Lebanon's Arabic Press Digest - Oct. 25, 2014

The following are a selection of stories from Lebanese newspapers that may be of interest to Daily Star readers. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

As-Safir

Tripoli is under threat ... who will prevent this "great fire?"

The clashes in Tripoli killed a gunman and wounded a number of armed men while eight soldiers were wounded, including an officer who remained in critical condition. A security source told As-Safir that the clashes "were not a surprise but expected," saying that the incident was tied to the recent arrest of a terror cell in the north.

"If this battle expands, it will be much different than the rest," the source said.

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk told As-Safir that "treating Tripoli with sedatives was no longer useful."

Other sources said last week’s raids in the Akkar region had led to the arrest of several terror suspects who confessed to planning terrorist attacks and the led to the dismantling of several terror networks affiliated with ISIS and the Nusra Front.

An-Nahar

The cells retaliate for the Asoun raid in Tripoli

An-Nahar obtained information that around 50 gunmen deployed around the Army in Tripoli and began running in different directions and firing at the military unit. The Army quickly blocked several roads, preventing the gunmen from reaching other militants to carry out what seemed to be a planned attack against the Army.

As for the case of the kidnapped soldiers and policemen, the Lebanese side is still waiting for the Qatari mediator to return with the demands of the militants. Head of General Security Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, who the government tasked with following up on the case, has agreed with the Qatari mediator for the latter to be the only side negotiating the release. Local figures and sheikhs who offered to negotiate and were in the process of negotiating were only complicating the issue.

Al-Akhbar

No chances for Geagea in the presidency

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri told Sami Gemayel during their meeting in Saudi Arabia earlier this week that Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea had no chance of reaching the presidency, according to Kataeb Party sources. The sources also said that the Kataeb Party would take part in a parliamentary session to vote on extending the legislative branch's mandate but "won't vote in favor of the draft law."

The extension and the presidency were the topics Hariri and Gemayel discussed, the sources said, adding that the Saudis advised them to play "our role as Christians especially amid the situation in the region." The sources said the Saudis did not “tell us what to do with regards to local affairs.”

Ebola Update from the Desk of Dr. Anthony Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sat down to share an update on Ebola. Speaking from his office at NIH headquarters in Bethesda, MD, Dr. Fauci explains how Ebola spreads and what we’re doing to address it in the U.S. and in West Africa.

Take four minutes to get the facts from Dr. Fauci, then pass this video on.

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After Beating Ebola, Nurse Nina Pham Shares a Hug with the President

President Barack Obama greets Nina Pham, a Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola after caring for an infected patient in Texas, in the Oval Office, Oct. 24, 2014. Pham is virus-free after being treated at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

While caring for Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital earlier this month, 26-year-old nurse Nina Pham was also infected with the disease. After first being hospitalized at the Texas hospital, she was later transferred to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland to continue treatment.

But today, 15 days after she first tested positive for Ebola, Nina was declared Ebola-free. Shortly after leaving the hospital, President Obama welcomed her to the Oval Office before she returns home to Dallas.

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Welcome to the White House: Then and Now

Whether you noticed or not, WhiteHouse.gov casually turned 20 this past Tuesday. That’s right – it was two decades ago this week that the very first version of WhiteHouse.gov was introduced to the world by the first Clinton administration.

We understand that it may have been awhile since you reflected on how far our nation’s information infrastructure has come and how much the website of the president has changed, so we wanted to zoom out for a second, recap some of the highlights of how the WhiteHouse.gov has progressed, and forecast some future improvements that are currently under way.

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What USDA Did This Week to Help Rural America:

This post is the first in a new series that will highlight the work happening across the President's cabinet on any given week. Check back each week -- we guarantee you'll learn something that surprises you.

Those of us who call rural America home know that there’s more to the rural economy than just farms and ranches. From bio-based products to rural manufacturing, the potential to grow and make innovative products in rural America is limitless. Most rural businesses are small ones -- and they support one in three jobs in rural America. Our loans and grants are helping those businesses thrive -- supporting reliable services like water, housing and broadband to make these same communities attract and retain a talented workforce. Collectively, these investments support the businesses and families that call America’s rural areas “home.” That's because we know that the better we equip those communities with the resources they need to succeed, the stronger our entire country's economy will be as a result.

I'm proud to report that the Department of Agriculture did several really important things to help rural communities across the country this week. Here's a run down on what we've been up to. Take a look, and if you learned something new -- pass it on.

Want to stay up to date with USDA? Follow along with us on Twitter at @USDA.

We made key investments in connecting rural communities to the Internet.

Most folks don't realize that there are communities across America that still lack access to broadband Internet -- an amenity as essential today as electricity was in the 1930's. We're working to fix that.

On Wednesday, we announced more than $190 million in investments in broadband projects through our Community Connect program, the Public Television Digital Transition Grant, and the Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan Program.

These investments are going to mean that communities like Chickaloon, Alaska -- home to tourism businesses, artisans who are hand-manufacturing unique Alaskan crafts, lodging, and food -- now have access to high-speed broadband internet.

Want to learn more? Take a look at this post on the USDA blog.

We announced new funding to bring clean and reliable water to those communities.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to announce more than $352 million in loans and grants that will upgrade the rural water and wastewater systems in communities across the country. These investments won't just help make sure these rural areas have access to clean water -- they'll also create jobs and help those communities retain and attract new businesses and residents.

You might not realize that we've invested nearly $11 billion in this sort of new and improved water and wastewater infrastructure since 2009 -- and it's benefited nearly 15 million rural residents and almost 6 million households and businesses.

Learn more about that announcement here.

And we made it easier to learn how our investments are helping your state.

Want to get a deeper dive into exactly how our investments are at work in your state? This week, we also released a new series of state-by-state “Made in Rural America” fact sheets. Each state fact sheet provides a snapshot of how USDA investments help to build a better atmosphere for small business in rural America.

The fact sheets showcase some of the innovative businesses at work in rural areas across the country. For example, Smude’s Natural Sunflower Oil in Pierz, Minnesota, produces cold-pressed sunflower oil. With support from USDA, the company now processes 30,000 bushels of sunflower seeds each year and produces several thousand gallons of food-grade, cold-processed sunflower oil. Smude’s products can be found in over 100 retail stores and restaurants throughout Minnesota and the owners are now working to become the country’s first national distributor of food-grade, cold-pressed sunflower oil.

And in Oregon, a USDA grant has supported the non-profit Sustainable Northwest as they find new uses for Western juniper wood. Western juniper has outgrown its natural range in central and eastern Oregon, and is threatening ecosystem health. Sustainable Northwest is using a USDA grant to market the naturally rot-resistant Western juniper wood as an alternative to pressure-treated wood. Making it marketable will create jobs in Oregon’s timber and forest product industries while supporting ecosystem restoration. These are just a few example of what investments in rural America can mean in real terms for families and businesses across the country.

To see how rural businesses support a strong economy in your state, visit http://1.usa.gov/1wqyuLC.

For The Midterm Elections, A Book On 'What It Takes' To Win

What It Takes

The Way to the White House

by Richard Ben Cramer

Paperback, 1051 pages | purchase

• Politics & Public Affairs


• Nonfiction

More on this book:

• NPR reviews, interviews and more

In less than two weeks, Americans will go to the polls to vote in the midterm elections. At least, some of them will — about 40% of eligible voters, if past elections are any indication. This year's races have already made stars — some rising, some falling — out of Americans hoping to represent their states and districts.

