Bruno Finel

Algeria marks its independence day on July 5, 64 years since the end of French colonial rule and the birth of a nation that promised its people dignity, freedom and prosperity. 

Money is on its way to Cairo. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed Saturday that a €1.5 billion tranche from the European Union's macro-financial assistance package will arrive within days, the first of two remaining instalments from a €5 billion facility that forms the centrepiece of a broader EU-Egypt financial partnership.

A Hezbollah delegation, including family members of assassinated former Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and slain top commander Imad Mughniyeh, travelled to Tehran Friday to attend the official ceremony paying homage to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in an Israeli strike on February 28.

While France severs diplomatic ties with Burkina Faso and Western nations distance themselves from Ouagadougou's military junta, Israel is quietly moving in the opposite direction.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf called Thursday on all Iranians to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in Israeli-American strikes in late February, using the occasion to issue a call for revenge.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call Saturday from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), in a show of Gulf solidarity following the announcement of the Lebanon-Israel framework agreement in Washington.

Naim Qassem took to the podium Friday for the Ashura commemorations and delivered precisely the speech the world expected, word for word, beat for beat, with all the spontaneity of a hostage reading from a script prepared in Tehran.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry on Friday welcomed the joint declaration issued Thursday following the ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council  (GCC) and the United States, describing it as a significant endorsement of Beirut's sovereign diplomatic path.

The United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) delivered a unified and unambiguous message Thursday in Manama: Lebanon's sovereignty must be restored, armed groups outside state authority must be disarmed, and the Lebanese file must not be held hostage to Iran's regional agenda.

You cannot trust a regime that has built its survival on deception. Iran's theocracy has practiced the art of lying and concealment for decades, and Tuesday delivered yet another textbook illustration.

Lebanon's Finance and Budget Committee approved Monday a government bill establishing a "golden visa" scheme, offering wealthy foreigners and expatriates the opportunity to obtain Lebanese residency and a preferential tax regime in exchange for a minimum investment of $500,000.

US Vice President JD Vance expressed hope Sunday for "a new chapter" in relations with Iran as talks opened in Switzerland to finalise a memorandum of understanding already showing cracks just four days after its signing, strained by continued fighting in Lebanon and a fresh warning from Donald Trump that Tehran must prevent Hezbollah from "causing trouble."