Ebola puts focus on drugs made in tobacco plants

NEW YORK -- It's an eye-catching angle in the story of an experimental treatment for Ebola: The drug comes from tobacco plants that were turned into living pharmaceutical factories.

Using plants this way — sometimes called "pharming" — can produce complex and valuable proteins for medicines. That approach, studied for about 20 years, hasn't caught on widely in the pharmaceutical industry.

But some companies and academic labs are pursuing it to create medicines and vaccines against such targets as HIV, cancer, the deadly Marburg virus and norovirus, known for causing outbreaks of stomach bug on cruise ships, as well as Ebola.

While most of the work in this area uses a tobacco plant, it's just a relative of the plant used to make cigarettes.

"It's definitely not something you smoke," said Jean-Luc Martre, a spokesman for Medicago, a Canadian company that's testing flu vaccines made with tobacco plants.

Medicago has a new production facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Once approved by federal authorities, it's expected to be able to make 30 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine a year, or 120 million vaccine doses to fight a major outbreak of "pandemic" flu if the government requests it.

Scientists favor tobacco plants because they grow quickly and their biology is well understood, said Ben Locwin, a pharmaceutical biotech consultant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who is considered an expert on plant-produced medicines by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

The North Carolina operation can handle as many as 90,000 plants. Under the whir of fans, rows of young seedlings grow for about a month, until they are about a foot tall. Then they are taken by robots to another section of the facility, turned upside down and dipped in a tank to be "infiltrated" with whatever proteins they wish to grow.

There are a number of Ebola treatments and vaccine in development, and one comes from tobacco plants grown in specialized greenhouses at another operation, Kentucky BioProcessing, in Owensboro, Kentucky.

That experimental treatment, called ZMapp, uses proteins called antibodies, and is designed to inactivate the Ebola virus and help the body kill infected cells. It hasn't been tested in people but had shown promise in animal tests, so it was tried in three people sickened by Ebola in West Africa — two U.S. aid workers and a Spanish missionary priest, who later died.

The last few doses available are in Liberia. Kentucky BioProcessing, which produces it for the San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, said it would take several months to make more, but it is working to increase production.

In general, the idea behind pharming is to slip the genetic blueprints for a particular protein into a plant and let the plant's protein-making machinery go to work. Then the protein can be extracted from plant tissues. While tobacco plants are a mainstay of such work, proteins also have been produced in other plants, such as safflower and potato.

In fact, the only medicine made this way that the federal government has approved for general use in people is made in a laboratory from cells of carrot plants. It treats a genetic illness called Gaucher's disease. The drug was approved in 2012 by the Food and Drug Administration.

A plant-made vaccine for a chicken disease gained approval from the Department of Agriculture in 2006 but was never brought to market. Another plant-produced product to fight germs that cause tooth decay has been approved for use in Europe.

The lack of any stronger track record for approved drugs in the United States is a key reason why the plant-based technology hasn't been embraced more fully, Locwin said. That's despite the fact that it offers benefits like lower cost than the standard approach of using vats of cells from mammals to churn out complex proteins, Locwin said.

Some companies use cells from bacteria instead, but they can't always produce the complicated proteins that drug companies need, he said. The plant-based approach "has a tremendous amount of promise, but it doesn't yet have the FDA blessing across the board to be able to say this is successful" and a proven way to get a drug to market, he said.

And it would cost companies money to change over to the new technology, he said.

Plant-based drugs have attracted the attention and funding of the federal government, however, as a fast and cheap approach to make a lot of vaccine material in case of terrorist attacks, said Daniel Tuse (pronounced too-SAY'), a consultant and managing director of Intrusept Biomedicine, which also works with tobacco plants in Owensboro.

If a new germ appears, genetic material from it can be quickly inserted into plants, and large numbers of the plants can churn out supplies of material for vaccines or treatments, he said.

The plant-based experimental Ebola treatment was developed with government support.

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AP National Writer Allen G. Breed contributed to this report.

Alibaba film unit finds possible accounting issues

HONG KONG -- Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's recently acquired film unit says a review has uncovered possible accounting irregularities.

The disclosure Friday by Alibaba Pictures Group comes as its parent company readies for what's expected to be a mammoth initial public offering in New York next month.

Alibaba Pictures said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange that a new management team found "certain possibly non-compliant treatment of financial information" in its accounting records. As a result, it is delaying the release of its first-half earnings.

The company said the accounting irregularities date to before Alibaba's purchase of the company.

The film company, previously known as ChinaVision Media Group, was acquired by Alibaba earlier this year for more than $800 million as part of its push into online content.

Panama Canal turns 100 as expansion hits snags

PANAMA CITY -- It was supposed to be a grand celebration of the engineering triumph that forged a nation.

Instead, the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal's opening Friday is being marred by doubts about the country's ability to harness the full benefits of a multibillion-dollar expansion beset by cost overruns, strikes and the threat of competition from rival projects.

The latest setback in the canal's expansion came in May, when about 5,000 laborers walked off the job for two weeks as part of a strike over wages by construction workers nationwide. That followed a two-week stoppage in February in a dispute over $1.6 billion in extra costs between the canal's administrator and the European contractor building a third new set of locks.

Because of the interruptions and overspending, the original completion date of this October has been pushed back by 14 months and analysts say more delays can't be ruled out.

The construction of the 77-kilometer (48-mile) ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama a century ago transformed international trade, greatly reducing travel time between the Atlantic and the Pacific by eliminating the need for ships to go around the tip of South America. The construction claimed the lives of an estimated 30,000 workers, many from diseases like malaria and yellow fever.

As part of the $5.25 billion expansion project, wider locks with mechanical gates will reduce congestion and be able accommodate post-Panamex vessels, which are as long as three football fields and have the capacity to carry about 2.5 times the number of containers than held by ships currently using the canal.

Canal administrator Jorge Quijano acknowledges he would have liked to finish the expansion in time for Friday's centennial. "But we knew from the beginning a project as complex as this wouldn't necessarily be done" on time, he said.

Not everyone is as understanding.

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou complained about the delays during a recent visit to Panama, saying they affect his country's trade with the United States. Two major cargo shippers, Denmark's Maersk and Taiwan's Evergreen, have already rerouted part of their operations, depriving the canal of about $80 million a year, Quijano says.

When funding for the expansion was approved by a referendum in 2006, its completion was envisioned as a coming out party for Panama, a chance to showcase the country's pro-business credentials and role as a linchpin of global commerce.

Backers portrayed the vote as a bet on the future of Panama's children in a country where poverty still affects a third of the population, a stain on what is arguably Latin America's most-thriving economy. For the most part, the canal has blossomed under Panamanian management, contributing more than $8.5 billion in government revenue since the Americans handed it over on Dec. 31, 1999.

But competition is lurking. Egypt is embarking on an expansion of the Suez Canal, and a Chinese firm was recently awarded a contract to build a waterway through Nicaragua, the path initially favored by 19th century American engineers. While just a threat on paper for now, Panamanian authorities have responded with the possibility of digging a fourth set of locks to maintain dominance.