Some, like Kansas Senate hopeful Greg Orman and Georgia governor candidate Jason Carter, may pull off surprising victories. Others, like Wendy Davis in the Texas governor race have seen their once bright lights fade.

Even in its best moments, running for office is a roller coaster. Who are these people who are willing to put themselves and their families through constant scrutiny by the press, blistering attacks from their opponents, and hateful comments from Internet trolls?

There's no easy answer to that question, but in his book What It Takes, the late Richard Ben Cramer came closer to finding out than just about anybody before or since. Cramer followed the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency in 1988, and chronicled what it was like for politicians to run the cruel and unforgiving gauntlet that is the American election system. Cramer writes, "I wanted to know enough about these people to see ... once they decided to run, and marched (or slid, or flung themselves headlong) into this semi-rational, all-consuming quest ... what happened to those lives ... to the lives they shared? What happened to their idea of themselves?"

Calling What It Takes exhaustive would be a massive understatement. The book is over 1,000 pages long, and Cramer takes a hard look at what made these presidential hopefuls tick. Although the election was 26 years ago, there are, of course, familiar faces. There's George H. W. Bush, whose grandson George P. Bush is in the running for Texas Land Commissioner this November. And there's Joe Biden, just as passionate and glad-handing in 1988 as he is today.

Cramer, who died last year, was more of a gonzo reporter than a Beltway pundit, and his writing style had echoes of Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson. That's part of what makes What It Takes so illuminating — he focused on the people behind the public personas.

There's Gary Hart and his wife, Lee, facing a pack of reporters and photographers obsessed with Hart's relationship with the model Donna Rice. "As Hart moved, the pack moved, backward, blindly, crushing whatever was in its path. There was kid three or four years old who was getting trampled. Hart was furious. He'd always hated those gang-bang photo-blitzkriegs ... but now he was powerless."

There's George H. W. Bush, caught on an open microphone after a fight with Dan Rather, making use of a few choice profanities . "Bush was like a warrior with his foot on his enemy's neck, whooping to the heavens. ... Bush apologized for his language, insisted he never would have taken the Lord's name in vain if he'd known people could hear him. (As if the commandment read: Thou Shalt Check Thy Mike.)"

What he found wasn't always pretty — in fact it seldom was — and that's why Cramer's book is possibly the best one ever written about an American election. It takes a special kind of person to run for office — you've got to be tenacious, focused, and maybe even a little crazy. We might never find out why the men and women running this year chose to enter the cutthroat world of politics. But in a few days, we'll find out which ones couldn't manage to weather the political storms, and which ones had what it takes.

Alabama's Darius Foster Wants To Bring Back 'Fight For The People' GOP

i i

Darius Foster says he wants to challenge racial and political expectations. "With me, unfortunately, everything is black Republican. Not Darius did this, but the black Republican did that." Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Debbie Elliott/NPR

Darius Foster says he wants to challenge racial and political expectations. "With me, unfortunately, everything is black Republican. Not Darius did this, but the black Republican did that."

Debbie Elliott/NPR

Republicans are trying to make inroads with African-Americans in the Deep South, who have voted overwhelmingly Democrat since the civil rights era. In Alabama, the GOP is fielding more black candidates this cycle than ever before. One of them is Darius Foster, who gained national attention with this viral video challenging racial and political expectations:

In the video, a diverse group of men and women mouth the candidate's introduction: "Did you know while growing up we went half the winter without heat, or that I think best while listening to Frank Sinatra? The last concert I attended was Lil Wayne. Yes, Lil Wayne." It ends, "Do I really fit in a box? See you on the campaign trail."

Foster says he needs no reminder that he stands out. "With me, unfortunately, everything is black Republican. Not Darius did this, but the black Republican did that. So, you know."

With the bulky frame of a former linebacker and a warm, hearty laugh, Foster fashions himself as a Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt Republican.

"The fight-for-the-people Republican. That's what they were. I'm not sure where the Democratic Party was able to hijack that narrative from us. But they did. And they have it. I'm trying to bring it back," he says.

Foster is a 33-year-old business consultant. He's been active in the GOP since he founded a lonely chapter of College Republicans at the historically black Miles College in Birmingham. He's been tapped by the Republican National Committee as a future leader.

Foster was raised by his grandmother, who forced him to vote a straight Democratic ticket the first time she took him to the polls. He says he went home and looked up political parties in the family's Britannica encyclopedia.

"I read through and went through all of them, I got to the Republican Party and I was just reading through the principles. My grandmother hates taxes. She doesn't do gay marriage," he says. "She's always taking about defending yourself and strong defense. And I said 'mom – you may be a Republican.' And she looked at me and walked off."

She's still a Democrat, but has endorsed her grandson in his race for a state House seat representing part of suburban Birmingham. It includes the predominantly black city of Bessemer, where Foster spends a lot of time going door-to-door introducing himself.

Democrats have long represented this Alabama House district, which is about two-thirds African-American, giving his opponent, Louise Alexander the advantage.

Foster knows he's up against some strong notions about the Republican Party. "I think they hear Republican they think of white men. And people who don't care about them and nor, who don't understand them," he says.

What he calls "TV Republicans" – conservative pundits — are a thorn in his side, Foster says. And some of his fellow Alabamians haven't helped – like the Republican state senator who referred to blacks as aborigines, or the congressman who declared that there was a war on whites.

Foster says he doesn't have to defend Republican principles — only Republicans. Especially those who are hostile to President Obama, who got 95% of the black vote in Alabama two years ago.

"And it's not saying that I agree with President Obama. I'm just saying that I can show somebody and talk to them about what it means to be a Republican and not mention President Obama's name at all. This is what being a Republican is. This is what being a conservative is," he says.

Over breakfast at their neighborhood IHOP, his wife, 28-year-old Setara Foster, a lawyer, talks about growing up black in Houston where her parents were union members and loyal Democrats.

She now identifies more closely with the GOP. But she says she tends to split her ticket.

"I think that when we as a group identify with one party, for one thing, all the time, that party never has to earn our vote. Ever. And so I think that by having a diversity of political ideology within ethnic, racial, gender, age groups, we force politicians to work," she says.

On the campaign trail, you won't hear Foster talk about Republicans or Democrats. Instead, he talks about how he's invested some of his campaign funds in community initiatives – technology for schools, shoes for a basketball team, hosting a local job fair.

The strategy has won some converts like Juanita Graham. "When this gentleman came along, I was a die-hard Democrat," she says. Graham owns a firm that offers inner-city students enhanced engineering and math courses. She first met Foster while she was working for his Democratic opponent.

"There were some preconceived notions, I will not lie. Because when you say Republican African-American, the first thing pops in most African-American mind is Uncle Tom, butt-kisser. I'm honest. That is the mindset," she says.

But when Foster helped her with start-up funds, and talked about tackling Bessemer's low high school graduation rate, he earned her vote.

But Graham says she's still a Democrat. And that's the real challenge for Foster and Republican leaders who hope to position the party for the future.

U.N. supports the Lebanese Army, stability – Plumbly

BEIRUT: The United Nations supports the Lebanese Army’s effort to maintain Lebanon’s security, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon said at United Nations Day Friday. “[Supporting the Army] is a top priority,” Derek Plumbly told The Daily Star. “The secretary-general has emphasized it; we’ve worked with the Army over the past two years to develop the support ... to get them the initial equipment they need.”

