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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Compiled 12 AM GMT | 
HEADLINE NEWS and ANALYSIS ALERT E-MAIL | | | | | | | | | TOP STORIES | |
Iraq troops cuts 'too little, too late'
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
President George W. Bush announced on Tuesday modest cuts in US troop levels in Iraq, a move that drew a sharp attack from opponents of the war pushing for a speedier drawdown. Bush said he would withdraw about 8,000 soldiers from Iraq by February, and send 4,500 soldiers to Afghanistan to battle resurgent Taliban forces.
Sleiman schedules start of dialogue for September 16
By Hussein Abdallah and Nafez Qawas
Lebanon's political leaders will begin a national dialogue next Tuesday in a bid to resolve their political differences, President Michel Sleiman announced on Tuesday. "I invite those who signed the Doha Accord ... to come meet here in Baabda [Palace] on September 16, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.," the president told.
Royal Dutch Shell gets foot in door to Iraqi gas
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to a gas joint venture with Iraq worth up to $4 billion dollars, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said Tuesday, becoming the first Western oil major to gain access to the violence-wracked country's vast energy reserves. The deal to capture unwanted gas burned. No Egyptian gas for Lebanon until at least January - minister
Compiled by Daily Star Staff
Energy and Water Minister Alan Tabourian said on Monday that promised Egyptian natural gas supplies to Lebanon had been delayed to January 2009. Speaking to reporters after returning from an official visit to Cairo, Tabourian added that Egyptian gas to Lebanon has been slashed by half for no apparent reason. |
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| Back to Top | | REGIONAL POLITICS | Moscow vows to keep troops in breakaway Georgian areas
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Russian officials on Tuesday pledged military bases and 7,600 troops to protect the separatist Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, cementing Moscow's determinations to stand by the disputed territories. Russia plans to keep 3,800 troops in each of the regions, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced Tuesday.
Zardari takes oath of office, promises to battle terrorism
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Asif Ali Zardari took office as Pakistan's new president Tuesday, and immediately pledged to work with Afghanistan to fight terrorism which has claimed thousands of lives in both countries. Zardari, a controversial 53-year-old widower of assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto who earned the nicknamed "Mr. 10 Percent" due to corruption scandals.
Iraq troops cuts 'too little, too late'
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
President George W. Bush announced on Tuesday modest cuts in US troop levels in Iraq, a move that drew a sharp attack from opponents of the war pushing for a speedier drawdown. Bush said he would withdraw about 8,000 soldiers from Iraq by February, and send 4,500 soldiers to Afghanistan to battle resurgent Taliban forces.
Israeli fanatic proposes kidnapping Ahmadinejad
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A former top agent of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad suggested Tuesday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad be snatched and dragged before the International Court of Justice. "We must snatch the Iranian president who uses the same discourse as Hitler on the need to exterminate the people of Israel, in order to take him to the International Court in the Hague," said.
Iraqi speaker implores MPs to settle differences over major issues
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani urged MPs on Tuesday to resolve disputes over provincial elections and oil-rich Kirkuk as they returned from a four-week summer recess. "I urge the MPs to speed up the culture of concord and participation, and not get caught up in a maze that would take us back to square one," Mashhadani.
Afghanistan bombing kills three coalition troops, local contractor
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Three US-led coalition troops and an Afghan working with them were killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan on Tuesday as government officials said that roughly 40 rebels, some of them foreigners, died in air strikes. The fresh bloodshed comes as US President George W. Bush announced extra troops for Afghanistan's fight against a rising tide of extremism.
Dubai court delays hearing in 'sex on the beach' trial
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
The Dubai trial of two Britons accused of having sex on a beach in the booming Gulf emirate was adjourned again on Tuesday after both the female defendant and the main witness failed to show up. Judge Hamdi Abul Khair adjourned the trial of Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, until October 7, defense lawyers told AFP.