Reflecting the more subdued mood, President Juan Carlos Varela opposed suggestions that the centennial be declared a national holiday. "The anniversary is best celebrated by working," he told journalists recently. "Panama already has plenty of free days."

Panamanians will celebrate their canal's anniversary with an evening of fireworks and a free concert by salsa crooner Ruben Blades. A 500-pound cake will be served to hundreds of VIPs.

Descendants of French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, the canal's flamboyant first developer, are expected to attend. So are relatives of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, whose enthusiasm for the "big ditch" spurred the isthmus to proclaim its independence from Colombia in 1903 and sign a treaty granting perpetual control of the future waterway and adjacent 550-square mile canal zone to the United States.

Nostalgia for those earlier days runs deep in Paraiso, or Paradise in English, a village on the canal's Pacific Ocean entrance where blue U.S. mailboxes recall a vibrant, bygone era when it was part of the canal zone.

While Panama has prospered in the past decade, taxi driver Carlos Bennett said the benefits haven't been shared widely. Like many Panamanians, he's counting on the canal expansion to lift the nation's welfare but is concerned that the recent stumbles could backfire.

"The anniversary should've been the moment to celebrate the expansion project, that all of Panama needs urgently," said Bennett, the grandson of a canal worker who emigrated from the British Virgin Islands. "We can't afford the luxury of looking like we're incapable to the rest of the world."

Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.

Sea change: Americans revising opinions on gays, poll finds

WASHINGTON -- Americans are changing their minds about gays at a startling pace, driven by young people coming of age in a new era and by people of all ages increasingly familiar with gays and lesbians in their families and their lives, according to a new McClatchy-Marist Poll.

A solid majority support same-sex marriage, confirming the fast-turning tide that’s started appearing over the last three years. A majority say they wouldn’t be upset or very upset if a child were gay, up dramatically from a generation ago. And an overwhelming majority say it would make no difference to them if a candidate for Congress were gay, up sharply.

The sea change in attitudes is being propelled by two major forces, the poll found. First, people aged 18-29 overwhelmingly favor same-sex marriage. Second, the ranks of Americans who say they know someone who’s gay has skyrocketed over the last decade and a half. And those who know someone who’s gay are almost twice as likely to support same-sex marriage, the survey found.

“It is a sea change in attitude,” said Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York, which conducted the survey. “You’d be hard-pressed to find an issue that has had a bigger shift in public opinion.”

There are still opponents. Republicans oppose same-sex marriage by better than 2-1. Tea party supporters oppose it by nearly 3-1. Those 60 and older are on the cusp, with 50 percent opposed.

Miringoff said he expected to see increases in acceptance but that the poll showed that this topic transcended other political issues that came and went. “This is really an attitudinal shift,” he said.

While gays and lesbians have pushed for decades for equal rights, public opinion has changed only in the last few years and now is changing rapidly.

Adults now support same-sex marriage by 54-38 percent. For more than a decade, only about a third of Americans supported the idea, ranging from 27 percent in 1996, as measured by the Pew Research Center, to 35 percent in 2009. Support has increased steadily since then, however. In 2011, a plurality supported same-sex marriage for the first time. And in 2013, a majority of adults said for the first time that they favored it.

The most glaring sign of changing attitudes is generational:

– Those aged 18-29 favor same-sex marriage by 75-18 percent.

– Those aged 30-44 favor it 55-38 percent.

– Those aged 45-59 favor it 49-40.

– Those aged 60 and older oppose it 50-39.

Familiarity also is changing the way people think.

By 71-27 percent, American adults say they know someone who’s gay. That’s a dramatic change from a generation ago, when a 1999 Pew poll found that Americans said by 60-39 percent that they didn’t know anyone who was gay.

In the McClatchy-Marist Poll, 52 percent said they knew more gay people now than they did a decade ago.

How people react to gays in their family also has changed.

Nearly half – 48 percent – said they wouldn’t be upset if one of their children told them they were gay, and 14 percent said they wouldn’t be very upset. Thirty-five percent said they’d be somewhat upset or very upset.

It was the opposite three decades ago. Sixty-four percent said they’d be very upset and 25 percent somewhat upset if one of their children told them they were gay, according to a Los Angeles Times survey in 1985. Five percent said they wouldn’t be very upset, and just 4 percent said they wouldn’t be upset at all.

The personal experience makes a big difference. Those who know someone who’s gay support same-sex marriage by 61-31 percent. Those who say they don’t know anyone who’s gay oppose same-sex marriage by 57-36 percent.

And while there’s been vocal opposition, the poll found that virtually any movement in public opinion has been in favor of same-sex marriage. Twelve percent of adults have switched from opposition to support; just 1 percent changed from support to opposition.

The changes also mean that Americans are much more open to voting for a gay candidate for Congress.

Eighty-three percent of adults said that whether someone was gay wouldn’t make a difference in whether they voted for that candidate. In December 1985, just 49 percent said it would make no difference, while 47 percent said they’d be less likely to vote for a candidate who was gay, according to the Los Angeles Times survey.

The changes in public opinion are changing Washington.

In 2012, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly declare support for same-sex marriage. A slew of politicians have followed suit, including nearly every Democratic senator. At least three Republican senators have indicated their support, including Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who said he reversed his longtime opposition because his son is gay.

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that married same-sex couples are entitled to federal benefits and, by declining to decide a case from California, cleared the way for gays and lesbians to marry in that state.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia now allow same-sex marriage either through ballot initiatives, legislation or court rulings. Just this week, a federal appeals court refused to delay a ruling that struck down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage, which means couples could begin marrying there as early as next week. But at the same time, Tennessee’s same-sex marriage ban survived a court challenge, the first such ruling in more than a year.

Making Critical Investments in Our Youngest Citizens

Yesterday, the Department of Education unveiled a new grant opportunity to partner with states and local communities to expand the reach of high-quality preschool. The $250 million grant competition will provide thousands of additional 4-year-old children across the country with a high-quality preschool education. The Obama administration’s Preschool Development Grants program is a critical piece of the President’s plan to boost access to high-quality preschool and support early learning for every child in America, beginning at birth and continuing through school entry.

The return on our dollar is highest when we invest in our youngest children, and we have recent research showing that sufficiently scaled Pre-K programs in cities like Boston and Tulsa are having a significant, positive impact on children’s literacy, language development, and math skills. Still, only approximately 28% of America’s 4-year-olds were enrolled in state preschool programs in the 2012-2013 school year. The high cost of private preschool programs and insufficient funding for public preschool in many communities narrows options for families, especially those in low-income communities.

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool education to every child in America. Last January, he challenged more Americans to join this effort — and governors, mayors, school superintendents, corporate and community leaders, foundations, and policymakers have responded.

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Cabinet approves Saudi grant

BEIRUT: The Lebanese government approved Thursday a $1 billion Saudi grant to modernize security services in their fight against terrorism, as the country’s military prosecutor charged 43 alleged militants with crimes connected to recent battles in the border town of Arsal.

