Watch: Rahi Visits Saint Charbel Garden in Budapest
Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi visited the Saint Charbel Garden in Budapest, Hungary, where he participated in the conference on the future of Lebanon from a Christian perspective.
Watch the attached video for more.
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MTV Lebanon
3 days ago
- MTV Lebanon
US-backed humanitarian organisation says aid workers killed in attack
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the United States and Israel-backed organisation established to supplant the aid work of the United Nations, has accused Hamas of killing five staff and wounding multiple others in an attack on a bus en route to a food distribution centre. A bus carrying more than two dozen Palestinians working with the organisation was 'brutally attacked' while travelling to a distribution centre west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the foundation said in a statement on Wednesday night. While the organisation was still gathering facts, 'at least' five people were killed and there were 'multiple injuries', the foundation said, adding there were fears that some of its staff had been taken captive. 'We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers. Humanitarians, brothers, sons, and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others,' the foundation said. 'Our hearts are broken and our thoughts and prayers are with every victim, every family, and every person still unaccounted for.' Hamas, which governs Gaza, did not immediately comment on the claims. Hamas earlier this week denied that it had threatened the foundation after the organisation accused the Palestinian group of making 'direct threats' against its operations. The aid organisation, which is led by Johnnie Moore, an evangelical Christian who advised US President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, has been mired in controversy since beginning operations on May 27. The UN and aid groups have boycotted the foundation over concerns that it does not meet basic humanitarian standards and is not independent of Israel. Numerous Israeli attacks on Palestinians have taken place near the foundation's distribution sites in Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor, On Wednesday, 57 people were killed and more than 363 injured as they tried to access aid at the sites, Gaza's Health Ministry said. More than 220 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid since the foundation began operations, according to Gaza health authorities. In its statement, the foundation, which on Saturday reported that it had been unable to distribute aid due to Hamas threats, said the attack 'did not happen in a vacuum'. 'For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us. These threats were met with silence,' the foundation said. 'Tonight the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity,' the foundation added. 'We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people.'
Al Manar
07-06-2025
- Al Manar
Russia Says Ukraine Stalls POW Exchange and Return of Fallen Soldiers
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine is indefinitely delaying a planned exchange of prisoners of war and the repatriation of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers' bodies, despite Moscow's readiness and prior arrangements. According to Alexander Zorin, head of the General Staff's main directorate, Russia had initiated the return of over 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers on June 6. A convoy carrying 1,212 remains had already arrived at the exchange site, with four more trains—each transporting approximately 1,200 bodies—preparing for transfer. Zorin affirmed Russia's full commitment to the Istanbul agreements, offering to exchange all prisoners on an 'all-for-all' basis, including the wounded, critically ill, and those under 25. He added that a list of 640 names was submitted to Ukrainian authorities, who have yet to respond with a date for either receiving the bodies or reciprocating the prisoner exchange. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky echoed these claims, stating that Kyiv's sudden refusal to proceed came despite Russia's formal invitation to retrieve the bodies—an act aimed at giving families the right to a dignified burial. He further invited international media to witness Russia's preparedness on the ground, confirming that the initial batch of bodies had already reached the designated exchange zone, while additional shipments were en route. Vladimir Medinsky spoke to us about Kiev's sudden refusal to take back 6,000 bodies of their dead. 'Families will have opportunity to bury their close ones in a Christian manner. We are here, we are ready to fulfil our agreements. Accept the bodies, the POWs, and the sick. Let… — Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) June 7, 2025 Medinsky accused Ukraine of obstructing the agreements, alleging that Kyiv may be stalling to avoid financial obligations—namely, compensation payments announced in 2023 of $257,000 per fallen soldier. According to him, no Ukrainian families have received these funds to date, and concealing the return of such a large number of bodies is becoming increasingly difficult. Moscow Pushes for Lasting Peace Amid Diplomatic Gridlock The second round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations took place earlier this week at Istanbul's Çırağan Palace, lasting more than an hour and involving the exchange of memoranda on conflict resolution mechanisms. Russia – Ukraine negotiations, Istanbul, Türkiye. 'We aim to discuss ceasefire requirements of both sides in Russia-Ukraine talks'. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan 'We expect a real result from today's meeting in Istanbul: a ceasefire, exchange of prisoners, return of… — Intel Edge (@Intel_edge1) June 2, 2025 Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a government video conference, instructed Medinsky to present a full report on the outcomes of the talks. Medinsky noted that Kyiv expressed interest in a 30-day ceasefire to prepare for a potential summit, while Moscow insisted on negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement rather than settling for a temporary truce. Despite ongoing dialogue, Ukraine has yet to act on its commitments, while Russia continues to push for implementation of the agreed exchanges—against the backdrop of mounting Ukrainian challenges related to prisoner numbers and unpaid death compensations.
Nahar Net
05-06-2025
- Nahar Net
Syria says seized all captagon factories
by Naharnet Newsdesk 05 June 2025, 11:45 Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said Wednesday that authorities had seized all production facilities of illicit stimulant captagon, which became Syria's largest export under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with state television, Khattab said that "we were able to stop the production of this drug and seize all the materials and factories that were producing" captagon. "There are now no more factories producing captagon in Syria," he said. Most of the factories, which he said numbered in the dozens, were located "in the Damascus countryside and a large number in the Lebanese border area" as well as on the coast. "Most were in areas under the control of the former Fourth Division," he said, referring to the notorious Syrian army division headed by Assad's brother Maher. Captagon became Syria's largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011, and a key source of illicit funding for Assad's government. Since his overthrow in December, the new Islamist authorities have announced the discovery of millions of captagon pills in warehouses and on military bases. Last month, authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle out four million captagon pills, days after seizing another nine million that were headed for Turkey. Neighboring countries also occasionally announce captagon seizures. "Shipments initially prepared for export have been intercepted" daily, Khattab said, noting Syria has begun coordinating with countries including neighboring Jordan and Turkey as well as Saudi Arabia -- a key market for the drug The interior minister also noted other security challenges, including Islamic State (IS) group jihadists who according to Khattab had moved from "absurd acts... to studied attacks on strategic targets". Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Also last month, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an Islamic State cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks, while another anti-IS operation in the northern city of Aleppo saw the death of one security forces officer and three IS members. Khattab said IS had also attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. Reported IS attacks in areas controlled by the Syria's Islamist-led authorities have been scarce, while frequent attacks have persisted in areas under Kurdish control in the country's north and northeast.
