LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 13/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18,1-5.10.12-14. At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Commentary on Ps.118, 22, 27-30/"It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost"
Come, Lord Jesus, seek your servant; seek your weary sheep; come, my shepherd... While you are lingering on the mountainside, see how your sheep is straying. Leave the ninety-nine that are yours, then, and come to seek out the one that has strayed away. Come, without finding others to help you, without heralding yourself: it is you I am waiting for. Don't take up your stick; take up your love. Come with the sweetness of your Spirit. Don't hesitate to leave behind on the mountainside the ninety-nine sheep that are yours; on the heights where you have set them, wolves cannot reach... Come to me who have strayed so far from the flocks up above, for that was where you had set me also until the night-wolves caused me to abandon your sheepfolds. Seek me, Lord, since my prayer seeks thee. Seek me, find me, take me up, carry me! He whom you seek you can find; he whom you find, stoop down to take up; and he whom you take up, place on your shoulders. Your love's burden costs you nothing and you untiringly make yourself the toll-collector of justice. Come, then, Lord, for though it be true that I stray, yet «I have not forgotten your word,» (Ps 119[118],16) and I live in hope of cure. Come, Lord, you are the only one still able to call back your lost sheep and you will do no harm to those others you leave behind; they, too, will be happy to see the return of the sinner. Come! There will be salvation on earth and rejoicing in heaven (Lk 15,7). Do not send your lesser servants; send no mercenaries: come yourself to seek your sheep. Raise me up in that same flesh that fell with Adam. By that action acknowledge in me, not the child of Eve but the son of Mary, virgin most pure, virgin by grace, without slightest taint of sin. Then hold me even on your cross, salvation of those who stray, only rest for the wearied, the one way for those who die.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The West's Islamist Infiltrators.By: Daniel Pipes 12/08/08
No peripheral vision-Ha'aretz 12/08/08
'No such thing as winning on points'-Ha'aretz  12/08/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 12/08
'Hizbullah and Syria gaining strength'-Jerusalem Post
'No economic reform in Lebanon before polls'-Daily Star
Canadian military laments death of 'friendly giant-Canadian Press
Saniora Cabinet Wins Confidence, Husseini Resigns, Harb Attacks Police Oppression of the House-Naharnet
Lebanon cabinet wins parliament confidence vote-AFP
Barak: Israel Closely Watching Hizbullah's Reinforcement-Naharnet
Hizbullah for State-Resistance Integration-Naharnet
Reports: Woman Kills Schizophrenic Son, Then Commits Suicide-Naharnet
Families of Jailed Islamists Say Enough Oppression-Naharnet
Police Officers Visit U.S.-Naharnet
Hizbullah Launches Verbal Campaign to Defend its Arsenal-Naharnet
Agenda of Suleiman's Talks With Assad-Naharnet
Wild Forest Fires Move to Batroun-Naharnet
Syria arrests suspects in Suleiman assassination-Ynetnews
Barak: 'Syria and Hizbullah gaining significant strength'-Jerusalem Post