But the charges appeared to set back negotiations to free Army soldiers and Internal Security Forces personnel held captive by jihadists from the Nusra Front during the clashes, as they postponed issuing demands in exchange for the hostages.

“The Cabinet accepted the in-kind grant which consists of equipment and weapons for the Army and the security forces worth $1 billion offered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said after a Cabinet session at the Grand Serail.

Ministerial sources told The Daily Star that the Saudi donation will be spent to buy the equipment directly by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who has been entrusted by the Saudi government to ensure the proper disbursement of the aid.

Outgoing Saudi Ambassador Ali Saeed Asiri said after visiting the Union of Journalists that the mechanism for spending the aid will avoid delays due to bureaucracy.

Although no public statement was made on the missing Army and security forces personnel believed to be held by ISIS and the Nusra Front, discussion of the issue took center stage during the Cabinet session.

Some 19 Army troops in addition to 17 ISF personnel were captured and believed to be held by militants who launched an incursion into Arsal Aug. 2, taking over the town and withdrawing five days later under a cease-fire agreement.

Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr pressed ahead with charges against 43 jihadists, including militant commander Imad Jomaa, over the battles.

Saqr accused the alleged militants of carrying out terrorist acts, attacking the Army, and killing and kidnapping soldiers and policemen.

A judicial source told The Daily Star that only 10 of the suspects were in custody – one Lebanese and nine Syrians. The others, including four Lebanese and 29 Syrians, remain at large. They face the death penalty if convicted.

Saqr referred the suspects to Investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghayda for interrogation.

In response, the Nusra Front postponed issuing a set of demands in exchange for the captives, said Sheikh Adnan Amama, a member of the Committee of Muslim Scholars, a gathering of Sunni religious officials involved in the negotiations.

Amama told The Daily Star that a mediator with the Nusra Front conveyed the group’s “extreme irritation” at Saqr’s move, though he said the negotiations will likely continue.

Amama criticized the government for not making more positive overtures to speed up the negotiations.

In a sign of growing concern over the proliferation of militant groups, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale said his country would expedite military assistance to the Army.

“ U.S. military assistance will begin arriving in the next few weeks and will continue in the months to follow,” Hale said. “This assistance will enhance the Lebanese Army’s ability to secure Lebanon’s borders, protect Lebanon’s people and fight extremist groups.”

Hale said the coming deliveries, made in response to a request for emergency assistance, would include munitions and ordnance, of a defensive and offensive nature.

Hezbollah Minister Mohammad Fneish welcomed the U.S. aid, saying the party welcomes any donation that bolsters the military.

And in an interview with Al-Akhbar newspaper to be published Friday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said: “Turkey and Qatar are supporting ISIS, and I am convinced that Saudi Arabia fears it.”

Separately, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil flew to Saudi Arabia to meet with Hariri, according to Al-Markazya news agency.

Hayek, contract workers spar as EDL protests escalate

BEIRUT: Electricite du Liban’s administration and contract workers traded barbs in their ongoing dispute over the laborers’ employment status in opposing news conferences Thursday.

Electricite du Liban’s Board of Directors Chair Kamal Hayek insisted that the company would not submit to the protests of the workers, calling on police to intervene and protect EDL employees.

“Electricite du Liban has the absolute right to determine its need for employees,” Hayek said in a news conference at noon, quoting a law passed by the Parliament in April.

According to Hayek, the law requires that new employees be selected based on an entrance exam.

Stressing that “any negotiations would only be held from the EDL offices,” he threatened the private service providers with prosecution because their employees were closing EDL facilities.

The contract workers have been working with private service providers since 2012, when the private entities were subcontracted to perform EDL’s technical services for four years.

Contract workers have been holding protests at EDL offices for several days, preventing employees from entering the buildings. They are demanding full-time employment at EDL for all of the nearly 2,000 workers, while EDL has only agreed to hire 897. In an escalatory move, contract workers erected tents inside EDL headquarters Thursday.

Hayek said that before proceeding with its decision, EDL had consulted the Civil Service Board, which backed the company’s decision to limit the number of workers it hired based on its needs.

“Regardless of what is happening, we will only adhere to the words of the Civil Service Board,” he stressed.

Hayek said that not all of the workers were eligible to attend the entrance exam.

“Those above 56 years of age or who have any criminal records cannot participate in the exam,” he said. “There are many who have other jobs with higher priority and might not have the intention to get a full-time job at EDL.”

Hayek, who held a news conference at the Zouk Power Plant because he couldn’t reach EDL headquarters, called on the police to intervene and break up the protests to ensure the firm’s employees could reach their offices.

“To the Internal Security Forces we say: The law punishes anyone who blocks a public facility,” he said. “The state should protect the employees’ entrance to their institution.”

He called on the contract workers to find “more civilized ways” of carrying out their protests.

“Protesting administrative decisions shall not be through blocking entrances and burning tires,” he said, while reminding contract workers that the executives they were defaming would be their bosses once they were employed at EDL.

Immediately after Hayek finished his news conference, the contract workers held their own, accusing the executive of mismanagement, corruption and fraud.

“What does it mean to keep this administration that has resulted in so much deterioration for the sector for more than 15 years?” asked Ahmad Shoeib, spokesman for the workers’ union.

He accused Hayek of planning to increase the electricity prices in order to cover the “failure and corruption” at EDL.

The workers said that EDL’s partnership with private service providers had cost the electricity sector huge amounts of money, while the services provided to citizens had deteriorated.

Lubnan Makhoul, the union chief, accused EDL of not monitoring the performance of private service providers, saying it was paying the firms despite their inefficiency.

Makhoul said that the head of one of the private service providers announced in a TV interview that the electricity sector lost 40 percent of production to waste on its network.

“The purpose behind subcontracting the private service providers is supposedly to reduce the waste,” Makhoul said.

“So why don’t you, dear Mr. Hayek, ask this company head why the waste was not reduced yet?”

Contradicting Hayek’s mention of a “technical and scientific study” conducted by EDL and approved by its 10 executives, Makhoul asked Hayek why the company dismissed other studies by the heads of local constituencies who found that the number of employees needed was much higher than 897.

Makhoul denied that the calls were for the employment of all workers.

“This is not true; we are simply calling for the employment of workers who have the right to be hired,” he said.

Reports of threats against jewelry sellers denied

Union: No ban on selling Christian icons in Tripoli

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi denies news that selling Christian crosses and icons is banned in Tripoli, and stressed...

Lebanese still flock to Sudan to seek their fortune

KHARTOUM: Over 100 years after Lebanese expatriates in Khartoum established the city’s first bilingual newspaper, the first milk delivery service and built some of the capital’s most famous architecture, Lebanese are still seeking their fortunes in Sudan.

“I don’t feel like a foreigner here,” said Rene al-Dad, the general manager of Al-Waha Mall. “The people here in Sudan are very friendly, they are honest with you ... I like it here.”

“Whenever I go to Lebanon, after a few days I want to come back,” he added.

