The attack Wednesday against the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people has understandably sparked a massive outpouring of support worldwide for the publication. Many have used the occasion to defend the press and expression, while Muslims in Europe and around the world have issued condemnations of the attack. This kind and intensity… اقرأ المزيد
Hasan Lakkis| The Daily Star BEIRUT: Discord over a controversial proposal to treat solid waste paralyzed Cabinet Thursday, with Prime Minister Tammam Salam vowing to hold no more sessions before consensus was reached on the plan. Salam adjourned the five-hour session after Kataeb Party ministers voiced opposition to the plan to treat solid wastes… اقرأ المزيد
The recent plunge in oil prices to below $50 a barrel offers the same lessons as previous sharp fluctuations: Energy markets work and politicians who try to steer them almost always get it wrong. It’s ironic that, amid this demonstration of the inexorable power of supply and demand, Congress is beginning its debate on the… اقرأ المزيد
Earlier this week, Khaled Khoja, the new head of the Syria opposition in exile, rejected a Russian proposal to attend talks in Moscow to end the Syrian conflict. Khoja was right to doubt Russian intentions, but officials in Moscow are probably thinking in very different terms. There has been confusion over precisely what Moscow wants… اقرأ المزيد
Hasan Lakkis| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The Cabinet is scheduled to meet Thursday amid a split among ministers over a widening food safety campaign and waste treatment, a long-simmering key issue hanging over the government for months. Parliament, meanwhile, failed Wednesday over a lack of quorum to elect a new president in the 17th… اقرأ المزيد
Hussein Dakroub| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The Future Movement and Hezbollah made “serious progress” Monday in a second round of talks to defuse sectarian tensions exacerbated by the conflict in Syria, officials from the two rival factions said. The two sides also agreed to continue the implementation of a government security plan in all… اقرأ المزيد