The Daily Star

Pope urges Mideast Christians to promote peace

2009-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict on Sunday visited the site on the Jordan River where Jesus is believed to have been baptized and urged Christians in the Middle East to play a role in seeking peace.

Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania met the pontiff at the spot southwest of the Jordanian capital and showed him around the archaeological site.

The pope and the royal couple rode in golf carts along the gravel paths that line the site and stopped at a pool where archaeologists have found the remains of early churches, as well as steps leading down to the water where John the Baptist carried out his ministry.

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Former Lebanese president Gemayel hospitalized

2009-05-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Former President and Phalange Party leader Amine Gemayel was admitted to the hospital Monday suffering stress and exhaustion.

Amin Gemayel's wife,Joyce, said his condition was not serious and he was expected to resume work within 48 hours.

She told Voice of Lebanon radio, which is controlled by Gemayel's Phalange party, that her husband's condition was caused by the stress of upcoming legislative elections and the 2006 assassination of their son.

President Michel Sleiman and other political figures phoned Gemayel on Monday to check on his health.

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Journalists under attack on World Press Freedom Day

2009-05-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

The following statement was issued by Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Frank La Rue, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2009.

World Press Freedom Day serves as an occasion to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate the benefits of a free and independent press; and to defend the media from attacks on their independence.

Sadly, on this day we must also pay tribute to media professionals worldwide who have lost their lives in the daily struggle to disseminate the news. In the last year, over 60 journalists have been killed in the line of duty.Their sacrifice should further strengthen our efforts in promoting press freedom and the protection of journalists everywhere from ongoing harassment and threats.

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Special Tribunal orders release of four detained generals

2009-04-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon ordered on Wednesday the release of four Lebanese generals held without charge since 2005 on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, although officials say the men can still be indicted at a later date.

"The pre-trial judge orders, unless they are held in another case, the release with immediate effect of the four generals," judge Daniel Fransen announced in a decision broadcast live via the Tribunal's website and on Lebanese television.

The highly anticipated verdict came after prosecutor Daniel Bellemare submitted a report on Monday saying there was insufficient evidence to detain the men any longer.

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More parties announce electoral lists as elections race intensifies

2009-04-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

Lebanon's constitutional deadline for withdrawing electoral candidacies passed at midnight on Wednesday, with Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud holding a news conference to announce the final list of candidates. More electoral lists for the June 7 polls were announced on Wednesday,mainly in the Tripoli and Minieh-Dinnieh districts.

Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Wednesday the March 14 Forces' list in Tripoli, in the presence of Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri. In a massive rally held for the occasion, Mikati said the list was "a symbol that embodies the national aspirations of Tripoli and is a model for establishing national accord."

The Tripoli Solidarity list includes Economy and Trade Minister Mohammad Safadi, MP Samir Jisr, MP Mohammad Kabbara, Ahmad Karami and former Prime Minister Najib Mikati,

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Lebanese Ambassador Khoury takes up post in Damascus

2009-04-21T03:10:00.000-07:00

Lebanon's first ambassador to Syria took up his post in Damascus Monday in the latest sign of improving relations between the two neighbors after years of tensions.

Career diplomat Michel Khoury assumed his duties as Lebanon's first ambassador to Syria, more than a month after Lebanon opened its first-ever embassy in Damascus.

Syria has also opened an embassy in Beirut. The opening of embassies in both countries sealed the establishment of full diplomatic ties between the long-feuding rivals for the first time since they gained independence from France in the 1940s.

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Obama in Mexico with eye on arms treaty

2009-04-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

Confronting a security threat on the America's doorstep, President Barack Obama arrived Thursday in Mexico for a swift diplomatic mission to show solidarity on drugs and guns with a troubled neighbor – and to prove the US is serious about the battle against trafficking.

After a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama planned to announce he would support an inter-American weapons treaty meant to take on the bloody drug trade.

Officials described the plan on the condition of anonymity so they wouldn't pre-empt the announcement. The regional treaty, adopted by the Organization of American States, was signed by former President Bill Clinton in 1997 but never ratified by the US Senate.

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Obama pledges to fight piracy, pirates vow revenge

2009-04-14T03:20:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama promised Monday to work with other nations "to halt the rise of piracy," while Somali pirates vowed revenge for the deaths of three colleagues shot by snipers during the daring high-seas rescue of an American sea captain.

The pirates' threat raised fears for the safety of some 230 foreign sailors still held hostage in more than a dozen ships anchored off lawless Somalia.

Sunday's nighttime operation was a remarkable achievement for snipers on a rolling warship in choppy seas, but few experts believe the victory will quell a rising tide of attacks in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

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United States sends warships to scene of hijack drama

2009-04-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

US officials said an American warship and a half dozen others were headed to the scene where pirates captured a vessel with a US crew off Somalia's coast.