While most Lebanese know of the large diaspora in West Africa, few are aware of their country’s historical ties with Sudan that date back to the late 19th century.

Renown, as they seem to be everywhere, for their mercantile expertise and food, Lebanese are known to locals as “shwaam,” indicating that they come from Greater Syria.

Since the 1800s, skilled Lebanese were favored by Ottoman and British colonial authorities, who hired them to work as administrators, translators, doctors and clerks, or to work with their armed forces in Arabic-speaking regions.

Ghantous Antoine al-Gemayel, an ancestor of former President Amine Gemayel, worked in the government in Sudan between 1912 and 1933.

The first bilingual English and Arabic newspaper, the Sudan, was started by the Lebanese expatriate Khalil Thabit in 1899. His brother, Rashid, later joined him and continued as editor in both languages while also working at Sudan Times and the Moqattam.

Aziz Kfoury, born in Beirut in 1874 and educated in the College Saint Joseph school of Antoura, left an indelible mark on the Sudanese capital. In 1899, while living in Cairo, Kfoury learned that much of Khartoum had been destroyed by the recent Mahdi revolt. He decided to move his construction business there to meet the demand, and built several homes for British colonial figures that are still standing today in the city center.

After several shrewd business deals with the government and opportunistic purchases, Kfoury accumulated 465 hectares of land north of Khartoum’s Bahri neighborhood where he began dairy farming.

Soon after, Kfoury started Khartoum’s first milk delivery service. Bottles of milk were delivered to residents’ doors for three piasters that were left under the empty bottle for the next day. As the company grew, Kfoury’s name became well known throughout Khartoum.

Prior to his death in 1942, Kfoury consolidated all his businesses into one company called The Kfoury Company, which he passed on to his son Charles Aziz Kfoury.

Much like his father, Charles was a reserved man with little interest in politics but had a shrewd business sense. He further expanded the company into import/export and several other endeavors.

The Kfoury Company grew into a large workforce throughout Sudan. Even the father of Sudan’s controversial President, Omar al-Bashir, worked as an accountant on the Kfoury dairy farm.

In 1981, the Kfoury name was immortalized when the large dairy farms were turned into a residential neighborhood and named Kfoury City. Today, Kfoury City is one of the most lavish areas in Khartoum.

More recent arrivals from Lebanon were attracted by the 2005 peace agreement that ended Sudan’s North-South civil war, opening up the country’s vast oil wealth. Many of them were disappointed when the economic boom failed to materialize, and are now struggling to turn a profit.

“Maybe the expectations are very good but the reality is [not],” said Nazih Ashour, the Lebanese ambassador to Sudan, adding, “ Sudan is in transition.”

“The number of Lebanese was previously in the thousands and is currently in the hundreds in Khartoum and [the surrounding areas],” he continued. “A lot of them have gone back to Lebanon or to other African countries, or back to Gulf states.”

Many of the Lebanese expatriates in Sudan are young men who left their families behind in Lebanon to seek their fortune.

Khodor Msheik, 23, came to Khartoum 18 months ago. Though he will soon mark the one-year anniversary of his store, Chocofruit, in Al-Waha Mall in Suq Al-Arabi, Msheik isn’t exactly celebrating.

“My friend had opened a place and I came to join him,” Msheik recalled. “When we first came to Sudan, the dollar was at a good rate. For people that wanted to take their money outside and build something elsewhere, there were a lot of opportunities here ... Now, to make money and send it back to Lebanon is very difficult.”

The U.S. dollar has gone from two Sudanese pounds to 9.7 Sudanese pounds over the past two years.

Ali Hilani, the owner of Fashion Cafe in the same mall, lamented that although he’s making the same amount in local currency, his income has dropped from $5,000 a month to $1,000.

“ Sudan is tough. The dust, the broken roads ... everything is expensive and you’re constantly paying taxes,” Hilani said with a sigh.

Hilani moved to Sudan seven years ago and decided to stay after meeting his future wife at the Rotana hotel, a popular hangout for Lebanese, but he says he is struggling with life in Sudan.

Other Lebanese said they are having trouble adjusting to the local culture, especially when it comes to business. “Sudanese people like to relax, don’t get close to them with stress,” joked Msheik.

There is also a culture of gathering to mourn the deaths of family and friends for days at a time, even very distant relatives.

“Sometimes my Sudanese waitresses won’t come in because they will say their uncle died. You ask a bit more and you find out it’s their distant, distant uncle that they may have never met before,” Hilani said.

“In Lebanon it’s about close family – the mother, the father, the brother, sister. Here you find it’s their uncle’s cousin’s son that they’ve never met before and they take four days off!” continued Hassan Shamass, the manager of the Assaha hotel and restaurant.

Outside of work, Lebanese tend to meet up at each other’s houses for barbecues, or at the Rotana Hotel, or the Syrian Club, which was founded by a group of Lebanese expats, including Thabit and Antoine Gemayel, before Lebanon was a state.

You can also find Lebanese at the many Levantine restaurants that have started to sprout up around the capital, including the Phoenicia on Nile Street and the Assaha, which has a branch in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“We’ve been open for seven years now ... our aim is to have a branch on every continent, so Sudan is our Africa location,” Shamass said.

Assaha’s menu is the same as the Beirut branch, serving all the traditional Lebanese dishes. The restaurant also occasionally has Levantine groups perform, as well as well-known Sudanese entertainers. The clientele are mostly well-off Sudanese, as the bill for a group dinner can easily cost the same as the average Sudanese’s monthly salary.

Despite the dire economic outlook, many Lebanese living in Khartoum said they were struck by the friendliness of the people. Moreover, given the deteriorating security in Lebanon, coupled with an economy that is not exactly thriving compared to Sudan, some Lebanese were prepared to stay.

“In Lebanon, if you ask someone for help and they don’t know you they just say no, but [in Sudan] someone will take you where you want to go and help you a lot,” explained Jamal Mazeh, the owner of Sanabel Bakery.

“It’s safe to go out, the security outside makes you feel safe,” Shamass added. “Even though Lebanon’s a country of tourism, there’s very little security.”

For this reason, despite the fact that his business has not been as successful as he would have hoped, Msheik sees himself in Khartoum for the foreseeable future.

“You know what’s happening in Syria and Egypt and elsewhere, that’s what brings you to a country like Sudan. If there was stability elsewhere, then I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “You hear about what’s happening in [Lebanon’s northeastern town of] Arsal and everywhere – there’s no security.”

Asiri: Islamic fanaticism a product of Iranian revolution

BEIRUT: Outgoing Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad al-Asiri said in a speech Thursday that his country would not interfere in the presidential election, and also attributed the rise of Islamic fanaticism to the Iranian revolution.

“I honestly tell you that the kingdom did not and will not interfere [in naming candidates]. The decision should be a Lebanese one,” Asiri told reporters after paying a farewell visit to the Union of Journalists.

“The kingdom encourages all parties to come up with suitable solutions in order to choose a president as soon as possible, but it will not interfere in this issue,” Asiri said. “The process of the government formation proved what I am saying now: We did not interfere in its formation.”