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said that this support was necessary now to help boost Lebanon’s partnership with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and “protect borders and maintain internal security.”

“It’s been a success in the sense that a number of countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, in different ways, but a lot of other countries too, have come forward with a lot of different assistance,” he added.

The special coordinator made the remarks following his speech at the U.N. Day 2014 event held at the Phoenicia Hotel to an audience of U.N. agencies’ senior representatives.

U.N. Day is celebrated Oct. 24 and marks the anniversary of the ratification of the U.N. Charter in 1945. It is held to commemorate all the achievements of the U.N. and was first celebrated in 1948.

The event started with a recorded speech by Ban Ki-Moon. In addition to Plumbly, Maurice Saade, Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Lebanon, also spoke at the event.

“Once again as we commemorate United Nations day, we do so at a time of turbulence and appalling conflict across the region,” Plumbly said in his speech.

“It’s become common place to say so, but it’s true, Lebanon has shown great resilience in the face of this. It has done so thanks to the resolve of its people and the unity of its leaders.”

Plumbly went on to say that the international community was also united in supporting Lebanon, citing the International Support Group for Lebanon, which met at the New York General Assembly in September, as an example.

“[International Support] has been manifested in the international assistance, totaling almost $2 billion, which has been gathered over the last 24 months for refugees and Lebanese communities and institutions impacted by the war in Syria,” he said.

Asked about the issue of the government’s newly proposed refugee policy – which the Cabinet says will prevent all refugees crossing the border from Syria, except those with “extreme humanitarian cases,” – Plumbly said the U.N. would wait to see more details.

“We’re waiting to see to be honest. I’m sure we’ll work together [with the government] and cooperate. You know, make it work, but we’ll see, we’ll have to wait and see the details to be honest,” he told The Daily Star.

The issue of channeling support to help Lebanese host communities that have been severely affected by the Syrian refugee crisis was prominent in all of the literature available at the conference.

“More and more [the U.N. is] realizing the humanitarian issues cannot be treated in isolation,” Saade told The Daily Star. “In order to ensure social cohesion, to avoid the friction between host communities and the refugees you need to treat both equally.”

According to Saade, the U.N. has implemented a wide range of programs targeted at providing aid to the poorest and most vulnerable host communities, especially those in which there are now more refugees than local residents. He estimated that there were now 250 communities where this was the case.

“We hope that creating jobs for both the refugees and the host communities will deter youth from either criminal activities or political radicalism,” he added.

During his speech, Saade highlighted several different programs that the U.N.’s 24 agencies in Lebanon are currently working on, including the World Health Organization’s assistance in building Ebola wards in Beirut’s hospitals. He also noted that the U.N. had doubled the number of its civilian staff in Lebanon in the past 18 months and “most of these staff are Lebanese.”

“We know that this is not nearly enough,” Saade said. “Despite the support, more must be done to share the burden of the Syrian conflict.

“We know that Lebanon is carrying far more than its share. We are raising our voices to the world, appealing for it to stand by Lebanon ... for its own stability and for the stability of the region.”

U.N. supports the Lebanese Army, stability – Plumbly

BEIRUT: The United Nations supports the Lebanese Army’s effort to maintain Lebanon’s security, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon said at United Nations Day Friday. “[Supporting the Army] is a top priority,” Derek Plumbly told The Daily Star. “The secretary-general has emphasized it; we’ve worked with the Army over the past two years to develop the support ... to get them the initial equipment they need.”

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said that this support was necessary now to help boost Lebanon’s partnership with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and “protect borders and maintain internal security.”

“It’s been a success in the sense that a number of countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, in different ways, but a lot of other countries too, have come forward with a lot of different assistance,” he added.

The special coordinator made the remarks following his speech at the U.N. Day 2014 event held at the Phoenicia Hotel to an audience of U.N. agencies’ senior representatives.

U.N. Day is celebrated Oct. 24 and marks the anniversary of the ratification of the U.N. Charter in 1945. It is held to commemorate all the achievements of the U.N. and was first celebrated in 1948.

The event started with a recorded speech by Ban Ki-Moon. In addition to Plumbly, Maurice Saade, Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Lebanon, also spoke at the event.

“Once again as we commemorate United Nations day, we do so at a time of turbulence and appalling conflict across the region,” Plumbly said in his speech.

“It’s become common place to say so, but it’s true, Lebanon has shown great resilience in the face of this. It has done so thanks to the resolve of its people and the unity of its leaders.”

Plumbly went on to say that the international community was also united in supporting Lebanon, citing the International Support Group for Lebanon, which met at the New York General Assembly in September, as an example.

“[International Support] has been manifested in the international assistance, totaling almost $2 billion, which has been gathered over the last 24 months for refugees and Lebanese communities and institutions impacted by the war in Syria,” he said.

Asked about the issue of the government’s newly proposed refugee policy – which the Cabinet says will prevent all refugees crossing the border from Syria, except those with “extreme humanitarian cases,” – Plumbly said the U.N. would wait to see more details.

“We’re waiting to see to be honest. I’m sure we’ll work together [with the government] and cooperate. You know, make it work, but we’ll see, we’ll have to wait and see the details to be honest,” he told The Daily Star.

The issue of channeling support to help Lebanese host communities that have been severely affected by the Syrian refugee crisis was prominent in all of the literature available at the conference.

“More and more [the U.N. is] realizing the humanitarian issues cannot be treated in isolation,” Saade told The Daily Star. “In order to ensure social cohesion, to avoid the friction between host communities and the refugees you need to treat both equally.”

According to Saade, the U.N. has implemented a wide range of programs targeted at providing aid to the poorest and most vulnerable host communities, especially those in which there are now more refugees than local residents. He estimated that there were now 250 communities where this was the case.

“We hope that creating jobs for both the refugees and the host communities will deter youth from either criminal activities or political radicalism,” he added.

During his speech, Saade highlighted several different programs that the U.N.’s 24 agencies in Lebanon are currently working on, including the World Health Organization’s assistance in building Ebola wards in Beirut’s hospitals. He also noted that the U.N. had doubled the number of its civilian staff in Lebanon in the past 18 months and “most of these staff are Lebanese.”

“We know that this is not nearly enough,” Saade said. “Despite the support, more must be done to share the burden of the Syrian conflict.

“We know that Lebanon is carrying far more than its share. We are raising our voices to the world, appealing for it to stand by Lebanon ... for its own stability and for the stability of the region.”

Derian calls for Muslim unity ahead of New Year

BEIRUT: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian urged Lebanese Muslims Friday to stand united in the face of extremism and uphold moderate principles. “As [true] Lebanese, our aim should be for a united nation, a unified state, a united Army and coexistence. I call on all Lebanese to stick to their nation and their state regardless of what it takes,” the grand mufti said in a speech marking Islamic New Year, which began Saturday.

He stressed that attempts to undermine the nation would be overcome if people were loyal to state institutions and if the role of moderate Sunnis in state administration were restored.

Derian said the marginalization of Sunni leadership after Feb. 14, 2005, the date Future Movement founder and former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed, had wrought havoc in Lebanon to this day.