Israel uses restrictions on Palestinians to Judaize Occupied East Jerusalem
By Inter Press Service
The Israeli government is attempting to Judaize Palestinian East Jerusalem, and maintain a Jewish majority against the "demographic threat" of a higher Palestinian birth rate. To that end, the Israeli government is enforcing a number of policies aimed at establishing facts on the ground to limit the number of Palestinian residents in the city.
Top Somali Islamist calls for outside pressure on pirates
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A Somali Islamist leader on Tuesday urged the world to curb unbridled piracy off the country's coastline that is threatening to disrupt a key commercial maritime lane. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, who heads the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) - an umbrella opposition group - warned that piracy in the lawless country had become "more organized and dangerous."
New fighting could displace 400,000 Pakistanis - WHO
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Some 400,000 more people could be displaced if violence in western Pakistan resumes after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday as it asked for $9.76 million to help victims.
Synthetic-drug use spikes, especially in Gulf region
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
The use of synthetic drugs such as amphetamine, methamphetamine (meth) and ecstasy is growing in developing countries, notably in Asia and the Middle East, and in the Gulf states in particular, a top United Nations body warned Tuesday. While demand for such drugs has stabilized or even declined in North America, Europe and Oceania.
Iran should let World Court settle row with UAE - GCC
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A senior Gulf official has urged Iran to accept international arbitration in its dispute with the United Arab Emirates over three islands in the strategic waterway, in an interview published on Tuesday. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) chief Abdel-Rahman al-Attiyah, quoted in Dubai's English-language Gulf News, said.
Airbus plans Tunisian plant to help cut costs
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Airbus announced the opening of a factory in Tunisia and new cost cuts on Tuesday under a strategy to expand production of its airliners in several countries outside the eurozone. Louis Gallois - chief executive at Airbus' parent group, the European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company (EADS), said.
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| | LEBANON POLITICS | Beirut earns no thanks for raising minimum wage to LL500,000
By Osama Habib
The Cabinet endorsed a plan Tuesday to increase the minimum wage in Lebanon from LL300,000 to LL500,000 and a LL200,000 pay increase for all employees in both the public and private sectors. The increases will be paid retroactively as of May 2008. This is the first salary increase approved by the Lebanese Cabinet since 1996.
Sleiman schedules start of dialogue for September 16
By Hussein Abdallah and Nafez Qawas
Lebanon's political leaders will begin a national dialogue next Tuesday in a bid to resolve their political differences, President Michel Sleiman announced on Tuesday. "I invite those who signed the Doha Accord ... to come meet here in Baabda [Palace] on September 16, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.," the president told.
Zawahri questions Hizbullah's 'victory' in 2006 summer war
By Andrew Wander
Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahri launched a stinging verbal attack against Hizbullah and the Lebanese government in a video broadcast by Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera news satellite channel Monday. The senior jihadist commander, who is often described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, questioned whether Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Regional issues will determine Israeli attack - Nasrallah
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said any Israeli attack on Lebanon depended on the Iranian nuclear issue and the Israel-Syria talks, in an interview with Iran's state-run television on Monday. "I cannot say when Israel is going to attack Lebanon, if it is going to be soon or not.
Warrant issued for shooter in attack on LAF helicopter
By Dalila Mahdawi
Lebanon's top military investigating magistrate has issued an arrest warrant for a Hizbullah member suspected of opening fire on a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) helicopter last month, unidentified judicial sources said Tuesday. Mustafa al-Moqadem was interrogated by Investigating Magistrate Rashid Mezher, who said.
Lebanese-American named to prestigious post
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Sarmad Albert Rihani was recently elected governor in the Structural Engineering Institute in the US out of 11 governors who compose this council. This body of professional governors suggests legal federal projects that are discussed and issued by the US Congress.
House panel approves media ethics charter
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee, following meeting with representatives from the media on Tuesday, approved a "personal ethics charter" for all reporters covering the 2009 parliamentary elections. However, an item which gives authorities the power to take off air any media outlet that breaks the rules of the charter.
