
Culture Minister, Chinese Ambassador discuss cultural ties
NNA - Minister of Culture, Ghassan Salameh, on Wednesday welcomed Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian at the National Library in Sanayeh for a protocol visit.
Discussions reportedly focused on bilateral relations, particularly in the cultural sector, and ways to enhance and promote cooperation.
Ambassador Qian informed Minister Salameh that the company responsible for constructing the National Conservatory in Dbayeh will resume its activities after a halt due to security conditions in Lebanon. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with an official inauguration to follow.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Manar
a day ago
- Al Manar
Lebanon: PM Salam Visits Speaker Berri, Says Doors Open to Hezbollah
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received on Monday PM Nawaf Salam, who stressed commitment to the ministerial statement and said that doors are open to Hezbollah. National News Agency (NNA) reported that discussions between Berri and Salam touched on the current general developments, political updates, as well as the reconstruction efforts. Following the meeting at Ain Al-Tineh, Salam told reporters that he has not deviated 'by a single word from what was agreed upon,' responding to accusations that he was not abiding by the ministerial statement. He added that he is committed to reconstruction, noting that the government is mobilizing the necessary support for this. Meanwhile, signaled a willingness for dialogue and engagement with Hezbollah. '(Hezbollah MP) Mohammad Raad and the group are welcome. The doors of my home and the Grand Serail are open,' he said in remarks carried by local media. When asked about the relation with the Lebanese premier last week, Speaker Berri told Lebanese daily Al-Jomhouriya that Salam's tone sets the tone. 'He brings the heat, we'll match it; he stays cool, so will we.'


Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Nahar Net
Macron warns US, Indo-Pacific not to abandon Ukraine as it gears for potential China conflict
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 May 2025, 16:34 French President Emmanuel Macron warned the U.S. and a large audience of Indo-Pacific nations Friday night that they risk a dangerous double standard as they concentrate on a potential conflict with China if that shift comes at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. Macron's remarks come as the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. He warned that abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. Macron and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats and top defense officials in Singapore this weekend for a security forum that will focus on China's growing assertiveness, the global impact of Russia's war on Ukraine and the flare-up of conflicts in Asia. It's Hegseth's first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, which is taking place against the backdrop of heightened rhetoric between Beijing and Washington. The Trump administration has threatened China with triple-digit tariffs, and there's some uncertainty in the region over how committed the U.S. is to the defense of Taiwan, which also faces possible 32% American tariffs. China claims the self-governing democracy as its own, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force. China sends military aircraft, ships and spy balloons near Taiwan as part of a campaign of daily harassment, and currently has an aircraft carrier in the waters southeast of the island. Hegseth told reporters before he boarded his plane for Singapore that Washington's policies were meant to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. "We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese," he said. "We will stay strong for our interests. And that's a big part of what this trip is all about." China, which usually sends its defense minister to the Shangri-La forum, sent a much lower level delegation instead, led by Maj. Gen. Hu Gangfeng, the vice president of the People's Liberation Army National Defense University. The delegation was expected to speak Saturday on a panel on "cooperative maritime security" alongside representatives from Japan, Vietnam, Chile and the U.K. — notable in that China's aggressive global fisheries tactics have been a regular topic of concern not only in the Indo-Pacific but as far away as Latin America and the Arctic. Defense officials traveling with Hegseth, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, called the absence of a higher-level Chinese delegation an opportunity for the U.S. to make inroads. "We can't account for whether China engages or not. All we know is that we're here. And we will be here," Hegseth said as he met with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Allies are worried about US commitment to their defense Hegseth's trip to Singapore is his second to the region since becoming defense secretary, following a March visit to the Philippines, which has seen escalating confrontations with China over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea. That trip, which also included a stop in Japan, brought a degree of relief over growing concerns from the Philippines and others in the region about U.S. support from a president who has taken more of a transactional approach to diplomacy and seems wary of foreign engagements. The U.S. has been pursuing a "free and open Indo-Pacific" policy, which includes regularly sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, which is claimed almost in its entirety by China. The European Union has adopted a more economics-driven approach, but several European nations have also regularly taken part in the freedom of navigation exercises, including France, which sent a carrier strike group on a five-month mission through the Indo-Pacific that concluded in April. France steps up its presence in Indo-Pacific In its published Indo-Pacific strategy, France has underscored the need to "preserve a rules-based international order" in the face of "China's increasing power and territorial claims" and its global competition with the United States. France's own ties to the Indo-Pacific are strong, with more than 1.6 million of its citizens living in the region in French overseas territories. Following a meeting Friday with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Macron told reporters there was room in the region for more than just the two superpowers. "We are neither China nor the U.S., we don't want to depend on any of them," he said. "We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region." Wong underscored Macron's point, saying that Singapore and the greater region were not looking for exclusive arrangements with any single power. "We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition," he said. In his speech later, Macron is expected also to stress that the war in Ukraine is having a worldwide impact and that Russia seeks to destabilize Asia, the French president's office said. While democracies from the region, including Australia, South Korea and Japan, have been aiding Ukraine, China has been growingly supportive of Russia and North Korea has sent troops to fight for Moscow. The conference comes as civil war continues to rage in Myanmar, creating a massive humanitarian crisis that has only been compounded by the effects of a devastating earthquake that hit in March. It also follows the outbreak of violence this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, in which a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of fire between the two sides. Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of land disputes, though Thailand said after the short skirmish that the situation had been resolved. Of greater concern, nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan came to the brink of war earlier this month in their most serious military confrontation in decades. The two armies exchanged gunfire, artillery strikes, missiles and drones that killed dozens of people, and Pakistan shot down several Indian planes before a truce was declared.


Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Nahar Net
Think your return to the office was rough? Musk faces some big challenges
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 May 2025, 16:32 Elon Musk is leaving Washington after a short but turbulent stint in government and getting back to his numerous businesses, each with their own set of issues for the billionaire to address. Start with his electric car company Tesla. While how much Musk accomplished in his role as President Donald Trump's chief cost-cutter is up for debate, it's clear his association with right-wing politics damaged Tesla's brand and tanked sales. Musk's social media platform X, formerly Twitter, needs to rebuild its advertising base; his aerospace company SpaceX appears to be financially promising but has seen some recent setbacks; and it's unclear if his satellite business Starlink can keep striking deals without Trump nearby. Here's a look at the state of some key Musk businesses. Tesla trouble Profits plunged 71% at Tesla in the first three months of the year right after a Chinese competitor claimed the mantle as the world's biggest electric car seller. The big question now: Will Musk's leaving Washington help lure buyers back? The answer is crucial to reviving profits because so much else is uncertain. Tesla's lineup of cars in aging and its foreign rivals have become much more competitive. They would be taking market share from Tesla even in the best of circumstances. Tesla's decision to close down factories as it retooled its best-selling Model Y, among other temporary problems, contributed to its struggles in the first quarter. But the blowback from Musk's time in Washington created doubts for some analysts. In a note to clients, JP Morgan warned of "unprecedented brand damage." And Wedbush Securities said at one point, "This is a full blown crisis." News earlier this week from Europe doesn't bode well: Sales in April plunged by half. Taxis with no driver Another big test for Musk: Will Tesla's launch of its first ever driverless taxis prove successful? Musk has been talking about robotaxis for more than a decade, but next month they may finally hit the road. He has promised to test 10 or20 robotaxis in Austin, Texas, then ramp that up to hundreds of thousands by the end of next year. "Can you go to sleep in our cars and wake up at your destination?" the billionaire asked investors in a conference call last month, then answered, "I'm confident that will be available in many cities in the U.S. by the end of this year." Investors are convinced Musk will deliver, judging by the 50% jump in Tesla stock since he made that statement. But he faces many challenges, not least is whether technically the taxis will work without hitting things — or people. Federal safety regulators last month requested data from Telsa on how the robotaxis will perform in low-visibility conditions. That request comes after an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla last year equipped with Full Self-Driving software after several accidents, including one in which a pedestrian was killed. Even if the Austin test goes off without a hitch, Musk faces another challenge: Waymo. The driverless taxi company owed by Google parent Alphabet just logged its ten-millionth trip and is now operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other cities. Ad rebound at X? After Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and opened it up to all manner of conspiracy theories, long-time advertisers began to flee. Then Musk made the situation worse when he threatened to "name and shame" them, and sued them. Now advertisers are inching back, though maybe not for a good reason. "Some big brands resumed spending on X in part to curry favor with the Trump administration, or to avoid potential retaliation by Musk," said e-marketer analyst Jasmine Enberg,. "But fear is not a sustainable motivator, and most were spending less than they were previously." She expects X's ad business will rebound this year, but still be smaller than it was before Musk bought the company. Rockets red glare It's not clear how well Musk's rocket company SpaceX is faring because the private company doesn't disclose its finances. That said, news headlines point to both troubles and triumphs. First the bad development, which came just this week with a spinning explosion of one of the company's Starship mega rockets over the Indian Ocean. That followed explosions of two other Starships earlier this year that sprayed flaming debris across the Caribbean Ocean. Undeterred, Musk is vowing several more tests soon but the stakes are high and the clock is ticking. NASA hopes to use Starship for future missions to the moon, including one next year that will attempt a lunar orbit and then send the four astronauts aboard back home. The good news is that investors who have gotten a peek at SpaceX's finances apparently are excited. A private financing round for the company a few months ago followed by a private sale of shares recently have reportedly valued SpaceX at $350 billion, a big jump from a $210 billion estimated value just a year ago. It's business, not politics — or is it? A SpaceX satellite internet subsidiary called Starlink also has been striking deals to set up in foreign countries. But it's not clear how much is the result of cold business calculation and how much is due to politics, an advantage that could disappear as Musk leaves Washington. Accompanying Trump on his trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, Musk announced that the country had approved Starlink service for aviation and maritime use. That followed a decision to grant approval for the service by regulators in Bangladesh, whose garment industry would be devastated by Trump's threatened 37% tariff, along with a string of other deals in India, Pakistan and Lesotho in recent months. Next up: South Africa, maybe. Earlier this month, following Trump's Oval Office dressing down of that country's president, regulators in the country loosened a rule in a way that could help Starlink win a foothold in the country. Musk had called the rule requiring Black partial ownership of any new foreign venture "openly racist." The country denies that politics influenced its decision.