BEIRUT (AP Bassem Mroue) — A former Lebanese government minister on Wednesday asked the country’s top court to remove the lead judge investigating last year’s massive explosion in Beirut's port because of allegedly “legitimate suspicion” over his handling of the case, state media reported. The development is the latest in a year-long saga surrounding the investigation into the explosion, which plunged Lebanon into another political crisis and accelerated an already unprecedented economic meltdown. The country's government resigned after the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion and bickering political parties only this month agreed on a new government. Also, months into the probe, the lead judge running the investigation was removed by the Court of Cassation after similar charges were filed against him by senior government officials.

The petition Wednesday by the former public works minister, Youssef Fenianos, came a week after Judge Tarek Bitar issued an arrest warrant for him after he failed to appear in court for questioning. It's not clear whether the Court of Cassation will take up Fenianos' lawsuit and if it does, it will have to examine the case and then decide whether to dismiss or accept the request The judge has accused Fenianos and three other former senior government officials with intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the explosion.

al-monitor.com — Lebanon’s new government raised maximum fuel prices in the country again on Wednesday, a reversal from the previous policy of …

BEIRUT (CNS) - By Doreen Abi Raad -- — At the start of a new academic year, uncertainty clouds the future of Catholic schools in Lebanon. Amid the country’s economic meltdown, Catholic schools have exhausted their resources, and their future is at risk. Of Lebanon’s 330 Catholic schools in Lebanon, educating nearly 200,000 students, 80% of the schools are under the risk of closing, said Melkite Father Youssef Nasr, secretary-general of Catholic schools in Lebanon. “We are facing this crisis with empty pockets,” Father Nasr told Catholic News Service. “We are under tremendous pressure.”

In-school learning in Lebanon has been disrupted for two years, first by nationwide protests that swept the country in October 2019, followed by COVID-19 lockdown measures. “We can’t leave our students at home for a third year. They are facing a learning, psychological and a social loss” from not being in school, Father Nasr said. On top of the educational void, the Lebanese currency has plummeted by more than 90% in less than two years, wiping out the middle class. According to the United Nations, 78% of Lebanese now live below the poverty line, up from less than 30% before 2019. Parents have seen their salaries dwindle to barely a tenth of their previous dollar values. Many have not been able to make tuition payments for two years. Of the country’s 330 Catholic schools, 90 serve the disadvantaged; their tuitions are nominal, and the Lebanese government is to provide a subsidy of approximately 50% for a portion of the student body. However, the government has not paid any such subsidies since 2016.

The USNS Choctaw County has arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, to participate in a first-of-its-kind mission intended to strengthen military ties between the countries, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday.

(UPI) -- The USNS Choctaw County has arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, to participate in a first-of-its-kind mission intended to strengthen military ties between the countries, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday. As part of the mission, Central Partnership Station, the U.S. Navy and Lebanese armed forces will exchange subject matter experts on topics including mine countermeasures, disaster response, public health and construction capabilities. Explosive ordnance disposal technicians, Navy divers, medical and health engagement team and a construction battalion will work alongside their Lebanese counterparts, according to the U.S. Navy. The construction battalion is building a maritime security support facility with engineers from the Lebanese Armed Forces.