Obama told me so: 01/22/15

Thursday, 22 January 2015

Lebanon Army clashes with jihadis near Syria border

Lebanon Army hunting for more car bombs: report

Lebanese Army was looking for seven cars suspected of being rigged with explosives, local newspaper An-Nahar said...

Lebanon Army hunting for more car bombs: report

Cabinet unanimously condemns deadly Israeli airstrike

Lebanon’s government condemned Thursday the Israeli strike on Syria’s Golan Heights which left six Hezbollah fighters...

Casino du Liban, Le Royal were next on bombing list

BEIRUT: The Tripoli bombing suspects planned to detonate explosives at Casino du Liban in Jounieh and Le Royal Hotel and Resort in Dbayeh, north of Beirut, local daily Al-Akhbar said Friday, according to the investigation.

The valuable information came from confessions from the suspects arrested in connection to a Jan. 10 suicide bombing of a crowded café in Jabal Mohsen in the northern city of Tripoli that killed nine people and wounded more than 30.

Al-Akhbar said the confessions were made by “suicide cell” members Elie Warraq, Qassem Taljeh, Bassam Naboush, Abdel-Qader Abdel-Fattah and others who were not identified.

Security sources said the detainees have links to Mahmoud Abu Abbas, another suspect who was arrested for his role in the transportation of suicide bombers as well as ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s ex-wife Saja al-Dulaimi.

The report said some of the detainees were in contact with the spokesman for Abdallah-Azzam Brigades and were also coordinating with Shadi Mawlawi, one of the most-wanted Islamist fugitives in Lebanon.

Mawlawi, the report added, coordinates with the Nusra Front in Qalamoun.

The detainees confessed that the cars were being rigged with explosives on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal and in Qalamoun prior to being smuggled into Lebanon.

Other targets on the bombing suspects’ list were Shiite and Alawite concentration centers, Lebanese Army positions and checkpoints as well as Christian facilities

The sources said investigation indicates coordination between Nusra Front and Abdullah Azzam on suicide bombings.

Hariri urges Lebanese to mourn Abdullah’s death

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri called on fellow Lebanese to mourn the death of Saudi Arabia King Abdullah “who has...

The 5 Biggest Mistakes You Make When Painting Furniture

There's no shortage of tutorials about painting furniture online. And I've used a lot of them to paint dressers, console tables, chairs, mirrors, and more. But I have found problems/issues with a lot of the tutorials—paint chips, finishes aren't smooth, and paint peels. I have had to redo several furnishings, so I decided to compile all the mistakes I've made to help you give your furnishings a makeover that will last.

Here's how to paint a piece of furniture—without making a major mistake:

1. Sand it. There are lots of tutorials out there that claim you don't need to sand. There are also lots of primers and paints promising no sanding necessary. From what I have learned, sanding is a must. Sand all surfaces with 150-grit sandpaper. (I use this orbital sander with variable speeds.) Be careful not to gouge the surface. You're just looking to rough it up a little so the primer has something to adhere to; you're not trying to strip the surface. Use 80-grit if you are sanding a furnishing with an existing varnish.

2. Remove residue. Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth to remove any residue. Do not use a paper towel. Don't speculate on whether something is a lint-free cloth. Just use the tack cloth.

3. Prime it. If you're priming laminate furniture, use Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-based primer. Otherwise, use Zinsser Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 primer. Prime using a mini foam roller. Use a foam brush to get into any hard-to-reach areas. Let dry according to can instructions. Once your primer is fully dry, sand away any drips with a 220-grit sanding block, and wipe your piece down with a tack cloth.

4. Paint it. Use a mini foam roller to apply three thin coats of semi-gloss latex paint. Allow six to eight hours in between coats. It is important that you sand in between coats if you have any drips or residue on the piece. Use the same sanding block and a NEW tack cloth. The new tack cloth is very important here. You need to remove every speck of lint and dust before applying the Polycrylic in the next step. It's clear so everything shows. I've blamed everything from the dog to the paint for the tiny pieces of fuzz I've found when applying the Polycrylic, but it's because I didn't remove everything with the tack cloth.

5. Protect it. Finally, use a new foam roller to apply a thin coat of Polycrylic water-based protectant in gloss. You want to make sure you go over this coat very lightly with the foam roller to smooth any bubbles that can occur with the foam roller. Allow 72 hours for it to dry before using; otherwise, it can get sticky.

Originally published by Country Living

Syrian academics in Lebanon face permit delay

BEIRUT: Syrian academics at the American University of Beirut are facing severe delays in processing their work permits, a month after the Labor Ministry announced measures to curb foreign hires in key professions. Syrian academics at the institution, who requested anonymity because negotiations over their cases were ongoing, said they had been told by the human resources department at AUB that requests to renew their work permits – once a routine procedure – had gone unanswered from the ministry for weeks. Some expressed concern that their current permits would soon expire.

