the prevailing public opinion, but paradoxically contradict the outcome of the last parliamentary elections, which brought back to power the same political class. According to a survey conducted by the […]
Top Amal official purchased 40 weapons from Switzerland for his personal protection
Former minister MP Ghazi Zoaiter confirmed on Friday that in 2016 he purchased from Switzerland 40 weapons for his personal security detail, saying he was still in possession of the arms. “The weapons included ten automatic rifles and 30 pistols for my personal protection,” Zoaiter told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday, stressing that they aim to […]
Saudi Crown prince’s brother named his deputy DM and Princess Reema as ambassador to U.S.
Saudi Arabia appointed the full younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as its deputy defense minister on Saturday and named a princess as the kingdom’s first woman ambassador to the United States. The appointments follow Riyadh’s efforts to overcome an international outcry over last year’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, […]
Lebanese demand civil marriage on home soil
Dozens of protesters rallied in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Saturday, calling on the government to recognise civil marriages carried out on home soil. The demonstrators gathered in front of Lebanon’s interior ministry, days after recently-appointed Interior Minister Raya al-Hasan said she is willing to engage in “serious and profound dialogue” over the issue. The […]
U.S. Senator lauds Lebanon’s effort to improve the economy
U.S. Senator James Lankford Friday emphasized great efforts exerted by Lebanon to improve its economy, Lebanon’s presidency website reported. “The United States is ready to help in this area,” Lankford said, during his meeting with President Michel Aoun in Beirut to discuss bilateral ties in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard. Aoun […]
Israel: New polls put Gantz-Lapid ahead of Netanyahu
New polls released Thursday evening showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party trailing well behind the new joint Blue and White list of Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, with 47 days until the April 9 Knesset elections, Israeli website Ynet news reported on Friday According to Channel 13, the Blue White list would win 36 seats in […]
Saudi Arabia crown prince strikes oil deal in China
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continued a charm offensive in a two-day visit to China, signing off on a $10 billion oil deal, and pledged assistance in the “de-radicalization of extremist thinking.” Saudi Arabia on Friday signed the next multi-billion oil refinery investment deal during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s tour of Asia, this time in […]
U.N. chief appeals for violence to be avoided in Venezuela
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly appeals” for violence to be avoided in Venezuela, a U.N. spokesman said on Friday after the first bloodshed linked to efforts to bring aid into the country against the orders of embattled President Nicolas Maduro. “Any loss of life is regrettable,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. “Looking ahead […]
Venezuelan military kills woman near Brazil border over international aid, mayor says
Venezuelan soldiers shot and killed a woman Friday in a standoff with a local indigenous community over international aid entering the country from Brazil, according to a local mayor. Emilio Gonzalez, mayor of the Venezuelan town of Gran Sabana, near the Venezuela-Brazil border, said the military opened fire on an indigenous group trying to facilitate […]
My Venezuela nightmare: A 30-day hunt for food in a starving land
The diary of a desperate mother trying to put food on the kitchen table. By Fabiola Zerpa | July 18, 2016 Editor’s note: The looting, the blackouts, the mob lynchings, the hospitals with no supplies. Venezuela’s collapse into disarray is of a scale unseen in the Western Hemisphere in decades. In an effort to illustrate […]