Author: France 24

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute and Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). According to Dr. Slim, Israeli strikes on Lebanon cannot be credibly framed as targeted operations against Hezbollah, but rather indiscriminate violence causing widespread civilian casualties and intensifying regional tensions. She argues that the events represent a critical inflection point within Lebanese public opinion.

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Sunday’s election in Hungary could have repercussions far beyond its borders. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban came to power in 2010, his illiberal policies have made Hungary the only EU member state classified as “partly free” by Freedom House. His close ties to Vladimir Putin have also complicated Europe’s response to the war in Ukraine. Hungary has become something of a black sheep within the EU – but also a model for far-right movements elsewhere. The question now is whether that model is faltering. Opinion polls show a strong lead for the centre-right opposition Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, who…

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The war in Iran has sent fuel costs soaring, and consumers scrambling for savings. At the New York Auto Show, many drivers are warming up to the idea of buying an electric vehicle, because of high petrol prices, as our correspondent Jessica Le Masurier reports. Also in the show  – the relief rally loses steam as the fragile Iran ceasefire enters its second day, and the OECD decries a ‘historic decline’ in international development aid, driven by the US. 

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In the weeks leading up to the ceasefire, the impact of the war in the Middle East was felt far beyond the region, reaching countries such as India. The nation of nearly 1.5 billion people relies heavily on imports of cooking gas, or LPG, much of it sourced from the Middle East. When Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global shipping route – supplies were severely disrupted. Long queues formed outside distribution centres in major cities, forcing many to turn to the black market. The conflict has also put at risk the lives of nearly ten million Indians…

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