LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
20/2011
Bible Quotation for today
The Good News According to John/2:13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and
Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2:14 He found in the temple those who sold oxen,
sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting. 2:15 He made a whip of
cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he
poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables. 2:16 To those who
sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s
house a marketplace!” 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal
for your house will eat me up.”* 2:18 The Jews therefore answered him, “What
sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?” 2:19 Jesus answered them,
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 2:20 The Jews
therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it
up in three days?” 2:21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 2:22 When
therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said
this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 2:23
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in
his name, observing his signs which he did. 2:24 But Jesus didn’t trust himself
to them, because he knew everyone, 2:25 and because he didn’t need for anyone to
testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
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Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 19/11
Report: U.S. Seeks Explanations as Vatican Postpones al-Rahi’s Promotion to
Cardinal
Controversial STL Funding Discussed Away from Media Glare
Juppe Slams Syria 'Crimes against Humanity', U.N. 'Silence'
British Police Arrest 7 in Anti-terror Operation
Syrian Forces Kill 5 in Homs, Mass in Daraa Flashpoint
Livni: Israel's diplomatic stupidity is pushing the U.S. into a corner
Abbas predicts 'very difficult' time for Palestinians after UN bid
Abbas Says Israel Should Recognize Palestine
Israel to withdraw police representative in Turkey
French FM: Status quo between Israel and Palestinians risks 'explosion of violence'
President Suleiman Heads to New York where he is Expected to Reject Naturalization of Palestinians
Lebanon: Electricity Plan Talks Postponed to Wednesday after Heated Debate
Lebanon: Mystery Shrouds Basta Crime: Doubts Son Killed his Mother, 5 Siblings
Lebanese-born Nadine Labaki's Wins Best Film at Toronto Festival
President Gemayel Holds Talks with
Hariri in Saudi Arabia
FPM Says March 14 Suffering from
‘Political Schizophrenia’ Over Electricity 'Farce'
Report: U.S. Seeks Explanations as Vatican Postpones al-Rahi’s
Promotion to Cardinal
Naharnet /Washington has reportedly asked for explanations from Bkirki on
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s controversial statements on Hizbullah’s
arms and Syria.
Ad-Diyar daily said Monday that al-Rahi’s stances would hinder meetings between
him and top U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton.
During his visit to Paris, al-Rahi linked the fate of Hizbullah’s weapons to the
liberation of the remaining occupied Lebanese territories and expressed fear on
the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, saying the group could threaten the
existence of Christians in the region.
He also called for giving Syrian President Bashar Assad the chance of reform.
However, the patriarch later said that his statements were taken out of context.
Ad-Diyar also said that the Vatican has tasked the papal ambassador in Beirut
with seeking clarifications from al-Rahi.
The patriarch’s visit to the Vatican on Oct. 1 to promote him to the rank of
Cardinal could be postponed over the latest controversial statements, Ad-Diyar
added.
During his visit to Baalbek on Sunday, al-Rahi expressed fear that the bloody
events in some Arab countries would lead to civil wars and bring more extremist
regimes to power.
Juppe Slams Syria 'Crimes against Humanity', U.N. 'Silence'
Naharnet /French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe accused the Syrian regime Monday
of "crimes against humanity" and slammed the U.N. Security Council for failing
to take a strong stand on the unrest. "Crimes against humanity are committed in
Syria. The silence of the Security Council is unacceptable," Juppe told the
Council on Foreign Relations, at a talk held on the sidelines of a week of U.N.
