LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 12/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For Today
I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my family, you did it to me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25/31-46/:"‘When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one
from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put
the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say
to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me
clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited
me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we
saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave
you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited
you?" And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you
did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to
me." Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are
accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you
did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me."
Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of
you?" Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did
not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."And these
will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life.’"
Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that
Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.
Letter to the Hebrews 12/18-24/:"You have not come to something that can
be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the
sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not
another word be spoken to them.
(For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even an animal touches
the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.’Indeed, so terrifying was the sight
that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’) But you have come to Mount Zion and to
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels
in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in
heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made
perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled
blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
February 11-12/17
Trojan Horses in Women's Movement/The wisdom of Aga Khan and his friend
Churchill
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/February 11/17Khadija Khan/ Gatestone
Institute/February 11/17
No one can walk alone in tackling climate change/José Graziano da Silva/Al
Arabiya/February 11/17
Should we just surrender to corrupt people/Adnan Hussein/Al Arabiya/February
11/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 11-12/17
Lebanon to Sue Suspect in Istanbul Deadly New Year's Attack
Sabhan: SA Supports Any Electoral Law the Lebanese Agree on
Police Arrest Wanted Fugitive in North Lebanon
Report: Nasrallah to Address Several Files in Two Speeches
Syrian Dissident Launches New Opposition Bloc from Lebanon
Jumblat Hopes Lebanon's Judicial System Same as US, Wahhab Lashes out at Him
MP, Alain Aoun: President will visit Syria if necessary, but no plans so far
for such visit
Fadllallah: Not approving new electoral law drives Lebanon to face true crisis
Hasbani, French counterpart signed cooperation protocol: We work to improve
quality of serving patients
Hariri, UNRWA Commissioner discuss Palestinian refugees' condition
Machnouk: We stand in solidarity with Hariri to face fabricated campaign
against him
Hariri meets with AlAyoubi
Merhebi: For serving citizens and refugees, especially in areas where refugees
outnumber Lebanese
Joumblatt, Touraine convene in Mokhtara
Palestinian arrested at Ain El Helweh entrance over smuggling weapons
Clash inside a coffee shop in Tripoli evolves into shooting
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on February 10-11/17
Will Donald Trump order a ‘brand new’ travel ban?
Trump to Iran’s Rowhani: You better be careful
Aide to Michael Flynn forced out of job due to row over Russian sanctions
Iranian official: Our revolution has gone beyond the Mediterranean
Syrian opposition names delegates for Geneva talks
French militant Rachid Kassim ‘killed in Mosul’
Power outages bring Iranian city of Ahwaz to a halt
Violence grips deadly protests in Iraq’s Baghdad
ISIS executes 5 Egyptians ‘for aiding army’
ISIS fighter is first Australian stripped of citizenship
US blocks Palestinian from leading UN mission in Libya
North Korea reportedly test fires missile, challenging US
Turkish Troops, Syria Rebels Enter IS-Held Town
Links From Jihad Watch Site
for on February 10-11/17
Alabama:
Hamas-linked CAIR rep says, “It’s just hard being a Muslim right now”
Georgetown
prof Jonathan Brown now says Islam forbids slavery and rape, but in 2015 said
it allowed them
77%
of refugees allowed into U.S. since court blocked Trump ban come from the 7
countries on Trump’s list
72
Muslims from countries covered by Trump ban convicted of terrorism
U.S.
Muslim groups, enraged by Trump, reject federal grants to fight “extremism”
Muslim
ex-Guardsman gets 11 years for supporting ISIS, renounces its “superficial and
dishonest interpretation of Islam”
Robert
Spencer: Answering an Islamic apologist (Part I)
Georgetown
prof Jonathan Brown justifies slavery and the rape of female slaves
Video:
Robert Spencer on UN’s anti-Israel resolution and Trump’s immigration ban
Hamas
releases music video vowing to murder Israelis: “We will eat you, Zionists,
without salt”
Israel:
Muslim opens fire on bus, uses screwdriver to stab shoppers buying groceries,
six wounded
Indonesia’s
Aceh province lashes 339 people with cane in 2016 for violations of Sharia
Robert
Spencer in PJ Media: Winston Churchill, Anti-German Hate Group Leader
Hugh
Fitzgerald: Islam and the Propaganda War (Part II): The Debater’s Handbook
UK:
“Man from Hertfordshire” arrested arriving from Iraq on suspicion of jihad
plotting
Links From Christian Today
Site for on February 11-12/17
Hundreds
Of US Immigrants Arrested In Enforcement Surge
Trump
Considers Issuing 'Brand New' Travel Ban In Surprise Move
Most
Americans Support Gay Marriage – Most White Evangelicals Oppose It
Iraq
War Abuse Investigations Unit To Be Closed By UK Government
Bishop
Michael Nazir-Ali Says Secularism Is Spectacular Failure When It Comes To
People Of Faith
Science
And Faith Projects Get New Church Funding
Archbishop
Of Canterbury: Ministers Are Condemning Kids To Brothels - Or Death
Shocking
And Sad: Why We Should Be Angry About Closing Our Borders To Lone Child
Refugees
Feeling
Desperate? Want To Change The World? Try Praying 'Thy Kingdom Come'
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on February 11-12/17
Lebanon to Sue Suspect in Istanbul Deadly
New Year's Attack
Associated Press/Naharnet/February 11/17/Lebanon will file a lawsuit against
the suspect behind the New Year's terror attack in Istanbul that killed 39
people, including three Lebanese citizens, the state-run National News Agency reported.
A Justice Ministry official has been appointed to defend the rights of the
Lebanese victims and sue the suspect, who was recently detained, before Turkish
courts, media office of Justice Minister Salim Jreissati said in a
statement.The official was not named.
The Dec. 31 attack killed three Lebanese citizens including Elias Wardini, Rita
Chami and Haykal Musallem and wounded Francois al-Asmar, Nidal Bsherrawi,
Bushra Doueihi and Melissa Baralardo. The attack was claimed by the Islamic
State group.
The statement also said on Friday that if needed, the ministry will finance and
send one or more lawyers for the case in Turkey. The accused perpetrator of the
nightclub attack, an Uzbek national who reportedly trained in Afghanistan, was
detained in Istanbul two weeks after the assault.
