Source: L'Orient Today
Security & Justice
Southern Lebanon Endures Massive Damage: 40,000 Homes Leveled Across 37 Towns
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon, leveling more than 37 towns and wiping out over 40,000 residential units, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Gaps in Coastal Radar Enabled Israeli Raid in Batroun, Army Commander Says
Lebanon’s army chief, General Joseph Aoun, detailed to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati how Israeli forces likely exploited gaps in the country's coastal radar system during the recent raid carried out in Batroun. The briefing comes as Lebanese officials seek answers on how Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 unit carried out the landing undetected.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Opinion
The Emptying of Baalbek Is a Moment to Take Stock
“Large numbers of people continue to flee their homes every day, as Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have been going on unabated.” These disturbing words could be from almost any news report about Israel’s invasion of its northern neighbour over the past month. However, they can be found in a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre issued on July 27, 2006.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
A Future Without Hezbollah
At the end of September, when Israel’s campaign to destroy Hezbollah was reaching its height, I met one of the group’s supporters in a seaside café in western Beirut. He was a middle-aged man with a thin white beard and the spent look of someone who had not slept for days. He was an academic of sorts, not a fighter, but his ties to Hezbollah were deep and long-standing.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Sports
FC Barcelona Fears First Team Star Will Be Banned From Playing, Reports SPORT
FC Barcelona is concerned that one of its main first-team stars will be banned from playing at the turn of 2025 because of issues related to his registration and Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.
Friday, November 1, 2024
Tottenham Forward Son Heung-min Crowned Asia’s International Player of the Year
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was crowned as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by the Asian Football Confederation at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Monday 24 January 2022 12:25:27
Cabinet Adjourns without Discussing 2022 Draft Budget, Will Reconvene Tomorrow
Najib Mikati’s cabinet met Monday morning for the first time since Oct. 12, before adjourning shortly after 11 a.m., without discussing the 2022 draft budget. It is set to reconvene Tuesday at 9 a.m. for a session scheduled to run until 3 p.m., during which the budget is expected to be addressed.
Here’s what we know:
• During Monday’s meeting, the government began making its way through a 56-item agenda, that includes the as yet undiscussed proposed budget for 2022.
• Among the cabinet’s decisions Monday were the approval of an increased private sector transportation allowance of LL65,000 per day of attendance, a public sector transportation allowance of LL64,000 per day, and a monthly transportation compensation for soldiers and members of the security forces. The cabinet also approved “temporary assistance” to public sector workers, including retirees with pensions.
• Speaking as the cabinet session got underway, President Michel Aoun said that the interruption of the cabinet meetings has “negatively affected the productivity of the authorities and this has negative repercussions on the general situation of the country.” Aoun added that he hopes this session will be “productive and fruitful,” calling on all participants to be open for discussions and collaborations.
• For his part, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that during the session there will be “a lot of urgent matters to cover in order to ensure the citizens’ rights are not taken away from them.”
• Ahead of the session, Mikati and President Michel Aoun met briefly.
• The last meeting of Mikati's cabinet was adjourned due to a disagreement among its members about taking a position on Judge Tarek Bitar's leadership of the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Bitar's leadership is being challenged by Amal and Hezbollah-affiliated ministers, who claim Bitar has “politicized” the investigation. While this issue remains unresolved, Amal and Hezbollah agreed a week ago to attend a cabinet meeting to discuss the budget.