“The Taif Accord ended the Civil War, after which the Lebanese were wholly engaged in rebuilding the state, but since 2005, we have witnessed consistent attempts being made to undermine the state, costing the Lebanese a lot of sweat and blood,” Derian said.

He warned that Lebanon, which “could not be partitioned” during 15 years of Civil War, “is being threatened with destruction through the dissemination of extremist ideology and the marginalization of [Sunni] Muslims in public affairs.”

Lebanon has seen numerous car bombs and attacks since Hariri’s assassination. Episodes of violence in the country have persisted; as recently as August, clashes erupted in the northeastern town of Arsal between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants from ISIS and the Nusra Front. The militants are still holding hostage 27 servicemen they captured during the battles.

“On the occasion of the holy Islamic New Year, I urge all Muslim and true believers to learn from the [teachings] of the Prophet on how to confront extremism that seeks to exterminate people and displace them from their home, land and nation,” Derian added.

Also marking the New Year, Sidon MP Bahia Hariri stressed the need for Muslim unity and understanding, in a statement issued for the occasion.

“[I hope] this New Year will carry with it security and stability for Lebanon,” the statement said.

Hariri also expressed hopes that several key domestic and regional issues would be resolved soon, including the election of a new president, the release of the captured servicemen and the liberation of Palestinians from Israeli occupation.

Nazek Hariri, the widow of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, echoed similar sentiments.

“Everyone in Lebanon should take the responsibility to spare the country strife, and avoid incitement and political polarization,” Hariri said in a statement to mark the start of the new Islamic year.

Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hasan also congratulated Muslims on the occasion of Islamic New Year, and highlighted the need for guidance from God to fight strife and division.

“This dangerous phase in the region calls on Muslims to [stand strong] today more than ever,” he said. “It calls on all religions and sects to unite in the face of danger.”

Shiite scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah voiced hopes that Muslims would not repeat the same mistakes of the previous year.

“The Prophet wanted us to say our farewells to the passing year and welcome the new one. He wanted us to hold ourselves accountable [for the things we did] to not repeat the same mistakes,” Fadlallah said during Friday’s sermon.

For his part, Lebanon’s Shiite Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan called on Muslims to unite against potential strife.

“Muslims during this Islamic New Year should follow God and no one else,” he said. “[Muslims] should get closer to God through their unity and not division.”

UNIFIL will not deploy on Syrian border

NAQOURA, Lebanon: UNIFIL will not be sent to Lebanon’s eastern border, spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said Friday, adding that the situation in south Lebanon was calm, as both Israel and Lebanon were interested in maintaining peace along the border. “UNIFIL has a very specific mandate: The mandate of UNIFIL is in the south of Lebanon between the Litani River and the Blue Line. So we have no role whatsoever in Syria or along the Syrian borders,” Tenenti told reporters.

“We are here at the request of the Lebanese authorities to implement our mandate with Security Council Resolution 1701, which is monitoring the cessation of hostilities [and] assisting the Lebanese Army in their deployment in the south.”

With the Syrian civil war in its fourth year and an increasingly restless and hostile militant presence – including ISIS and the Nusra Front – on the country’s eastern border, the March 14 coalition has requested that the peacekeeping force deploy there too.

But Tenenti emphasized that UNIFIL’s mandate was specifically related to the south of Lebanon. For him, changing the mandate meant changing the mission.

However, it may be a case of militants coming to UNIFIL. As winter approaches and jihadists holed up in the mountainous border lands search for supply routes and villages to inhabit, fears have intensified that they might try to attack the country’s southeast frontier.

“We have peacekeepers throughout our area of operations, from the Litani River to the [U.N.-demarcated] Blue Line. So whenever there’s something or some suspicious activity in the south of Lebanon, if our troops are on the ground, we will be immediately informed,” Tenenti said.

He explained that, as usual, they would also work with the Lebanese Army on any such case.

“I assure you that if peacekeepers are on the ground they will report any incident or any suspicious activity to the headquarters in UNIFIL.”

When asked whether peacekeepers belonging to countries helping bomb ISIS in Syria were at greater risk of attack or kidnap, he underlined that all members of UNIFIL were neutral, irrespective of whether their home country was participating in the U.S.-led coalition against the extremist group.

“All the countries that are working with UNIFIL, all the troops contributing countries that are giving troops to UNIFIL, are under U.N. mandate,” Tenenti said. “We have different countries but they wear the United Nations flag, so we only respond to the secretary-general of the United Nations and to the mandate of the United Nations.

“We had issues in the past when other countries were deciding on the national level about political issues, but in relation to UNIFIL and to ... contributing countries there’s only one agenda ... the U.N. agenda.”

Tenenti stressed that Israel and Lebanon were keen on maintaining stability along the borders, especially after a Hezbollah attack in the occupied Shebaa Farms earlier this month wounded two Israeli soldiers.

“I would like to say that the tripartite meeting has been very effective [and] is the only confidence building mechanism that the mission has in order to discuss issues related to violation with both parties,” he said in reference to a regular meeting attended by senior officers from the Lebanese and Israeli armies along with UNIFIL.

Consensus candidate on the horizon?

International powers have reportedly redoubled efforts to exert pressure on regional capitals that hold the key to resolving the presidential crisis.

Diplomatic sources said the Vatican and some Western capitals, particularly Paris and Washington, were alarmed by the security incidents taking place along Lebanon’s northern, eastern and southern borders, as well as warnings by the international community that the continued participation of some Lebanese factions, including Hezbollah, in the war in Syria was undermining the country’s stability.

Foreign officials have decided that the top post in Lebanon should be filled, so that the state can take responsibility for the threats facing Lebanon and grant political cover to the Army as it battles extremist groups.

Evidence of the seriousness of the situation can be seen in the amount of Western military aid being delivered to Lebanon’s security forces and Army, in addition to the Iranian aid which is awaiting approval by Lebanon’s Cabinet.

The diplomatic sources said that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was preparing to implement his road map to pave the way for a presidential election, especially after coming to an agreement with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Rome on the issue. As soon as the extension of Parliament’s mandate is approved, Hariri will begin with the next phase of his plan, which calls for both March 14 and March 8 to begin naming their consensus candidates and head to Parliament to elect one of them.

Meanwhile, visitors of Speaker Nabih Berri quoted him as saying that there would be “nothing new” in the presidential deadlock as long as the Saudi-Iranian relationship was in crisis. But they noted that the speaker seemed to expect a change on this front that might lead to the election of a consensus president who was neither from the March 8 nor from the March 14 coalitions.

The sources said the March 14 initiative on presidential polls, which voiced the group’s readiness to elect a consensus candidate, was not different from Berri’s view.

According to prominent sources, the most promising consensus candidate at this time is former Minister Jean Obeid, who has the support of Berri, Hariri and MP Walid Jumblatt. The sources said Christian objection can be addressed easily. They said Syria could convince its ally MP Sleiman Frangieh to back down if Obeid manages to garner regional and international support, while Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea reportedly discussed this issue with Saudi officials in his recent visit to the kingdom.

The greatest remaining obstacle is Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun. Will Hezbollah continue to support him if a more suitable consensus candidate emerges, and can the party convince him to step aside? Apparently, talks have begun with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to convince his father-in-law to relinquish his Baabda Palace dreams.