Sabhan: SA Supports Any Electoral Law the
Lebanese Agree on
Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan assured on Saturday that
Saudi Arabia will back any electoral law for Lebanon's parliamentary polls that
the Lebanese agree upon. Al-Sabhan, who traveled back to Riyadh this week after
a visit to Lebanon where he met with senior officials, said discussions have
not touched on the controversial new electoral law. “We did not discuss the
electoral law. But Saudi Arabia supports any law the Lebanese agree upon,” he
told the official Saudi Press Agency. Lebanon's political parties have
intensified their efforts recently in a bid to agree on a new electoral law
before the expiry of the deadlines. They are discussing several formats of a
so-called “hybrid” electoral law that combines the proportional representation
and winner-takes-all systems.
On his trip to Lebanon, the Minister said it came in the framework of
activating the agreements that have been agreed between Saudi King Salman Bin
Abdul Aziz and President Michel Aoun during the latter's visit to SA. “Saudi
Arabia is very open and eager, as is the case with Lebanese brethren, on the
resumption of relations between the two countries,” he stated. “Lebanon's position
is in heart of the Saudi leadership,” he said, pointing out that “relations
between the two countries was and will remain outstanding. We are working
together to develop these relations to the better in the near future.”Early in
January, Aoun met with King Salman in Riyadh. The trip came to improve ties
between the countries which saw a twist in 2016.
Police Arrest Wanted Fugitive in North
Lebanon
Naharnet/February 11/17/A police patrol in north Lebanon, arrested on Saturday
a Lebanese national wanted on three criminal charges, the National News Agency
reported. The fugitive who was identified as Hassan R., 42, was arrested in Bab
al-Raml neighborhood in the northern city of Tripoli, NNA added. e is charged
for forming an armed gang, the possession of explosive bombs, murder and fraud.
He was handed over to the related authorities for interrogation.Al-Joumhouria
daily said the detainee is one of the most wanted members of al-Nusra Front,
which re-branded itself as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in July when it split from the
al-Qaida movement.
Report: Nasrallah to Address Several Files
in Two Speeches
Naharnet/February 11/17/Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is
expected to deliver two speeches in the coming days amid reports that he will
focus on the thorny electoral law file, al-Joumhouria daily reported on
Saturday. On Sunday, Nasrallah will speak in a ceremony commemorating Hizbullah
official Sheikh Hussein Hassan Obeid. He will address the electoral file with
special emphasis on the importance of endorsing a proportional representation
electoral system, and on the role it plays in securing political and social
stability for all Lebanese components, said the daily. Nasrallah's second
speech will take place next Thursday. He will address the Syrian file, the
Arab-Israeli conflict and the Resistance during a commemoration ceremony
marking the anniversary of Hizbullah officials Abbas Mousawi, Ragheb Harb and
Imad Moghnieh.
Syrian Dissident Launches New Opposition
Bloc from Lebanon
Associated Press/Naharnet/February 11/17/A prominent Syrian dissident has
launched a new opposition party, calling from Lebanon for free and fair
elections in Syria. Louay Hussein says time for war is "over." He
spoke in Beirut on Friday at what he described as the first press conference by
his National Bloc.Hussein's party emerged in late January when he traveled to
Moscow for Russia-hosted talks with opposition figures tolerated by President
Bashar Assad's government. Hussein seems to support cooperation with Assad's government
but it's unclear what kind of traction or following he'll garner or if he'll be
accepted by the rest of the deeply fractured Syrian opposition groups. The U.N.
is planning to convene Syria peace talks in Geneva on February 20. It is not
clear whether Hussein's National Bloc will be invited.
Jumblat Hopes Lebanon's Judicial System
Same as US, Wahhab Lashes out at Him
Naharnet/February 11/17/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat
said on Friday that Lebanon must develop a judicial system similar to the one
in the United States after it refused to reinstate President Donald Trump's ban
on refugees.
“I wish that the judicial system in Lebanon resembles that of the United States
which suspended a draft law issued by Trump against immigration,” said Jumblat
in a tweet. “The American judiciary dealt a slap in the face to Trump's chaotic
policy,” added Jumblat.
He went on and asked: “When will we see a similar governing body in the Arab
world?”On January 27, Trump issued a decree that summarily denied entry to all
refugees for 120 days, and travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan,
Syria and Yemen for 90 days. Refugees from Syria were blocked indefinitely. A
US court on Thursday unanimously refused to reinstate Donald Trump's ban on
refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, dealing the new
president and his controversial law-and-order agenda a major defeat. For his
part, former Minister Wiaam Wahhab --a Druze rival of Jumblat—criticized the
latter's tweets and said: “Lebanon can witness such a judicial system only when
people like you stop pressuring the it into the continued detention of Bahij
Abou Hamzah.”
Abou Hamzah, ex-Jumblat aide and businessman, was sentenced to jail on charges
filed by Jumblat. “You must stop hypocrisy because when Lebanon develops a
judiciary similar to that in the US, you will be become work-less,” added
Wahhab.
MP, Alain Aoun: President will visit Syria
if necessary, but no plans so far for such visit
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - "Change and Reform" Parliamentary Bloc Member,
MP Alain Aoun, referred to President of the Republic, Michel Aoun's scheduled
visits to Jordan and Egypt next week, adding that "the President will
visit Syria, if need be, but so far, there are no plans for such a visit.""We
do not wish to open any debate on this subject," added Aoun, speaking in a
TV interview on Saturday. He went on to indicate that "President Aoun
plans to visit many Arab countries to which he has received invitations, namely
Gulf States, Iran, Iraq and others, as well as European
countries.""President Aoun will do whatever he finds to the benefit
of Lebanon's best interests," Aoun underscored.
Fadllallah: Not approving new electoral
law drives Lebanon to face true crisis
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - "Loyalty to Resistance" parliamentary bloc
member MP Hassan Fadllallah said on Saturday that the main political national
issue in Lebanon is that of the electoral law, noting that the new electoral
law should enable the citizens to hold officials accountable on their actions
during their presence in their authority positions. Fadllallah's words came
during a celebration in Aitaroun village.