There are believed to be six Syrian academics affected. However, Professor Sari Hanafi, a member of the AUB Faculty Association, said that as far back as September, the university has faced unique challenges in renewing the permits of certain foreign nationals, specifically Syrians, Ethiopians and Palestinians.

Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi has been working to limit certain professions solely to Lebanese, dodging accusations that his ministry’s policies were discriminatory by citing fierce competition over jobs in light of the deluge of Syrian nationals to the country. Azzi issued a decision Dec. 16 confining 62 professions to Lebanese hires, including education.

The Labor Ministry could not be reached to comment on the case of Syrian academics specifically.

AUB administration, which is responsible for processing work permits, is in touch with the Labor Ministry and still negotiating the matter. The Faculty Association, which includes 300 members, is also utilizing channels to express specific grievances to Azzi directly, the body’s head Jad Chaaban said. As of Thursday evening, no such contact had been established, he added.

The association will likely issue a statement next week to articulate an official stance over the issue, but it appears affected parties are still waiting to see how negotiations between AUB administration and the ministry will pan out in the coming days.

Asked what might be causing the delay, Chaaban said that it could be linked to the decree prioritizing the employment of Lebanese and requiring employers to justify the hiring of foreigners. “We are bound by deadlines because most people who work at AUB have obligations to fulfill and if their work permit expires they will be here illegally and risk being jailed or deported,” he said.

“Aside from the personal suffering, we are concerned this will disrupt operations at the university.”

AUB has a long history of employing foreigners in a competitive merit-based process. Chaaban argued that the majority of the AUB’s faculty are in fact Lebanese, and foreign faculty academics provide a scholastic value. Most, for instance, bring with them foreign funding to spend in Lebanese research institutions.

“If the minister applies a specific rule, it should take into account that foreign faculty members add to the learning environment, and it is crucial that not only for human resources purposes but mostly for research and cross cultural exchange purposes that [AUB] and other universities remain at the forefront of hiring multicultural faculty,” he said.

Syrian refugee childrenbare their souls in photo exhibition

BEIRUT: Five hundred Syrian children in camps plus 500 disposable cameras equals 500 raw snapshots into life as a refugee in Lebanon.

It’s a surprisingly simple equation for a photography project, but as the Syrian civil war grinds ever closer to its fifth year, the result is a humbling and moving reminder of those that continue to eke out an existence across Lebanon. It was highlights of these pictures that photography organization Zakira and UNICEF launched Thursday under the title Lahza 2 (Moment 2) at Hamra’s Madina Theater.

The exhibition will be held through Jan. 27.

“It’s intimate, it’s at night, or when their mother is preparing their food, things that we’re not usually a part of,” Salam Abdulmunem, UNICEF communications specialist, told The Daily Star. “That’s what you get to see in this exhibition.”

He gestured toward the walls’ photos: a family gathered round a fire, their hands outstretched to grab as much warmth as possible; a young child on a plastic swing, her feet dirty and bare, her face hidden; boys standing proudly next to a stern-looking snowman.

All the photos show the abysmal conditions of the camps – piles of garbage, mud everywhere, filthy streams, tents made of scraps – but alongside the misery and suffering, they also depict laughter, grins, mischief, smiles and playtime.

“For us it’s extraordinary, because we don’t always see their point of view,” he added. “We talk on behalf of them but sometimes we don’t give them a chance to say things.”

Over the course of the last year, volunteer organization Zakira (Arabic for memory) and UNICEF embarked on a mission to teach hundreds of Syrian children aged 7-12 living in 63 camps and informal settlements how to use a camera.

Zakira had previously done something similar with Palestinian children, but it was when they teamed up with UNICEF that the program became a sort of psychosocial activity that began with drawing and ended with photography.

“We see it as a way for them to start expressing themselves,” Abdulmunem said. “It is almost like a psychosocial activity, where you are sitting with them, slowly asking them, ‘How do you feel about things, what do you remember?’”

Standing among the jostling crowds, Baraa, a 10-year-old girl from near Aleppo, said she enjoyed the chance to take photos. “I was happy. They gave me a camera and taught me how to use it,” she said.

She looked up at her picture, a carefully composed snap of a girl cautiously peering out from behind a tear in a sheet of ripped fabric, the yellow of which dominates the rest of the frame. “It was fun.”

The launch of Lahza 2 also included a screening of a documentary about the project. In it, the children can be seen making a rectangle with their fingers to practice composition.

“The camera taught me the meaning of a fleeting moment,” remarked one in the film. “When I take a picture, I freeze that moment.”

“I want to take these pictures back and show my grandfather and friends in Syria,” said another. “I want to tell them that life in the camp is like a disease.”