Insurgents attack outpost in Panjwaii killing 90th Canadian soldier
Mon Aug 11, 9:42 PM
By Tobi Cohen, The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A burly "mountain of a man" nicknamed the Friendly Giant became the second Canadian combat death in three days when insurgents attacked a remote outpost in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province Monday.
Master Cpl. Erin Doyle was the 90th Canadian soldier to die since the Afghan mission began in 2002.
Chief Warrant Officer Chris White, who knew Doyle for five years, described the 200-pound man as a "barrel-chested kind of guy, the kind you'd "like to sit down and have a beer with." A second soldier was seriously injured in Monday's attack and taken to the multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield for treatment.
As many as 10 insurgents targeted the small base just before 6 a.m. local time, task force commander Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson said.
Canadian soldiers returned fire and called for artillery and air support, he said, adding several of them were killed, others were injured, however, none was detained.
"Master Cpl. Doyle was killed while he was protecting his position and his fellow soldiers," he said. "The combat outpost was engaged in a classic sort of scoot-and-shoot fashion and unfortunately Master Cpl. Doyle was killed by a direct hit on the outpost." Thompson said the outpost is strategically located in the heart of Taliban country and its soldiers engage insurgents daily. It serves an important role, Thompson said.
"Largely to do what we can to increase the people's confidence that the government is delivering services for them," he said. Just last month, an attack on a remote outpost in the mountainous northeastern province Kunar left nine U.S. soldiers dead and 15 wounded - the deadliest assault on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years. It was believed to be an attempt to overrun the small, newly built base. But Thompson described Monday's attack in Panjwaii differently.
"What they tend to do is fire a few harassing rounds and then they'll disappear into the woodwork," he said of the insurgents.
Although it can be one of the more perilous jobs for soldiers in Afghanistan, Thompson said leaving the base would be "surrendering it and the people to the Taliban." Doyle was a member of the 3rd battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based out of Edmonton.
This was his third tour in Afghanistan. "Erin was a big, tough, mountain of a man who enjoyed the outdoors," Thompson said.
"He was a true warrior and just the person you would want beside you in a firefight." He leaves behind his wife Nicole and daughter Zarine.
Doyle grew up in Kamloops, B.C., and was a former reservist with the Rocky Mountain Rangers, the Kamloops Daily News newspaper reported.
His stepfather, Bob Mitchell said: "It is devastating. It is pretty devastating." Mitchell said the family had their fingers crossed Doyle would return safe from this tour as he had the previous two. "They were supposed to be over there as peacekeepers but it didn't turn out that way," he said.
Mitchell said Doyle's body is enroute back to Canada. Doyle was the youngest of five children.
Tyler Guthrie, a high school friend of Doyle's in Kamloops, said his buddy was the sort who thought respect was a two-way street. He said sometimes put Doyle on a collision course with some of his teachers but he says his friend felt at home in the army.
"He was always a bit of a rebel, I guess you could say, in terms of bucking authority sometimes. But I think he felt the army was the authority he did like," Guthrie said. Guthrie said the two never talked about why Doyle joined the army but says he wasn't very surprised when he did. He said Doyle was always patriotic and had an adventurous spirit.
"I would say it sometimes takes a bit of a crazy person to join the army or to want to be in the army," Guthrie said.
"He was always willing to try something at least once whether it was a good thing or a bad thing."
Mitchell said Doyle met his wife in the reserves and the couple moved to Edmonton and became full-time soldiers.
Doyle did one tour in Bosnia prior to his deployment to Afghanistan.
Kamloops MP Betty Hinton presented him with a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for community service in 2002.
In 2000, Doyle delivered 14 backpacks loaded with school supplies to a small village in central Bosnia.
White, the Warrant Officer, said Doyle's experience having been to Afghanistan previously was invaluable to fellow non-commissioned officers.
"He'd been in contact before with the enemy so he knows what to expect," he said.
"He knows how to get through it and that sort of experience is very valuable for young NCOs."
Calling him a loyal, dedicated soldier and real professional, White said Doyle wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere other than the front line.
White said he'll never forget the time Doyle volunteered to dress up as Santa Claus at a children's Christmas party.
"Unfortunately he seemed to scare more kids than he cheered up, but he's a great guy. (He's got) a real sense of humour."
A statement from Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Doyle will be "remembered with the utmost gratitude and respect of this nation."
"He was an exceptional Canadian and courageous soldier who died while bravely serving his country," Harper said in the statement.
Monday's attack happened just two days after Master Cpl. Josh Roberts was killed in a firefight in neighbouring Zhari district.
Roberts, a crew commander with 9th platoon, C Company, was sitting in the turret of his LAV III when he was shot during a skirmish with insurgents early Saturday. The circumstances surrounding the shooting death, however, are under investigation.
While Canadian and Afghan security forces were engaging a group of some 15 insurgents during an operation, it's believed a passing convoy guarded by private security may have also opened fire, accidentally killing Roberts. But while the Canadian Forces remain tight-lipped about the incident now under investigation, U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes is shedding some light on what happened on that rugged tract of farmland Saturday.
The report suggests the convoy involved two different security companies, including Compass Security and U.S. Protection and Investigations.
As they passed the firefight between Canadians, Afghan forces and insurgents, they too thought they were being attacked and fired back, the newspaper reported, quoting Maj. Corey Frederickson, part of a Canadian advisory team that trains and mentors the Afghan army in nearby Maywand district.
"Their normal contact drill is that as soon as they get hit with something, then it's 360, open up on anything that moves," Frederickson said.
"We think that's probably what happened."
The convoy allegedly continued onwards before it was stopped by Canadian and U.S. military officers in Maywand. Several Afghan security guards allegedly admitted opening fire on what they believed were Taliban but their stories changed when they were told a Canadian was hurt.
According to the report, they were threatened with arrest for lying but in the end there was little anyone could do but take down their contact information.
This was not the first incident involving private security and Canadian Forces personnel. Canadian troops fired on a private security vehicle in Kandahar City in April, killing one employee and injuring three others. The shooting happened as a convoy from the Canadian-run Provincial Reconstruction Team was departing Kandahar Airfield and spotted a vehicle moving at high speed. Fearing a possible attack, soldiers issued several warnings to stop in accordance with standard procedure but the driver failed to pull over. The incident involved a company called Compass Security.
Soldiers also opened fire on a Compass vehicle in October 2007, injuring seven Afghans and prompting a review of Canadian convoy protocols.