Hasbani, French counterpart signed
cooperation protocol: We work to improve quality of serving patients
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - Public Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani signed on Saturday
a cooperation protocol in the Health and Medicine Fields with the French Social
and Health Affairs Minister Marisol Touraine. The signing took place in the
presence of France's Ambassador to Lebanon Emmanuel Bonne and the General
Director of the Lebanese Public Health Ministry Dr. Walid Ammar.Hasbani praised
in a word after the signing the transparent and effective ongoing partnership
between Lebanon and France which reflects positively on the development of many
bilateral projects. Hasbani stressed the importance of the Lebanese -French
partnership, expressing his confidence that this partnership would continue
through the new cooperation protocol which "forms a promising step for the
Health sector." Hasbani concluded by thanking the French and ESA
(Establishment of Superior Affairs) teams on their support and participation in
the Lebanese -French common cooperation. In turn, the French Minister
highlighted the importance of the meeting which stresses the relation between
Lebanon and France, especially on the health level. The French Minister talked
about a visit that she made to the Primary Care Center in "Aamel
Institution" in the southern suburb of Beirut, "I've seen deeply
committed men and women to offer help to those who needed," hoping the
International Society would move to end this crisis.
Hariri, UNRWA Commissioner discuss
Palestinian refugees' condition
Fri 10 Feb 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri met, at his Center House on
Friday, with UNRWA Commissioner General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, with whom he
discussed the condition of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Speaking to
reporters following the meeting, Krahenbuhl said that he expressed to the Prime
Minister high appreciation for "very strong" cooperation between
UNRWA and the Lebanese state. "We hope to be able to follow up on these
bases which constitute a key part of UNRWA's work in the Middle East for the
sake of the communities under huge pressures, from Gaza to the West Bank, in
addition to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon," he said. "It is also very
important that, while the world is focusing on the crisis in Syria and the
Syrian refugees issue, we remember that there 2.5 million Palestinian refugees
in the Near East, who are in dire need of constant attention and
services," he added. The pair also discussed the services provided by the
agency in the fields of education, social affairs, and healthcare."I am
grateful for this fruitful meeting, and we are looking forward to carrying on
cooperation with Prime Minister Hariri and the Lebanese government," he
concluded. Afterwards, Hariri met with Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon, François
Barras, over the bilateral ties between the two countries. Also, Hariri met
with Swedish MP Roger Haddad, who is of Lebanese origins.
Machnouk: We stand in solidarity with
Hariri to face fabricated campaign against him
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Nohad Machnouk,
confirmed on Saturday that "the campaign against PM Saad Hariri is
fabricated and negatively affects the stability in the country," adding
that the campaign abuse any piece if news or issue to distort the premier's
image and person. Machnouk's words came after meeting with Mufti Abdullatif
Deryan at Dar el-Fatwa. The minister pointed out that "by law he has to
call the electoral committees at a certain date before 21 February,"
noting that due to the arrival of Ramadan they would have to hold the elections
on the 21st of May except if a new electoral law is approved at which elections
would be postponed due to technical reasons such as training the employees.
The MP said that they have told all other political parties that the entrance
to build a real state is through approving a fair electoral law based on
proportionality, considering that not reaching agreement on a new electoral law
means driving the country to a true crisis."
Hariri meets with AlAyoubi
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Al-Hariri, met at the "House of
Center" on Saturday evening with the Secretary General of Al-Jamaa
Al-Islamiya in Lebanon, Azzam Al-Ayoubi, with talks centering on latest
developments.
Merhebi: For serving citizens and
refugees, especially in areas where refugees outnumber Lebanese
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - State Minister for Refugees Affairs, Moueen Al-Merhebi,
highlighted, on Saturday, the need to "provide special care and service
for citizens and refugees, especially in regions where refugees outnumber
Lebanese citizens."
Speaking during a workshop held at his office in Halba-Akkar, Merehbi indicated
that "the international community is ready to provide assistance in this
respect."
"However, we as a State, ought to have our plans ready and our priorities
set, particularly since there are remote areas in the Bekaa and the North where
large numbers of displaced Syrians are gathered, which requires the
establishment of infrastructure and securing the necessary services,"
Merehbi underscored.
Joumblatt, Touraine convene in Mokhtara
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - Democratic Gathering Head, MP Walid Joumblatt, met on
Saturday with French Health Minister Marisol Touraine, who visited him at his
Mokhtara Palace accompanied by French Charge d'Affaires in Beirut. The
encounter was a chance to discuss latest political developments on both the
local and foreign scenes.
Palestinian arrested at Ain El Helweh
entrance over smuggling weapons
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - The Lebanese Army arrested at Ain El-Helweh entrance the
Palestinian Mohammad A. over smuggling weapons to terrorism groups inside the
camp, NNA correspondent said on Saturday.The field reporter added that the Army
confiscated a big amount of illegal weapons and ammunition which were in his
position.
Clash inside a coffee shop in Tripoli
evolves into shooting
Sat 11 Feb 2017/NNA - An individual clash broke out a while ago inside a coffee
shop nearby Azmi Junction in Tripoli, which evolved into shooting, NNA
correspondent in Tripoli reported. Army units immediately intervened to keep
the situation under control.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 11-12/17
Will Donald Trump
order a ‘brand new’ travel ban?
Ayesha Rascoe and Steve Holland, Reuters Saturday, 11 February 2017/US
President Donald Trump is considering issuing a new executive order banning
citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States after his initial
attempt to clamp down on immigration and refugees snarled to a halt amid
political and judicial chaos. Trump announced the possibility of a "brand
new order" that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday, in a
surprise talk with reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday, as he and the
Japanese premier headed to his estate in Florida for the weekend. His signaling
of a possible new tack came a day after an appeals court in San Francisco upheld
a court ruling last week that temporarily suspended Trump's original Jan. 27
executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries. Trump gave
no details of any new ban he is considering. He might rewrite the original
order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents, said a
congressional aide familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified.
Doing that could alleviate some concerns expressed by the courts. A new order,
however, could allow Trump's critics to declare victory by arguing he was
forced to change course in his first major policy as president. Whether or not
Trump issues a new order, his administration may still pursue its case in the
courts over the original order, which is still being reviewed by the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told
reporters late on Friday that taking the case to the Supreme Court remained a
possibility, after another White House official said earlier in the day the
administration was not planning to escalate the dispute. "Every single
court option is on the table, including an appeal of the Ninth Circuit decision
on the TRO (temporary restraining order) to the Supreme Court, including
fighting out this case on the merits," Priebus said. "And, in
addition to that, we're pursuing executive orders right now that we expect to
be enacted soon that will further protect Americans from terrorism."
Trump's original order, which he called a national security measure meant to
head off attacks by Islamist militants, barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and all refugees for
120 days, except refugees from Syria, who were banned indefinitely.The abrupt
implementation of the order plunged the immigration system into chaos, sparking
a wave of criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of
America's leading corporations, especially technology firms.
