LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِOctober
25/2010
Bible Of The
Day
Isaiah 55/1-13: "Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no
money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price.
55:2 Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that
which doesn’t satisfy? listen diligently to me, and eat you that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 55:3 Turn your ear, and come to me;
hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with
you, even the sure mercies of David. 55:4 Behold, I have given him for a witness
to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples. 55:5 Behold, you shall
call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run
to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has
glorified you.” 55:6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call you on him while he
is near: 55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to
our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says Yahweh. 55:9 “For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts. 55:10 For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,
and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and
bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 55:11 so shall my word
be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to
do. 55:12 For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the
mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the
trees of the fields shall clap their hands. 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall
come up the fir tree; and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree:
and it shall be to Yahweh for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be
cut off.”
God is Sovereign: Life often feels
confusing. If we're experiencing a tragedy or great turmoil, we might begin to
doubt that God is in control. But these words remind us that the Lord is
sovereign ... even in our pain, even in our troubles. Through it all, his love
is transforming us, perfecting us, completing us. James MacDonald in Gripped by
the Greatness of God, explains it this way: "God's sovereignty is first painful,
then slowly powerful, and over much time seen to be profitable. It is to be
studied with great sensitivity for the experiences of others and deep reverence
for the One who controls the outcomes of every matter in the universe."/Naharnet
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
October 24/10
Sarkozy to Suleiman: France
Ready to Host Lebanese Meeting to Help Resolve Indictment Crisis/Naharnet
Otari's Statement Drew Angry
Reaction, March 14 Urges 'Dealing Strictly with Syria'/Naharnet
Jumblat Meets Assad: Syria,
Saudi Considering Ways to Resolve Indictment Crisis
/Naharnet
Bahrain Shiite Opposition Wins 18
of 40 Parliament Seats/Naharnet
Yugoslavia Tribunal Prosecution Recalls Experience with Telecom Data, False
Witnesses, Crime Scene Tampering: Bellemare is Right!/Naharnet
Reports about
Confidentiality of Hariri Murder Indictment 'Not True'/Naharnet
Soueid fears Syria will attempt
coup in Lebanon/Now Lebanon
Gemayel discusses land sales with
Jdeideh residents/Now Lebanon
Bekaa clash leads to
death/Now Lebanon
LF: Council of the South should not
pretend it can hide its corruption/Now Lebanon
STL Reality in The Hague
Contradicts Beirut Wishes to Eliminate Tribunal/Naharnet
International Media Forum:
Indictments to be Issued against Individuals, Not Entities/Naharnet
Court Action Begins in The
Hague: International Media Forum Accompanied by STL 'Explosive Experiment'/Naharnet
Jumblat: Syria, Saudi
Considering Ways to Resolve Indictment Crisis/Naharnet
On Eve of Jumblat's
Damascus Visit, Aridi: Hariri Faces Difficult Decision/Naharnet
International Condemnation
of Israel's Violation of Lebanon's Telecommunications Sector/Naharnet
Tale of Lebanon's Civil War Missing
Bags UAE Film Award/Naharnet
Saudi Informs Syria that
Indictment Postponed Until March/Naharnet
French UNIFIL Soldier Dies
in Cyprus Hotel Fall/Naharnet
Houri Says Hizbullah Asked
FPM to Wage Campaigns against Mustaqbal/Naharnet
Minority Source:
Torpedoing Government Only Weeks Away/Naharnet
Security Sources: Majdal
Anjar Incident was 'Vengeful Ambush'/Naharnet
Mustaqbal Describes
Otari's Remarks as 'Meddling in Lebanon's Affairs'/Naharnet
Geagea Responding to Otari:
The Carton Structure Toppled Syria's Hegemony over Lebanon/Naharnet
Hariri: Hizbullah will
Reject Any Indictment Accusing it of Crime, Campaign Responding to Aoun Begins
Monday/Naharnet
Sarkozy to Host Berri:
Should Thwart Attempts to Transform Lebanon into an Iranian Base/Naharnet
Hizbullah: We will
Confront Indictment through All Means Except Escalation on the Ground/Naharnet
Four Lebanese Youths
Killed in Traffic Accident in Nigeria/Naharnet
Saqr: Hariri-Nasrallah
Meeting Soon, False Witnesses File May Blow up in Faces of those Who Recklessly
Deal with it/Naharnet
Syrian PM Slams March 14
Forces as 'Carton Structures'/Naharnet
Ain al-Hilweh's Osbat al-Ansar
Warns: Bulgaria Could Be Target for Qaida/Naharnet
Sarkozy to Suleiman: France Ready to Host Lebanese Meeting to Help Resolve
Indictment Crisis
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy has expressed France's readiness to
help Lebanon in "everything the Lebanese agree upon."His remarks came during a
meeting on Saturday with President Michel Suleiman on the sidelines of the 2010
Francophone summit held in the Swiss town of Montreau. Sarkozy also reiterated
