Azzam Brigades plans attacks, assassinations: report

BEIRUT: The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades is reportedly planning attacks across Lebanon as well as for the assassination of political or non-political figures, according to local newspaper As-Safir Friday.

The report, according to information made available to security and military agencies, said groups of Abdullah Azzam Brigades were preparing to carry out bomb attacks and firing rockets on a Lebanese city and its surrounding and also on a main highway linking a Lebanese region with the capital Beirut.

This has prompted authorities to take measures, including informing a number of political and non-political figures about the need to take extreme caution and restrict their movements, a well-informed security source told As-Safir.

The report said a Syrian national identified only by his initials F.Sh. has rigged three cars with explosives: a silver Kia, a navy blue Nissan Maxima and a BMW X5.

As-Safir said the source would not confirm or deny information about a Hyundai 4WD that had been rigged in one of the northern Bekaa Valley towns for terrorism purposes.

The source, however, pointed out that the intensive security measures taken by the military Thursday has aborted a terrorist attack against the Lebanese Army in the outskirts of the northeastern Bekaa town of Arsal after the discovery of a bomb planted on the road routinely patrolled by the Army.

The bomb in Ras al-Sarj weighed 25 kilograms, the source said, adding that the military was searching for similar bombs likely planted by terrorist groups in the area.

The source said security forces were also hunting for suicide-bombers, most of them non-Lebanese.

Attorneys spar as trial begins for Lebanese-US Marine

CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina: The criminal case against a Marine accused of deserting his unit in Iraq a decade ago began taking shape when Navy criminal investigators assumed the worst about the Muslim corporal based on hearsay from other service members, a defense attorney argued Thursday.

Prosecutors countered in their own opening stateents that Cpl. Wassef Hassoun burned personal items and withdrew money before he disappeared from a base in Iraq in 2004; avoided some duties; and was unhappy he couldn't join the woman with whom he'd entered an arranged marriage.

They displayed quotes attributed to Hassoun before his disappearance: "I'll leave and go to Lebanon. I'm not kidding."

Hassoun is charged with desertion, larceny and destruction of government property. If convicted of all counts at the bench trial before a military judge, he faces a maximum of 27 years in prison.

Defense attorney Haytham Faraj acknowledged Hassoun talked about being unhappy and wanting to leave the Marines, but said many Marines make similar comments. He said prosecutors have no evidence that Hassoun fled his post in 2004. Prosecutors have acknowledged their case is circumstantial.

Faraj said the "rush to judgment" by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was "worthy of a novel, a spy novel."

After Hassoun disappeared in Fallujah in 2004, the defense attorney said, suspicious comrades told investigators about comments Hassoun made about the conflict between his native Lebanon and Israel. Soon, Faraj said, NCIS investigators were scrutinizing Hassoun's relatives, "hoping to hit a jackpot" by tying them to a terror group.

"What they find out in the end is it's just an American family with different names and a little browner skin," Faraj said.

Days after his 2004 disappearance, Hassoun appeared blindfolded and with a sword held above his head in an image purportedly taken by insurgents. An extremist group claimed to be holding him captive.

But Hassoun soon turned up unharmed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, saying he'd been kidnapped. Officials were suspicious, and he was returned to Camp Lejeune in 2004 while the military considered charging him.

After his return, Hassoun was allowed to visit family in Utah but disappeared a second time in early 2005. Hassoun traveled to Lebanon but was detained by that country's authorities after Interpol issued a bulletin related to his deserter status, Faraj said. The defense says court proceedings in Lebanon lasted until 2013, and Hassoun turned himself in to U.S. authorities after the government there lifted travel restrictions.

Obama's Plan To Tax Overseas Earnings Draws Scrutiny

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A worker at Amazon's fulfillment center in Rugeley, central England, in 2012. President Obama wants U.S. companies to bring more of their overseas earnings home. Phil Noble/Reuters/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Phil Noble/Reuters/Landov

A worker at Amazon's fulfillment center in Rugeley, central England, in 2012. President Obama wants U.S. companies to bring more of their overseas earnings home.

Phil Noble/Reuters/Landov

American companies have about $2 trillion in overseas accounts — money they could be using to hire workers and pay dividends in the United States. But they're reluctant to do so, in part because of the way the U.S. tax system works.

President Obama proposed some big changes in the tax code last month that would encourage U.S. companies to bring more money home. A lot of people in Washington agree with the goal. But there's sharp disagreement about how to accomplish it.

Last month, the European Union issued a report about Amazon and the taxes it pays. The online retailer does a lot of business in Europe but its corporate tax rate is in the single digits, says Crawford Spence of the University of Warwick in England.

"Amazon has big operations in the U.K. but they pay very little tax here, because most of their tax is paid in Luxembourg," he says.

And it's not alone. Big U.S. companies such as Starbucks and Apple have pared down their tax bill by funneling revenue into tax havens like Luxembourg and Ireland. Spence says it's totally legal.

"Currently the rules are very complicated, very convoluted, which suits companies very well, cause there are always loopholes," he says.

Parallels

U.S. Tech Firms See Green As They Set Up Shop In Low-Tax Ireland

Can Republicans Find Common Ground With Obama's Budget?

Business Leaders Hope Shifts In Congress Will Bring Tax Reform

New Treasury Rules May Slow, But Not Stop, Corporate Inversions

The rules proposed by Obama last month would change that. The president wants to lower the tax rate on overseas corporate revenue. But a 19 percent minimum tax would kick in if companies use too many loopholes and tax havens, says Edward Kleinbard of the University of Southern California law school.

"These kinds of games are exactly the reason why you need the minimum tax," he says. "The minimum tax is the safeguard against these kinds of abuses."