Trump to Iran’s Rowhani: You better be
careful
Agencies Saturday, 11 February 2017/Donald Trump dialed up the rhetoric against
Iran on Friday, warning the country's president he "better be
careful" about his words. The war-of-words between Tehran and Washington
escalated as President Hassan Rowhani and Trump traded threats and warnings.
Rowhani told a crowd of hundreds of thousands marking the anniversary of the
1979 Islamic revolution that "the Iranian people must be spoken to with
respect." "Iranians will make those using threatening language
against this nation regret it," he said. "Anyone threatening Iran's
government and armed forces should know that our nation is vigilant."
Trump was asked about the remarks later, responding that "he better be
careful."The US president has toughened the rhetoric against Iran
considerably since coming to office.He has also introduced sanctions after an
Iranian missile test. Many in Trump's inner circle want to see a harder line
against Tehran, but have so far shied away from killing a deal that saw Iran
get sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear program. Trump on Feb.
2 put Iran "on notice" over charges that Tehran violated a nuclear
deal with the West by test-firing a ballistic missile, taking an aggressive
posture toward Iran that could raise tensions in the region. Trump made the
comments about Rowhani while flying on the presidential jet carrying him and
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a weekend at Trump's Mar-a-Lago retreat
in Palm Beach, Florida. (AFP and Reuters)
Aide to Michael Flynn forced out of job
due to row over Russian sanctions
Tareq Haddad,International Business Times/February 11/17/A top aide to US
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has been forced out of a job in an
ongoing row over Russian sanctions. According to nine unnamed US officials,
Flynn called Russia's ambassador to the US to discuss sanctions a month before
President Donald Trump took office. Met Office issues yellow alert warning 10
inches of snow coming. Though the content of the telephone conversations is not
known, the Washington Post has alleged that Flynn discussed undermining the
sanctions, which former President Barack Obama imposed, as a result of
suspected Russian hacking. The calls allegedly took place on 29 December 2016 –
the day Obama imposed the sanctions. Ex-US National Guard member gets 11 years
in jail for supporting Isis. Two sources claim Russian ambassador Sergey
Kislyak was told by Flynn to tell Moscow not to overreact about the sanctions
as they would be undone by Trump, claims the Washington Post's report.
"Kislyak was left with the impression that the sanctions would be
revisited at a later time," a former official said to Politico. Snow in
London this weekend as UK weather turns Arctic. Democrats have since called for
Flynn to be sacked, questioning the legality of his alleged actions and – as a
sign of growing tensions – his aide Robin Townley has been refused the security
clearance required to carry out his role.As a result, Townley, a former Marine
intelligence officer had long maintained the highest security level clearance,
will no longer be able to serve on the National Security Council (NSC).No
reason was immediately given for Townley's rejection. However, sources have
told Politico it was done by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to undermine
Flynn. "They believe this is a hit job from inside the CIA on Flynn and
the people close to him," a source said to the outlet. It is not yet clear
if Flynn will follow Townley out. Flynn originally issued two strong denials to
the allegations, but later issued a statement which said while "he had no
recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn't be certain that the topic
never came up".Spokespeople for the NSC and the CIA have declined to
comment. The White House press office did not respond to Politico's request for
comment.
The NSA's primary role is to brief and advise the sitting president on national
security issues. They do not have direct command authority over law enforcement
or the US military.
Iranian official: Our revolution has gone
beyond the Mediterranean
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 11 February 2017/Iran’s Islamic
revolution is now beyond the geographical borders of the Republic, spokesman
for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif
said, adding that the revolution’s ideology has now been exported to beyond the
Mediterranean Sea. On the sidelines of the 38th anniversary of the Iranian
revolution, Sharif’s comments were echoed by the Deputy Commander of Cultural
Affairs for the IRGC, Hamid Reza Moghaddam Far, who said that “the goal of
exporting the revolution is not in sending advocates and preachers to other
countries, but rather exporting the ideology”. Substitute Friday prayers leader
of Tehran Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani told worshippers that the leader of
the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, has relied on God throughout all his life,
stressing that his actions and words are clear evidence to that. The Afghani
Fatemiyoun Division, a Shia militia fighting in Syria on the side of Assad’s
regime, has also participated in 38th anniversary celebration. Iranian media
circulated photos of the members of this division. Tasnim agency said that the
division got involved in Syria because Islam does not know borders, adding that
this division will always stand by Khomeini’s divine goals. Iranian media
reported that the Fatemiyoun have shown a part of their comrades’ victories,
without specifying whether they were recorded in Syria or elsewhere. However,
they also mentioned at the end that their blood was shed in Damascus. The Fatemiyoun
Division was brought to Syria in order to fight along with mercenaries from
several sectarian armed groups that are funded, trained, and equipped by the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian government.
Syrian opposition names delegates for Geneva talks
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 11 February 2017/Al
Arabiya News Channel sources have confirmed that the Syrian opposition have
nominated Mohammed Sabra as their lead negotiator for the upcoming peace talks
in Geneva. Nassir al Hariri has been named as the lead delegate from the Syrian
opposition side, sources added.
Spokesman for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Salim al-Muslat confirmed
to Al Arabiya’s sister channel Al Hadath that Syrian opposition groups are set
to send 20 delegates and 20 consultants in total to the Geneva 4 talks. The HNC
and the delegation that attended the Astana talks on 23-24 January met in
Riyadh on Friday to decide on its delegation for the upcoming talks. UN envoy
Staffan de Mistura has earlier warned that the opposition that he would pick
their delegates to the talks opening in Geneva on February 20 if they could not
decide by Wednesday last week on who would represent them.
French militant Rachid Kassim ‘killed in
Mosul’
AFP, Washington Saturday, 11 February 2017/French militant Rachid Kassim,
suspected of inspiring several attacks in France, was targeted in a coalition
air strike near the Iraqi city of Mosul, but his death is not yet confirmed,
the Pentagon said Friday.
Earlier in the day, several French media reports had reported Kassim's death.
"We can confirm that coalition forces targeted Rashid Kassim, a senior
ISIS operative, near Mosul in a strike in the past 72 hours," said
Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway. "We are currently
assessing the results of that strike and will provide more information when it
becomes available." In Paris, a high-ranking official involved in
counterterror operations told AFP on condition of anonymity there was not
"absolute confirmation" of his death, but that the probability was
high. Kassim, who is in his 30s, is believed to have inspired an attack last
year in which a senior French policeman and his partner were knifed to death
and another in which an elderly priest's throat was cut.