Cabinet unanimously condemns deadly Israeli airstrike

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s government condemned Thursday the Israeli strike on Syria’s Golan Heights which left six Hezbollah fighters dead, overcoming a divisive topic which threatened to undermine the fragile national unity Cabinet.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army scored a new success in its open war against terrorism, dismantling another rigged car in the northeastern town of Arsal.

Convening under Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail, the government blasted the Israeli aggression on the Syrian town of Qunaitra, Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said after the session, which lasted for over five hours.

Speaking at the outset of the session, Salam touched on the “dangerous developments the region was witnessing which could affect our internal affairs,” a reference to the Qunaitra attack which killed the Hezbollah fighters.

He said that the government had to “contain the repercussions of these developments in the region and go ahead with addressing people’s needs and implementing security plans in the country.”

The March 14 coalition called on Hezbollah to avoid dragging Lebanon into a new war with Israel through a possible retaliation to the Sunday strike.

Ministers from rival parties said after the session that the discussion about the airstrike had been calm and civilized.

The government said that any statement made by any political party in Lebanon reflected the stance of the faction only, adding that positions taken by the government were the only ones reflecting those of the state.

This stance comes after the remarks made two weeks ago by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah criticizing Bahrain over its Dec. 28 arrest of Sheikh Ali Salman, a leading figure in the Bahraini opposition.

Hezbollah’s opponents feared that Nasrallah’s comments threatened to spark a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Bahrain, which would adversely affect the Lebanese community living in the small island kingdom.

A Hezbollah source told The Daily Star that Nasrallah would comment on the Qunaitra strike in a speech on Jan. 30 during a ceremony to honor the six slain fighters.

Among the dead was the son of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, himself assassinated in Damascus in February 2008.

A state of panic gripped Israeli northern towns following the strike, with the Jewish state getting ready to confront any Hezbollah response.

A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters Thursday that the group did not want an all-out war with Israel.

“The rules of the game are to respond outside Lebanon unless the Israelis bring war to Lebanon,” the source said.

“This attack shows that Israel has crossed the red line in the security war with Hezbollah, which means the rules have changed,” a senior security source close to Hezbollah also told Reuters.

Also speaking to the news agency, an Israeli defense official said that a response from Hezbollah was expected, but in the form of limited attacks unlikely to lead to all-out war.

But Hezbollah issued a statement Thursday saying that sources close to the party to whom Reuters attributed remarks did not speak for them.

Meanwhile, the leader of Hamas’ armed wing appealed to Hezbollah to unite with the group in its battle against Israel.

“The true enemy of the nation is the Zionist enemy and all rifles must be directed against it,” said a letter purported to be from Mohammad Deif, posted on the website of Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.

“All the forces of the resistance must direct their coming battles as one,” the letter added.

Separately, the military said in a statement that troops had dismantled a car rigged with 25 kilos of explosives near an Army checkpoint in Ain al-Shaab in Arsal.

The statement said that an Army Intelligence patrol had spotted the black Kia, which was not fitted with a license plate.

The development comes exactly one week after the military dismantled a rigged car it discovered in the same area.

An Army source said that Thursday’s rigged car did not have a driver, adding that he believed it was meant to target an Army patrol or checkpoint in the area.

“We are searching for other suspicious cars,” he said.

The source said that soldiers opened fire at jihadi gunmen who tried to infiltrate Arsal in the area located between Wadi Hmeid and Al-Hosn Thursday evening, adding that several casualties were reported among the attackers.

The National News Agency reported that two gunmen were killed in the altercation.

Prince Muqrin announced new Crown Prince: official Saudi TV

Saudi king needed help breathing due to lung infection

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz temporarily needed help to breathe through a tube Friday due to a lung...

Prince Salman declared new Saudi King: official Saudi TV

Saudi king aims for smooth succession

Saudi King Abdullah’s unprecedented decision to appoint a second heir to his throne appears aimed at ensuring a smooth...

King Abdullah passes away: official Saudi TV

'Race against time' to save ISIS hostages: Japan PM

Shinzo Abe admits it is a "race against time" to free two hostages snatched by Islamist militants who are demanding...

Jumblatt may resign to let son grab post

BEIRUT: MP Walid Jumblatt is seriously considering resigning from his post to give his eldest son a chance to run for the Chouf parliamentary seat, a source from Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party said.

“He is heading toward making this decision,” the source told The Daily Star Thursday, requesting to remain anonymous.

The source added that Jumblatt, 65, was currently discussing with Speaker Nabih Berri and Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk the feasibility of holding a parliamentary by-election to fill the seat.

If Jumblatt were to resign, his eldest son Taymour Jumblatt would run for the post.