France's support for Lebanon "and all that leads to dialogue and calm." Sarkozy,
who described the atmosphere of the meeting with Suleiman as "positive," also
showed readiness to host Lebanese leaders and influential figures who can help
in resolving the crisis in Lebanon over the possible indictment by the
International Tribunal of Hizbullah members. Sarkozy, according to An-Nahar, did
not hide his concern over the situation prevailing in Lebanon as a result of the
content of the indictment. Sarkozy-Suleiman talks focused on the stalled Middle
East peace process and the bilateral ties between the two countries. Earlier
Saturday, Suleiman and the First Lady took part in the opening session of the
13th summit of French speaking nations that was held at the conferences palace
in Montreux. Khalil Karam, the president's representative at the summit
announced that Suleiman was elected vice president of the 13th Francophone
gathering. He added that the president was scheduled to sign a language
agreement in Lebanon's name, "the first treaty signed at the summit, which holds
great significance to us." Later Saturday, Suleiman delivered a speech before
the summit in which he noted that "Lebanon is seeking to ensure the
implementation of (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701 in all its
stipulations … as well as to unify the elements that constitute our national
capabilities in the face of challenges and Israeli threats." The president
saluted Francophone nations that are part of the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL). "Lebanon is working on reinforcing its legitimate institutions
and preserving its domestic stability and the pillars of national accord and
consensual democracy which are the foundations of the Lebanese regime," Suleiman
added.
The president stressed that "Lebanon will not accept that the Middle East crisis
be resolved at its expense or in a way that contradicts its vital interests."
"The solution must not, in any way, sanction a final naturalization of
Palestinian refugees on our national soil, in a manner that contradicts with
their natural rights, topped by their legitimate right to return to their
homeland." Beirut, 24 Oct 10, 08:10
Jumblat Meets Assad: Syria, Saudi Considering Ways to Resolve Indictment Crisis
Naharnrt/Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Sunday discussed with Syrian President
Bashar Assad efforts to defuse Lebanon tensions and consolidate unity, the
state-run National News Agency said. It said the meeting dealt with "the latest
developments on the Lebanese arena and the importance of concerted efforts of
all Lebanese parties to maintain calm and consolidate national unity so as to
face the challenges that may confront it in the future."Jumblat said Sunday
morning, just before heading to Damascus, that Syria and Saudi Arabia are
currently considering ways to resolve the crisis over the International Tribunal
Indictment. "I heard that the indictment has been postponed till March," Jumblat
said during a political meeting in the town of Aanout in Iqlim al-Kharroub. He
said Lebanon cannot wait till March to relaunch crisis talks. "Delaying the
indictment means delaying the problem," he believed, adding that the issue is
being tackled quietly. "And I know that Syria and Saudi Arabia are now
considering ways to deal with this issue," Jumblat uncovered. Turning to the
issue of false witnesses, Jumblat believed that voting on this issue will lead
to a "big dilemma." "Justice and stability have to go together," he stressed.
"This is my motto." Jumblat said he has conveyed his motto to U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman during his visit to
Lebanon last week. "We discussed points of disagreement, and I told him why
don't we together look for other hypotheses. Of course, he (Feltman) refused,"
he said. Jumblat reminded fellow citizens that they must not forget that Lebanon
still faces Israeli threats.
"Every day land is being confiscated, and every day new settlements are being
built. And there are dozens and hundreds of spies. So why don't we deal with
these issues?" he asked. "I would like to begin with the first spy. Perhaps he
was the first to take part in the assassination, or has assassinated Majzoub
brothers in Sidon. Why didn't they execute him? He is a Druze. Execute him and
let us finish with this." Jumblat called for providing weapons to the Lebanese
army. "Everybody wants the army and we do nothing for the army," he thought. "We
want the army everywhere." Beirut, 24 Oct 10, 14:07
Otari's Statement Drew Angry Reaction, March 14 Urges
'Dealing Strictly with Syria'
Naharnet/Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otari's remarks in which he slammed the
March 14 forces as "cartoon structures" drew a storm of reactions from the
majority coalition.
"The policy of the outstretched hand does not work with Syria," Phalange party
MP Nadim Gemayel believed. "What is needed today is to go back to dealing
strictly with Syria," he said in remarks published Sunday by pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat
newspaper."March 14 Forces will remain steadfast in the face of all those who
want to lay hands on Lebanon," he stressed.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea hit back, saying: "These cartoon structures
are the ones that toppled the Syrian tutelage in Lebanon in 2005 and led to the
ouster" of Syrian troops."