In this context, The Daily Star has learned that a Western ambassador recently sent a report to his country stressing the need for intervention to speed up the course of the presidential election and revitalize the role of Lebanon’s Constitutional institutions. This is crucial not only for facing the present security threats but also for receiving the promised aid.

Our untapped resource

As the world is passing through massive social and economic transformations, modern societies have discovered that fighting inequality, investing in human capital and building sustainable societies are major existential issues for the future of humanity. Aging populations, youth unemployment and inequality are topping the agenda of the international community’s discussions. The Arab world has its own version of these challenges – which is primarily similar to majority of the developing world – however, it has been quite far from acting appropriately to deal with them.According to the World Bank, more than 1 billion young people are expected to enter the global work force by 2030, which means the world economy will need to create approximately 5 million jobs every month to meet demand.

In terms of investment in human capital, the Arab world has been wasting a rich demographic opportunity. While Europe is suffering from a population aging problem, the average age is below 25 in the Arab world.

According to the Euromonitor/U.N., the Middle East and Africa region had the highest proportion of population aged below 30 in 2012 at 66.8 percent, compared to Latin America (52.9 percent) and Asia (48.8 percent).

As inspiring as they are, these numbers are scary as well when we look at the youth policies and programs adopted in our countries. On average, only one third of the Arab world’s youth are in the labor force, compared to half of youth globally, and the unemployment rate among Arab youth is 25 percent, which is the highest rate of any region in the world (U.N.).

Looking at these facts, one shall wonder, why are we so reckless in wasting such human capital? What does it take to change this disastrous reality?

Despite some shy initiatives in reforming education systems, creating jobs, and empowering youth implemented mostly by ad hoc civil society initiatives, there is an essential need for major structural reform and investment in our education systems, entrepreneurial ecosystem, technology infrastructure and health care in order to be able to gain from this demographic opportunity and hinder the unemployment crisis.

Inadequate education is ranked the fourth most important constraint to economic growth in the Arab World Competitiveness Report 2011-12 (World Economic Forum 2012). Private sector surveys also assert that the inadequate skills among youth have contributed in deepening the employment crisis in the Arab world. In addition, nearly 40 percent of employers in the formal private sector in the Middle East and North Africa region identify skill shortages as a major constraint to business operation and firm growth (World Bank 2013).

Henceforth, it is crystal clear that delaying our investment in youth education, capacity building and establishing an effective business environment will deepen our grievances, worsen our political and economic prospects, and above all, diminish our global competitiveness.

It is also worth mentioning that these transformative actions must happen simultaneously since none of them alone can help us have an escape velocity. For example, Lebanon has a literacy rate of (89.6 percent), and its education system ranks 13th out of 148 countries due to its quality and high standards, according to the Global Information Technology Report 2014; but it suffers from 34 percent youth unemployment and has to face the challenge of creating 23,000 jobs per year over the next decade, according to the World Bank. This proves the need to deal with youth unemployment in a holistic manner, taking into consideration all the precipitating factors.

Analytical studies on the attitudes of youth in the Arab Spring countries, specifically in Tunisia and Egypt, showed scientifically how the rising grievances and aspirations of youth have been the driving forces of the revolutions. Grievances were increasing due to social injustice and lack of opportunities for educated youth. As for aspirations, the exposure of youth from their rooms to the entire globe through their computers and mobiles has shaped their values and priorities.

Thus, youth participation and engagement as main stakeholders in their societies and key actors in setting youth policies is no longer an option for our governments but an essential need for achieving sustainable development and political stability. In addition, integrating the youth factor as a transversal issue in all national policies is another vital condition for any policymaking process.

Moreover, due to the complexity and interconnectivity of this issue, youth policies deserve a collective international effort. As we are witnessing now, the economic performance of the most advanced economies has been negatively affected by the volatile growth in the developing world. Hence, the need for international cooperation in education, technology transfer, capacity building and knowledge sharing is urgent now more than ever. This is not only a mere act of development assistance so much as a strategic cooperation for coordinated growth. The “Solutions for Youth Employment” coalition that was announced in 2014 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group is one of the international responses to link all relevant stakeholders in order to share knowledge and experiences, as well as implement programs based on evidence about what works in addressing youth unemployment.

The world is facing an immense number of interconnected challenges and opportunities. Lebanon specifically is lucky to have an educated young human capital that guarantees the dynamism of its society. However, our appreciation of this opportunity is below any acceptable level, with us acting in a clear illustration of the resource curse. Investing in youth by building their capacities through education and skill trainings and empowering them politically and economically are the major national demands that shouldn’t be delayed another day amid all the challenges and problems that we are facing at the local and regional levels. Otherwise, history will have no sympathy for our failure, but only pity.

Hiba Huneini is the acting manager of the Youth & Civic Engagement Program at the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development.

For Republicans, Midterms About Getting Country 'Out Of The Mud'

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Robert Siegel talks with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus ahead of the midterm elections.

In Alabama, Darius Foster Is An Unlikely GOP Candidate

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Republicans are trying to make inroads with African-Americans in the Deep South, where increasingly the color of your skin predicts your party affiliation. In Alabama, the GOP is fielding a record number of black candidates this year. Darius Foster is among them.

New York Ebola Case Raises Questions About U.S. Readiness

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

The first case of Ebola in New York City is raising new questions about U.S. readiness and response to the disease.

Chart of the Week: Catching Up with the Competition on Infrastructure Investment

In the United States of America, we invest less than 1 percent of our GDP in transportation infrastructure. We rank 28th in the world among advanced nations. We rank 28th in the world. The greatest country in the world ranks 28th in the world. And it costs in every way.

– Vice President Joe Biden

The Vice President has been traveling across the country, making the case that we need to invest in American infrastructure. Since 2009, the Obama administration has improved over 350,000 miles of roads, more than 6,000 miles of rail, and repaired or replaced over 20,000 bridges. As the Vice President says, “These are long-term investments in the health, the might and the dynamism of this country.”

But right now, 65 percent of our major roads are still rated in less than good condition, and 25 percent of our bridges require significant repair.

The world is not waiting, and the U.S. is lagging behind other advanced countries when it comes to total transportation investment.

Take a look at this chart to see where the U.S. ranks when it comes to investment in our basic infrastructure:

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DNA confirms identity of charred militant: Lebanese Army

ISIS attack on Syria's Kobani stalls under US air assault

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Lebanon sentences 3 Fatah al-Islam suspects to death in abstentia

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Judicial Council Friday issued death sentences against three people accused of arming, funding, and aiding extremist group Fatah al-Islam.

The council issued the verdict against Bilal Nadim al-Houli, Mohammad Hasan Moussa, and Mohammad Nour al-Faham, who were tried in absentia, during a session held in Beirut’s Judicial Palace.

The council accused the suspects of “conspiring against internal security by contributing to the criminal acts of Fatah al-Islam, which is a terrorist organization that seeks to spread sectarian strife between citizens of the nation,” read a statement published by the council after the ruling.

The suspects, whose nationalities were not identified, are accused of arming the group which fought a 15-week battle with the Lebanese Army in 2007 with “light and moderate arms,” and providing them with “fake passports.”

“Houli tried to secure mercury to one of the terrorists, and mediate between the latter and an arms dealer.”

The suspect also reportedly supplied fake Danish, Swedish and Lebanese passports.

The second suspect, Moussa, who had traveled from Syria to Greece, was accused of being involved in a “Syrian massacre.” The suspect is also wanted for recruiting 50 troops to Fatah al-Islam, and hosting militants from the organization in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria.