One official said the destroyer USS Bainbridge is headed there. Another official said there are six or seven ships on the way.

The American crew of the hijacked US-flagged ship retook control of the vessel from Somali pirates Wednesday but the captain was still being held hostage, according to Pentagon officials and a member of the crew.

The crew member told The Associated Press that the 20-member crew had managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiate their own release.

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United States will never be at war with Islam, Obama tells Turkey

2009-04-07T03:17:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama on Monday seized upon his first symbolism-laced visit to the Muslim world as US president to declare that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam.

From the well of Turkey's Parliament, Obama warned "you cannot put out fire with flames," arguing that brute force alone could not thwart extremism as he sent a flurry of coded messages throughout the Middle East.

Obama drew on his own biography as the son of a believer as he sought to forge new trust with the Islamic world, and portrayed Turkey as an example of a thriving Muslim nation where faith and democracy could thrive together.

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Threat to shut Boston Globe shows no paper is safe

2009-04-06T02:18:00.000-07:00

When it bought the Boston Globe for a record $1.1 billion in 1993, the New York Times Co.

added one of the nation's most acclaimed and profitable newspapers to its empire. But analysts say the 137-year-old Globe has been a money-loser in recent years, and the Times, now $1.1 billion in debt, is threatening to shut down the paper unless it gets $20 million in union concessions.

The newspaper business is reeling: One major paper has already folded this year and several others are seeking bankruptcy protection. But the threat to the Globe, announced Friday on the Globe's Web site, has shocked some industry insiders, who say it shows no one is safe. "It is a huge warning shot across the bow of the newspaper industry. If this can happen to the storied Boston Globe, pretty much nothing is safe," said Boston University communications professor Tobe Berkovitz.

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Lebanese police free boy, arrest kidnappers in Aley

2009-04-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

A 14-year-old boy kidnapped and held for ransom was dramatically rescued in an undercover operation carried out by Lebanese security services on Thursday morning.

Amin Jihad Khansa was snatched from a bus-stop on his way to school on Monday.

Hours after he was seized, the kidnappers contacted his family and demanded a $1.5 million ransom for his safe release, sparking the three-day investigation that led to his rescue.

But their plans were thwarted by quick-thinking security officers who captured members of the gang and forced them to reveal his whereabouts without spooking the remaining kidnappers, a security source told The Daily Star on Thursday.

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United States sees G-20 accord, France demands tough new regulation

2009-04-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

France and Germany joined forces on Wednesday to demand that world leaders deliver on promises of tough financial market regulation at a summit in London, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy saying "this is not negotiable."

Keen to secure a confidence boosting message for voters and frazzled financial markets as the world succumbs to the deepest downturn since the Great Depression, US President Barack Obama said there were no substantive differences with Europe.Washington wanted tougher regulation too, he said with Britain's Gordon Brown, summit host, at his side.

Global economic output will contract more in 2009 than any year since World War II, says the International Monetary Fund, and IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn says the "Great Recession" could cause 50 million job losses worldwide.

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Netanyahu names government, says he ‘will talk peace'

2009-04-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he was willing to talk peace with the Palestinians as he presented his Cabinet for parliamentary approval amid international concern that Israel's new government could bury the negotiations.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for his predominantly right-wing cabinet, the hawkish Likud leader also alluded to Iran, telling MPs the biggest threat Israel faced was the possibility of "a radical regime armed with nuclear weapons." Netanyahu, who has opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, said, however, that "it is possible to reach peace."

"We will carry out peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) with a view to reaching a final accord.

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Arab summit rejects charges against Bashir

2009-03-31T04:43:00.000-07:00

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir won strong support against his international arrest warrant over Darfur from an Arab summit on Monday that also warned Israel that an Arab peace offer was not open-ended.

While Sudan emerged with the most gains, a surprise tirade by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi against Saudi King Abdullah was the main talking point of the annual summit held in Qatar's capital aimed at putting on a show of Arab unity (see box).

Bashir had urged Arab leaders to reject his indictment on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and lashed out at the UN Security Council, accusing it of applying "double standards."

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Sudan's wanted president welcomed at Arab summit

2009-03-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir defied an international arrest warrant by traveling to Doha on Sunday for an Arab summit, where the decision of Egypt's leader to stay away dimmed unity hopes.

United Nations chief Ban Kimoon, who has also flown in to the Qatari capital,will still attend the summit, which opens on Monday, despite the presence of Bashir, a UN official said.

"Sudan is a member of the United Nations while the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an independent judicial body, which does not prevent the United Nations from dealing with Sudan," the official told AFP requesting anonymity.

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Netanyahu vows to pursue peace, build more settlements

2009-03-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

Israeli Premier-designate Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to pursue peace talks with the Palestinians as he prepared to present his new government to parliament next week.