Labor Minister Butors Harb, for his part, said Otari's statement "contradicts
Lebanon's motto which calls for improved ties with Syria." "We are moving
forward, but we don't feel that Syria is doing the same," Harb said. "We see
positions that are encouraging and sometimes shocking." Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri
on Sunday believed that Otari's statement was "strange" given the outstretched
policy adopted by Prime Minister Saad Hariri toward Syria. Mustaqbal Movement
was the first to snap back at Otari on Satruday. "Mustaqbal Movement regrets
that the premier of a brotherly nation has voiced such inappropriate remarks
against a political, popular movement (March 14)," Mustaqbal said in a
statement, describing Otari's remarks as "meddling in Lebanon's domestic
affairs." Beirut, 24 Oct 10, 09:30
Syrian premier's "cartoon" remark angers Lebanese majority
Oct 24, 2010,
Beirut - A remark by Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otari's comparing the Lebanese
western-backed majority to 'cartoons' has drawn a storm of protest from members
of the coalition in Beirut, local media reported Sunday. In an interview in the
Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper Saturday, Otari dubbed the Lebanese government 'cartoon
structures' - adding that Damascus is 'keen on every Lebanese brother who
believes in a close relation with Syria and works towards embodying it.' The
comment has inflamed the already tense relations between Beirut and Damascus.
'The policy of the outstretched hand does not work with Syria,' Christian
Phalange parliamentarian Nadim Gemayel hit back. 'What is needed today is to go
back to dealing strictly with Syria,' he said. The assassination of former
premier Rafik Hariri in 2005 caused a local and international outcry which led
to street demonstrations in Beirut and eventually pressured Syria - Lebanon's
once powerbroker - to end its 30-year military presence in its small neighbour,
Hariri's followers accused Syria and its allies in Lebanon of being behind the
Hariri car bombing, a charge Damascus still denies. Ammar Houri, a lawmaker in
the Future Movement, led by the Saad Hariri, the son of Hariri, said Sunday that
Otari's statement was 'strange' given the outstretched policy adopted by Hariri
toward Syria. 'The Furture Movement regrets that the premier of a brotherly
nation has voiced such inappropriate remarks against a political, popular
movement,' Houri said. Such remarks are considered as 'meddling in Lebanon's
domestic affairs.' Tension is currently high in Lebanon amid reports that the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is probing the assassination, will
indict some Hezbollah members. The Iranian-Syrian backed Hezbollah-led
opposition in the country have rejected such accusations and called for the
tribunal's abolition describing it as 'politicized and an Israeli project.'
There are fears that if the court does indict Hezbollah members, it could lead
to clashes similar to those of the May 2008, which pitted followers of the
Lebanese Shiite Movement Hezbollah and other loyal to Sunni premier Saad Hariri.
Monsters and Critics.com
Soueid fears Syria will attempt coup in Lebanon
October 24, 2010 /March 14 General Coordinator Fares Soueid voiced his fear that
Syria would attempt to cause a military or political coup in Lebanon, Al-Arabiya
television reported Sunday. Soueid also said that Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad
Naji al-Ottari’s statements are not personal, adding that they reflect the
opinion of the Syrian government.
The Syrian PM said in an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai published
Saturday that the March 14 alliance is a “cardboard box” and the Syrian regime
does not take such labels seriously.-NOW Lebanon
Gemayel discusses land sales with Jdeideh residents
October 24, 2010 Kataeb Party head Amin Gemayel met with a delegation of Jdeideh
residents on Sunday to discuss land sales in the region, the National News
Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday. On Saturday MTV aired a report about the
purchase of land tracts in Jdeideh in the Metn by an Islamic education society
headed by Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan, who is a Hezbollah member.
This comes after the Media Against Violence society called on authorities
earlier in October to respond to threats received by MTV correspondent George
Eid related to his reporting on the issue. Interior Minister Ziad Baroud
promised to investigate such threats.Kataeb official for the Jdeideh region
Ghassan Khouri said after the meeting that some are seeking to sow division
between the region’s Christian and Muslim inhabitants, the NNA added.-NOW
Lebanon
Bekaa clash leads to death
October 24, 2010 /NOW Lebanon’s correspondent reported Sunday that a dispute
between the Al-Ahmad and Isaa families in the town of Hosh al-Harimi in West
Bekaa escalated into a gunfight that resulted in the death of Ahmad al-Ahmad,
the former head of the town’s municipality.
The correspondent added that others were injured.
-NOW Lebanon
LF: Council of the South should not pretend it can hide its corruption
October 24, 2010 /The Council of the South should not pretend that it can hide
its “corrupt and unbalanced performance in the South,” and should not bring up
political accusations that have no relation to the questions Lebanese Forces
(LF) leader Samir Geagea raised, the LF said in a statement on Sunday. In a
Friday statement, the council said that it has spent its money transparently and
well, and has not spent money on “false witnesses for the retrieval of LBC.”