Faham is accused of aiding leaders in the organization by providing it with money and forged passports.

Hundreds were killed during a 15-week battle between the Army and Fatah al-Islam at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon in 2007.

No one can accuse Lebanon of mistreating Syrian refugees: Minister

Future MP: Security above MPs' immunity

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Lebanon minister: One party responsible for Lebanon's stalemate

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s political system is threatened with complete failure because of one party’s stubbornness over the presidential vote, Telecoms Minister Boutros Harb said Friday.

“The status quo in the country now is the result of a political party that is clinging to its refusal to hold the presidential election unless the results were revealed to be in the party’s favor beforehand,” Harb said, in a clear reference to the Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun.

Aoun is the undeclared candidate for the March 8 coalition, but he and his allies refuse to attend parliamentary sessions to elect a new president until a consensus is reached between the rival camps.

After visiting Speaker Nabih Berri Friday, the minister said that "it is well-known that if parliamentary elections took place, and this is what we were hoping for, then the current government would immediately resign.”

The absence of a president, however, would complicate the formation of a new Cabinet, since the president’s prerogatives include parliamentary consultations over appointing a prime minister and issuing the decree calling to form a new Cabinet.

The vacancy in the presidency since former President Michel Sleiman's term ended on May 25 “puts the country in a constitutional stalemate and would make the political system vulnerable to failure” he said.

"This is what disrupts the whole process of electing a president of the republic” he said, while acknowledging that the disruption has negative implications on power sharing and parliamentary elections.

Harb called on rival factions to look for solutions that would protect the political system from a total collapse.

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Aoun to participate in Muslim-Christian dialogue conference

BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun is set to join Muslim and Christian religious figures and politicians for a conference on coexistence in Lebanon.

Aoun said that he is set to participate in a conference titled "The Family and the Challenges of the Era in the Middle East," which will be held over Nov. 7-8 in a religious center in Rabweh.

“We will meet, Muslims and Christians, to reflect together on the dangers that threaten the existence of Christians in the Levant and the principles of co-existence and national unity in Lebanon,” Aoun said. These dangers were aggravated by the emergence of extremist movements, which Aoun argued were born out of the “so-called Arab Spring.”

"We are going to meet to decry movements” that have rejected political democracy, ignored freedom of conscience and belief, and denied the freedom of expression and the right to difference, he said.

The FPM leader expressed hopes the conference would issue recommendations that serve to “protect the free existence of Muslim and Christian,” calling for a “triumph of true Islam - a religion of mercy, tolerance and acceptance."

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UNIFIL, Army mark UN Day in south Lebanon

BEIRUT: UNIFIL and members of the Lebanese community celebrated Friday the 69th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations during a ceremony in south Lebanon, according to a statement released after the event.

“The partnership between Lebanon and the United Nations is a solid and long-standing one. With the presence of UNIFIL on Lebanese soil since 1978, Lebanon has been the key focus of United Nations peacekeeping for over three decades,” Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Portolano said during the ceremony at UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura.

Portolano and LAF Brigadier-General Mohammad Janbay laid wreaths at the UNIFIL Cenotaph in honor of the peacekeepers who died.

“Over 300 UNIFIL peacekeepers have given their lives for the cause of peace. Today, we pay tribute to them and their families for their sacrifice,” Potolani said.

He also presented certificates of recognition to 39 Lebanese staff members who completed 25, 30 or 35 years of service with the United Nations

Lauding the Army for its work alongside UNIFIL, Portolano said that “the close cooperation since 2006 has sustained an unprecedented period of stability in southern Lebanon."

Tens of thousands of military and civilian peacekeepers have lived and worked among southern Lebanese communities since 1978, the statement said.

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Public works ministry denies responsibility for Lebanon street flooding

BEIRUT: The Minister of Public Works has absolved his ministry of any responsibility for street flooding during heavy rain which stranded hundreds of motorists for several hours last week, blaming the failure of drainage systems on private entrepreneurs and other public institutions.

“At least four public areas over which the Ministry has no authority and for which it is not responsible caused the floods,” Minister Ghazi Zeaiter said at a meeting Friday with the ministry’s senior officials.

He explained that the flooding on the coastal highway between Beirut and Jbeil, and the areas of Antelias, Dbayeh, and Nahr el-Mot, was mainly caused by rubble from private construction sites which was washed away by the heavy rains, blocking water drainage systems.

In one instance, mud and rubble from street drillings undertaken by the Ministry of Energy and Water washed away, causing floods in Antelias, Zeaiter said.

“Although the Ministry of Public Works was not responsible at all for the causes of the floods, the Ministry’s teams worked hard and in full capacity to clear the roads and remove the debris caused by the storm to facilitate people’s movement,” Zeaiter was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.

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EU discusses reforms with Lebanese officials

BEIRUT: European Union officials met with Lebanese authorities over three days this week to discuss reforms in different sectors of the country, including prisons and the judiciary.

The three EU sub-committees – on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance, on Social and Migration Policy, and on Justice, Freedom and Security – met separately on Oct. 21, 22 and 23 to discuss reforms in the context of the European Neighborhood Policy.

“The discussions also focused on improving donor coordination and the need to ensure the efficient management of international assistance,” read a statement released by the EU Friday.

The meetings were part of an effort to advance the implementation of changes jointly agreed to in the EU-Lebanon Action Plan 2013-2015.

The first discussion, which was held by the sub-committee on Human Rights, Democracy and Governance, discussed “administrative and electoral reform” as well as “Lebanon's commitment to international conventions” in relation to the “death penalty, torture, gender, disabilities and disappearances,” the statement said.

On the second day, the sub-committee on Social and Migration Affairs studied a series of health reforms as well as the “impact the high number of refugees has on vulnerable Lebanese communities.”

The meeting also featured the upcoming “EU-Lebanon Dialogue on Migration, Mobility and Security.”

The last sub-committee held Wednesday on Justice, Freedom and Security looked into Lebanon’s much needed prison management reform, as well as the need for an independent and efficient judiciary.

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Fattoush comments 'unsuitable' for MP: Pharaon

BEIRUT: Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon Friday said MP Nicolas Fattoush's comments accusing him of adultery crossed the line and were "unsuitable" for a lawmaker.

“Minister Michel Pharaon condemns [remarks] made by MP Nicolas Fattoush, in which he interfered in the private and family [affairs] that he has no right to make public as long as they are still in judicial hands,” a statement from his office said.

It said Pharaon will not bring himself down to the level of Fattoush “in seeking to undermine his reputation and intimidate him in a desperate attempt to conceal his violations.”

What Fattoush did, the statement added, “is not suitable for a lawyer and a lawmaker who claims to represent the people.”

Fattoush held up a photo of Pharaon standing next to a woman he alleged was his mistress during a news conference Thursday in an apparent effort to subdue the uproar created after he attacked a Justice Palace staffer Monday.

Fattoush denied he had assaulted Manal Daou during an argument at the Baabda courthouse, but did admit he had verbally abused her.

The news conference came in response to Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi’s announcement that an investigation was launched into the incident.

Fattoush became aggressive with Daou after she refused to prioritize his file despite his position in government.

