Lebanon’s government has been caught between Western demands to disarm the Shiite Muslim militant group and fears of inflaming sectarian tensions.

The Metropolitan Police said that the building had not been attacked but that they were assessing “discarded items” in Kensington Gardens, a nearby park, which was cordoned off.

This summer, FIFA is putting its stamp on the venue for the World Cup.

Friday’s statements that the strait is now open raised investors’ hopes that oil and gas would start flowing out of the Persian Gulf in significant volumes again.

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia Israeli forces are battling in Lebanon, avoided mention of the 10-day cease-fire but appeared to be adhering to it. A truce could remove an obstacle in U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Stuck in standstill traffic, Lebanese people who had been displaced by fighting expressed a mix of excitement and uncertainty about a pause in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah.

The pause in fighting would remove a major hindrance to the U.S.-Iran peace talks, if it holds.