Lebanon cabinet set for key meeting as protests swell
AFP, Beirut
Lebanese protesters were expected to return to the streets for a fifth day Monday, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri holding a cabinet meeting to try to calm the unprecedented demonstrations.
Hundreds of thousands of people from across Lebanon’s sectarian divides rallied against corruption and the entire political class Sunday, the largest such demonstrations in the country for years.
Israelis rally in
support of woman imprisoned in Russia
AP, Tel Aviv
About 200 Israelis are demonstrating in Tel Aviv in solidarity with an Israeli woman imprisoned in Russia on drug charges. The demonstrators chanted and held signs reading “Free Naama” in Hebrew, Russian and English.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested in Moscow airport in April on her way to Israel from India. Authorities found 9.6 grams of marijuana with her and last week sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison.
US hopes China will ease restrictions on diplomats
AFP, Beijing
The United States hopes Beijing will ease restrictions on meetings between US diplomats and local officials after Washington imposed reciprocal measures against China, the US ambassador said Monday.
Washington angered Beijing last week after it announced that Chinese diplomats will now have to notify the State Department before meeting with American officials.
Thousands protest against Haiti’s President
AFP, Port-Au-Prince
Thousands of people demonstrated on Sunday in Port-au-Prince, demanding that Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise step down. “Jovenel is incapable and incompetent, he must pack his bags because Haiti must live,” said one of the protesters, Jean Ronald.
“It is not normal to live in such an unequal country,” Ronald added, standing in front of the float of “Prophet Mackenson,” a popular and controversial Haitian religious leader..