Born in 1982, Taymour Jumblatt, who earned a politics degree from the American University of Beirut, has been accompanying his father on visits to politicians in Lebanon and abroad over the past few years. Over the weekend, he visited Berri for the first time without his father, in attempt to get familiar with another veteran politician of Lebanon.

The leader of the Druze minority sect which is historically influential in Lebanese politics, Walid Jumblatt was elected an MP for the first time in 1992 and was elected in all the following electoral rounds since then.

Walid Jumblatt became the PSP’s leader in the early years of the country’s Civil War following the March 1977 assassination of his father Kamal Jumblatt, the founder of the party. But it is unlikely that if he resigns, Walid Jumblatt would abandon his political career altogether.

Media reports emerged Thursday that the PSP leader would resign from his parliamentary seat Jan. 31 and that April 19 was set as the date to hold by-elections to fill the post along with Zthe parliamentary seat in Jezzine left vacant by the death of MP Michel Helou last year.

But a source from the Interior Ministry, which organizes by-elections, said that no official decision has been made yet in this regard.

Asked about the issue of Jumblatt’s resignation, PSP spokesperson Rami Rayess said: “I cannot comment on this, he will choose the appropriate time to comment on this issue his way.”

Ambitious food safety draft law approved

BEIRUT: A sweeping new food safety draft law that aims to reform the way the government handles food safety issues was approved by Parliament’s Joint Committees Thursday. The draft law hopes to improve coordination between ministries over food safety as it is an issue that spans over several departments. If approved by Parliament, the law will make way for the creation of the Food Safety Lebanese Commission (FSLC) that will oversee all related matters.

The approval of the draft law – which is an amended version of one created by late Economy Minister and Beirut MP Basil Fuleihan in the early 2000s – was expedited by the heavily publicized food safety campaign led by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour.

The campaign led to the creation of a special parliamentary committee to deal with food safety that was spearheaded by MP Atef Majdalani and included several ministers, such as Abu Faour and Economics Minister Alain Hakim.

It was this committee that created the draft law which the Joint Committees approved. In order to become a full-fledged law the draft must be discussed and adopted during a session of Parliament’s General Assembly. The law then must be referred to the Cabinet, which in turn would provide the appropriate framework for its application.

The law is extremely broad in scope and touches on a lot of the issues which were covered in the food scandal, such as slaughterhouses and storage facilities. The Daily Star obtained a copy of the draft law and has outlined some of the highlights below:

THE FSLC

The food safety law outlines the creation and practices of the FSLC, which will oversee the enacting of the law. Its first order of business is to ensure that this law is implemented, as many laws passed by Parliament in the past have never actually been enacted.

The commission will be administered by a seven-member board of food safety experts from a variety of backgrounds. The law explicitly states that they should not own any institution that will be impacted by it.

Beyond issuing the rules of this law, the commission will police all stages of a “food safety chain,” from farming, importing, exporting, packaging, storing and selling among others. This includes sampling food products and sending inspectors to institutions.

The FSLC cannot create regulations but will rather recommend new measures to the Cabinet that can make them law via a decree that will be enforced by the FSLC.

The commission will also have to create an efficient alert system for citizens to be able to raise concerns that they have.

An interesting point is that the FSLC will also use the media to raise awareness of food safety issues in the general public, which could mean that restaurants will continue to be named and shamed if they violate the law.

PUNISHMENTSThe FSLC can administer punishments when there is an emergency situation and there is food that is putting citizens in danger. This will involve notifying the media of the contaminated products and could lead to the adoption of a series of measures.

Local food will have its production and marketing stopped, all products on the market will be withdrawn and the institution that produces it could face closure.

If the food was imported, the importation will be stopped and all the produce on the market will be confiscated.

The issue will be sent immediately to the Court of Appeals, which will make the final decision on the products following a testimony from food safety experts. Institutions will have the possibility to appeal the decision.

Farmers will also face prosecution based on the nature of their crime, but the law says that any food safety violation that could cause death will have a “severe punishment.”

FARMERSMajdalani was serious when he said that this law will encompass everything from “the soil to the dinner table.” Farmers have received intense scrutiny in this law.

A chapter titled, “Duties of Farmers” outlines that farmers must monitor the pesticides, animal feed, compost and medicine they give to animals and crops to ensure that it does not contaminate produce. They must keep a record of all these things which the Agriculture Ministry or any of their customers can ask to see at any time.

Farmers must also notify the ministry if they believe that any of their products may be contaminated and outline the steps that he or she has taken to remedy this.

SLAUGHTERHOUSESSlaughterhouses in Lebanon came under the spotlight during the Health Ministry’s food safety campaign and several of them, including Beirut’s Karantina abattoir, were closed due poor conditions.

Article six of the law addresses this when it states that any food, “partially made by animals that have been slaughtered in places where the minimum requirements are not met,” is considered “not safe or health damaging.” These minimum requirements are not specified though.