He is suspected of using the encrypted Telegram app to direct attacks on France
from ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq or Syria. Originally from Roanne in the
Loire Valley, Kassim is suspected of guiding the attacks in France from Syria
and has launched on the internet numerous murderous appeals. Dressed in
fatigues with a turban on his head, the black-bearded Kassim was seen in July
in an ISIS propaganda video in which he praised the attacker in the Nice truck
massacre that killed 86 people on the July 14 Bastille Day holiday.
US-backed Iraqi forces are currently battling to take back the remaining
western districts of Mosul that are still under ISIS control. France, which is
taking part in the US-led, anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq and Syria, has been the
target of a series of militant attacks since 2015 that left 238 people
Power outages bring Iranian city of Ahwaz
to a halt
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 11 February 2017/Recurrent
electricity cuts in the predominantly Arab region of Iran’s Khuzestan has paralyzed
life in its capital city of Ahwaz. Despite producing 35 percent of the
country’s water and electric energy, the oil and gas-rich province has
struggled with water and electricity shortages over the past few years.
Khuzestan residents have often complained of marginalization, in addition to
what they call Iranian politicians’ systemized efforts to evacuate their
province. The ongoing shortage resulted in the closure of schools,
universities, banks and governmental offices in no less than 11 cities in
Khuzestan, Iranian media reported on Saturday. Many of Iran’s power-generating
dams are based in Khuzestan.
Violence grips deadly protests in Iraq’s
Baghdad
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 11 February 2017/At least seven
people were killed during protests in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone
area that houses most of Iraq's key institutions and main embassies. Governor
of Baghdad city confirmed at least five of those in the death toll were
confirmed as civilians on Saturday while police sources say one security
officer was confirmed killed. At least 320 people were injured in the riots.
Several mortar rockets were also fired from inside Baghdad, Al Arabiya News
Channel’s correspondent reported, two of which were identified as Katyusha rockets.
“Several Katyusha rockets fired from the Baladiyat and Palestine Street areas
landed in the Green Zone,” the Joint Operations Command said in a statement.
Those two neighborhoods are in northern Baghdad, on the other side of the
Tigris River that runs through the city. The demonstrators, who had gathered in
their thousands in the heart of the capital, were mostly supporters of populist
Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demanding electoral reform ahead of
provincial elections due in September. Protesters run from tear gas fired by
security forces after Sadr supporters tried to approach the heavily fortified
Green Zone during a protest at Tahrir Square in Baghdad. (Reuters)
ISIS executes 5 Egyptians ‘for aiding
army’
AFP, Cairo Saturday, 11 February 2017/ISIS in Egypt claims to have executed
five men it accused of working for the army, which is battling the militants in
the Sinai Peninsula. In a series of photos published Friday on the secure
messaging app Telegram, five men presented as army "elements" are
seen lying face down on the ground before a militant shoots them in the back of
their heads with an assault rifle, the SITE intelligence group said. Militants
have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen since the military overthrow of
Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013 unleashed a bloody crackdown on his
supporters. The crackdown decimated the Islamist movement and killed hundreds
of his followers, and set off a militant insurgency that has killed hundreds of
security personnel.
Most of the attacks have taken place in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders
Israel and the Gaza Strip, but attacks have also been carried out in other
areas including Cairo. The Egyptian army announced on Friday that it had killed
"500 terrorists" since it launched a wide-ranging security operation
in the Sinai in September 2015. In October 2015, ISIS claimed the downing of a
plane carrying Russian tourists home from the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh,
which killed all 224 people on board.
ISIS fighter is first Australian stripped
of citizenship
Reuters Saturday, 11 February 2017/Australian ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf has
become the country's first dual nationality individual to be stripped of
Australian citizenship under anti-terrorism laws, the Australian newspaper said
on Saturday.
Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against militants
in Iraq and Syria, is on alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims, including
home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East. Under a 2015
law, Australia may strip dual nationals of their citizenship if they are found
to have carried out militant acts or been members of a banned organization.
Sharrouf, the son of Lebanese immigrants, shot to infamy in 2014 after
photographs emerged of him and his 7-year-old son holding the severed heads of
Syrian soldiers, causing a global outcry. A spokesman for Australia's
Immigration Department told Reuters an individual had been stripped of
citizenship, but declined to provide further details.
US blocks Palestinian from leading UN
mission in Libya
AFP, United Nations Saturday, 11 February 2017/The United States on Friday
blocked the appointment of former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad to be
the new UN envoy to Libya. US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement that
she did not "support the signal this appointment would send within the
United Nations," where the state of Palestine does not have full
membership. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had informed the Security
Council this week of his intention to name Fayyad to lead the UN support
mission in Libya and help broker talks on a faltering political deal. Haley
said the United States was "disappointed" to see the letter from
Guterres, his first appointment of an envoy to a major conflict area. "For
too long, the UN has been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority
to the detriment of our allies in Israel," said the US ambassador.
"Going forward, the United States will act, not just talk, in support of
our allies." The UN chief had given the council until late Friday to
consider the choice, and the United States came forward to raise objections.
Fayyad, 64, was prime minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2013,
and also served as finance minister twice. He had been tapped to replace Martin
Kobler of Germany, who has been the Libya envoy since November 2015. US
President Donald Trump and Haley have criticized the United Nations for
adopting a resolution in December that demanded an end to Israeli settlement
building. The US rejection of Fayyad came as the council was negotiating the
wording of a US-drafted statement condemning a stabbing attack by a Palestinian
man in Israel on Thursday.Bolivia raised objections to the statement, saying it
should include a reference to the UN resolution condemning settlements that
also denounces violence. The council will discuss the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict on Wednesday, the same day that Trump is scheduled to meet with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. In a shift from
his previous hardine support for Israeli policies, Trump told a Hebrew-language
newspaper that he did not believe Israeli settlement expansion was "good
for peace."Guterres's spokesman declined to comment on the US rejection of
the UN chief's nominee. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon applauded the US
decision, describing it as "the beginning of new era where the US stands
firmly behind Israel against any and all attempts to harm the Jewish
state."
North Korea reportedly test fires missile,
challenging US
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP)/February 11/17— North Korea reportedly fired a
ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year
and an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump's new administration.
