In the coming week, France intensifies a push for humanitarian aid and a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Japan holds a snap general election and Georgia heads to the polls with the country divided over pro-Russian or EU sentiments.

It's October 24th, 2000 and 24 in time for the world next week. I'm Bob McMahon.

And I'm Carly Ann Robbins.

Carla, let's get going with Lebanon, where the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues.

Now, this is a country seen as a quasi-failed state by some, and its government is ill-equipped,

say the least, to help the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Israel's ground

offensive in southern Lebanon and stepped up bombing campaign in the south and other places.

Hezbollah continues to send rockets into Israel as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken was in Tel Aviv to try to revive peace

negotiations this week and briefly had to take shelter during a Hezbollah rocket attack.

France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has been outspoken in calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian

aid to Lebanon and even an end-to-arms exports to Israel. He's hosting an international

conference as we were sitting down for this podcast.

That was supposed to be in support of Lebanon. So can France make a difference or push things

forward in that way? Well, Lebanon certainly needs all the help it can get. There are some debate

about the numbers here, as there always are in the midst of a war. But the UN estimate is around

600,000 people are displaced within the

country. Another 400,000 have fled across the border into Syria. And as you said, its government,

such as it is, is barely functional. It hasn't had a president for two years. It's been

effectively bankrupt since the financial collapse of 2019 and 2020. And its military is only slightly better shape.

And why that matters is because any potential deal to, and the war will need the Lebanese army.

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