ANIMALS AND THE

ENVIRONMENT

Several articles within the law explicitly state that food safety extends to preventing anything that could hurt humans, animals or the environment. Article four, for instance, states that all food on the market has to meet the requirements “that it is safe and fit to be consumed by humans ... and no damage is caused to nature or animals.”

One could interpret this to outline safe practices for the handling of animals during food processing, which is often flouted in slaughterhouses and in livestock’s transportation in the back of trucks.

Transportation of animals is addressed in a separate article but it only discusses the contamination of food. This article, and many others, could push animal welfare standards to be enforced.

PACKAGINGFood packaging is also discussed at length throughout the law. The law states that the process that goes into packaging products must be sanitary and the nutritional facts on the products must be accurate. Animal feed, pesticides, compost and medicine must also be packaged according to these standards.

The law also dictates that food must have warnings on its packaging if it contains any substances that may have side effects, in case consumers have allergies for instance.

WATERThe discrepancy uncovered during the food safety campaign which is not explicitly addressed in the food safety law is contaminated water. The law starts with outlining that all the following applies to food, drink and water, among other things, but there is no article specifying regulations for water.

Article 34 does give the FSLC special powers over issues related to the contamination of “water [used] in agricultural activity,” among several other things.

This could mean that water contamination rules are implied throughout the law or the sector may be further regulated when the commission is created.

Ambitious food safety draft law approved

THE FSLC

The FSLC cannot create regulations but will rather recommend new measures to the Cabinet that can make them law via a decree that will be enforced by the FSLC.

The commission will also have to create an efficient alert system for citizens to be able to raise concerns that they have.

Local food will have its production and marketing stopped, all products on the market will be withdrawn and the institution that produces it could face closure.

If the food was imported, the importation will be stopped and all the produce on the market will be confiscated.

Farmers will also face prosecution based on the nature of their crime, but the law says that any food safety violation that could cause death will have a “severe punishment.”

FARMERSMajdalani was serious when he said that this law will encompass everything from “the soil to the dinner table.” Farmers have received intense scrutiny in this law.

Farmers must also notify the ministry if they believe that any of their products may be contaminated and outline the steps that he or she has taken to remedy this.

ANIMALS AND THE

ENVIRONMENT

Transportation of animals is addressed in a separate article but it only discusses the contamination of food. This article, and many others, could push animal welfare standards to be enforced.

The law also dictates that food must have warnings on its packaging if it contains any substances that may have side effects, in case consumers have allergies for instance.

Article 34 does give the FSLC special powers over issues related to the contamination of “water [used] in agricultural activity,” among several other things.

This could mean that water contamination rules are implied throughout the law or the sector may be further regulated when the commission is created.

Assad’s threat prompted Hariri’s massive 2005 election bid

BEIRUT: A stormy August 2004 meeting with President Bashar Assad was the turning point in Rafik Hariri’s relations with Syria and prompted the former prime minister to launch a nationwide election campaign in order to gain more control in Parliament, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon heard Thursday. In his first testimony in front of the court, former MP Salim Diab, who was Hariri’s campaign manager, said it was immediately after the notorious Damascus meeting that the former premier decided to run a massive electoral campaign ahead of 2005 parliamentary polls.

Diab said the former prime minister was stung by Assad’s threat that he would “break Lebanon” on Hariri’s head if he did not acquiesce to the demands of Damascus, obey his orders and back the extension of pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.

The extension, which was granted in September 2004, led to a breakdown in relations between Assad and Hariri and the passage of Resolution 1559, which called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon – aimed at Syria – and the disarmament of all militias – aimed at Syria’s ally Hezbollah.

According to Diab, Hariri was uncharacteristically “nervous” after the Damascus meeting and became adamant that he needed to increase his representation in Parliament in order to augment his influence. “It would help him execute what he wanted,” Diab explained.

Assad’s threats also prompted Hariri to reject pro-Syrian candidates Damascus had ordered him to include on his electoral list, Diab said – a total first.

“Hariri wasn’t going to accept the [names] this time and he said that he would replace them with his own candidates,” Diab explained, saying that previously the former premier had acquiesced to Syria’s demands regarding candidate lists.

For example, Diab said former Beirut MP Adnan Arakji, who was known for his close ties to Syria, ran on Hariri’s list for the 1996 parliamentary polls after Syria had requested him along with two other candidates.

The Syrian leadership repeatedly meddled with electoral lists, Diab said, and ruled out the former lawmaker himself as a candidate for the 1996 polls.

They later on complied with Diab’s nomination after Hariri threatened to withdraw from the parliamentary race if he wasn’t accepted by the Syrians as a candidate, he said.