Asiri said that the absence of a president created problems between Lebanon and other countries, particularly in the process of appointing ambassadors.

Commenting on former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s surprise return to Lebanon last week, Asiri said that the Future Movement leader, an ally of the kingdom, returned to the country at the “appropriate time.”

“There are requirements for the parliamentary and presidential elections that should be fulfilled. Former Prime Minister Hariri represents a political component in Lebanon. Therefore, I believe his presence in Lebanon is necessary and came at the right moment,” Asiri said.

Separately, the outgoing ambassador said that fanaticism in Islam had emerged following the Iranian revolution of 1979.

“I honestly say that I only recognized that I am a Sunni when [Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini’s revolution happened. Before that, I only knew that I am a Muslim,”Asiri noted.

He called on Lebanese journalists to raise a voice of moderation against extremism, which he said was “new to Lebanon.”

“I hope the Lebanese press will be inspired by what the Saudi King [Abdullah] has called for, which is fighting terrorism and the murky ideology that deviates from Islam and human values,” Asiri said, in reference to a speech delivered by the Saudi king earlier this month.

Asiri was due to leave the country Saturday to start his new job as the ambassador to Pakistan but has delayed his departure and will remain in Lebanon for some time, the embassy’s media officer said.

Asiri also visited former Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani Thursday.

“I paid a farewell visit to his eminence and also to congratulate Muslims for the recent achievement in Dar al-Fatwa, which, God willing, will reflect [positively] on the current situation,” Asiri said, referring to the election of Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian as Lebanon’s new grand mufti.

“We all know that Dar al-Fatwa represents the voice of moderation and we hope that everybody will embrace it so that it can fulfill its duties,”Asiri said.

Attorney General Holder: Ferguson Scenes 'Cannot Continue'

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Attorney General Eric Holder at a July 14 press conference. Holder outlined the federal response to recent events in Ferguson, Mo., Thursday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Attorney General Eric Holder at a July 14 press conference. Holder outlined the federal response to recent events in Ferguson, Mo., Thursday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Attorney General Eric Holder says federal investigators have already conducted interviews with eyewitnesses to the shooting of an unarmed African-American teenager in Ferguson, Mo., even as he pledged new assistance from the Justice Department to quell "extreme displays of force" and militarization by heavily armed local police there.

"It is clear that the scenes playing out in the streets of Ferguson over the last several nights cannot continue," Holder said.

In his first, detailed remarks since the police-involved shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown last Saturday, the attorney general described the burgeoning federal response.

Aside from a civil rights investigation into Brown's death — led by federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Missouri, civil rights lawyers in Washington, and the FBI — the Justice Department is taking two more steps, Holder said.

First, the Community Relations Service, a peacemaking and reconciliation unit set up to mediate civil rights struggles in the 1960s in the American South, has dispatched officials to Missouri to meet with law enforcement, civic, and faith leaders to try to reduce tensions.

"Over time, these conversations should consider the role that increased diversity in law enforcement can play in helping to build trust within communities," Holder said, nodding to local concerns that the Ferguson police force is overwhelmingly white and male.

Missouri's attorney general has cited the force in a report for stopping African Americans twice as often as whites, and the local NAACP has complained about similar practices by the St. Louis County police.

Holder also said local authorities have accepted his offer of technical assistance from other parts of the Justice Department "in order to help conduct crowd control and maintain public safety without relying on unnecessary and extreme displays of force."

Protesters say they've been hit by wooden and rubber bullets from SWAT teams in riot gear, who have filled the streets with armored vehicles and tear gas.

"This kind of response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution," said U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who spoke with Holder by phone Thursday.

The attorney general said in his statement that he wants to reduce tension, not heighten it.

"At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message," he added.

Holder denounced episodes of looting and attempts to "antagonize" the heavily armed local police, but he urged authorities in the St. Louis suburb to do more to respect the rights of protesters and reporters covering the unrest.

Holder offered no deadline for the federal civil rights investigation. But one person familiar with the investigation who requested anonymity because the matter is pending said U.S. authorities had already interviewed Dorian Johnson, who told reporters he was standing nearby when a policeman shot his friend Michael Brown.

Prominent civil and human rights advocates are calling on the Justice Department to do even more. Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, urged the attorney general "to undertake a comprehensive federal review of each instance of police violence against African-Americans."

Ifill's letter mentioned several recent police involved deaths of unarmed black men which undermine public confidence in the justice system. She said racial bias training and body cameras for police could help restore trust.

"Violent deaths like Michael Brown's happen all too frequently and will continue to occur without meaningful accountability," Ifill wrote. "The DOJ must utilize its substantial resources to take significant, proactive steps to curb police violence on communities of color."

Buffett's firm to file update on its US stocks

OMAHA, Neb. -- Investors will soon be able to learn more about what Warren Buffett's company has been buying and selling lately.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is expected to file a quarterly update on its U.S. stock portfolio with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday afternoon.

Many investors like to copy moves Buffett makes because of his remarkably successful record.

But Berkshire's combined filing includes investments made by two other executives at the company, so it's not always clear if Buffett made the decisions.

Buffett has said investments smaller than $300 million are likely to be the work of other Berkshire managers.

Besides investments in companies such as Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo and IBM, Berkshire owns more than 80 subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, railroads, retail and manufacturing.

Internet problem due to power cuts: Harb

US to expedite aid to Lebanese Army

The United States is expediting assistance to the Lebanese Army, Ambassador David Hale says, as part of Washington's...

Rifi: No ban on selling Christian icons in Tripoli

BEIRUT: Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi Tuesday denied rumors that selling Christian crosses and icons had been banned in Tripoli and stressed that banning alcohol from a religious perspective was rejected.

The jewelry sellers of the northern city will hold a special news conference to deny the claims about banning Christian religious crafts, Rifi told reporters just before entering Thursday’s Cabinet session at the Grand Serail.

An Ad-Diyar newspaper report published Thursday said that young salafist men had threatened jewelry sellers in Tripoli over selling such products, while the merchants chose not to attract media attention to avoid a greater risk of being targeted.

“Concerning the ban on alcohol, if it comes out of a religious perspective, then it is rejected,” Rifi said. “But if those selling alcohol do not possess the legal licenses, then the interior minister will follow up on the matter.”

Tripoli's mayor made a decision last week to ban alcohol ads in the city, reportedly upon the request of the Muslim Scholars Committee. Many Tripoli activists protested the decision on social media, with some calling it an ISIS-like arrangement.

Separately, Rifi said the top priority for the Cabinet session would be discussing the issue of the missing soldiers and policemen believed to have been taken hostage by militants during clashes in the Bekaa Valley town of Arsal.

Negotiations between the Lebanese authorities and the militants are being carried out by the Muslim Scholars Committee, which says it has no direct contact with the militants.

The militants, allegedly from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria, delivered through the committee a video reportedly showing seven of the Army soldiers Wednesday.

As negotiations to free the military and security personnel face complications, Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi said a maximum of 20 troops were missing, with some feared to be dead.

