Source: Al Arabiya
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
Sunday 6 March 2022 11:00:16
New Russian Demands over Ukraine Sanctions Threaten Iran Nuclear Deal
New demands by Russia announced on Saturday are threatening to derail efforts to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Wall Street Journal reported, as Moscow said it wanted guarantees from the US that Ukraine-related sanctions would not damage its cooperation with Iran after the deal is revived.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday Russia wanted a written guarantee from the US that Moscow’s trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered in any way by sanctions recently imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
“We need a guarantee that these sanctions will not in any way touch the regime of trade-economic and investment relations which is laid down in” the nuclear deal, Lavrov said.
The announcement comes as diplomats involved in talks between Iran and world powers aimed at reviving the 2015 deal have said they were close to reaching an agreement.
“The last-minute demand from Russia could make it impossible to complete a return to the 2015 nuclear deal in time,” the Wall Street Journal cited a senior Western diplomat as saying.
The new Russian demand is “not constructive” for the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Vienna, Reuters cited a senior Iranian official as saying.
Talks between the remaining signatories to the deal – Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain – have been taking place in Vienna.
The US is participating indirectly in the talks due to Iran’s refusal to negotiate directly with Washington.
The Vienna talks, which began in April 2021, aim to bring Iran back into compliance with the deal and facilitate a US return to the agreement. The deal offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
Washington withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, reimposing sweeping economic sanctions on Tehran. That prompted Iran to retaliate by breaching many of the deal’s restrictions, which were designed to make it harder for Tehran to obtain the fissile material for a nuclear bomb.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.