By January 2005, one month before Hariri’s assassination, his colossal campaign included at least 150 offices across Akkar, Tripoli, Central Bekaa and West Bekaa, Sidon, the Chouf, Baabda and Beirut.

The number of employees working on the campaign, which started out with roughly 500, was expected to reach 16,000 had the prime minister survived until April, a month before elections were set to be held, Diab noted.

The campaign manager also spoke about the atmosphere that prevailed in the months leading up to Hariri’s death.

Tensions became especially high after the attempted assassination of former Minister Marwan Hamade in October 2004, and it became known in their circle that “the attack was a message to Hariri,” he said.

Following the assassination attempt, ISF Information Branch head Brig. Gen. Wissam Hasan and Yehia al-Arab, the head of Hariri’s personal security, repeatedly asked Diab to caution the prime minister against making “unnecessary trips” due to the threat to his life.

The three were warning Hariri of this risk as of November 2004, Diab said, but the former premier was stubborn and dismissed the threats.

According to Diab, threats to Hariri’s life were not considered “hush-hush business”; it was known to a lot of people that he was “looked at as a target.”

His colleagues even advised him against going to Parliament on the day of his assassination, Diab said.

The campaign manager also noted that the prime minister was wary of his phone being tapped.

“Every time someone would call he would say: ‘Why are you talking to me over the phone? Everyone is going to listen.’”

The only safe line of communication was a hotline in the Qoreitem palace known as the “Data Line,” Diab said, adding that the premier used it to communicate with officials outside of Lebanon.

During the week before his assassination, Diab noted that Hariri was “not normal.” The campaign manager, who last saw Hariri a day before his death, said that the usually unflappable premier was “preoccupied” in a way that he hadn’t seen him before.

Diab’s testimony is part of the political evidence being presented before the U.N.-backed tribunal tasked with prosecuting those responsible for killing Hariri and 21 others in a bombing in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005.

Obama Takes His State Of The Union Messages To YouTube

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President Obama is pitching his State of the Union proposals on a campaign-like trip and on YouTube.

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House Republican Leaders Drop Effort To Ban Some Abortions

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

House Republican leaders had planned to pass a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and coinciding with the annual protest march by abortion opponents. But with Republican women balking at that measure, they instead passed a bill prohibiting the use of taxpayer money for abortions, something that's been in spending bills for years.

Will Netanyahu's Congress Visit Help His Election Prospects?

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

Robert Siegel speaks with Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., about whether he thinks Netanyahu's address to Congress in March will help him with his election a few weeks afterwards.

Netanyahu Accepts Republican Invitation To Address Congress

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

Lawmakers say the Obama administration is "stiff arming" Congress, keeping them away from diplomacy with Iran. The House Speaker is fighting back, inviting Israel's tough talking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress soon.

House Approves Bill That Would Bar Federal Funding For Abortions

A bill that would prohibit using federal money to pay for "any abortion" or for "health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion" has been approved by the House.

The bill passed by a vote of 242-179. Titled the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2015, it was introduced by Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., and others, including Speaker John Boehner.

Its stipulations include:

"No funds authorized or appropriated by Federal law, and none of the funds in any trust fund to which funds are authorized or appropriated by Federal law, shall be expended for any abortion."

Approval of the bill comes on the 42nd anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. A similar bill was approved one year ago.

The measure has not been approved in the Senate. Its approval in the House comes one day after the body's Republican leaders decided to shelve a proposed ban on "almost all abortions at 20 weeks post-conception," as the Two-Way reported last night.

The bill sparked a spirited debate on the House floor, as CSPAN's transcript shows.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., told her colleagues:

"Give me one example where federal taxpayer dollars have been used to pay for abortions. I haven't heard that example, and it's because it's not happening. This is a false issue that's being raised. So I would submit to everybody here, let's stop talking about this false issue just because there are a whole bunch of people in town who want us to pass some legislation. Let's talk about some real issues."

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., noted that Americans are horrified by the loss of life in crises around the world:

"And then in our own country, we have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the lives of 56 million unborn children. These are lives that were lost that did not have to be lost. I know there is a law that says they have the right to make that decision. It may be legal but I don't think it's right. As far as giving a gift to the half or million — or million — half a million or so people who are in Washington today for the pro-life march. This is not a gift from the Republican Party to these people, this is a gift from the creator himself on reproduction."

There's a New, 2015 Edition of NFL Bad Lip Reading and It Is Glorious

Bad Lip Reading often imagines what characters from TV and film would be saying if someone did an absolutely terrible job of reading their lips, but their periodic takes on what NFL players and coaches might be yammering at each other stand above the rest. A new, 2015 edition has just been released, and it doesn't disappoint, taking on everyone from players like Peyton Manning, Dez Bryant, and Cam Newton, to loud-mouth coaches like Pete Carroll, John Harbaugh, and Chip Kelly. Not even refs, fans, and announcers are immune to ridicule. Watch above.