At Thursday's news conference, Fattoush criticized Rifi for calling for an investigation. He also blasted Pharaon, saying he was at the Justice Palace to file a complaint on behalf of Pharaon’s wife for adultery.

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Fire engulfs gas station north of Beirut

BEIRUT: A tank delivering fuel to a gas station in the city of Jbeil, north of Beirut, caught fire Friday, causing a huge fire that sent panic-stricken residents onto the streets.

Witnesses said huge plumes of smoke covered the Mar Jirjis neighborhood where the gas station is located as civil defense forces rushed to the scene to put out the fire.

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South Beirut traffic to be rerouted for Ashoura

BEIRUT: Special road traffic arrangements will be implemented during the 10 days of Ashoura in Beirut’s predominantly Shiite-inhabited southern suburbs to facilitate access to daily ceremonies at the Islamic Shiite Council.

A police statement issued Friday, on the eve of the Islamic New Year which kicks off Ashoura, said the main road leading to the Council’s building in the neighborhood of Haret Hreik in the southern suburbs, will be opened to two-way traffic for four hours each day between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The statement said the temporary measure was taken to facilitate traffic flow during the 10 days of Ashoura ceremonies.

Ashoura is a mourning period for Shiites during which ceremonies are held in remembrance of the martyred Hussein, the Prophet’s grandson who was decapitated by the Army of Caliph Yazid in A.D. 680 in Karbala, Iraq.

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N.Lebanon man arrested over 'sectarian' Facebook pages

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army Friday arrested a man in Tripoli, north Lebanon, for allegedly fueling sectarian hatred on Facebook.

A security source told The Daily Star that intelligence agents arrested Mehdi M., nicknamed Abu Ali Al-Sunni, at his shop on Mitein Street in Tripoli. The agents also confiscated his computer.

The source said Mehdi is accused of creating several Facebook pages to fabricate news and incite sectarian strife.

Among the news pages he runs is Shabakat Akhbar Bab al-Tabbaneh, which has about 4,000 likes.

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Corpse of Syrian man found blindfolded in Arsal

BAALBEK, Lebanon: The body of a Syrian man was found blindfolded on the outer edge of the northeastern border town of Arsal at dawn Friday, a security source told The Daily Star.

The source said the body of the man, who appeared to be in his mid-30s, was found on rocks in agricultural land in Wadi Ata.

The source said farmers had discovered the body wrapped in a wool blanket and with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The source said the farmers had identified the deceased as a Syrian national. They did not know his name.

Arsal was the scene of five days of deadly gunbattles between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants from Syria in early August.

The Army has since engaged in intermittent clashes with ISIS and Nusra Front militants near the border.

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Georgia Democrat Seeks Republican Votes To Keep His Seat

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

As the last white Democrat in the deep South, Congressman John Barrow is perennial target. So far, he's managed to stay in office by portraying himself as an independent voice.

Journalist And Political Aide Frank Mankiewicz Dies At 90

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

Frank Mankiewicz, press secretary to Robert Kennedy and presidential campaign manager for George McGovern, died Thursday night in Washington, D.C. The journalist and former president of NPR was 90.

Blue State With Independent Twist: Maine's 3-Way Race For Governor

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

Maine's Tea Party-backed Gov. Paul LePage won office four years ago when an independent candidate and a Democrat divided the remaining vote. That strong division is shaping up again.

With Biden By His Side, Maine Democrat Mines For Blue-Collar Vote

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

Embattled Democrat Rep. Rick Nolan, who represents Minnesota's Iron Range, gets a campaign visit from the administration's blue-collar vote whisperer, Joe Biden.

Lebanon mufti: Marginalization of Sunnis is destructive

BEIRUT: The Lebanese people should exert all efforts to abort attempts to undermine the nation by hanging on tenaciously to state institutions and reinstating the Sunni role in the state administration, Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian said Friday.

“As [true] Lebanese, our program should be a united nation, a unified state, a united Army and a united living. I call on all the Lebanese to stick to the nation and the state regardless of how much energy and effort it takes,” Derian said in an address marking the Islamic New Year, which starts Saturday.

The mufti deplored the marginalization of Sunni leadership following the Feb. 14, 2005, assassination of Future Movement founder and former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which he said wreaked destruction and chaos in Lebanon.

“The Taif accord ended the Civil War, after which the Lebanese were engaged in rebuilding the state, but since 2005, we are witnessing persisting attempts to undermine the state, which had cost the Lebanese a lot of sweat and blood,” Derian said.

He warned that Lebanon, which “could not be partitioned” during 15 years of Civil War, “is currently being destroyed and dissolved through the dissemination of extremism and chaos and the marginalization of Muslims [Sunnis] from public affairs.”

“On the occasion of the holy Islamic New Year, I urge all Muslim and true believers to learn from the [teachings] of the prophet how to confront extremism that seeks to exterminate people and displace them from their home, land and nation,” Derian added.

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Arrested ‘terrorist’ has links to Lebanon MP: report

BEIRUT: A high value “terrorist” arrested Thursday in a major Lebanese Army raid in north Lebanon has links to a lawmaker, the daily As-Safir reported Friday.

A lengthy report with detailed information said Ahmad Salim Mikati was coordinating efforts with an MP from north Lebanon.

As-Safir did not name the lawmaker but said he was known for his extremist views.

Quoting a security source, As-Safir said preliminary investigation of Mikati, who was detained during a “delicate” Army operation in the Dinnieh neighborhood of Asoun Thursday, showed he had been in “constant contact” with the unnamed lawmaker via his cell phone.

Mikati, according to the investigation, had coordinated with the MP via WhatsApp messenger service. Mikati would also send the lawmaker video grabs showing defected Lebanese soldiers.

The source said the military would take the necessary legal and judicial measures against the MP, including a request to lift his parliamentary immunity so that he could be interrogated.

The soldiers involved in the operation had orders to arrest Mikati alive, according to the source.

The source said the zero-hour for the raid on the Asoun apartment that housed the Syrian-Lebanese terror cell was set after analysis of a video – which was broadcast on social networking website showing Army defector Abdel-Kader Akoumi – revealed the IP address originated from the outskirts of Dinnieh.

After Army Intelligence expanded its surveillance, they were able to determine the exact location and investigation revealed the location of the apartment near Asoun’s public hospital.

Investigation also showed that the seven-member terror cell had rented the apartment two weeks prior to the Army operation after convincing the owner that they wanted it for the fall hunting season in Dinnieh.

The report said a Lebanese Army “strike force” stormed the apartment at 5 a.m., engaging the gunmen in a gunfight.

It said the fighting with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades left two gunmen killed, one of them identified as Adel al-Itri from Minyeh, north Lebanon.

The second fatality was charred beyond recognition, the report said, while suggesting it likely belonged to Akoumi, the Army deserter.

A third gunman was seriously wounded in the 30-minute clash and died while being transported in a military vehicle to Beirut.

Future MP: Security above MPs' immunity

BEIRUT: The Future Movement places national security above any other consideration and would not oppose lifting the immunity of north Lebanon lawmakers for security reasons, Future MP Ahmad Fatfat said Friday.

“The security of the country is above any political, legislative or media consideration, and the Future bloc will deal with responsibility with any request to lift the immunity of any lawmaker from the north,” Fatfat told Voice of Lebanon radio station.

