🌳 France shut out of talks

TOP STORIES

Israel Pushed France Off the Lebanon Negotiating Table—And Nobody's Pretending Otherwise

• Israel's ambassador in Washington called French participation in Lebanese-Israeli negotiations "unnecessary," with Israeli officials adding that the French role is "unwanted," "unneeded," and even "irrelevant"—a stunning diplomatic rebuke of a longstanding partner.
• France played a key role in the 1996 "April Understanding" ceasefire and shaped UN Resolution 1701 after the 2006 war, making its current exclusion a sharp break from decades of influence in Lebanese affairs.
• French analysts identify three reasons for the exclusion: Paris's diplomatic disorganization, strained French-American and French-Israeli relations, and an Israeli strategy to block any party that could strengthen Lebanon's negotiating hand.
• Despite being shut out of talks, France signaled during PM Nawaf Salam's April 21 visit to Paris that it intends to remain in southern Lebanon post-UNIFIL withdrawal, using peacekeeping presence as its remaining lever of influence.

The backstory: France has historically positioned itself as Lebanon's Western patron, anchoring that role through UNIFIL participation and diplomatic mediation. Its exclusion from current Lebanese-Israeli talks marks a new low in French regional clout—and a clear Israeli preference for bilateral formats where power imbalances favor Tel Aviv.

Zooming out: France's sidelining isn't just about Lebanon—it signals a broader erosion of European diplomatic relevance in a Middle East increasingly shaped by Israeli preferences and power-based approaches over international law frameworks.

Riad Salameh Faces Renewed Interrogation—This Time With Arrest Warrants on the Table

• Beirut's First Investigating Judge Rola Osman has summoned former Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, and assistant Marianne Hoayek to appear Thursday in the "Forry Associates" case, after a string of postponements and no-shows.
• The case centers on the alleged embezzlement of approximately $330 million in public funds between 2002 and 2015, transferred from Banque du Liban to accounts controlled by Raja Salameh's company in Lebanon and abroad.
• Judge Osman has made clear that failure to appear this time will trigger absentee arrest warrants—a harder line than previous sessions, with the Ministry of Justice's Litigation Authority now acting as a formal plaintiff both in Lebanon and Europe.
• Riad Salameh previously admitted during earlier investigations that he unilaterally signed a contract with his brother's company, though he framed it as falling within the Central Bank's monetary policy with no commercial character.

Why it matters: After years of delays, legal gymnastics, and excuses, this session carries real teeth—absentee arrest warrants would mark the first concrete coercive step in a case that sits at the heart of Lebanon's financial collapse.

Three Civil Defense Responders Killed in Israeli Strike on Majdal Zoun

• The General Directorate of Civil Defense mourned three of its members killed on April 28 during an Israeli strike on the town of Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district, while the responders were actively conducting rescue missions.
• The three martyred members—Hussein Ali Sati (born 1991), Hadi Jihad Daher (born 1998), and Hussein Ibrahim Ghadbouni (born 2002)—were all volunteers from the Tyre region with years of training in firefighting, ambulance response, and rescue operations.
• Meanwhile, Saida Municipality launched an urgent damage registration drive for residents whose properties—residential, commercial, or otherwise—were affected by Israeli strikes after March 2, 2026, in coordination with the Council of the South.

What to watch: With Civil Defense volunteers now among the casualties and southern municipalities scrambling to document losses, the gap between the human cost on the ground and the pace of diplomatic negotiations is becoming impossible to ignore.

QUICK HITS

• Payday, finally: The Ministry of Finance has transferred salaries for all public sector employees and military personnel to Banque du Liban—retirees start receiving pensions Wednesday the 29th, while administrative and military staff get paid Thursday the 30th.
• President for life, anyone?: Lebanon's parliamentary education committee quietly approved a proposal making the Lebanese University president's term indefinite—a law critics call personal and self-serving, timed precisely to extend current president Bassam Badran's tenure before it expires later this year.
• 27 dead, zero accountability: Dozens of journalists gathered in Beirut to mourn correspondent Amal Khalil, killed April 22 in Tiri while covering the war—the Order of Press Editors says Israeli strikes have now killed 27 Lebanese journalists and wounded 30 others since 2023.
• Industry on its knees: The Association of Lebanese Industrialists warned that Gulf exports—Lebanon's main foreign market—are "nearly at a standstill," while new government taxes on fuel, VAT, and port containers are strangling a sector that employs 250,000 families.
• Guns, plans, and pressure: A Lebanese official told MTV that the state's monopoly on weapons "must be implemented" and that a concrete, workable arms-restriction plan is being developed—with everyone watching closely this time to see if it actually gets done.