The Faces of Health Care: Connie W.

"Thank you for taking the heat, mostly from folks who don't have to pay for insurance. It literally means life or death to some of us."

Hezbollah likely to retaliate to Israeli strike from outside Lebanon

BEIRUT: The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement warned in a recent interview that allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad would strike back if Israeli attacks inside Syria continued.

Few expected Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah's comments to be put to the test so quickly. Three days later, an Israeli airstrike inside Syria killed six Hezbollah fighters, including a son of the group's late military chief, Imad Mughniyeh.

But with political and sectarian divisions at home, it may be difficult to win backing for any attacks from Lebanon which could trigger war with Israel.

"The rules of the game are to respond outside Lebanon unless the Israelis bring war to Lebanon," a source close to Hezbollah told Reuters, explaining that it wants to avoid all-out war.

Lebanon has not recovered from its 2006 war with Israel and sending fighters to Syria has stretched Hezbollah's capabilities. In addition, the Israeli strike came at a sensitive time for the group.

Hezbollah is trying to contain the damage caused by one of its operatives who confessed to spying for Israel in a case that shattered the group's aura of impenetrability.

The suspected spy is believed to have leaked Hezbollah's plans to avenge the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh.

Mughniyeh, whose son was killed by Israel last week, was implicated in the 1983 bombings of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. and French barracks in Beirut, and attacks on Israeli targets. Hezbollah accuses Israel of killing him, which Israel denies.

"The group tried to retaliate but was not successful for several reasons. Some of the operations were leaked to the Israelis and others were not possible for technical reasons," a security source told Reuters.

Despite that, the group has little choice but to respond.

Lebanese analyst Nabil Boumonsef said Hezbollah could not start a war with Israel. Instead, the response would be a targeted attack that stopped short of full confrontation.

Lebanon Health Ministry demands results of hospital corruption probe

BEIRUT: The Health Ministry Thursday demanded the public prosecutor hand over the results of an 8-year-old corruption probe of a hospital in Beirut's southern suburb, one week after the ministry ended a contract with said hospital over its treament of patients, a ministry statement said.

In the same statement, the ministry also asked the Industry Ministry to shut an east Lebanon dairy factory over poor health standards, and called for the prosecution of those behind the dumping of rotten food in a southern town two days ago.

The statement said 2007 inspections of a pharmacy inside Al-Hayat Hospital in the suburb of Shiyah turned up illegal and illicit drugs.

Inspectors also discovered medicine from unknown sources that were missing price tags and dealer logos.

Drugs were also found inside hospital labs that were not registered in Lebanon, and other medicine found in hospital rooms were not sourced from an accredited pharmacy.

The hospital also failed to produce invoices from pharmaceutical dealers during the 2007 investigation.

The statement said Health Minister Abu Faour called on the judiciary to share the full results of the investigation, and inform it of the trials and verdicts that the probe spurred.

The ministry last week announced that it had terminated its contract with Al-Hayat over the hospital's "bad dealings with patients." The statement did not elaborate.

Also Thursday, Abu Faour sent a letter to Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan demanding the closure of Al-Assi Dairy Products factory in the Bekaa town of Hermel after a Jan. 21 inspection revealed that it did not meet health and hygiene standards.

Tests of samples of dairy products revealed that they did not conform to the ministry’s health standards. The ministry also discovered a van in Sil al-Fil that was used to transport cheese from the factory that was not refrigerated.

Abu Faour also called on the south Lebanon prosecutor to pursue investigations and take judicial action against those responsible for dumping spoiled food in the town of Sharhabil in the Sidon area municipality of Boksta overnight Tuesday.

The mayor of Boksta had reported that two trucks unloaded their waste in the town, with villagers waking up to the stench of rotten food.

Israel's Netanyahu Accepts Invitation To Address Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will now address a joint meeting of Congress on March 3, three weeks after he was originally invited to speak about Iran, so he can attend a conference of a pro-Israel group in Washington, House Speaker John Boehner said on Twitter today.

As we previously reported, Boehner invited Netanyahu to Washington on Wednesday. The White House, which was not consulted about the invitation, called it a "departure from ... protocol."

Boehner defended the decision on Wednesday, saying, "The Congress can make this decision on its own." (You can read more about how this is done in the House of Representatives' website.)

The Associated Press reports that a statement from Netanyahu's office said the speech will give him the chance to "thank President Barack Obama, Congress and the American people for their support of Israel."

Netanyahu, who faces a tough election in Israel on March 17, is reported to have a frosty relationship with Obama, but he enjoys support in Congress.