Saniora Cabinet Wins Confidence, Husseini Resigns, Harb Attacks Police Oppression of the House
Naharnet
Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet on Tuesday won a vote of confidence at parliament, allowing it to rule the nation into general elections after nine months.
Hussein Husseini, a veteran MP who has spent half a century in politics, surprised the house by declaring his resignation to protest against the lack of progress towards a political settlement to the nation's ordeals.
Saniora said Husseini "sounded the alarm to all of us."
Five MPs voted no confidence and two lawmakers abstained, ending the seventh session designed to deliberate the cabinet's policy statement since Friday.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced result of the vote, allowing the cabinet to rule the nation, despite what MP Butros Harb labeled a non-democratic administration for grouping both the majority and opposition in one executive body.
MP Bahij Tabbara, who did not grant the cabinet his support, said the nation is split and the executive authority should exert efforts to reunite the people.
Harb, in a lengthy address, criticized changing the house into an arena to settle conflicts.
He also criticized attempts by some factions, mainly Hizbullah, to restrict freedom of speech within the legislative authority, saying it was tantamount to police oppression.
"No one has the right to prevent legislators from expressing their views," Harb said.
Harb said the various Lebanese factions do not disagree on the principle of resisting the enemy to liberate occupied territories, but differ on the method of resistance.
He urged President Michel Suleiman, who is scheduled to embark on a visit to Syria on Wednesday, to work out agreements with Damascus on normalizing relations, border demarcation and the setting up of diplomatic ties.
He also asked the president to propose a constitutional amendment stating that a ban on naturalizing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon can only be lifted by unanimous vote at parliament.
To achieve reconciliation, the cabinet should strictly apply law on the media, banning agitation, Harb said.
Husseini, prior to declaring his resignation, criticized the Doha Accord for adopting non-constitutional and non-democratic agreements, such as banning ministers from resigning and merging the majority and opposition in a cabinet, which would not be able to rule.
Saniora, in replying to remarks made by MPs, pledged that his cabinet would work for reconciliation, declared the northern city of Tripoli a town in distress and pledged that he would seek regional and international assistance to help the people overcome economic hardships. Beirut, 12 Aug 08, 14:47



Barak: Israel Closely Watching Hizbullah's Reinforcement
Naharnet
Israel launched large-scale military exercises on Tuesday in the occupied Golan Heights along the Syrian border in the presence of senior political and military officials.
"There is a reinforcement on the other side, and it's not by chance that we are training intensively on the Golan Heights and on a major scale," Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who observed the drills, told army radio.
He was referring to Hizbullah, which Israel says has been rearming with help from Syria and Iran since the 2006 Lebanon war.
Barak said the U.N. resolution which ended the 34-day war "failed to fulfill its goals."
"There has been a very significant reinforcement of Hizbullah in recent years, and we are examining the possibility that the balance of power has shifted with the introduction of sophisticated weapons from Syria," Barak said.
On Monday, Barak said the 2006 summer war backfired on Israel because it resulted in strengthening Hizbullah.
He said the Jewish state was not prepared for the war, which turned out into a major launching pad to upgrade Hizbullah's power.
He criticized the Israeli government's performance during the six years that preceded outbreak of the war.
Barak also warned Tuesday the government against slashing defense spending in a proposed budget aimed at reducing overall expenditure by some 2.6 billion dollars, saying "Israel cannot afford the luxury of undermining its security."
The exercises on the Golan were taking place despite the resumption of indirect Turkey-mediated peace talks between Israel and Syria in May after an eight-year break.(AFP-Naharnet)
Beirut, 12 Aug 08, 11:47



Hizbullah for State-Resistance Integration
Naharnet
Lebanon's MPs on Monday held day-long deliberations of the policy statement adopted by Premier Fouad Saniora's cabinet prior to voting on granting it confidence to rule.
The deliberations focused on Hizbullah's Islamic resistance and reflected colliding views regarding the thorny issue.
MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc, called for "integration between the state and the resistance", noting the future national dialogue to be sponsored by President Michel Suleiman is to tackle the defense strategy and not resistance weapons.
"There is no justification to negotiate over the resistance weapons," Raad told MPs.
"Our national duty is to support the resistance," he said.
"We are determined to reach, through national dialogue sponsored by the president, agreement on the widest possible Lebanese concept of the defense strategy and a mechanism for implementing it," Raad added.
Raad criticized reference by majority MPs to Hizbullah's attack on Beirut as an "invasion" and called for omitting it from minutes of the parliamentary deliberations.
MP Ahmed Fatfat, who also addressed the house, said persistence by some factions in using weapons to settle domestic differences would "torpedo" the state.
MP Ali Ammar, who also is member of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc, criticized Fatfat as being the "mouthpiece of the Americans and Israelis" and went into a verbal quarrel with the Mustaqbal Movement MP, which was only contained by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri who ordered Ammar to maintain order.
MP Nayla Mouawad also warned against persistence by Hizbullah in its mini-state agenda.
MP Nicola Fattoush, who also addressed the house, criticized the Doha accord as non-constitutional for calling for the formation of a national unity cabinet based on a pledge that ministers would not resign.
Mustaqbal MP Mohammed al-Amin Itani called for a Beirut free of weapons to reassure citizens.
Free Patriotic Movement MP Salim Aoun criticized the cabinet for not adopting the understanding his group has with Hizbullah.
Speaker Berri adjourned the session saying the house would convene again on Tuesday, at 10:30 am for further deliberations to be followed by a vote of confidence in the cabinet's policy statement. Beirut, 11 Aug 08, 21:52


