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Hariri avoids returning Beirut, to reach Paris and other capitals before arriving home

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France invites to dispel notion of his detention in Saudi Arabia

Amid political uncertainty in Lebanon, Prime Minister Saad Hariri has decided to travel from Saudi Arabia to France and some other European and Arab countries before returning to Beirut. After his sudden announcement of resignation while in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, he is considered to be detained against his will.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent an invitation to Saad Hariri and his family to “spend few days in Paris” after he  spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday. Macron has reportedly clarified that he was not offering Hariri political “exile”. The move is considered to be an effort to dispel the notion that Saudi Arabia has detained him.

In a related development, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh at dinner on Wednesday. Some observers believe that France was trying to mediate between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile Aljazeera has quoted Okab Sakr, a leader associated with Hariri’s Future Movement political party, saying on Wednesday that Hariri will arrive in Paris in the next 48 hours.

“It is likely he will visit other countries as well before heading to Beirut. It is very likely he will be doing a tour of some European and Arab countries to explain Lebanon’s position on the current crisis before he returns [to Lebanon],” he said. Okab’s location is not disclosed.

Hariri announced his resignation, on November 4, after he dropped in Riyadh complying with a telephone call to visit the kingdom without aides or officials. He was shocked to see no one turning up to receive him; instead his cell mobile was confiscated immediately after touching down at Riyadh airport.

While announcing his resignation Hariri criticised Iran for interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs by supporting Hezbollah which was responsible for “directing weapons” at Yemenis, Syrians and Lebanese. In his comments directed towards to Iran Hariri said Arab world would “cut off the hands that wickedly extend to it”.

On Sunday last, Hariri chose to be interviewed by his own party’s mouthpiece Future TV in Riyadh for announcing that he was free in Saudi Arabia and pledged to return to Beirut “within days”.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun had alleged that Hariri was detained by Saudi authorities against his will and his resignation will be considered only after his returns to Beirut.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah, in a speech on last Friday in Beirut said Hariri’s “forced” resignation was unconstitutional because it was done “under pressure”. He said he was certain that Hariri was forced to resign as part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts of stoking sectarian tension in the country.

On November 12, Reuters had confirmed that Lebanese PM Saad Hariri is in illegal custody of Saudi Arabian authorities at an unknown location. Quoting sources close to Hariri, the agency said that Saudi Arabia has concluded that Saad Hariri had to go because he was unwilling to confront Hezbollah.

Even French President Emmanuel Macron, before conducting unscheduled visit to Riyadh on November 12 said that all Lebanese officials should live freely, “which means having very demanding stance on those who could threaten any leader”.

Macron  was the first European leader indicating that Saudi Arabia was holding Hariri against his will saying it wished for him to have “all his freedom of movement and be fully able to play the essential role that is his in Lebanon”.

Hariri was leading a coalition government with Hezbollah’s participation.

According to observers, Saudi move to force Hariri to resign was aimed to weaken Hezbollah by creating political vacuum in Lebanon at a time when Daesh (IS) is defeated in Syria and Iraq with active Iranian support.

Iran, Iraq and Syria have been alleging Saudi Arabia for its support to Daesh terrorists and consider it as an act of sharing responsibility of implementing the larger US-Israeli plan in the region.

The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran was witnessed in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, where they support rival sides. Saudi has long tried to weaken the Iran-backed Hezbollah, one of the main political parties in the Lebanese ruling alliance.

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Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

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Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

The Voting for the 2024 US presidential election has begun in the eastern time zone in America. Following months of intense campaigning by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican challenger Donald Trump, Americans will vote to choose their next president.

Reportedly, the first ballots were cast in the minutes after midnight (US time) in a tiny New Hampshire township along the US-Canada border. Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Several pollsters have predicted a neck-and-neck contest, which brings the focus on the swing states to decide the fate of the presidential election.

Notably, in the United States, most states have a very clear preference for either the Republican or Democratic candidate. With this, only seven key swing states namely Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina will decide the result. Winning the majority of these aforesaid swing states is often essential for candidates aiming to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

In this election, Pennsylvania has emerged as the biggest prize between the two candidates. With the most electoral votes (19) than any other battleground state, Pennsylvania could possibly determine whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris clinches the White House.

On the last day of campaigning, Republican nominee Trump and Democratic nominee Harris criss-crossed key battleground states and delivered closing remarks. Former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a return to power, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Vice President Kamala Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Earlier in 2016, Donald Trump managed to make inroads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three Great Lakes states that make up the blue wall or a Democratic stronghold. Nonetheless, in the 2020 US Election, US President Joe Biden wrested the states back to the Democratic camp.

Notably, to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of electoral votes of 270 out of 538.

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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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