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BEIRUT: The Lebanese army was out in force on Monday in areas
outside Beirut—scene of fierce sectarian clashes—as Arab
ministers prepared to send a team to try to end a crisis that has
driven the nation to the brink of civil war. Troops moved into the
Druze mountains southeast of the capital, where supporters of the
Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition had
engaged in heavy battles on Sunday. Schools and some businesses
remained shut following five days of unrest that 47 people dead.
-- AFP
TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday said it would not agree
to any new package of incentives offered by the international
community that “violate rights of the nation,” the official IRNA
news agency reported. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Ali
Hosseini made the remarks at his weekly press conference, adding
“no new package has yet been presented by the European party to
Iran.” Local analysts said Hosseini obviously referred that Tehran
would never suspend its uranium enrichment work that could produce
fuel for powerplants and nuclear weapons.
-- Xinhua
HAVANA: With the approval of her dad’s
government this time, President Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela is
organizing Cuba’s second anti-homophobia festival this week to
boost public awareness of the country’s long-marginalized gay
community. “There’s political support for this educational
strategy,” Mariela Castro said about the backing the National
Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) she heads is receiving from
Cuba’s Communist Party.
-- AFP
BELGRADE: Pro-Western forces in Serbia began
tough talks on Monday to hammer out a coalition after claiming an
upset general election win that was challenged by their nationalist
rivals. President Boris Tadic said his pro-European bloc had won the
polls but without an absolute majority, meaning he would likely to
need the support of at least one nationalist party to govern. The
election had been dominated by the issue of Serbian ties with the
European Union, known supporter of Kosovo’s independence.
-- AFP
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