by bbc.com — Dearbail Jordan & Simon Jack — At 10.30pm on a cold December night in 2019, a former titan of the global car industry lay bundled inside a box on board a plane, waiting to flee Japan. “The plane was scheduled to take off at 11pm,” recalls Carlos Ghosn. “The 30 minutes waiting in the box on the plane, waiting for it to take off, was probably the longest wait I’ve ever experienced in my life.” Now, for the first time, the man who was once the boss of both Nissan and Renault has detailed his daring escape. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Ghosn tells how he disguised himself to slip unnoticed through the streets of Tokyo, why a large music equipment box was chosen to smuggle him out of Japan and the elation he felt when he finally landed in his native Lebanon. “The thrill was that finally, I’m going to be able to tell the story,” he said.

Mr Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 over allegations by Nissan that he had understated his annual salary and misused company funds, which he denies. At the time, Mr Ghosn was the chairman of the Japanese carmaker. He was also chairman of France’s Renault and the boss of a three-way alliance between both carmakers and Mitsubishi. His cost-cutting at Nissan – initially controversial – was ultimately seen to have saved the carmaker and he became a highly respected and recognisable figure. But he insists he was “collateral damage” in a fight back from Nissan against the increasing influence of Renault which still owns 43% of the Japanese company. Documentary series Storyville details his extraordinary rise and sudden fall in Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight which will be shown on BBC 4 on Wednesday 14 July.

by middleeastmonitor.com — Lebanese President Michel Aoun confirmed Tuesday that the country’s parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled in 2022, Anadolu Agency reported. According to a statement issued by the Lebanese Presidency, Aoun told the former Head of the European Union delegation, Elena Valenciano, that “parliamentary elections will take place on time, in spring […]

وزير فرنسيّ: نحترم إلتزاماتنا على عكس السلطة اللبنانية http://alhadeel.net/article/178253 الجميع يشير الى عدم احترام الدولة اللبنانية التزاماتها. صح بالاضافة الى عدم تسديد سندات الدين لم نلتزم تعهداتنا بتحييد لبنان بعد ان التزمت الامم المتحدة والدول الصديقة بناء لطلبنا ( اعلان بعبدا ) كما لم نلتزم بمناقشة الاستراتيجية الدفاعية التي تعهدنا مناقشتها ( اليوم لا لزوم […]

By Louisa Ballhaus — msn.com — While Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner seem to be distancing themselves more and more from former president Donald Trump, younger daughter Tiffany Trump may be thinking this is her moment to shine — and her wedding plans suggest that Marla Maples’ daughter, at least, has no problem aligning herself with the Donald Trump brand. Recent moves by Ivanka like her vaccine selfie and midsummer trip to Aspen amid Trump’s Dallas CPAC appearance seem geared at showing just how different from her dad Ivanka can be, but Tiffany — who has long remained more at the outskirts of Trump’s orbit than her older sister — is reportedly considering a family wedding ceremony with fiancé Michael Boulos (Lebanese originally) at her dad’s very favorite place: Palm Beach’s Mar-a-Lago. “They both want to marry in a big ceremony, your basic international spectacle,” a source tells People of Tiffany’s plans. Boulos, whom she started dating in 2018, proposed in January 2021 and has since begun eagerly planning with his fiancée. “Tiffany likes the idea of a glamorous and glitzy affair and, surprisingly, so does Michael.”

Ivanka Trump Didn’t Join Her Siblings in Posting a Father’s Day Tribute to Donald Trump This Year “I don’t know if they will have two big deal weddings but there could be a smaller celebration somewhere if relatives can’t make the big one,” the source added. “Mar-a-Lago would make sense even though so many people marry there…It depends when it happens and what is going on around them at the time.”

by AFP — BEIRUT: The judge investigating last year’s deadly Lebanon port blast on Monday rejected a request by MPs for more evidence before immunity for three ex-ministers can be waived, a judicial source said. Hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded on the dockside at Beirut port last August 4, killing more than 200 people, injuring thousands and ravaging swathes of the capital. Afterwards, it emerged that officials had known about the explosive substance being stored there unsafely for years. Coming less than a month before the first anniversary of the tragedy, Monday’s move may mean a new standoff, with fears that the probe could be derailed by political interference. Earlier this month, lead judge Tareq Bitar said he had demanded that parliament lift the immunity of ex-finance minister Ali Hasan Khalil, former public works minister Ghazi Zaiter and ex-interior minister Nohad Machnouk. Bitar said he was looking at possible charges of “probable intent to murder” and “negligence”.

