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
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
Real Madrid Launch Investigation into Racist Insults After El Clasico Defeat
Real Madrid has launched an investigation into racist insults directed at players during Saturday’s 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in LaLiga, it said on Sunday.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Sunday 30 January 2022 15:42:37
Cabinet to Continue Budget Discussions on Monday
The cabinet met Saturday for the fifth day in a row to discuss the 2022 draft budget, with the proposed treasury advance to Électricité du Liban becoming a point of contention as the government is set to resume its discussions on the budget on Monday.
Here’s what we know:
• Following Saturday’s meeting of Premier Najib Mikati’s government, Acting Information Minister Abbas Halabi told the press that the cabinet would convene again on Monday at 9 a.m. to discuss further funding for EDL and customs fees.
• “The electricity file is stormy,” Halabi, who is also the education minister, said. "Energy Minister Walid Fayad has been asked to justify” the LL5.25 trillion treasury advance penciled in for EDL to purchase fuel.
• He added that potential taxes “are still under discussion,” saying that the government is “keen not to overwhelm the Lebanese more.”
• Halabi said that the government was still debating the so-called “customs dollar,” or the specific Lebanese lira rate to the US dollar that would be used to calculate customs duties on imports, which is currently set at LL1500.
• The cabinet has been meeting since Tuesday to discuss the long-awaited 2022 draft budget, which was published by the Finance Ministry on Jan. 21. The budget, seen as critical for any effort to unlock IMF aid, forecasts a deficit of LL10.26 trillion – 20.77 percent of expenditures – excluding the allocation for EDL.