Reports: Woman Kills Schizophrenic Son, Then Commits Suicide
Naharnet
A woman, who was found dead in her apartment in Jal el Dib north of Beirut, has reportedly killed her 37-year-old schizophrenic son and then committed suicide.
Media reports said Samir Ashkar found the bodies of his wife Janet Shukrallah Hajal, 62, and son Roy Samir al-Ashkar at their apartment upon his return from their summer residence on Monday.
The reports said the woman killed her son with a sharp tool and then cut her wrists, bleeding to death.They said Hajal had left a letter, saying she killed her son because he suffered from schizophrenia. Beirut, 12 Aug 08, 11:16



Families of Jailed Islamists Say Enough Oppression
Naharnet
Some 200 people from the families of jailed Islamist militants staged a protest in front of the military tribunal in Beirut demanding the release of scores of prisoners suspected of plotting or carrying out militant attacks.
There are about 330 suspects held in Roumieh prison east of Beirut on terrorism-related charges, including members of al-Qaida inspired Fatah al-Islam group which fought the Lebanese army for almost four months at the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared last year.
Some of Monday's protestors carried banners reading "Enough Oppression." Others held posters saying "Enough Injustice."
"We want full amnesty to over 300 Islamist detainees before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan," said a statement issued by the protesters.
It also said that their sons had been arrested "illegally" after they were taken from their homes to Roumieh prison which they called "the prison of injustice and darkness." Beirut, 12 Aug 08, 08:44




Police Officers Visit U.S.
Naharnet
The first group of Internal Security Forces (ISF) members selected to participate in the U.S. sponsored ISF Police Training Visitor's Program has left for the United States, the U.S. Embassy reported.
An embassy press release said the group that left on Sunday was given a "warm send off" from Bill Grant, the deputy chief of mission.
The ISF Police Training Visitor's Program honors high-achieving students, instructors and officers who have participated in the U.S.-sponsored police training program, the statement said.
"This new bi-annual visitor program will strengthen the knowledge the trainees have gained, complement the academy's training and allow the ISF participants to meet with their professional colleagues in the United States," it added.
The group will spend ten days visiting law enforcement agencies in various cities throughout the United States.
The visit will begin in Washington D.C. with a welcome briefing by the U.S. Department of State's officials responsible for law enforcement assistance programs.
The participants will then visit model police departments, academies, and criminal investigation units in Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina and Florida to observe operations and to exchange best practices.
"These high achieving students and officers will bring their knowledge back to the ISF, where they will use their skills to benefit Lebanon, and share their new knowledge with their professional colleagues in the Lebanese Internal Security Forces," according to the embassy statement.
It recalled that the U.S. Government has been assisting the ISF in its development since October 2006 through several programs. The professional development of the ISF is critical for Lebanon's sovereignty and security. The U.S. Government is committed to supporting Lebanon, the ISF and the Lebanese people.
Beirut, 11 Aug 08, 22:09


Agenda of Suleiman's Talks With Assad
Naharnet
The setting up of diplomatic ties and the opening of embassies will top the agenda of this week's Damascus summit between the Lebanese and Syrian presidents, a Lebanese official said on Monday.
"The establishment of diplomatic relations between Damascus and Beirut, and the opening of embassies in the respective capitals for the first time in their history will be at the center of the discussions," the official said.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, whose countries have not had diplomatic ties since independence more than 60 years ago, are to meet on Wednesday and Thursday.
The decision to set up ties was announced in Paris when they met last month.
Links between Beirut and Damascus, which for three decades dominated Lebanon until its troop withdrawal in April 2005, deteriorated after the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri.
The official, who declined to be named, said the fate of a Lebanese-Syrian higher council and a 1991 friendship and cooperation treaty would also figure on the agenda of the Damascus talks.
The anti-Syrian camp, which holds the majority in Lebanon's parliament, wants both the treaty and the council to be scrapped.
But the council's Secretary General Nasri Khouri said embassies did not spell the end of the coordination body. "There will be coordination between the two countries' embassies and the council," he told AFP.
The demarcation of borders between Syria and Lebanon will also be discussed as well as the fate of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, where Beirut claims sovereignty with the consent of Damascus, the official said.(AFP)
Beirut, 11 Aug 08, 21:09