Deputy speaker Elie Ferzli said parliament’s administration and justice committee on Friday decided to “request all evidence available in the investigation, as well as all documents that prove suspicions”. He said the committee would reconvene once it had received a reply, to decide whether or not to waive immunity. On Monday, the judicial source said no further documents would be forthcoming. “The investigating judge rejected parliament’s request … In an official letter he explained that he had already handed over all the documents that needed to be handed over,” the source told AFP. – Protests – Lawyer and activist Nizar Saghieh said the committee’s request on Friday went against the separation of powers between the judiciary and the legislature, and “violated the confidentiality of the investigation”. “They’re just trying to buy time,” he alleged.

PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union said on Monday it wanted to agree by the end of July the legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese leaders, but cautioned that the measure would not be immediately implemented. Led by France, the EU is seeking to ramp up pressure on Lebanon’s squabbling politicians after 11 months of a crisis that has left Lebanon facing financial collapse, hyperinflation, electricity blackouts, and fuel and food shortages. The move is part of broader international efforts to force a stable government capable of carrying out crucial reforms to emerge from nearly a year of political chaos and economic collapse following a blast that ravaged Beirut port. “I can say that the objective is to complete this by the end of the month. I am not talking about the implementation of the regime, just the building of the regime according to sound legal basis,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels.

Nearly a year after the Aug. 4 explosion, which killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and devastated swathes of the capital, Lebanon is still headed by a caretaker government. “Lebanon has been in self-destruct mode for several months,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in Brussels. “Now there is a major emergency situation for a population that is in distress.” The EU first needs to set up a sanctions regime that could then see individuals hit by travel bans and asset freezes, although it may also decide to not list anybody immediately. Le Drian said there was now a consensus among the bloc’s 27 nations for a regime.

By Vivian Nereim and Donna Abu-Nasr — bloomberg.com — The sultan of Oman landed in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in the first visit by an Omani leader in over a decade, a sign of shifting alliances in the Persian Gulf as the kingdom reaches out to states with closer ties to regional rival Iran. Skyscrapers in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, were lit up in red and green, the colors of the Omani flag, to celebrate Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s arrival. The visit to the city of Neom, where he was greeted by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, coincides with the opening of the first-ever land crossing connecting the countries as Oman tries to diversify trade routes. The Saudi cabinet also authorized officials to prepare and sign draft agreements with Oman in a slew of fields including commerce, culture, investment promotion and post and transport. “There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes to try to build the foundation of something much more significant between the Saudis and Omanis,” said Ayham Kamel, head of the Middle East and North Africa at the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. “Sultan Haitham is viewed in Riyadh as leaning toward Saudi in terms of Gulf affairs.”

A closer relationship could be an economic boon for Oman, which is struggling to diversify its economy away from oil. It also comes as Prince Mohammed reaches out to states once held at a distance over differences in their approach to Iran. Saudi Arabia has forged closer ties with Iraq, hosting the prime minister in March, and reconciled this year with Qatar — a Gulf neighbor it had a rancorous split from in 2017. Sponsored Content Resilience Through Digitalization and Sustainability Yokogawa At the same time, tensions have spiked between Saudi Arabia and another Gulf Cooperation Council neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, over differences on oil policy, geopolitical views and economic competition. “It’s almost a new crown prince who thinks about regional affairs differently,” Kamel said. “He’s much more interested in building a GCC-centric multifaceted relationship that does not rely only on one ally, which used to be the UAE, but builds on a much broader network of alliances.”