Berlin agrees to extend mandate of UNIFIL contingent
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
The German government agreed Tuesday to extend the mandate of its troops in the naval component of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for 15 months.The maximum number of personnel Germany can contribute to the UNIFIL mission will fall to 1,200 from 1,400, however, due to the progress of the Lebanese military in building up.
Arab ex-Knesset member highlights diminishing US role in world affairs
By Elias Sakr and Eugene Yukin
The world's changing power dynamics during the Bush administration era were the focus of a lecture by former Arab-Israeli MP Azmi Bishara before a full audience at Hamra's Al-Madina Theater on Monday evening. In his lecture - entitled "What's the role for America after Bush?" - Bishara noted that the United States remains.
Qabbani describes Tripoli pact as start of 'new era'
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani said upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia Tuesday that the reconciliation initiative launched by Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri in Tripoli was the beginning of a new era, and called for initiating such a "positive" move in the whole country.
Missing South Lebanese turns up in Israeli custody
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Israel arrested a Lebanese man during a weekend drug seizure after he entered Israeli territory, the UN force in South Lebanon said on Tuesday. "Israel informed us on Saturday of the arrests of three Israelis and a Lebanese citizen in an attempted smuggling near Birnait" on Israel's northern border, said Yasmina Bouziane.
Gaza campaigners detail breaking of Israeli siege
By Dalila Mahdawi
Members of the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) held a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday to describe their recent breaking of the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip in Palestine. The Israeli government tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2006 after Hamas prevailed in democratic elections, regularly preventing the coastal territory from importing fuel.
| | | BUSINESS | Royal Dutch Shell gets foot in door to Iraqi gas
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to a gas joint venture with Iraq worth up to $4 billion dollars, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said Tuesday, becoming the first Western oil major to gain access to the violence-wracked country's vast energy reserves. The deal to capture unwanted gas burned.
MENA region does well in survey of business reforms
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
The Middle East and North Africa region continues to ease the regulatory burden of doing business, according to Doing Business 2009, the sixth in an annual series of reports published by the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank.
No Egyptian gas for Lebanon until at least January - minister
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Energy and Water Minister Alan Tabourian said on Monday that promised Egyptian natural gas supplies to Lebanon had been delayed to January 2009. Speaking to reporters after returning from an official visit to Cairo, Tabourian added that Egyptian gas to Lebanon has been slashed by half for no apparent reason.
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| Back to Top | | LOCAL NEWS | Oyster serves up 26 pearls at Tyre restaurant
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A Lebanese woman working in a restaurant kitchen found 26 pearls in an oyster she was preparing for the table and is to submit the find to the "Guinness Book of Records." Amal Salha, 50, said she was helping out her son in his Al-Fanar restaurant, on the waterfront in the Southern port of Tyre, when she made the astonishing find on Monday evening.
Sidon mayor sings praises of bid to revive historic sites
By Mohammed Zaatari
The southern port city of Sidon is still witnessing architectural workshops as part of the World Bank's Cultural Heritage and Urban Development Project in Lebanon, Sidon Mayor Abdel-Rahman Bizri told The Daily Star on Tuesday. According to Bizri, the project aims to increase the local economic development.
Renewed calm lures foreign students to Lebanon
By Andrew Wander
The fragile political stability Lebanon has enjoyed in recent months has seen a rise in the number of students traveling from the US and Western Europe to study in Beirut. Officials from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Lebanese American University (LAU) say that more foreign students have registered for courses this academic year.
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| Back to Top | | ARTS & CULTURE | US-based collector returns ancient artifacts to Greece
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Two ancient artifacts illegally removed from Greece decades ago went on display in Athens Wednesday after a US-based collector was persuaded to repatriate them, the Greek Culture Ministry said. The upper part of a marble funerary stele and a bronze krater, or large cup, dated to the 5th and 4th century BC respectively.