Details of the launch, including the type of missile, were scant. There was no
immediate confirmation from the North, which had recently warned it is ready to
test its first intercontinental ballistic missile. The reports come as Trump
was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and just days before the North
is to mark the birthday of leader Kim Jong Un's late father, Kim Jong Il. Trump
ignored a shouted question about the developing situation as he, Abe and their
wives posed for photos before heading to dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in
Florida. In Washington, public affairs officers for the Defense Department and
the State Department had no immediate comment on the report. The South's Joint
Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the missile was fired from around Banghyon,
North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the
North test launched its powerful midrange Musudan missile on Oct. 15 and 20.
The military in Seoul said that the missile flew about 500 kilometers (310
miles). But Yonhap reported that while determinations are still being made, it
was not believed to be an ICBM. The missile is believed to have splashed down
into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japan's Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters the missile did not hit Japanese
territorial seas. The North conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket
launches last year in continued efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and
missile programs. Kim Jong Un said in his New Year's address that the country
has reached the final stages of readiness to test an ICBM, which would be a
major step forward in its efforts to build a credible nuclear threat to the
United States. Though Pyongyang has been relatively quiet about the transfer of
power to the Trump administration, its state media has repeatedly called for
Washington to abandon its "hostile policy" and vowed to continue its
nuclear and missile development programs until the U.S. changes its diplomatic
approach. Just days ago, it also reaffirmed its plan to conduct more space
launches, which it staunchly defends but which have been criticized because
they involve duel use technology that can be transferred to improve
missiles.Kim Dong-yeop, an analyst at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in
Seoul, speculated the missile could be a Musudan or a similar rocket designed
to test engines for an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the
U.S. mainland. Analysts are divided, however, over how close the North is to
having a reliable long-range rocket that could be coupled with a nuclear
warhead capable to striking U.S. targets.
Associated Press writer Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to
this report.
Turkish Troops, Syria Rebels Enter
IS-Held Town
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 11/17/Turkish troops and allied Syrian
rebels on Saturday entered the Islamic State-held town of Al-Bab in northern
Syria, as government forces also approached the jihadist bastion, a monitor
said. "Turkish forces and allied rebels in the Euphrates Shield campaign
entered the western edge of the town and took control of a number of
areas," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 11-12/17
Trojan Horses in Women's
Movement
Khadija Khan/ Gatestone Institute/February 11/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9913/islamists-womens-movement
It must be so convenient, while marching in the safe confines of Washington DC,
to advocate that other women -- far away -- be genitally mutilated, married off
in childhood, and beaten and violated in their own homes. These women in hijabs
marching on Washington do not have to live in this "Utopia." They are
comfortably living in the "infidel West," protected from such
barbarity.
The Western culture that allows women to shout into microphones is not even
necessarily the culture these women believe in; it is often just a tool they
use to promote totalitarian ideas such as anti-Semitism, religious intolerance
and imposition of theocratic beliefs.
Does Linda Sarsour really think that people have gone so mad that they will
give up the civil liberties that their ancestors earned through the centuries, merely
for interest-free loans?
The hypocrisy is that Sarsour's bold lifestyle in the US portrays that deep
down she herself loathes the suppressing conditions that she promotes for the
poor women of the Muslim world, who actually have to live with them. Coming
from a conservative Muslim society, I know the culture she yearns for would
never allow her to launch such activism without permission from her
"guardian" men.
The dissenting voices of the oppressed are fighting on two fronts. They are
being crushed by their own totalitarian regimes and at the same time by Western
apologists for these tyrants.
Why do women who believe in equal rights for women, pick as their spokesperson
someone who one minute boasts of her supposed dissent as
"patriotism," while the next minute advocating chopping off other
womens' genitals? It is like choosing a hangman to campaign against the death
penalty, or the head of ISIS to campaign for same sex marriages.
The principles of "dissent," of which they claim to be so proud, and
to have borrowed from religious sources, are actually the modern world's
liberal values and human rights -- just those rights values they seem to be
trying to destroy.
From the other side of their mouths, however, they are trying to impose Islamic
sharia law on the West. Unfortunately, sharia is openly antagonistic to Western
values and human rights.
How can cults that believe in dominating others call themselves progressive,
when their entire message runs counter to the spirit of tolerance and social
coexistence?
The champions of sharia have always said they wish to establish a
"righteous" form of government, made by divine law, and presumably to
that end, they implant their set of rules -- such as allowing no debate or
criticism on their beliefs, or such as segregating sexes -- to destroy modern
democracies.
It must be so convenient, while marching on Washington DC, to advocate that
other women -- far away -- be genitally mutilated, married off in childhood,
and domestically beaten and violated -- and all the while, in the safe confines
of Washington, to stay silent on issues of truly massive abuse: floggings; acid
burnings; chopping off limbs or heads, or burning, drowning or burying people
alive.
These women in hijabs marching on Washington DC do not have to live in this
"Utopia." They are comfortably living in the "infidel West',
protected from such barbarity.
The values they are enjoying here are the values of the enlightened world and
have nothing to do with the culture they are trying to impose on others.
The culture that is allowing women such as Linda Sarsour to shout into
microphones is not even necessarily the culture these women believe in; it is
often just the culture they are using to promote totalitarian ideas such as
anti-Semitism, religious intolerance and the imposition of theocratic beliefs
through infiltration or force.
The culture to which Sarsour says she aspires, allows mutilating women but does
not allow women to speak in a loud tone, let alone speaking through
microphones. Hence, she owes her current privileges to her American identity.
Muslim activist Linda Sarsour one minute boasts of her supposed dissent as
"patriotism," while the next minute advocates chopping off other
womens' genitals. (Image source: Seriously.TV video screenshot)
Sarsour stated in a tweet on May 13, 2015: "You'll know when you're living
under Sharia Law if suddenly all your loans & credit cards become interest
free. Sound nice, doesn't it?"
Then she wrote on an April 29, 2014 tweet: "@RobertWildiris I don't drink
alcohol, don't eat pork, I follow Islamic way of living. That's all Sharia law
is."
It would be nice if the only requirements of sharia were avoiding alcohol or
pork were; there happens, however, to be an ocean of dos and don'ts that fall
into the category of "I follow Islamic way of living."
The ocean Sarsour never bothered to mention, but that the world witnesses every
day, exists from the Saudi palaces to the caves of Afghanistan and Raqqa.
The culture that Sarsour desires to impose on the world -- along with promises
to waive interest on loans -- does not allow women to interact with unrelated
men, drive cars, ride bicycles, attend sports events, leave the house without
permission, or wear makeup and clothes that reveal their body parts, let alone
address a crowd.