In comments published in daily Al-Mustaqbal Thursday, Kahwagi said a video addressed to Prime Minister Tammam Salam depicting some of the soldiers captured during battles between the Army and jihadist militants in Arsal was authentic.

“The recording is true, in principle, but we decided not to show it publicly out of respect for the missing soldiers and their families,” Kahwagi said.

“The Lebanese soldiers who are reported missing are at most 20, and we insist on calling them missing, as we fear that some martyrs (dead) could be among them,” Kahwagi added.

US to expedite aid to Lebanese Army

BEIRUT: The United States is expediting assistance to the Lebanese Army, Ambassador David Hale said Thursday, as part of Washington's longstanding commitment to Lebanon.

"U.S. military assistance will begin arriving in the next few weeks and will continue in the months to follow," Hale said after meeting with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Defense Minister Samir Moqbel ahead of a Cabinet meeting Thursday morning. "This assistance will enhance the Lebanese Army's ability to secure Lebanon's borders, protect Lebanon's people and fight extremist groups."

Hale said the coming deliveries, made in response to a request from Lebanon for emergency assistance, would include munitions and ordnance, of a defensive and offensive nature.

The envoy highlighted Washington's commitment to the stability of Lebanon, saying the U.S. had donated $1 billion to the Lebanese Army since 2006.

"We continue to stand with Lebanon and the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces as they protect Lebanon from the spillover of violence from Syria," he said.

Hale's pledge comes two days after U.K. Ambassador Tom Fletcher met with Salam to make a similar commitment.

The increased support to the Army, which follows a $1 billion donation from Saudi Arabia, comes in the wake of fighting that pitted the Army and takfiri militants from Syria’s Nusra Front and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the border town of Arsal in east Lebanon.

The worst spillover yet from the more than 3-year-old Syrian civil war, the clashes killed at least 19 soldiers, 60 militants and more than 15 civilians.

Before heading into the Cabinet meeting, a Hezbollah minister welcomed the aid from Washington, which considers the resistance party a terrorist organization.

" Hezbollah welcomes any donation to arm and reinforce the military," Minister of State Mohammad Fneish told reporters.

Online sites shake up hidebound retailing in India

MUMBAI, India -- Finding a way into India's vast but vexing market has long frustrated foreign retailers. Now, overseas investors are pouring billions of dollars into e-commerce ventures that are circumventing the barriers holding back retail powers such as Wal-Mart and Ikea.

Some investors see India as the world's next big e-commerce opportunity, with the upcoming mammoth public stock offering of Chinese online giant Alibaba hinting at the potential.

Online shopping is still in its infancy in India at $2.3 billion of an overall $421 billion retail market in 2013, according to research firm Crisil. But it is growing fast and the potential of reaching a mostly untapped market of 1.2 billion people has sparked a funding-and-expansion arms race.

Flipkart, a Bangalore-based company founded in 2007 by two former Amazon employees, last month announced it had raised $1 billion in mostly foreign capital after building its registered users to 22 million.

A day later, Amazon raised the stakes with founder Jeff Bezos saying the company would pour $2 billion into developing its India business.

Snapdeal.com, whose investors include eBay Inc., has raised at least $234 million in the past year, and recently local media have reported that Rajan Tata of India's Tata Group conglomerate is considering a personal investment in the company.

The flood of overseas capital comes even though foreign investment in online retailing is not permitted in India, which would seem an even more stringent barrier than the local product sourcing requirements that caused Wal-Mart and IKEA pull back on plans to build megastores. However, e-commerce businesses that are partly or wholly foreign owned have found a way to work around the rules to offer books, clothes and electronics on their sites.

Neither Flipkart nor Amazon technically engage in online retailing. Instead, to get around the foreign investment ban, both companies serve as Internet-based hosts for thousands of third-party sellers, taking commissions in exchange for marketing and, often, arranging shipping of the products.

Even Amazon's Kindle e-reader is not sold directly by the company. On the Amazon.in site, the latest Kindle reader is sold by Infinity Retail Ltd., a subsidiary of Tata Group, which purchases the device from Amazon. Customers get the device but pay more for the extra layer of reselling: the Kindle that sells for $119 on the U.S. online store goes for 9,999 rupees ($167) on the Indian website.

India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned liberalizing e-commerce in his July budget speech, but so far the government has not taken any steps to change the foreign investment restrictions.

It may be a while before the big investment outlays translate into profits. Most of the billions raised by e-commerce businesses will be plowed back into building up the companies, from acquiring warehouses to developing shipping networks and also offering deep discounts to squeeze smaller players out of the market, said Ajay Srinivasan, director of Crisil Research , which is majority funded by Standard & Poor's.

"Financial muscle ensures you are able to withstand the initial few years when you are not going to be making money and you'll be burning cash," Srinivasan said. "It also allows you to offer better deals to customers to build market share."

The battle is playing out on TV and in newspapers.

Amazon.com India is running front-page spreads touting its next-day delivery service and easy return policy. Snapdeal has a television ad with a put-upon housemaid unpacking all the purchases a happy middle class family has made online and complaining that with all the money they are saving, she should get a raise.

India's e-commerce revenue has grown explosively over the past three years despite only 11 percent of Indians having access to the Internet, according to a report by KPMG and the Internet & Mobile Association of India.

Online sales are growing at more than 50 percent annually and are on track to reach $8.3 billion by 2016, Crisil estimates. KPMG estimates that e-commerce could contribute 4 percent of India's GDP by 2020, compared to a projected 10 percent for the country's IT and call-center outsourcing industry.

Such big potential for online retail is made possible in part by India's continued restrictions on big box retailers that have Indians starved for choice.

India is one of the last major markets to mostly keep multinational retailers from setting up shop. Despite approving 51 percent foreign investment in retail businesses in 2012, India has set stringent regulations intended to protect small manufacturers and mom-and-pop shops that still make up 93 percent of the country's retail sales.

As a result, big players such as Wal-Mart and IKEA have put opening their own retail stores on hold. India has a few large retail chains, Tata Group's Croma for electronics and department store chain Big Bazaar, but they are mostly limited to major cities.

Still, India's e-commerce businesses face several other challenges.

Fewer than 12 percent of Indians have credit or debit cards, meaning that to expand, Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal have had to accommodate cumbersome cash payments.

"Cash-on-delivery is very important. It's a very Indian concept," said Ashwin Vellody, an information technology expert at KPMG. "But that is inefficient and expensive for companies."

The companies must also develop logistics and distribution systems in a country notorious for creaking infrastructure and inefficient transport.

The biggest challenge, though, will likely be price wars in the fierce fight for market share, said Srinivasan, the Crisil director.

"From a consumer perspective, it means better days to come," he said. "I think the bargains they will be able to get online will only get better."

Wednesday's Sports In Brief

GOLF

Tiger Woods removed himself from consideration for the Ryder Cup team with a clear message that he is not healthy enough to play.

One day after U.S. captain Tom Watson said he trusted Woods to give him the "straight skinny" on the condition of his back injury and his game, Woods said he called the 64-year-old captain to say he would not be available.

