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Ghosn Meets Ahmadinejad, Iran Says Strengthening Lebanese Army Part of Its Strategic Policy

Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn stressed Sunday that “Lebanon’s people, army and resistance are an invincible fortress in the face of Israel,” noting that the Lebanese "will never forget that Iran stood by them in great difficulties," during talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

Ghosn also said that Israel would fear Iran's reaction, should it consider moving in a hostile way against any regional country.

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55 Civilians, 14 Soldiers Killed in New Syria Violence

Syrian regime forces killed 55 civilians in clashes and shelling across the country Sunday, while at least 14 soldiers loyal to President Bashar Assad also died, activists and a rights group said.

Twenty-three people were killed in the central opposition bastion of Homs, nine in the central province of Hama, seven in the southern province of Daraa, 11 in the northwestern province of Idlib, three in the Damascus neighborhood of Kfarsouseh and two in the restive suburbs around Damascus, the Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground, said.

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Syrians Vote in Referendum on New Constitution amid Boycott, Violence

Syrians were voting on Sunday on a new constitution in the face of opposition calls for a boycott and deadly violence that Washington has said made the exercise "laughable."

The new text ends the legal basis for the five-decade stranglehold on power of the ruling Baath party but leaves huge powers in the hands of President Bashar al-Assad.

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3 Lebanese Sentenced to Death for Spying for Israel

Three Lebanese were sentenced to death by the Military Court on Friday for spying for Israel, a judicial source said.

The tribunal "condemned to death Moussa Ali Moussa, who was found guilty of having contacted the Israeli enemy and passing on information," the source said.

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Saudi FM Walks Out of Syria Meeting, Urges 'Consensual or Forced Transition'

Saudi Arabia's delegation on Friday walked out of the "Friends of Syria" international meeting held in Tunisia to protest what it called "the meeting's inefficiency."

“Focusing on humanitarian aid is not enough and the only solution is a consensual or forced transition of power,” head of the delegation, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said.

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'Friends of Syria' Urge Sanctions, End to Violence as Tunisia Calls for Yemen-like Deal

Arab and Western nations in Tunisia for the first "Friends of Syria" meeting called Friday for an immediate end to violence in the country and for new sanctions on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

In a final declaration, the group called for the regime to immediately end all violence to allow for humanitarian aid to be brought in.

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Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet to Become an Animated Feature

Renowned Lebanese author Gibran Khalil Gibran’s best known fictional work The Prophet is being adapted for the big screen in a new production that will involve collaborations across many borders.

In this exciting adaptation, each of the 89-year old classic’s chapters will be directed by a different award-winning filmmaker, with Roger Allers (The Lion King) responsible for the connective through-line narrative.

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63 Killed amid 'Terrifying Explosions' in Homs, Protest in Aleppo

Syrian regime forces killed 63 people and pounded rebel districts of the flashpoint central city of Homs for a 20th straight day on Thursday.

Seventeen unidentified bodies, 10 children, a media activist and a dissident soldier were among the 63 victims, the Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground, said.

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Miqati Accepts Nahhas’ Resignation

Prime Minister Najib Miqati formally received from the “Change and Reform” bloc the resignation of Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas.

Miqati’s media office stated that “After consultations between the Prime Minister and the President, the resignation of Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas has been accepted.”

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Saudi Tells Russia President Syria Dialogue Futile

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that dialogue on Syria was "futile", the official SPA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Russia should have "coordinated with the Arabs... before using the veto" to block a resolution on Syria in the U.N. Security Council, King Abdullah was quoted as saying.

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