Women would also need four male witnesses to prove a rape, or risk being stoned
to death for "adultery."
Does Sarsour really think that people have gone so mad that they will give up
all of their civil liberties and freedom that their ancestors earned through
the centuries, merely for interest free loans?
The hypocrisy is that her bold lifestyle in the US portrays that deep down, she
herself loathes the suppressing conditions that she likes promoting for the
poor women of the Muslim world who actually have to live with them.
How would these women in hijabs like to spend a few weeks under the
totalitarian regimes about which they love to brag?
Three British girls who followed the call of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
slipped into Syria to join the jihad, only to be desperate over the mistake
they had made; one is believed dead.
Kadiza Sultana, Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, intoxicated by ISIS propaganda,
entered Syria to join the holy mission and be ISIS brides.
Sultana reportedly was killed in a Russian airstrike while too scared to try an
escape from ISIS, fearing extreme torture and public execution if caught.
The whereabouts of the other two are still unknown, apart from rare contact
reported between them and their families.
Sophie Kasiki, a French girl who also managed to break away from the ISIS
stronghold in Raqqa with her four-year-old son, said she risked death if caught
to try to save her son. She defined the ordeal of being with ISIS as "a
journey into a hell from which there seemed no return."
Samra Kesinovic, a 17 year old Austrian girl, was reportedly beaten to death by
ISIS fighters when she was caught trying to flee, after being
"gifted" by her partner to another ISIS fighter as a sex slave.
The irony is that Linda Sarsour and her followers say they love Hamas and
caliphates like the one established by Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, or Saudi and
Iranian regimes -- but of course they do not live in them.
Sarsour has doubtless been put forward by men to promote their soft image as
they themselves cannot boast about the rights they are giving to their women.
Coming from a conservative Muslim society, I know the culture she yearns for
would never allow her to launch such activism without permission from her
"guardian" men.
How come she forgot to mention that in Saudi Arabia and many other Muslim
states, her kind of activism would cost a woman her family, her honour and
probably her life.
A court in the state of Washington suspended the ban on travelers from seven
mainly Muslim countries imposed by the President Trump last week.
Would any judge or influential person dare refute the order of, say, the Saudi
King, a sharia council of Iran, a member of a royal family from a Middle
Eastern country, a military dictator or the Hamas leaders Sarsour apparently so
admires?
You cannot even imagine in your worst nightmares dissenting in those
sharia-compliant territories, but yes, dissent is allowed in the US and the
West, where people are freely allowed to speak their thoughts.
These are not the values of the alien land she professes to admire; these were
fought for and earned by the people of the West with their blood.
The progressives' one-sided love affair with extremists will never serve the
purpose of promoting equality.
In fact, it could be counterproductive. In Egypt, the conservative men used
women as protestors to overthrow Husni Mubarak's regime, but once the Muslim
Brotherhood, which spearheaded the Morsi regime, took control, the whole world
watched in shock as they imposed sharia on everyone -- most of all on those
women. The Morsi regime later punished women who protested the Iranian-style
sharia that it was imposing.
The same imams who were the moving spirits behind Egypt's revolution were then
delivering fatwas [religious opinions] to rape the same women who had been
marching in the streets for their rights. According to al Arabiyya:
"An Egyptian Salafi preacher, said raping and sexually harassing women
protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square is justified, calling them
"crusaders" who "have no shame, no fear and not even
feminism.... Abu Islam added that these women activists are going to Tahrir
Square not to protest but to be sexually abused because they had wanted to be
raped...And by the way, 90 percent of them are crusaders and the remaining 10
percent are widows who have no one to control them.. "
Around 80 women were molested in one night alone, when the Morsi government was
ousted and people came out to celebrate his departure.
Those are the views Sarsour is trying to sell.
The same men these liberals and progressives are trying to empower, once
enthroned, would declare them apostates and inflict the worst imaginable
punishments on them for the "crimes" they are committing by promoting
the set of values they think bring harmony in the world.The dissenting voices
of the oppressed are fighting on two fronts. They are being crushed by their
own totalitarian regimes and at the same time by apologists for these tyrants
whom the marchers are empowering -- probably without even realizing what
massive harm they are doing.
*Khadija Khan is a Pakistan-based journalist and commentator.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The wisdom of Aga Khan and his friend
Churchill
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/February 11/17
“One of the facts that I learned in life is that the importance of the bargain
lies in providing a passageway for difficult times, where you could use this
passageway later on to implement comprehensive reforms that would have been
impossible without the bargain in the first place.”The “Political bargaining”
between opponents and reaching common ground solutions, which was mentioned by
Sultan Mohammed Shah Husseini, in his book “The Memoirs of Aga Khan”, is one of
the features of this leader, who carried out very sensitive missions during and
after the critical era of the British rule of India and the World war I in
1914. Aga Khan III had a realistic vision towards the occurring events because
he was responsible of leading several millions of Muslims distributed in a
number of countries in the world, speaking different languages, and having
diverse traditions and cultures. Aga Khan did not count on “violence”; he was
well aware of his potentials as well as the weaknesses of others. We cannot
disregard the historical side of this matter, especially that he spoke about
his love for reading in his memoirs, which gave him a vision from the
experiences of his predecessors; he turned these experiences into a practical
approach. He said: “I admit that I have worked all my life according to the
principle that settlement is better than the intransigent dispute that does not
lead us to anywhere.” Aga Khan was not a weak leader and Churchill did not lack
of strength, but rather the wisdom that politics needs to be comprehensive
This “flexible mentality” of Aga Khan III allowed him to play important roles.
In 1905, King Georges V sent him more than one message “urging and encouraging
him to carry on his efforts to find a solution to the differences between
Hindus and Muslims, and thus they would be able to focus on scientific,
economic and social reforms.” Sultan Mohammed Shah, had friendship ties for
more than half a century with Sir Winston Churchill. The “political realism”
marked both men. Sultan Aga Khan wrote: “every time I discussed political
issues with Sir Winston, I got influenced over and over again with the
practical realism, which is characterized in his point of views. He is not
locked in his previous ideas, wishes or dreams as he controls all of them.”
In this regard, Churchill has once said to his friend that “half a loaf is
better than nothing,” when Sir Churchill accepted the fact “that India shall
remain within the Commonwealth as a republic that has its own terms.”