The decision spares Watson from having to leave Woods off the team, and it eliminates a distraction over the next three weeks before Watson announces his three captain's picks for the Sept. 26-28 matches against Europe at Gleneagles.

Woods' best finish this year was a tie for 25th because of nagging back issues at the start of the year that led him to have surgery on March 31. He missed two majors, including the Masters for the first time, and did not return for three months. In the four events he played upon his return, he missed the cut twice, withdrew during the final round at Firestone and finished 69th in the British Open for his worst 72-hole result in a major.

Woods said he would not return until his World Challenge in Orlando, Florida, the first week of December.

BASEBALL

BALTIMORE (AP) — The three candidates in Major League Baseball's first contested election for a new commissioner in 46 years made presentations to the 30 teams one day ahead of the vote.

MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred, Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and MLB Executive Vice President of Business Tim Brosnan addressed team executives at a hotel a few blocks from Camden Yards in attempts to gain the 23 votes needed to replace Bud Selig in January.

They spoke for about an hour apiece, including PowerPoint presentations, and the owners attended an evening reception at the B&O Warehouse behind the ballpark's right-field wall. The executives will split into three groups of 10 for question-and-answer sessions Thursday before the vote, which will take place by secret written ballot. A three-quarters majority is needed for election.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Colorado Rockies All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will have surgery on his left hip Friday in Vail, Colorado, and miss the rest of the season.

Tulowitzki, whose .340 batting average remains tops in the big leagues, has a torn labrum in his hip, the team said after a 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres.

He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 22, three days after he was hurt running out a grounder at Pittsburgh.

While it was Tulowitzki's first trip to the DL this season, he had taken days off to rest his chronically tight legs. The leg issues date to 2008 when he tore the left quadriceps tendon.

PRO BASKETBALL

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Donald Sterling's latest effort to block the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was rejected by a California appeals court.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal issued a brief order saying it couldn't halt a sale that had been completed.

Even if the sale hadn't closed, the three judges said the former owner failed to show he was harmed enough to get a temporary stay.

Ballmer sealed the deal Tuesday after a probate judge cleared the way for Sterling's estranged wife to sell the team. The Los Angeles Superior Court judge said Shelly Sterling could complete the sale she negotiated after removing her husband of 58 years from the family trust that owned the team because of questions about his mental competence.

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James will play his first game since rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers at home Oct. 30 against New York, then return to Miami for the first time on Christmas.

The NBA regular season will open Oct. 28, with the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs hosting the Dallas Mavericks in one of the three games that night.

The league released its schedule, featuring a lengthened All-Star break, during an NBA TV special, with James' return to his original NBA team putting the Cavaliers in a number of prime positions.

That includes the game at Miami in the third spot on the five-game Christmas schedule, traditionally a highlight of the NBA season. James led the Heat to two championships and four NBA Finals appearances in four years before deciding to return to his native Ohio.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State offensive lineman Edward Sarafin has told a local magazine he is gay, making him the first active Division I football player to come out.

A fifth-year senior, Sarafin told Phoenix-based Compete, a magazine for gay sports, for its August issue that he began telling teammates about his sexual orientation last spring.

The walk-on lineman, who goes by the nickname Chip, follows the precedent set by St. Louis Rams linebacker Michael Sam. Sam told teammates he was gay during his playing days, but did not come out publicly until after finishing his career at Missouri.

Massachusetts sophomore Derrick Gordon became the first active openly-gay Division I basketball player when he came out in April.

TENNIS

MASON, Ohio (AP) — Top-seeded Serena Williams won an opening match that was as close as it gets, rallying in both tiebreakers to move on at the Western & Southern Open.

Williams needed 1 hour, 54 minutes to beat Samantha Stosur 7-6 (7), 7-6 (7), showing a little more poise on the toughest points.

Most of the top players advanced, though not without a struggle.

Roger Federer needed 2 hours to beat Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-2. Federer took control in the middle of the third set, breaking the Canadian twice in a row.

Andy Murray had a much easier time, taking little more than an hour to beat Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-3. John Isner, who reached the finals last year, also advanced.

Corn, soybean production drop forecast in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A double-digit drop in corn and soybean production by Kentucky farmers is being predicted in a new report.

Corn production in the state is forecast at 200 million bushels, down 18 percent from the prior year.

Soybean production for Kentucky is forecast at 67.6 million bushels, a 17 percent drop from 2013.

The predictions are in a report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service's field office in Kentucky.

It estimates statewide corn yield at 138 bushels per acre, down 32 bushels from 2013.

Soybean yield is estimated at 40 bushels per acre, down 9.5 bushels from a year ago.

Kentucky burley tobacco production is forecast at 153 million pounds, up 4 percent from last year.

Hay production is forecast to be down from last year due to lower yields.

Tennessee's business taxes pick up after decline

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee's business taxes are starting to pick up.

WPLN-FM (http://bit.ly/1q900rm) reports economist Bill Fox discussed his findings in a conference call with Secretary of State Tre Hargett this week.

Fox said that the state's franchise and excise taxes took a hit after health-care services company McKesson left Tennessee for Mississippi. That departure helped contribute to a $222 million deficit in business taxes.

But Hargett said the latest numbers show that Tennessee's new business filings are growing at a steady pace.

Small business program set up for road work

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Small businesses are gaining a new path to become involved in federally funded transportation projects in Kentucky.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office says the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has established a Small Business Enterprise program within the existing Disadvantaged Business Enterprises program.

The cabinet will set a participation goal for small businesses for each transportation project assisted by the Federal Highway Administration and of at least $2 million.

Small businesses will have goals for projects in addition to disadvantaged business goals.

For more information, contact the Small Business Development Branch of the cabinet's Office of Civil Rights and Small Business Development at (800) 928-3079 or (502) 564-3601, or online at http://1.usa.gov/Voh1p8 .

Kahwagi: Some missing troops feared dead

BEIRUT: As negotiations to free military and security personnel believed to be held by Syria militants face complications, Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi said a maximum of 20 troops were missing, with some feared to be dead.

In comments published in daily Al-Mustaqbal Thursday, Kahwagi said a video addressed to Prime Minister Tammam Salam depicting some of the soldiers captured during battles between the Army and jihadist militants in Arsal is authentic.

“The recording is true, in principle, but we decided not to show it publicly out of respect for the missing soldiers and their families,” Kahwagi said.

“The Lebanese soldiers who are reported missing are at most 20, and we insist on calling them missing, as we fear that some martyrs (dead) could be among them,” Kahwagi added.

He pointed out that the body of a soldier initially reported missing was recovered in Arsal’s outskirts a few days ago, and that the militants showed the body of another soldier in the video that was relayed to the Lebanese authorities Wednesday through the Committee of Muslim scholars involved in the negotiations to free the captives.

Negotiations to free the soldiers believed held by Syria’s Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have reportedly hit an impasse over the militants’ demands to exchange the soldiers for Islamist prisoners and militant leader Imad Ahmad Jomaa, whose arrest on Aug. 2 triggered the fighting in Arsal.

