Source: AFP
Security & Justice
State Action Signals Change in Tackling Longstanding Illegal Land Grabs in Jbeil District
For years, the serene villages of Jbeil's highlands have been far from peaceful. Ghabat, a Maronite village nestled between the predominantly Shiite towns of Afqa and Lassa, has become a focal point of growing tensions due to territorial disputes.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Mawlawi Ensures Strict Monitoring for Wanted Syrian Regime Figures at Beirut Airport
Caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, conducted an inspection tour of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to review the security arrangements and measures implemented by the Airport Security Apparatus ahead of the holiday season.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Monday 28 February 2022 11:43:33
Three French Judges Arrive in Beirut to Pursue Investigation of Carlos Ghosn
Three French judges connected with the investigation of Lebanese former Renault-Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn in Nanterre, France, landed in Beirut on Sunday, reports AFP.
Here’s what we know:
• The judges plan to stay in Beirut until Thursday, where they will question witnesses, AFP’s sources said. This visit could signal a change in the status of Mr. Ghosn, who has lived in Beirut since his escape from Japan at the end of 2019. In concrete terms, French authorities can ask Lebanese prosecutors to notify Ghosn of charges, the equivalent of an indictment in France, or issue an arrest warrant against him.
• This is the second trip to Lebanon by French judges in Ghosn's case. Last June, Ghosn was questioned for five days in connection with the investigations targeting him in Nanterre, but also in Paris, as part of a commission of international rogatory. At the end of this hearing, his lawyers said he was "happy" to have been able to "explain his position." However, he refused to answer questions based on a hard drive, which he believes was "stolen in Lebanon by Nissan" and "perhaps modified," he said in an interview with French outlet Le Parisien on Feb. 12. A source familiar with the matter told AFP that the questioning of witnesses this week could be linked to this hard drive.
• The former car tycoon is targeted in France by two legal proceedings: in Paris, for the consulting services concluded by RNBV, a Dutch subsidiary embodying the Renault-Nissan alliance, with former French Justice Minister Rachida Dati and criminologist Alain Bauer; and in Nanterre, in particular for misuse of corporate assets and money laundering.
• Aged 67 and targeted by an arrest warrant from Interpol, the former businessman, who has Lebanese, French and Brazilian citizenship, has been forced to stay in Lebanon since his incredible flight from Japan in December 2019. Arrested in November 2018 in Tokyo, he justified his escape by claiming it was necessary in order to "escape injustice," denouncing a "plot" by the Japanese authorities.