Aga Khan was not a weak leader and Churchill did not lack of strength, but rather
the wisdom that politics needs to be comprehensive.
No one can walk alone in tackling climate
change
José Graziano da Silva/Al Arabiya/February 11/17
Thousands of government leaders and international policy experts will gather
soon for the World Government Summit on the shores of the Gulf, a particularly
fitting venue as it was witness to the birth of agriculture, yet today is one
of the regions most exposed to the risks posed by climate change. The Gulf
region is poised to experience a significant uptick in the frequency of
consecutive dry days as well as show soil moisture anomalies, according to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. If we fail to keep average global
temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius, the region often known
as the cradle of human civilization will increasingly face extreme heat waves
of the kind that disable the human body’s ability to cool itself.
Avoiding that fate is within our means, and will require governments muster the
will to achieve a formidable array of tasks. We won’t be able to address the
climate challenge we face without fully harnessing the needs and opportunities
of agriculture and our food systems.
To feed the world’s growing population, we will need to increase food output by
around 50% by 2050, and we have to do that without depleting strained natural
resources beyond the tipping point. The good news is that, with smart
innovation, we can help agriculture to adapt to climate change and make an ally
in mitigating greenhouse gases, and do so in a way that contributes to the
global pledge to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2030. Agriculture in
the largest sense is a privileged arena for action, as single investments can
meet multiple targets, ranging from providing local employment and improving
nutritional health to softening the competition for increasingly scarce natural
resources – such as water, which is in such short supply across most of the
Middle East.
In particular, efforts to combat climate change can positively help bolster the
livelihoods and food security of the world’s poor, 80 percent of whom live in
rural areas often disproportionately exposed to adverse effects of climate
change they did not cause. Supporting smallholders is not only the right thing
to do but, as addressing poverty, hunger and climate change requires an
integrated approach, is a keystone for assuring any lasting success.
While governments should create an enabling environment for such smart
investments, coping with climate change will require a bottom-up effort to
build stability, one that combines development, environmental and humanitarian
elements that foster resilience and assure food security for all. Those are
core goals in the international pledge to achieve the Sustainable Development
Agenda by 2030, and let me emphasize that the price tag for failure would be
far higher than the one for success.
No single solution
There is no single solution. That’s evident when one considers the Middle East
and North Africa region, which comprises extraordinary diversity. Per-capita
GDP levels range enormously between nations, as does the scale of food
self-sufficiency.
No man is an island, as a poet wrote almost 500 years ago, and likewise no
government can go it alone. That’s especially the case for a region that
currently imports about half of all its wheat, barley and maize, and where 60
percent of the fresh water - a binding constraint on food production and
notably in short supply in the area –flows across national boundaries. On a
positive note, the Near East and North Africa Water Scarcity Initiative –
comprised of FAO and a network of more than 30 national and international
organizations – has been set up to foster truly regional efforts to save water
all along the food value chain. That climate change poses such threats to an
area known as the cradle of civilization underscores the need for urgent action
to put agriculture at the center of the sustainability agenda.
While there are no simple solutions, our goal is to identify the smart choices
that can be made. We must collect more data and change behaviours, both map the
territory – and make the data useful and available for small farmers, whose
contribution we must see as ultimately a service to humanity worth paying for -
and move the needle on the ground by convincing farmers their efforts will be
rewarded.
FAO’s work in the region ranges from important emergency efforts in response to
the conflicts in Syria and Yemen to running Farmer Field Schools in Egypt and
helping the UAE develop its first national agricultural policy - an example of
integrating multiple strategies with a sharp focus on water conservation and
climate change. Technology has much to offer if rolled out in a way that
engages food producers and their needs. The UAE is planning to roll out water
meters on farms while at the same time introducing smart subsidies targeting
those who consume less water than average. Benefits range from better
diagnostic data on actual water use and incentives to actual conservation
practices to allocating the savings to farmers who can invest in their
businesses for yet more efficiency.
That climate change poses such threats to an area known as the cradle of
civilization underscores the need for urgent action to put agriculture at the
center of the sustainability agenda.
Should we just surrender to corrupt
people?
Adnan Hussein/Al Arabiya/February 11/17
So, it seems we have to surrender to corrupt people and raise our hats or the
white flags for them. Here is the member of one of the most important
committees in the Iraqi parliament, the Finance Committee, certifying that the
government and its supervisory authorities are unable to act against corruption
in governmental institutions. MP Serhan Ahmed was not unavailingly talking when
he said in a press statement that “the government is unable to pursue all the
corrupt persons, not only at border crossing points and customs, but also in
all government departments in the country…” He must be sure about it since he
is a member of the Finance Committee. The former president of the committee,
late Ahmad Chalabi, had said that the committee has tons of documents related
to administrative and financial corruption, which he presented to the
Commission of Integrity and the Judiciary. We have published in this newspaper
a large number of these documents. Corruption in Iraq has 1001 sides. MP Serhan
Ahmed talked about one of the most dangerous and the most important sides: it
is the corruption at border crossing points and customs services. He said that
“corruption invaded the border crossings that are witnessing customs
exemptions, random charges on imported goods and issues orders without
referring to the concerned directorates. All of these are corruption operations
and a waste of public money. They affect negatively the Iraqi people.” The
Prime Minister’s office confirmed MP Ahmed’s statements. It announced some
achievements in fighting corruption and controlling the border crossings and
customs checkpoints. The Office spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said in a statement
that the PM office has achieved “important missions to control the border
crossings and establish customs checkpoints between the cities and at the
entrances of the capital Baghdad, to strengthen the supervisory role and
endorse the actions taken at border crossing points to apply Customs tariffs
and collect specific taxes on imported goods.”The good news in Hadithi’s
statement was that the revenues from the customs “rose to unprecedented levels,
exceeding the revenues recorded before the implementation of these measures by
dozens of times; Customs revenues rose from less than half a billion dinars in
the first month of last year (2016) to about 24 billion dinars in December,
after the implementation of these procedures.”
Scale of corruption
The difference is huge as we can see; the increase has doubled 48 times,
reflecting the alarming scale of corruption in this sector.Anti-corruption
policies in Iraq should not be limited to these procedures, as those who are
corrupt will always find a way to circumvent laws, as long as they remain in
their offices and posts. The question that is raised here is: Are the
governmental procedures taken to fight corruption, limited to border crossing
points and customs or they will also hold accountable those who are behind the
corruption that preceded these procedures?
There will be no real value to these actions unless they were retroactive.