Lebanon’s president appointed staunchly pro-Syrian politician Omar Karami as prime minister on Thurdsday, asking him to form the next government in a move that consolidates Syria’s hold on Lebanese politics. Karami replaces billionaire Rafik Hariri, who has had a long rivalry with President Emil Lahoud — a close ally of Damascus — and who announced a day earlier he would not continue as prime minister in the new government. The shake-up came as Syria was under new pressure from the United Nations to end its decades-long domination of its neighbor Lebanon. In defiance of the U.N. Security Council, Lebanon’s parliament last month extended Lahoud’s soon-to-expire six-year term by another three years. Full Story