summits. Syria has been rocked by protests against the regime of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad that began on March 15 and triggered a brutal
crackdown in which the United Nations says 2,600 people have been killed. A
delegation of Russian lawmakers is in Syria in a bid to broker an end to the
violence. Assad told them on Sunday he welcomes the "balanced and constructive
Russian position toward the security and stability of Syria," the state-run SANA
news agency reported. But Assad, who has blamed "armed terrorist gangs" for the
violence rocking his country, also warned against "any foreign intervention that
threatens to fragment states in the region." *Source Agence France Presse
Lebanese-born Nadine Labaki's Wins Best Film at Toronto
Festival
Naharnet /Lebanese-born Nadine Labaki's second directorial effort "Et maintenant
on va ou?" ("Where Do We Go Now?") on Sunday won the Toronto film festival's
People's Choice Award for best picture. Set against the backdrop of a war-torn
nation, the film chronicles the determination of a group of women to protect
their isolated, mine-encircled town from pervasive and divisive outside forces.
The film stars Labaki, Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Layla Hakim, Yvonne Maalouf and
Antoinette Noufaily trying to protect their families from more violence and
grief by distracting the men in the village from succumbing to antagonism. They
hatch schemes such as beguiling the men with Ukrainian showgirls and serving
them hash brownies at a dance party.
It premiered at Cannes in May and follows the runaway success of Labaki's debut
film "Caramel" (2007).
Runners up for the prize were Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation" and Ken Scott's
"Starbuck."
The audience also gave a nod for best documentary to Jon Shenk for "The Island
President" which follows Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed campaign to enlist
world powers to fight global warming and prevent his nation from being swallowed
up by the ocean.
The two men came to Canada's largest metropolis together to present the film,
seeing an opportunity to bring much-needed attention to the plight of Nasheed's
nation of 1,200 islands off the coast of India. "Given the gravity of the
situation and how important it is for us to bring the message across," as well
as due to his government's modest means, the documentary seemed like a good
idea, Nasheed told Agence France Presse. For Shenk, who won acclaim for his 2003
documentary "The Lost Boys of Sudan," the film is as much about the arrival of
democracy in an entirely Muslim country as it is about climate change. But for
Nasheed it is about a fight for survival. The Toronto film festival is the
biggest in North America and has traditionally been a key event for
Oscar-conscious studios and distributors because it is attended by a sizable
contingent of North American media. Unlike the Cannes and Berlin festivals,
Toronto does not award jury prizes. Last year the audience prize for best motion
picture went to Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech," starring Colin Firth as a
stammering British royal pressed to overcome a speech disorder to rally his
empire at war. The film went on to win Oscars for best motion picture, best
director, best screenwriting for David Seidler and best actor for Colin Firth at
the 83rd Academy Awards. This year's Toronto film festival was also marked by a
rebound in sales. The festival was attended by nearly 4,000 buyers -- 20 percent
more than last year.
More than 35 films were sold for distribution in North America, Europe, the
Middle East, Asia, South America, and Australia, and festival organizers said
more sales are expected to be announced in the coming days. Key acquisitions
include "Shame," "Trishna," "Wuthering Heights," "Killer Joe," "The Lady,"
"Goon," "God Bless America," "Elles," "Your Sister's Sister," "Into the Abyss"
and "Sarah Palin -- You Betcha!." "While caution continues in the marketplace,
buyers have found many films to choose from in Toronto," said festival
co-director Cameron Bailey. "We should see announcements in the coming days and
weeks of further acquisitions that began in Toronto."
Source Agence France Presse
FPM Says March 14 Suffering from ‘Political Schizophrenia’
Over Electricity 'Farce'
Naharnet /Energy Minister Jebran Bassil accused the March 14-led opposition of
suffering from “political schizophrenia” for criticizing an electricity draft
law that allegedly lacks details about the implementation phases of the $1.2
billion project. The electricity "farce" should end at the meeting of joint
parliamentary committees on Monday either through consensus or voting, Bassil,
who is a Free Patriotic Movement official, told As Safir daily. The committees
failed last week to approve the draft law after a debate between pro and
anti-government MPs prevented a quorum. “All the answers are in their hands,”
Bassil said about March 14 lawmakers’ criticism that the bill lacks “controls”
which they say were part of the original draft law that was approved by the
cabinet earlier in the month following weeks of bickering. The opposition is
also seeking answers as to why the bill lacks information on the pledge to seek
loans from Arab and international donors to fund the $1.2 billion project that
was proposed by Bassil to generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.
