BAALBEK, Lebanon: Fears of a sectarian conflict rose in the northern Bekaa Valley Tuesday after the family of a soldier killed by militants around two years ago allegedly kidnapped and executed an east Lebanon man they accused of involvement in the crime. The body of 20-year-old Hussein Mohammad Hujeiri, the nephew of controversial Arsal Sheikh… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| BEIRUT: Now that official final results of the municipal elections in Beirut have shown that the Future Movement-backed candidate list has captured all the 24 seats of the capital’s municipality, attention has been shifted to the next round of voting in Mount Lebanon, where rival lists by key Christian parties are competing… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said Wednesday more than 20,000 security and military personnel would be deployed in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley Sunday to ensure safe and smooth voting in the first round of municipal elections he described as the most important for the country in decades. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Saad… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri Monday backed off from calling for legislative sessions to pass urgent bills in the face of opposition by key Christian blocs, and instead decided to urge joint committees to mull a raft of electoral draft laws. Speaking at a rare news conference at his Ain al-Tineh residence, Berri said… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri Sunday said he might call for changing the country’s sectarian-based ruling system if rivalries persist between senior officials from various sects in state institutions. He decried what he called alleged discrimination against Shiites holding key state posts. “Let them recognize us at least as a sect. We are not… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam called Monday on Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah to stop his verbal attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, in the government’s latest attempt to defuse a diplomatic crisis with the kingdom that has strained Lebanon’s ties with Gulf states. It was Salam’s first appeal to Nasrallah… اقرأ المزيد