BeiRUT—

Some Lebanese see Michel Samaha as the ultimate traitor, but with the trial of the ex-minister who confessed to planning terrorist attacks on home soil imminent, the country’s judicial system has also found itself in the dock.
Earlier this month, Beirut’s plush Achrafieh district echoed with calls for justice as demonstrators made themselves heard outside the home of Samaha in the first of a series of protests across the country.  
A former information minister, Samaha was arrested in 2012 after being caught colluding, allegedly with a Syrian intelligence chief, to smuggle explosives into Lebanon with the aim of targeting political and religious figures.  The controversy generated by what some perceived as a short sentence, four-and-a-half years, led to a planned retrial.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea endorsed the candidacy of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun for the presidency of Lebanon. This move came as a surprise to most observers for two reasons:

1. Samir Geagea was a candidate for the presidency himself
2. Samir Geagea and Michel Aoun were on opposing sides during the Lebanese Civil War

News website Now Lebanon wrote that “the move comes after Future Movement leader Saad Hariri [son of a former prime minister] moved to support Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh [grandson of a previous president]”, portraying Geagea’s decision as an almost expected reaction to Hariri’s and describing it as a “political bombshell”.

Natasha Bertrand

In a meeting with members of Syria’s opposition in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that rebels accept a set of preconditions dictated by Russia and Iran in order to participate in peace talks, according to an explosive report by the daily pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.

The terms Kerry reportedly asked the opposition Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee (HNC) to accept — including a "national unity government" instead of a transitional governing body that would phase President Bashar al-Assad out of power — represent "a scary retreat in the US position," opposition sources told the head of Al Hayat’s Damascus bureau, Ibrahim Hamidi.

Natasha Bertrand

In a meeting with members of Syria’s opposition in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that rebels accept a set of preconditions dictated by Russia and Iran in order to participate in peace talks, according to an explosive report by the daily pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.

The terms Kerry reportedly asked the opposition Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee (HNC) to accept — including a "national unity government" instead of a transitional governing body that would phase President Bashar al-Assad out of power — represent "a scary retreat in the US position," opposition sources told the head of Al Hayat’s Damascus bureau, Ibrahim Hamidi.

by Naharnet Newsdesk

By Joseph A. KechichianSenior Writer

Beirut: After the ‘Vladimir’ and ‘Ursula’ storm couple that unleashed several inches of rain and snow during the past two weeks, Lebanon was battered by ‘Thalassa’, which may dump several inches of rain.

The storm, which started on Friday evening intensified today with strong winds that, forecasters predict, could reach 90 kilometres per hour in certain areas.

Snowfall was recorded overnight at 1,200 metres and above, though these were expected to increase in volume on Sunday and, perhaps, cover lower altitudes.

Security forces warned residents in villages and town above 600 metres to prepare and, if necessary, equip their cars with tyre-chains.

An Indian Jesuit priest and fearless human rights activist has moved to Beirut, Lebanon, to render his services to refugees.   Fr. Cedric Prakash a well-known human rights and peace ‎activist, who headed the human rights centre in Ahmedabad, ‎Gujarat state, called “Prashant” is working among the thousands of internally displaced people. In his new mission, the 65-year old Jesuit will be coordinating the `universal mission’ of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) for Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Sudan and Chad.

iloubnan.info

Kataeb party on Friday heaped praise on the newly accomplished reconciliation that took place earlier this week at Maarab between Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, and Head of Change and Reform bloc, MP Michel Aoun.

"Today, we are witnessing reconciliation between two political parties that have fought each other for too long. This reconciliation is important for the future of Lebanon," Kataeb leader, MP Sami Gemayel, told reporters in Bekfaya.

"This reconciliation is a very important opportunity; but we want it to be based upon constant pillars so that it doesn’t disintegrate again," he underlined.

Gemayel also upped calls upon all parties to complete that step and discuss the future of Lebanon, as well as to lay common grounds to build upon.

by deadline.com