“The era of discussion ended after more than a year and a half of give-and-take
and more than 20 years of power cuts,” the energy minister told As Safir.
“The majority has made its decision and agreed on the project to salvage
electricity,” he said, adding that it was now the turn of the “minority to
approve the plan as it is or reject it.”
“If it approves it, then it would become a partner in this accomplishment and if
it rejects it, then it would bear the repercussions of this stance,” Bassil
added.
Free Patriotic Movement sources hoped that the discussion on the bill would end
during Monday’s session. But they expressed regret at the possibility of the
opposition’s attempt to waste time to send a message to the Lebanese that it was
capable of introducing changes to the bill.March 14 is asking for explanations
and not amendments, the sources said, adding that it isn’t necessary to put the
explanations in the draft law. Bassil has the answers to all the March 14 MPs’
questions but the long statements made by them prevented the minister from
explaining his point of view during last week’s meeting, the sources added.
Mystery Shrouds Basta Crime: Doubts Son Killed his Mother,
5 Siblings
Naharnet /A mother and her six children were found dead Sunday evening inside
their house at Omar bin al-Khattab Street in the Beirut neighborhood of Basta,
state-run National News Agency reported. Nawal Younes 55, Hadi 25, Ameen 23,
Maha 20, Manal 18, Zahraa and Zahra 15 were all shot dead at their home while
the father was away.
Ali al-Amin al-Hajj Dib, the father, returned from his hometown in Aramta in the
Jezzine district with his two daughters, where he visited his parents, and then
he went out to his bakery to return an hour and a half later to find his wife
and 6 children murdered. According to preliminary information, the eldest
brother Hadi had killed his mother and five siblings before committing suicide
with an automatic hunting rifle. Media reports claimed that Hadi had some kind
of disability and might suffer from autism. However, the Lebanese Autism Society
ruled out in a statement on Monday these claims saying that the man who
committed the crime couldn't be suffering from autism. “Disability has never
been a reason to commit such crimes,” the statement said. It noted that “an
autistic person doesn’t have the ability to use the type of rifles used in the
murder. Furthermore, an autistic person can’t commit suicide.”
As Safir newspaper reported on Monday that the wounds of the eldest son, Hadi
were in the mouth and his body was found in a room next to the murder scene.
An eye witness told the daily that he saw the janitor leave his room after he
was informed that a murder happened in the building, noting that “one of the
mother’s siblings had a heart attack after seeing the bodies.” Another relative
of the murdered woman entered the building at around 12:00 am Monday shouting
that he had “important information, which happened a few days before the crime.”
He was immediately called by the security forces to take his testimony.Security
sources remarked that the gun shots were not heard by the neighbors.
“The neighbors denied hearing any got shots, stressing they only heard the sound
of a door being slammed roughly,” sources told the newspaper. The NNA reported
that “Beirut police Chief Ahmed Hnaini and forensics arrived at the crime scene
to identify the circumstances."
Gemayel Holds Talks with Hariri in Saudi Arabia
Naharnet /Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel has held talks with former Premier
Saad Hariri in Saudi Arabia, the party announced on Monday. MP Sami Gemayel also
attended the talks on the latest developments, the statement said. The former
president also met with Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Nayef. An
Nahar daily said Sunday that Gemayel’s visit was the first by a Lebanese
official since the failure of the Saudi-Syrian initiative that was aimed at
ending Lebanon’s political crisis last year.It quoted sources as saying that
Hariri is currently residing in the kingdom.
