Abdel Assyeran, who acted as mediator during the summer crisis in Lebanon was re-elected Speaker (president) of the Lebanese Parliament, October 21.

He defeated Sabri Hamadi by 31 votes to 26.

With the new government in power under Prime Minister Rashed Karami, and the country led by Fuad Chehab, successor to Camille Chamoun, Lebanon is at last returning to normality.

The barricades have been removed, the strikes have been called off, the shops are open again and the trams are running.

And - apart from purely personal feuds - the Lebanese have stopped killing each other.