Fatfat, who represents north Lebanon’s Minyeh district, was commenting on media reports alleging that a terror suspect who was recruiting Army soldiers to fight with ISIS was coordinating his acts with a legislator from north Lebanon.

The MP said he was not surprised that the Army had discovered ISIS-affiliated terror cells in the village of Asoun in the area of Dinnieh, in north Lebanon, citing security alerts he had received recently.

“I was notified two weeks ago that dangers existed on my personal safety, and that I should limit my movements,” Fatfat said.

The Army carried out a dramatic predawn raid Thursday on an apartment in Asoun, during which it clashed with terror suspects, killing three and capturing a “key terrorist” identified as Ahmad Salim Mikati, who was involved in recruiting Lebanese servicemen to fight with jihadi Islamists entrenched in the outskirts of the border town of Arsal.

As-Safir newspaper said Friday that Mikati revealed during interrogations that he was in contact through WhatsApp mobile application with a north Lebanon MP to coordinate the defection of soldiers.

The paper quoted a military source as saying that the Army Command would ask Parliament to lift immunity of the MP, whose identity was not revealed.

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Cash aid for refugees succeeds despite donors' doubts

BEIRUT: For decades, aid groups have assumed they know what's best for refugees and the poor; a growing body of evidence suggests they're wrong.

Both academic research and practical experience, such as with the mass of Syrians fleeing civil war, shows that simply handing out traditional relief goods may not be the most effective way of helping the dispossessed.

Aid agencies are tentatively also giving away cash and letting refugees decide for themselves what they need. While the results may be unexpected, the money is being wisely spent and rarely wasted - contrary to old prejudices among donors.

Lebanon, where one in four residents is a refugee, has offered a lesson that trusting the needy pays off.

Instead of directly supplying blankets and heaters, aid organizations gave cash to thousands of Syrian refugees living in the country's mountains this year in the hope they would spend it on blankets and heaters for the winter. They didn't.

But the money wasn't squandered either. The refugees, among the millions who have escaped the Syrian war, had a better sense than the agencies helping them of what they needed most: They spent the money on food and water.

In the first rigorous evaluation of cash aid to refugees, the International Rescue Committee found in Lebanon that the money was not spent in any significant amounts on drugs and cigarettes. Neither did it fund an increase in crime or corruption, which donors had feared would accompany cash aid, or discourage people from working.

Faced with such evidence, some humanitarian organisations are considering a change of tactics. But persuading private and government donors to trust the people they want to help, coupled with the inertia of aid groups themselves that have for decades decided what people need, has slowed cash aid programs.

"There is a tension between people knowing what their own needs are, and the humanitarian sector not being structured in a way that allows people to make their own choices," IRC official Radha Rajkotia said.

Daniel Masterson, a Yale University academic who conducted the research for IRC, said people who got money from the United Nations and other aid groups were also less likely to do dangerous work, send their children to work, or sell assets such sewing machines that could be used for earning an income.

"Cash recipients also less frequently relied on lower quality foods, skipping meals, or having smaller portions of food," Masterson said. "There was even an increase in school attendance"

Yet monthly cash payments still account for only 3 percent of U.N. aid in Lebanon, which has the highest concentration of refugees in the world as a proportion of its population. Worldwide, the bulk of aid is delivered in the form of materials chosen by relief workers, such as tents and blankets.

Humanitarian organizations also worry that donors are less likely to fund cash programs than more traditional aid, where they know exactly what people receive. "Existing organizations operate with a specific mandate. Cash aid cannot be contained," Masterson said.

IRC's findings in Lebanon are supported by research in Africa and South America. One study found that when $200 was given to drug addicts and petty criminals in the slums of Liberia, they spent it on simple necessities or starting their own legitimate businesses.

Cash aid has another advantage: it's cheaper. Traditional humanitarian work involves huge costs. Items must be procured, transported and handed out, often for long periods. Large staffs are required and people's needs must be regularly reassessed.

By contrast, there are no high transport fees for cash, says Ninette Kelley, representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, and agencies can also cut down on storage and distribution costs.

Kelley said that when the U.N. started using cash assistance in 2013, the Lebanese government was worried that Syrian refugees could be better off than poor local people.

Of Syria's 3.2 million refugees, more than a million are in Lebanon. The government has said it cannot cope with so many and has cut back sharply on numbers allowed into the country. Resentment is also growing among local people who complain that refugees are taking jobs, driving down wages and overloading schools and hospitals.

"We wanted to make sure we were doing no harm through our cash program (and) that it was also providing a benefit to the local Lebanese community, which in fact it does," Kelley said.

The IRC research found that the refugees spent their cash in the Lebanese communities where they lived. "Another positive impact, you are injecting cash into the economy. You are increasing GDP," said Masterson.

According to his research, the aid did not increase Lebanese inflation and each dollar of assistance translated into a $2.13 increase in gross domestic product because of extra spending. "We don't need to be scared anymore of cash," he said.

Lebanon's Arabic press digest – Oct. 24, 2014

The following are a selection of stories from Lebanese newspapers that may be of interest to Daily Star readers. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

AL-Liwaa

Kidnappers demand release of 44 inmates

Kahwagi did not meet Nasrallah, source

Sources following up on the Lebanese hostage crisis told Al-Liwaa that two developments had emerged that made the families of the captive soldiers reconsider their actions and allow the government to negotiate away from pressure.

Reports circulated widely on social networks and television channels Thursday that the Cabinet had received a list of demands from the kidnappers, which includes the names of 44 inmates held at Roumieh and Rihaneh prisons.

Most prominent among the list are detainees Naim Abbas, Omar Atrash, Joumana Hmeid and Omar Bakri, in addition to the kidnappers of the seven Estonian cyclists who were abducted shortly after crossing into Lebanon from Syria in 2011. They were released after 113 days in captivity.

Meanwhile, a military source told Al-Liwaa that a report about a meeting between Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah upon his return from the U.S. was not true.

Al-Joumhouria

No truth to kidnappers’ demands: Ibrahim

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim denied reports that Prime Minister Tammam Salam had received written demands from Islamist militants holding Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage.

“There is no truth to reports leaked about names and written demands that have reached Salam,” Ibrahim told Al-Joumhouria. “All the names being circulated are no more than media leaks from here and there.”

He said the negotiating party did not yet receive any “formal or serious” demand from the kidnappers, adding that Lebanon was counting on the Qatari mediator.

As-Safir

Ahmad Mikati has had contact with lawmaker

Charred body belongs to Army defector?

A well-informed security source told As-Safir that preliminary investigation with Ahmad Mikati, who was detained during an Army raid in north Lebanon Thursday, showed he had been in constant contact with a lawmaker from north Lebanon who is known for his extremism.

Mikati, according to the investigation, had coordinated with the MP via the WhatsApp messenger service. Mikati would also send the MP video grabs showing defected Lebanese Army soldiers.

Meanwhile, security information made available to As-Safir said Army defector Abdel-Kader Akoumi was among the Asoun terror cell and was reportedly killed during the exchange of machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenade between the Army and gunmen.

The charred body found in the Asoun apartment likely belongs to Akoumi.

As-Safir has learned that the Army has requested a DNA test from Akoumi’s mother to match it to the charred body.

An-Nahar

Army seeking military recruitment

An-Nahar has learned that the Lebanese Army is seeking to recruit about 1,000 male adults to join the military voluntarily as of next week and another 1,000 at the beginning of 2015.