Controversial STL Funding Discussed Away from Media Glare
Naharnet /The funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the
assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri will be discussed away from the media
spotlight, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday. “The issue is being discussed
away from the media especially between the Prime Minister (Najib Miqati) and
Hizbullah,” informed sources told the daily. The sources ruled out that a
solution will be reached before President Michel Suleiman and Miqati return from
New York at the end of September. However, they stressed that the decision for
Lebanon’s payment of its share of the STL funds will not be taken by secluding
any party, where Hizbullah’s stance and its allies from the tribunal will be
taken into consideration. The sources added that a “cohesive file” should be
prepared including the point of view of those who oppose the international
tribunal and a way to sort out the false witnesses issue before discussing the
funding. The STL had released arrest warrants against four Hizbullah members,
accusing them of being involved in Hariri’s Feb. 2005 murder. The party has
repeatedly announced that it will not cooperate with the tribunal, describing it
as an American-Israeli product aimed at destroying it. A dispute recently rose
in Lebanon on whether the March 8-dominant government would commit to funding
the tribunal. However, Miqati has announced that it is in Lebanon’s interest to
pay its share of the tribunal funds.
Electricity Plan Talks Postponed to Wednesday after Heated Debate
Naharnet /The joint parliamentary committees on Monday postponed discussions on
the electricity plan to Wednesday, following verbal clashes between the rival
March 8 and March 14 MPs. The draft law will likely be put to a vote during
Wednesday’s session, MTV reported. The meeting of the joint committees was aimed
at approving the electricity draft law to refer it to a legislative session for
final endorsement. Talks witnessed a heated debate between the two sides
following an intense session last week over the technical and financial aspects
of the $1.2 billion plan. March 14 has criticized the bill for excluding the
details of the original draft law that was approved by the cabinet on September
7. But sources close to Premier Najib Miqati rejected accusations of “duality”
in the government’s stance. The cabinet will strongly defend the electricity
project in parliament, the sources told An Nahar daily, although they stressed
that it is up to parliament to introduce changes to the draft law or adopt it as
it was referred to it by the government.
Syrian Forces Kill 5 in Homs, Mass in Daraa Flashpoint
Naharnet /Syria's security forces opened fire on Monday during a raid on
political dissidents in the town of Houla in central Homs province, a flashpoint
in the months-long anti-regime uprising, activists said. "Five residents,
including a woman, were shot dead on Monday by security forces, who have been
conducting a sweep in Houla since Sunday," the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said in a statement. A 26-year-old man died of his wounds on Monday after
being among a group of people whom security forces shot at the night before in
the town of Irbin, near Damascus, the activist group said earlier. Elsewhere,
security forces also fired at hundreds of demonstrators in the towns of Qusayr
and Talbisseh, in central Homs province, said the activist group.
The forces conducted a campaign of arrests in Aleppo, the country's
second-largest city, eastern Deir Ezzor and the coastal cities of Latakia and
Banias, it added.
Security forces also massed on Monday in the flashpoint province of Daraa, where
demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's regime first erupted six
months ago, activists said.
"More than 30 buses carrying members of the security forces on Sunday night
entered Dael (village), where they have since arrested 45 people," said the
Syrian Observatory.
The massive deployment came after protests were held across Syria on Sunday,
said the Britain-based Observatory.
*Source Agence France Presse
British Police Arrest 7 in Anti-terror Operation
Naharnet /British police on Monday arrested seven people as part of a large
intelligence-led anti-terror operation in the central city of Birmingham.
West Midlands police said six men were arrested overnight and were being held
under anti-terror legislation. A woman was also arrested Monday morning for
failing to disclose information that may be relevant. All seven suspects are
aged between 22 and 32.Assistant police chief Marcus Beale said in a statement
that the men were arrested in or near their homes by unarmed police officers as
part of a "large, pre-planned, intelligence-led counter terrorism operation."He
said police are now searching six homes and one commercial property in
Birmingham.
"I believe it was necessary to take action at this time in order to ensure
public safety," Beale said. He said the operation is still at an early stage,
and declined to give more details.
**Source Associated Press