BEIRUT: Lebanon is hoping a summer influx of tourists and visitors will help revive its flagging economy, with the return of live performances at the Baalbeck International Festival expected to be a major drawcard.

The festival, a global cultural highlight for more than six decades, was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 because of pandemic restrictions, but previews of its Baalbeck Castle line-up between July 8-17 have attracted more than 17 million views on social media.

LONDON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that Iran is risking greater isolation and heightened tensions after the country removed cameras meant to monitor its nuclear program.
Iran’s actions threatened the possible restoration of the 2015 six-party nuclear deal, Blinken said in a statement.
“The only outcome of such a path will be a deepening nuclear crisis and further economic and political isolation for Iran,” he said.

AMMAN: Israel’s top court has ruled that a Jewish settler group legally purchased property in East Jerusalem from the Greek Orthodox Church. The decision ends a dispute over the buildings in the Old City that has lasted for almost two decades.

The Ateret Cohanim organization, which seeks to “Judaize” Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, bought three buildings from the church in a controversial secret deal struck in 2004. The sale sparked fury among Palestinians and led to the dismissal of Patriarch Irineos I.

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Thursday that he plans to stand for reelection next year.
Erdogan, 68, made the announcement during a speech in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, where he challenged the main opposition party’s leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, to announce the candidate who would challenge him on behalf of an alliance of opposition parties.

TUNIS: Tunisian lawyers and judges held a small protest outside the capital’s courts on Wednesday as part of their weeklong strike following the president’s dismissal of 57 judges.

President Kais Saied’s removal of the judges was the latest sign of growing interference in the judiciary as he tightens his grip on power. Critics accused Saied of staging a coup in July 2021 after he sacked the government and took on executive powers.