He was originally scheduled to address a joint meeting of Congress about Iran on Feb. 11. He will now make that speech March 3. The Israeli prime minister will also address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel group that will be holding its annual conference, which begins March 1.

NPR's Michele Kelemen tells our Newscast unit that Netanyahu's speech will come just as the U.S. and other world powers try to meet their latest deadline on negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

There is bipartisan support to impose more sanctions on Iran if the talks fail, but Obama has threatened to veto any sanctions, saying they would derail the talks. And Michele reports that European countries are urging Congress not to introduce "new hurdles" at this critical stage of negotiations.

Israel views Iran as a threat.

Netanyahu, who previously addressed Congress in 2011 and 1996, is not the only leader to have addressed a joint meeting. More recently, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addressed Congress in September 2014 and South Korean leader Park Guen Hye spoke in May 2013.

Army says captured east Lebanon kidnappers

Sweden vows more aid for Lebanon

Visiting Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Isabella Lovin Thursday announced its government’s...

Study: E-Cigs Contain More Formaldehyde Than Regular Cigarettes

E-cigarettes, often touted as a healthier alternative to Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man, keep a nasty byproduct around: formaldehyde.

Scientists from Portland State University say in their study in the New England Journal of Medicine: “Formaldehyde is a known degradation product of propylene glycol that reacts with propylene glycol and glycerol during vaporization to produce hemiacetals,” adding that more than 2 percent of chemicals in e-cigarette smoke catalyzes into formaldehyde. Of course, the vaping industry is criticizing the finding, claiming that it didn’t account for user behavior.

While 2 percent may not sound like much, it’s five-to-fifteen-fold increase in formaldehyde compared to regular cigarettes. The FDA is still testing the safety of e-cigarettes, but studies like these are casting serious doubt on the “safe alternative” line.

Via NPR.

This post originally appeared at Popular Mechanics

Drug Drone Carrying Crystal Meth Crashes Near US-Mexico Border

Drones aren’t just military devices and hobbyist passions. As it turns out, cartels are using the unmanned aerial vehicles for a pretty insidious purpose: smuggling drugs high in the sky. And some of those drones crash down, as indicated by a drone crashing near the Mexico-California border, weighed down by six pounds of crystal meth. The drone was a DJI Spreading Wings s900.

In 2012, at least 150 drones were reported to make dashes for the border, drugs in tow, and they’ve also been used to smuggle drugs into prison. Drones are, currently, less traceable than, say, your typical drug mule, so it’s harder to tell who’s transporting those drugs, unless you find the recipient at the pickup sight. It’s just another way the cartels are utilizing technology to expand their trade.

Source: Associated Press, via Vice, The Verge

This post originally appeared at Popular Mechanics

Army discovers car rigged with 20 kilos of explosives in east Lebanon: security source

Sweden vows more aid for Lebanon

Visiting Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Isabella Lovin Thursday announced its government’s...

Gunmen release 2 of 3 kidnapped Arsal residents

Fire engulfs south Lebanon paint store

Firefighters Thursday battled for two hours to control a fire that ripped through a paint store in the industrial area...

Nasrallah free to speak his mind: Lebanon PM

BEIRUT: Lebanon's political officials are free to comment on regional events as they please, but that does not mean they reflect official government positions, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said, distancing himself from the Hezbollah chief's recent remarks on Bahrain.

“Whatever the secretary general of Hezbollah Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah declares is his own business,” Salam said in an interview with Qatari daily Al-Watan published Thursday.

“As a government, we would announce our position openly and officially, but political forces represented in the Cabinet have their own political platforms which they use to air their views on many sensitive issues in Lebanon’s space of free speech and democracy,” Salam said.

“As the prime minister of Lebanon I will never hesitate to voice official stances bluntly and openly and abide by them,” he said.

“But I am not in a position to monitor and sanction what political forces in the country say or to deter them and stop them from speaking out,” he added.

In a televised speech two weeks ago, Nasrallah denounced Bahrain's crackdown on its protest movement and Dec. 28 arrest of its main opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, head of the al-Wefaq Islamic Society.

Nasrallah’s accusations against the island kingdom outraged Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, some of which had summoned Lebanese diplomats to lodge an official complaint.

Commenting on Israel’s deadly attack on Syria’s Golan Heights town of Quneitra in which six Hezbollah fighters were killed Sunday, Salam said he hoped there will be no repercussions on Lebanon in such a difficult situation.

“We will continue to seek the implementation of the policy of disassociating Lebanon from the events in Syria. This policy was endorsed in the government’s policy statement but there are still discrepancies between theory and application on the ground,” Salam said.

While Hezbollah has remained tightlipped on possible response to the deadly attack, the Lebanese government is seeking to avert any negative repercussions from a Hezbollah retaliation that would impact the internal situation in Lebanon and the position of the government as a whole.