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Raad Says ‘Unacceptable’ to Bin Proportional Representation over Some Parties’ Concerns

27 December 2016

Hizbullah’s top lawmaker Mohammed Raad announced Sunday that it is “irrational and unacceptable” to bin proposals for passing an electoral law fully based on proportional representation in order to appease some political parties and leaders. “The new government has a major responsibility, which is devising […]

Hajj Hassan: for a new electoral law that enhances political stability

27 December 2016

Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan, said that the priority of the new government is to issue a new electoral law that ensures political stability in Lebanon, recalling that his Party adopts the proportionality law. Minister Hajj Hassan, whose words came during a funeral ceremony […]

Looking Ahead To 2017 And The Role Russia Will Play

27 December 2016

David Greene talks to New York Times correspondent Steven Lee Myer about what the coming year might hold for parts of the world, especially Russia, that have been on America’s mind a lot. DAVID GREENE, HOST: As we reach the end of this year – […]

Turkish Army ‘Bearing Brunt of Anti-Daesh Operation in Syria’s al-Bab’ – Expert

27 December 2016

The Turkish General Staff announced that an additional 500 Turkish special forces troops had been sent to reinforce Turkish and Free Syrian Army efforts against Daesh in the northern Syrian city of al-Bab. Turkish ex-commando and security expert Abdullah Agar told Sputnik this is a […]

Egypt Arrests Al-Jazeera Producer for ‘Provoking Sedition’

27 December 2016

News channel Al-Jazeera is accusing Egypt of making up “fabricated charges” against one of its producers who is being detained in the country. In a statement Monday, Al-Jazeera — a broadcaster partly funded by the ruling family of Qatar — said the allegations brought by […]

Mass graves of tortured civilians found in Aleppo – Russian MoD

27 December 2016

Mass graves with dozens of bodies of civilians subjected to brutal torture have been discovered in Aleppo neighborhoods left by militants, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday. Many of the corpses were found with missing body parts, and most had gunshot wounds to the head, […]

Peace Activists Set Out for Syria From Berlin – on Foot

27 December 2016

BERLIN — Several hundred peace activists have started what they say will be a months- long protest march from Berlin to war-ravaged Syria to urge an end to the fighting there. The Civil March for Aleppo set off carrying white flags from Berlin’s former Tempelhof […]

Gunfire during Fatah Official Funeral amid Cautious Calm at Ain el-Hilweh

27 December 2016

Gunfire was heard Sunday at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp during the funeral of Fatah Movement official Suleiman Abu al-Nimr, who was killed in a blast Saturday, state-run National News Agency reported. It earlier reported that cautious calm was engulfing the camp after a […]

Hajj Hassan sponsors opening of International Motor Show in Jbeil

27 December 2016

Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan, sponsored on Friday the opening of the International Motor Show in Mastita-Jbeil, in the presence of the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammed Fateh Ali and dignitaries. The minister hoped that political and security stability will prevail in the new […]

Attempt to Split Turkey, Russia Over Ambassador’s Murder Failed

27 December 2016

The attempt to sour the relationship between Russia and Turkey, to prevent further rapprochement of the two countries, to trigger a new crisis, failed, according to the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ANKARA (Sputnik) — The attempt to drive a wedge between Moscow […]

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REPORT: Bombed-out Aleppo soap-maker revives age-old tradition in Paris

27 December 2016

A Syrian soap-maker who fled Aleppo after the factory he worked in was bombed has set up shop in a Paris suburb, reviving a tradition he says dates back millennia. Hassan Harastani left Syria in 2012, first for Lebanon and then two years later moving […]

Trump’s Pick for Ambassador to Israel Sparks Hot Debate

27 December 2016

NEW YORK — If President-elect Donald Trump wanted to show he planned to obliterate President Barack Obama’s approach to Israel, he might have found his man to deliver that message in David Friedman, his pick for U.S. ambassador. The bankruptcy lawyer and son of an […]