Ahmad al-Qusair, a former spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army acting as the go-between in contacts of the Committee of Muslim Scholars with the militants, gave a gloomy outlook for any imminent solution.

He said in an interview Wednesday with The Daily Star that negotiations were at a standstill because conceding to the militants’ demands would come at too high a cost as far as the Lebanese government was concerned.

Kahwagi, who made a rare visit to Arsal Wednesday, said the majority of the militants, who withdrew from the town under a cease-fire agreement that ended the five-day clashes, had relocated in the rugged mountains straddling the border, whereas only a few had returned to Syria.

“Arsal has returned into the custody of the state, but its outskirt is still relatively kidnapped,” Kahwagi added, vowing to restore state control on the whole area.

In addition to the Lebanese Army soldiers, 17 Internal Security Forces personnel were also captured and held by the Syrian rebels.

China Mobile first half profit falls 8.5 percent

BEIJING -- China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone carrier by number of subscribers, said Thursday its first-half profit fell 8.5 percent as the company rolled out fourth-generation service.

China Mobile, one of China's three major state-owned phone carriers, earned 57.7 billion yuan ($9.4 billion) in the six months ending June 30. Operating revenue rose 7.1 percent to 324.7 billion yuan ($54.1 billion).

Profit margins at China Mobile and its two major rivals, China Telecom Ltd. and China Unicom Ltd., have been squeezed since Beijing rearranged the industry in 2008 to encourage competition and innovation. Each carrier was assigned mobile and fixed-line assets.

China Mobile received the country's first license for 4G service in December and has spent heavily to build what it says is the world's biggest 4G network, with 410,000 base stations in 300 cities.

"The initial 4G development has been remarkable with 4G network capabilities being rapidly built up," the company said in a statement.

Revenue from wireless data rose by more than half from a year earlier, contributing 24.2 percent of telecommunications services revenue.

"Revenue derived from data traffic became a major driver of revenue growth," the company said.

Its total subscribers rose 6.8 percent over a year earlier to 790 million, including 14 million 4G users.

Lighter sentences sought for some business crimes

WASHINGTON -- The federal panel that sets sentencing policy eased penalties this year for potentially tens of thousands of nonviolent drug offenders. Now, defense lawyers and prisoner advocates are pushing for similar treatment for a different category of defendants: swindlers, embezzlers, insider traders and other white-collar criminals.

Lawyers who have long sought the changes say a window to act opened once the U.S. Sentencing Commission cleared a major priority from its agenda by cutting sentencing guideline ranges for drug crimes. The commission, which meets Thursday to vote on priorities for the coming year, already has expressed interest in examining punishments for white-collar crime. And the Justice Department, though not advocating wholesale changes, has said it welcomes a review.

It's unclear what action the commission will take, especially given the public outrage at fraudsters who stole their clients' life savings and lingering anger over the damage inflicted by the 2008 financial crisis. But the discussion about tweaking sentences for economic crimes comes as some federal judges have chosen to ignore the existing guidelines as too stiff for some cases and as the Justice Department looks for ways to cut costs in an overpopulated federal prison system.

Sentencing guidelines are advisory rather than mandatory, but judges still rely heavily on them for consistency's sake. Advocates arguing that white-collar sentencing guidelines are "mixed up and crazy" could weaken support for keeping them in place, said Ohio State University law professor Douglas Berman, a sentencing law expert.

The commission's action to soften drug-crime guidelines is a signal that the time is ripe, defense lawyers say.

Just as drug sentences have historically been determined by the amount of drugs involved, white-collar punishments are typically defined by the total financial loss caused by the crime. Advocates hope the commission's decision to lower sentencing guideline ranges for drug crimes, effectively de-emphasizing the significance of drug quantity, paves the way for a new sentencing scheme that removes some of the weight attached to economic loss.

A 2013 proposal from an American Bar Association task force would do exactly that, encouraging judges to place less emphasis on how much money was lost and more on a defendant's culpability. Under the proposal, judges would more scrupulously weigh less-quantifiable factors, including motive, the scheme's duration and sophistication, and whether the defendant actually financially benefited or merely intended to.

The current structure, lawyers say, means bit players in a large fraud risk getting socked with harsh sentences despite playing a minimal role.

"It's real easy to talk about 10, 15, 20 years, but when you realize just how much time you're talking about ... it's too much," said Washington defense lawyer Barry Boss, an ABA task force member.

No one is seeking leniency for imprisoned financier Bernie Madoff, who's serving a 150-year sentence for bilking thousands of people of nearly $20 billion, or fallen corporate titans whose greed drove their companies into the ground. But defense lawyers are calling for a sentencing structure that takes into account the broad continuum of economic crime and that better differentiates between, for example, thieves who steal a dollar each from a million people versus $1 million from one person.

Any ambitious proposal will encounter obstacles.

It's virtually impossible to muster the same public sympathy for white-collar criminals as for crack-cocaine defendants sentenced under old guidelines now seen as excessively harsh, which took a disproportionate toll on racial minorities. The drug-sentencing overhaul also was promoted as fiscally prudent, because drug offenders account for roughly half the federal prison population. Tea Party conservatives and liberal groups united behind the change.

In comparison, the clamor for changing white-collar guidelines has been muted. The Justice Department, already criticized for its paucity of criminal prosecutions arising from the financial crisis, has said it's open to a review but has not championed dramatic change.

"I don't think there's a political will for really cutting back or retooling the guidelines," said Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman.

The commission's last major change to the economic crime guidelines came more than a decade ago, when it stiffened penalties. But as fraud sentences have increased, some judges have deviated from the guidelines to impose terms far more lenient than the government's recommendations. One judge, Frederic Block of the Eastern District of New York, cautioned in 2008 that the guidelines should not be a "black stain on common sense."

When some adhere to the guidelines but others don't, critics say, the result can be as haphazard as if guidelines didn't exist at all.

In Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, an outspoken critic of the guidelines, in 2012 sentenced former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta to two years in prison on insider-trading changes, about one-fifth the government's recommended sentence. And in Florida, Judge James S. Moody Jr. sentenced a group of health care executives in May to sentences so lenient that he acknowledged prosecutors might think "that I've lost my mind."

A former Wall Street trader convicted of abusing a government bailout program could have received a double-digit sentence under the guidelines but got two years instead. The Connecticut judge who imposed the sentence last month, Janet C. Hall, called the guidelines unhelpful "because the loss aspect of the crime, in effect, overwhelms all the other aspects."

Washington lawyer Barry Pollack, an officer of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said while the commission could let the guidelines stand, he hopes for some movement.

"I think the real question is will they take the lesser and easier step of simply reducing sentences across the board, or will they use this as an opportunity to revisit the entire philosophy behind the white-collar sentencing guidelines," he said. "I think only time will tell on that."

Nasrallah: Gaza resistance has right to real victory

Extended Gaza truce holding despite shaky start

Israel and Gaza militants are holding their fire after a new truce got off to a shaky start, with night-time...