by ncregister.com — On July 1, leaders of Christian Churches of Lebanon — including heads of the Maronite, Melkite, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Chaldean, Syrian Catholic and evangelical communities — were gathered in Rome for a day of prayer and reflection with Pope Francis, in response to the devastating economic and political crisis in Lebanon. These religious leaders made special appeals to Lebanon’s citizens not to become discouraged and lose heart; to the political leaders to find solutions to the current economic, social and political crisis; to the Lebanese of the diaspora to serve the homeland; and to the members of the international community to undertake a joint effort to save Lebanon. In the words of Pope Francis, the intention of the gathering was that Lebanon “must remain a project of peace. Its vocation is to be a land of tolerance and pluralism, an oasis of fraternity where different religions and confessions meet, where different communities live together, putting the common good before their individual interests.”

Why Lebanon Is a Message

Prince Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859) was Austria’s foreign minister and architect of the “Concert of Europe” — a viable diplomatic system between the European Powers which kept Europe at peace for almost a century following the Napoleonic wars. Before sending his ambassador to Constantinople, Metternich instructed him: “Tell the Sultan, if there is war in Lebanon there will be war in the Levant, if there is peace in Lebanon there will be peace in the Levant.” The Austrian statesman and diplomat knew how to keep the equilibrium and balance of powers to ensure peace and stability. He understood that a peaceful Lebanon contributed to a peaceful and stable region, but an explosive region would sooner or later come back to haunt the territorial integrity of Lebanon, the Christian presence in the region and the coexistence among its religious communities.

باريس ـ بشارة غانم البون

“حدث نادر شهدته عاصمة الكثلكة التي انشغلت دوائرها الفاتيكانية بيوم لبناني طويل قلّما عرفته في السابق”. هكذا يُعلّق ديبلوماسي عتيق، خبير بشؤون الكرسي الرسولي على مدى اكثر من ثلاثين عاماً، على الساعات العشر التي خصّصها البابا فرنسيس لـ”لبنان الحبيب الذي احمله في قلبي”، على حد قوله.

وقد سجلت الأوساط المتابعة لملف العلاقات الفاتيكانية – اللبنانية ملاحظات على هامش جلسات هذا اليوم الطويل، وأبرزها الآتي:

-اظهار مدى الاهتمام الشخصي للبابا فرنسيس ومدى التزام المؤسسات الفاتيكانية بلبنان “ليس فقط تعبيراً عن القلق الكبير على وجود شعب ومصيره بل أيضاً حرصاً على مستقبل

بلد صغير بحجمه وكبير برسالته”.

By Sunniva Rose — thenationalnews.com — US and French diplomats have attempted to pressure a reluctant Saudi Arabia to increase its involvement in Lebanon in what analysts described as an unprecedented effort to save the crisis-hit country from itself. But the outcome of their negotiations remains unclear apart from potentially delivering more in-kind humanitarian aid. Ambassadors Anne Grillo of France and Dorothy Shea of the US visited Saudi Arabia on Thursday to discuss Lebanon’s economic crisis and political paralysis. They said in a joint statement afterwards that the country desperately needed a “fully empowered government”. The international community has refused to bail out the cash-strapped state after decades of mismanagement and corruption, arguing that politicians should first bring in laws to increase transparency and accountability.

The failure of Lebanese leaders to act has led to severe electricity, water and medical shortages amid rapidly increasing inflation and poverty. The local currency is trading at more than 19,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar – less than a tenth of its official value. Lebanon is without a fully functioning government and political bickering over the formation of a new one persists. The previous Cabinet resigned following the deadly blast that rocked Beirut’s port on August 4 last year. “We are providing a lot of emergency and humanitarian aid to Lebanon but we could do much more if the Lebanese shouldered their responsibilities,” a French diplomatic source told The National. The US embassy in Beirut was not immediately available for comment. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been financially supportive of Lebanon and aligned with its Sunni Muslim and pro-Western leaders. But it has distanced itself in recent years owing to increasing concerns about the power wielded by Hezbollah. The Shiite Muslim group is backed by Saudi Arabia’s regional archenemy, Iran.