Puppeteers pull the strings - and children laugh
By Megan Bainbridge
A simple small black curtain separates the "stage" from the green surroundings beside the entrance to the Sanayeh Garden. In this Spears Street refuge from the busy sounds of the afternoon traffic, children await, wide-eyed with excitement and anticipation. They sit cross-legged on the sidewalk.
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| Back to Top | | EDITORIALS | It will take more than words to repair Lebanon's self-inflicted damage
By The Daily Star
Two of Lebanon's most frequently opposed political figures, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of Hizbullah and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri of the Future Movement, have earned kudos in recent days for having made conciliatory gestures. To dismiss their nascent rapprochement as merely "all fine and nice" would be unfair.
| • More Editorials
| Back to Top | | OPINIONS | Turkish-Armenian ties may ease tension in the Caucasus
By Vartan Oskanian
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian's recent invitation to Turkish President Abdullah Gul to visit Yerevan to watch a football match together was historic. Given the two countries' long-strained relations, this visit would have been remarkable at any time. But coming as it does only one month after the alarming Russian-Georgian confrontation.
Hamas begins stepping out from Jordan's crosshairs
By Yossi Alpher
A brief perusal of headlines in the regional media would appear to confirm that, of the two main Palestinian movements, Fatah and Hamas, the latter has recently been the object of the most attention from Israel's neighbors, particularly Egypt and Jordan.
Intemperance keeps terrorism alive
By Rami G. Khouri
In this week marking the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attack on the United States, three noteworthy events related to the US and the Middle East caught my eye: Al-Qaeda number-two man Ayman Zawahri released a new videotape; Republican Party vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin started her foreign policy.
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| Back to Top | | FORBES.COM FEATURES | U.S. Air Force missile launch crew fell asleep
By Xinhua News Agency
Three ballistic missile crew members in North Dakota fell asleep while holding classified launch code devices this month, triggering an investigation by military and National Security Agency experts, the Air Force said Thursday. The probe found that the missile launch codes were outdated and remained secure at all times.
| • More Forbes.com Features
| Back to Top | | SCI & TECH | Scientists plan "Big Bang" probe in tunnel
By Xinhua News Agency
Scientists will conduct the world's greatest ever particle physics experiment, a historic "Big Bang" experiment, on Wednesday, hoping to revolutionize our understanding of the universe, according to media reports. In the 6.4 billion euro (9.2 billion U.S. dollars) CERN (Geneva-based lab, known by its old French acronym CERN) experiment.
| • More SCI & TECH
| Back to Top | | Health | Low vitamin B12 level may cause brain shrinkage in old
By Xinhua News Agency
Low vitamin B12 level in old people may cause brain atrophy or shrinkage, according to a UK study in Tuesday's Neurology. This study involved 107 volunteers aged 61 to 87 who were cognitively normal at the beginning of the study, and who underwent annual clinical exams, MRI scans, cognitive tests and had blood samples taken.
Unsafe sex "biggest threat" for gay men
By Xinhua News Agency
The incidence of HIV/AIDS among Beijing's drug users is in decline but the city's gay community remains the most at-risk group, a local health official said on Friday. He Xiong, deputy director of the Beijing center for disease control and prevention (CDC), said that based on figures for the first seven months.
Study: Exercise blunts effects of obesity gene
By Xinhua News Agency
Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity in people who have a genetic predisposition to being overweight, according to a study in Monday's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Variations of a particular gene, known as the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene.
| • More Health
| Back to Top | | Odd News | In Switzerland: diamond made of ashes of dead
By Xinhua News Agency
Diamonds really are forever. Algordanza, a small company based in the mountainous southeast of Switzerland, uses the ashes of dead people to make diamonds as a permanent memento for their nearest and dearest. And with prices starting at less than 5,000 euros (7,488 U.S. dollars), the jewels are not solely the preserve of the jetset.
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