INTERNATIONAL

Cairo Comes Back to Life as Egypt Lifts War-Driven Curfew on Restaurants and Shops

• Egypt eased energy-saving restrictions on Tuesday that had forced Cairo's cafes, restaurants, and shops to close early—establishments can now stay open until 1 am, and shops until 11 pm (midnight on weekends).
• The curbs, in place since late March, were driven by soaring energy costs linked to the Iran war—Egypt's monthly energy import bill more than doubled to $2.5 billion, the pound shed about 15% of its value, and inflation climbed above 13% in March.
• One Cairo shop owner said the early closures had slashed her revenues by 80%, calling it "a disaster before, not just for us shop owners, but for everyone."
• By Tuesday night, Heliopolis neighbourhoods were already full again—tables occupied, arcaded buildings glowing, families strolling—a visible restoration of Cairo's defining late-night rhythm.

The bigger picture: Cairo's curfew saga is a sharp illustration of how the Iran war's economic shockwaves are reshaping daily life across the region, far beyond the battlefield.

UAE Exits OPEC After 65 Years, Rattling an Alliance That Shapes Global Oil Prices

• The United Arab Emirates departed OPEC following its May exit announcement, declaring plans to increase crude production "in a gradual and measured manner"—a long-sought goal the cartel's production quotas had constrained.
• OPEC and its OPEC+ alliance collectively produce around 40% of the world's crude oil; the UAE's withdrawal removes one of the few members capable of quickly ramping up production, the key mechanism through which the cartel stabilizes prices.
• For now, the UAE's extra output cannot reach global markets regardless—Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies pass, is the dominant force pushing prices higher in the short term.
• Analysts warn the departure points to "a more fragmented supply landscape" and a "potentially more volatile oil market" as OPEC's capacity to smooth imbalances diminishes over time.

What to watch: Whether the Strait of Hormuz reopens will matter far more to near-term oil prices than the UAE's OPEC exit—but long-term, a structurally weakened cartel means less predictability for energy markets worldwide.

Earlier Miscarriage Care Could Prevent 10,000 Pregnancy Losses a Year in the UK, Study Finds

• A study by Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research and Birmingham Women's Hospital, involving 406 women, found that access to specialist care after a first miscarriage reduces the risk of future pregnancy loss by 4%—translating to roughly 10,075 fewer miscarriages annually across the UK.
• Currently, women in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only qualify for NHS specialist care after a minimum of three miscarriages; the charity Tommy's is calling for eligibility after just one.
• Women who received the specialist care were 47% more likely to have a risk factor identified—including low vitamin D, thyroid dysfunction, or anaemia—and receive relevant preventive advice than those receiving standard care.

Zooming out: About one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, mostly within the first 12 weeks—making this a quietly widespread public health issue that has long received disproportionately little clinical attention.

GHER HEK

• Satire that hits different: Lebanese director Amanda Abou Abdallah's feminist YouTube series Smatouha Minni launched its third season on April 22, skewering misogynist podcasters with pitch-perfect parody—each episode averaging 250,000–300,000 views, with male viewers now making up nearly 25% of the audience.
• Oumaima takes Casablanca: Lebanese singer Oumaima El Khalil was honored with an appreciation shield at the International Festival of Cinema and Equality in Morocco, recognized for her qualitative contributions to committed Arab music—her husband and composer Hani Siblini capped the evening with a masterclass on music and image.
• 78 fighters, one trophy: Sacred Heart Club Achrafieh swept Lebanon's 26th annual Shotokan Karate Shotocup in Jounieh, claiming 13 gold, 11 silver, and 13 bronze medals across 43 categories—with 78 competitors aged 7 to over 50 competing from clubs across the country.
• Cameron meets Coachella energy: James Cameron and Billie Eilish debuted their new 3D concert film at London's Leicester Square on Tuesday, documenting four nights of her record-breaking Hit Me Hard and Soft world tour—releasing globally on May 7, 2026.

That's your Wednesday—go make it count.