This came in response to a Friday comment by Geagea regarding the Change and
Reform bloc’s campaign against alleged problems with past state expenditure.
Geagea said that questioning should also be directed toward the Council of the
South. Christian inhabitants in the South, especially in East Saida, have
suffered for many years, the LF’s Sunday statement said, questioning whether the
Council of the South has stopped using its money to “further electoral and
political interests.”The statement also fired back at Change and Reform bloc MP
Ibrahim Kanaan, saying that Geagea needs no one to attest to his passion for
true accountability and reform, and that he does not resort to populist rhetoric
about corruption in order to further narrow political aims. LF MPs perform their
national and legislative duties fully, it added.
Kanaan told Sawt al-Mada radio station on Saturday that if LF bloc MPs
participated more actively in Parliamentary Budget and Finance Commission
meetings, “they would have actually proven their concern for public finance and
reform.” The LF’s Sunday statement concluded by calling on the Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM) – the party of Change and Reform bloc MPs – to support state
institutions rather than attack them, adding that the FPM is not really
campaigning for true reform, but is instead campaigning in service of
“illegitimate weapons” and the establishment of a statelet atop the country’s
ruins, a reference to Hezbollah. -NOW Lebanon
Bahrain Shiite Opposition Wins 18 of 40 Parliament Seats
Naharnet/Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group, the Islamic National Accord
Association, won 18 of parliament's 40 seats in a weekend poll, the electoral
commission said on Sunday.
The 18 candidates of INAA, which won 17 parliamentary seats at the last election
in 2006, were elected in the first round of the legislative poll held on
Saturday, electoral commission chairman Abdullah al-Buainain told AFP.(AFP
Tale of Lebanon's Civil War Missing Bags UAE Film Award
Naharnet/Lebanese film "Here Comes the Rain" (Shatti Ya Dini) that tells the
story of missing persons from the country's civil war won a Black Pearl award at
the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Friday. "I dedicate my film to all those who are
in love with freedom and peace in Lebanon," said director Bahij Hojeij, after
his film won the 100,000 dollar prize in the Best Narrative Film from the Arab
World category. Russian film "Silent Souls" (Ovsyanki), directed by Aleksei
Fedorchenko, meanwhile won a Black Pearl in the Best Narrative Film category
"for its poetic depiction" and the "excellence of its cinematic language." The
oil-rich Gulf emirate's festival, which ended on Friday, is the most richly
endowed among its regional rivals, with Black Pearl awards for each category
worth nearly one million dollars (724,000 euros) altogether. The closing gala
evening was attended by stars Uma Thurman and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Other awards included: Best Actor: Andrew Garfield in "Never Let Me Go" directed
by Mark Romanek, United Kingdom/USA: Best Actress: Lubna Azabal in "Incendies"
directed by Denis Villeneuve, Canada/France; and Best Narrative Film by a New
Director from the Arab World: "OK, Enough, Goodbye" (Tayeb, Khalas, Yalla)
directed by Raniah Attieh and Daniel Garcia, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates.(AFP)
Beirut, 23 Oct 10, 16:07
On Eve of Jumblat's Damascus Visit, Aridi: Hariri Faces Difficult Decision
Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat is set to visit Damascus on Sunday for talks
with President Bashar Assad, local media reported. They said Assad was also
scheduled to meet former Prime Minister Omar Karami on Monday. On the eve of
these visits, Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said Prime Minister Saad
Hariri was facing a difficult decision. "We have entered a new phase today, and
reports which refer to the issuance of indictment in March of next year seem
very true as a result of domestic and regional activities and meetings and those
held by Mr Hariri," Aridi told the Voice of Lebanon radio station. Aridi
believed that any decision taken by Hariri "will be very difficult. His decision
will be appreciated."
"The decision may be difficult at the time, but it will be, of course, less
expensive on Lebanon in the long run," Aridi stressed. He called for helping
Hariri make a decision "without having to do this through pressure or duress."
Beirut, 24 Oct 10, 08:42
Minority Source: Torpedoing Government Only Weeks Away
Naharnet/A parliamentary minority source has told the Central News Agency that
the national unity government has practically collapsed, even though not
officially yet.He noted that the actual torpedoing of the government is a matter
of only a few weeks away, "given that the alternatives are tension and security
mishaps."The source stressed that Saudi Arabia currently prefers Premier Saad
Hariri to be uninvolved in the coming period "which will witness the issuance of
the indictment and the formation of a transitional government that will run the
country until after the crisis of the indictment and its possible
repercussions."He noted that the Saudi approach coincides, even though not in
objectives, with a Syrian desire of forming a government that largely backs
Damascus' policies and is capable of taking unanimous decisions. Beirut, 23 Oct
10, 20:28