Iranian diplomat killed in twin suicide bombings in Beirut; bad loans at Chinese banks have tripled in past six years; Philippines rebuild could cost $5.8 billion; Al Shabab bombs Somali police station; Russian judge releases Brazilian Greenpeace activist; and more 

Top of the Agenda: Iranian Diplomat Killed in Beirut Bombing

More than twenty people were killed, including an Iranian diplomat, in twin suicide bombings outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut (BBC). An al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it will continue to target Hezbollah until it withdraws from Syria. An Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman blamed Israel for the attack, while Syrian and Hezbollah officials indirectly held Saudi Arabia responsible (AP). Meanwhile, as officials head to Geneva to resume talks about Iran's nuclear program, parliamentarians in Tehran gathered signatures to demand that the government continue to enrich uranium to levels of 20 percent, a move that could complicate negotiations this week (Reuters).

Analysis

"Recent diplomatic breakthroughs, however, are anything but a success. They will entail more death in Syria, starting from Aleppo, Qalamoun, and eventually spreading to the Damascus suburbs. [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah only cares about his party's interests first, which is an unceasing control over Lebanon and Syria. Unfortunately, his ambitions will only entice more sectarian hatred," Hanin Ghaddar writes for Now.

"More and more Lebanese might argue that if Hezbollah is working primarily on Syrian, Iranian, Palestinian and anti-takfiri issues, it would be best for it to base itself in the epicenter of those resistance challenges on frontier territories among Syrian-Iraqi-Iranian lands. The more Hezbollah accentuates its military actions abroad in the service of preserving the Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah Resistance and Deterrence Front, the greater will be the criticism it generates inside Lebanon accusing it of being mainly an agent of Iran," Rami Khouri writes in the Daily Star.

"Even a permanent settlement would be unattractive to Israel if it meant that the United States would step back from the regional conflict spawned by Iran's decades-old effort to gain hegemony over the Middle East. Like Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab governments, Israel does not wish to be left alone to face Iranian aggression in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon or its terrorist activities across the region," the Washington Post writes in an editorial.

PACIFIC RIM

Bad Loans Threaten China's Banks

A $6.6 trillion credit binge by Chinese companies over the past six years, encouraged by Beijing policymakers as stimulus to combat the global economic slowdown, has led to industries with excess capacity and a tripling of bad loans at Chinese banks (Bloomberg).

PHILIPPINES: The cost of rebuilding homes, schools, and roads in the Philippines could reach $5.8 billion, making it likely that the government will tap loans from development agencies (Reuters).

ELSEWHERE:

Al Shabab bombs Somali police station

Russian judge releases Brazilian Greenpeace activist

 This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org.