"Peace … is a common and enduring goal for all Israelis and Israeli governments, mine included.This means I will negotiate with the Palestinian Authority for peace," Netanyahu told a Jerusalem conference.

Washington has warned that peacemaking will not be any easier under Netanyahu – who will head a right-leaning government and opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.

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Turkey's Gul makes landmark visit to Iraq

2009-03-24T02:24:00.000-07:00

Iraq on Monday warned Turkish Kurdish rebels based in its northern mountains to lay down their guns or leave the country, during a landmark visit by Turkey's President Abdullah Gul.

"The PKK has two choices: lay down its guns or leave Iraq," President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, said of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at a joint news conference marking the first visit by a Turkish head of state in 33 years.

"The PKK must become involved in political and parliamentary life instead of resorting to weapons, since using guns does wrong to Kurds and Iraqis," he said.

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Beirut ready to host joint Arab law enforcement office-Baroud

2009-03-23T03:18:00.000-07:00

Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud on Sunday called on delegates attending a conference of Arab interior ministers in Beirut to set up an anti-organized crime bureau to counter drug trafficking, immigrant smuggling and e-crime.

Baroud stressed in opening remarks at the 26th conference of the Arab Interior Ministers' Council held at the Phoenicia Hotel in downtown Beirut the need to "strengthen agreements at the level of anti-terrorism among Arab states."

He said that maintenance of security is associated with three basic principles: preserving state dignity, winning people's confidence in public institutions and the ability of security services to cope with crime.

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Lebanese Parliament lowers voting age to 18, delays other legislation

2009-03-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

Lebanon's Parliament on Thursday approved a draft law to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, but the measure will not come into effect in time for the June elections.

Parliament convened in a session attended by more than 100 deputies, who showed strong support for the proposal, which calls for amending Article 21 of the Constitution to lower the voting age.

Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Marwan Hamadeh said: "In this bad situation, the best thing to offer our youth is this proposal."

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Israel mulls toughening prisoner conditions, tightening Gaza siege

2009-03-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

An Israeli ministerial committee convened on Wednesday to discuss ways of worsening the conditions in prison of Hamas detainees following the collapse of Egyptian-brokered talks on a prisoner swap.

The committee, headed by Justice Minister Daniel Friedman, decided to create work teams to "examine the reduction of the privileges of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners," the ministry said in a statement.

Among the steps being considered are limiting cash transfers to prisoners, restricting their access to television and radio, reducing visiting rights and opportunities for education as well as limiting contact between the prisoners.

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Olmert rejects Hamas terms for swap, holds all Gazans hostage

2009-03-18T04:04:00.000-07:00

Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday rejected Hamas' terms for a prisoner swap, saying Israel would not cave in to demands by "a terrorist organization." Israel also stressed it would not ease its blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip until a soldier held there since 2006 is freed.

"We will not accept in any manner the conditions set by Hamas," Olmert said of the proposed prisoner swap under which the Islamists would free Gilad Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel said it agreed to release 320 of 450 Palestinians Hamas wants freed, but claimed Hamas was being intransigent.

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Lebanon opens first embassy in Syria amid thaw in ties

2009-03-17T04:28:00.000-07:00

Lebanon opened its first embassy in Syria on Monday, five months after the neighbors established diplomatic ties after decades of turbulent relations.

Charge d'Affaires Rami Mortada raised the Lebanese flag over the embassy's building located in the Damascus residential neighborhood of Abu Remmaneh, which is also home to the US Embassy.

Syria and Lebanon reached agreement in October on establishing diplomatic ties for the first time since gaining independence from France more than 60 years ago.

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Netanyahu tries to woo Livni again in secret negotiations

2009-03-16T02:15:00.000-07:00

Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is holding new talks with centrist Tzipi Livni in a last-ditch effort to form a broad government instead of a narrow right-wing coalition, officials said on Sunday.

Livni, the outgoing foreign minister and leader of the centrist Kadima party, had rejected joining a cabinet with Netanyahu late last month because of his hardline positions over the peace talks with Palestinians.

But the two held a secret meeting during the week that lasted into the early hours and were due to meet again on Sunday, officials in Netanyahu's Likud party said.

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Palestinian and American colleges form partnership

2009-03-13T02:30:00.000-07:00

A first of its kind collaboration between an American college and a Palestinian university will allow Palestinian students to earn American degrees on a West Bank campus.

The project, kicking off this year between Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and the West Bank's AlQuds University, seeks to improve relations between Americans and Palestinians while boosting education in the [occupied] Palestinian territories, said Bard College president Leon Botstein.

Botstein designed the program with his Al-Quds counterpart, Sari Nusseibeh. Philanthropist George Soros' Open Society Institute has promised an initial grant of $1.5 million.

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