And the president has proposed something else. Under current law, U.S. companies can make all the money they want overseas and as long as they keep it there never pay a dime of U.S. taxes. That gives them a big incentive to keep profits overseas, and companies such as Apple have huge stashes of money sitting offshore.

Under the proposal companies would pay a 14 percent tax on that money, regardless of whether they bring it back home. Whether these proposals will go anywhere is unclear. Kleinbard is optimistic.

"The last serious Republican effort from a year ago had exactly the same concepts," he says. "The numbers were lower, but that's what good faith negotiations are all about."

In other words, the president's proposals represent the kick-off of a lengthy round of bargaining with Congress. So far Republican leaders say they're open to negotiating. But Ken Kies of the Federal Policy Group says many business leaders don't like the White House proposals.

"A lot of multinationals think they would be put in a worse competitive situation than they are today because at least today they don't pay U.S. tax on that income until they actually bring it back to the United States whereas the president's proposal would impose an immediate 19 percent tax," he says.

Kies, former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, is skeptical that corporate tax reform can go anywhere in this political climate.

"It's hard to do tax reform under the best of circumstances and I wouldn't say these are the best of circumstances with a president who's in his last two years in office. It's really hard to do really big things," he says.

Kies says a lot of people in the business world want to see tax reform because they're tired of the uncertainty surrounding the issue. But they won't go along with it if they end up paying more. And there isn't enough time left to resolve the issues Obama has placed on the table.

Hariri realized dream of education for thousands

BEIRUT: Ten years after his assassination, Rafik Hariri’s legacy lives on through the raft of university scholarships provided by the late premier’s foundation – some recipients say they owe Hariri their careers, others assert that he saved their lives.

“The scholarship rescued me. If it wasn’t for that I would have ended up on the streets in a [Civil War] militia,” Dr. Zahi Ramadan, operations director of higher education at SABIS Educational Services, told The Daily Star.

Ramadan, who received a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Marquette in 1997, said his “father couldn’t pay for an education in Lebanon, let alone a [doctorate] in the U.S.”

Living the Civil War first-hand in south Lebanon, Ramadan said Hariri’s philanthropy pulled him out of a country in the grips of death, and changed the trajectory of his family’s future.

“Not only did the scholarship change my life, it changed my children’s lives and their children’s lives. Today, my kids are able to get a top-notch education and the cycle of illiteracy and poverty has been broken, all because of this token of generosity,” he said.

Ramadan is one of over 36,000 university students who received university scholarships from the Hariri Foundation. According to the foundation’s records, 853 scholarships were issued for doctoral degrees, 1,829 scholarships were issued for postgraduate master’s degrees, and more than 24,000 were given to undergraduate BA and BS students.

The scholarship program, which was launched in 1983 and ran through 2012, provided financial support either in part or in full for students’ tuitions, housing, transportation and books.

In addition to monetary assistance, the foundation also offered career guidance and counseling, helping generations of young Lebanese.

“Without the scholarship I would not have gone to university – with it I became an acting dean,” Salim Chahine, acting dean at AUB’s Olayan School of Business, told The Daily Star. “Hariri gave me a window into the world. Today I am publishing in its top outlets.”

Scholarships from the Hariri Foundation funded his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies in France. Chahine, who studied finance, said he keeps teaching as a way of “giving back” what he himself was given by the grants – the opportunity “to motivate individuals and to prepare elite [students] for the future of my country.”

Director-General of the Hariri Foundation Salwa Baassiri, sitting beneath a portrait of the late former prime minister in her Beirut office, recalled Hariri’s drive to invest in human capital and cultivate a significant number of educated elites.

“Hariri used to always say, ‘In order to build a nation you need to build a new generation, and to build a capable new generation, you need education,’” she said.

Baassiri recalled the case of one student whose father used to work as a street vendor selling coffee.

The director general says the foundation allowed even the poorest students to partake in the “dream” of receiving an education.

“At that time Hariri was inspiring everybody. It was like a dream – everyone would come knocking on your door asking to share it,” Baassiri said.

“Today, some of them work in the most reputable universities, when at a young age they didn’t believe they would even make it to college.”

Though the scholarships primarily targeted students who did not have the monetary means to even consider university studies, assistance was sometimes given to students who were financially comfortable.

According to Baassiri, in “rare” cases students who were relatively well off were provided with scholarships to cover the expensive tuitions of highly reputable Ivy League universities in the U.S., as their families could not afford the fees themselves. The funding ensured that Lebanese pupils could access top centers of study.

“You can’t have leaders if they don’t go to the best places in the world,” Baassiri said.

Lawyer, professor and former presidential candidate Chibli Mallat is a testament to Hariri’s investment in such students.

“His [support] has taken me from London, to Harvard Law School, and on to Yale Law School. I hope I have carried the spirit of Hariri’s leadership throughout these successes,” Mallat told The Daily Star.

Mallat’s gratitude to the late premier is inscribed in his first book, 1993’s “The Renewal of Islamic Law,” which won the prestigious Albert Hourani prize for best academic book of the year.

Mallat deems Hariri’s assassination to be the “ultimate sacrifice.”

The former prime minister was murdered on Feb. 14, 2005, in a massive bombing in Beirut.

His death precipitated the Cedar Revolution and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a presence of nearly 30 years.

“This was the closest thing to a Ghandi moment in the Middle East,” Mallat said.

According to Baassiri, Hariri’s scholarships were about more than just philanthropy; an entire strategy underlay his charitable actions – the late premier did not want to restrict the scope of his investment to the economic sphere, as economic growth did not necessarily entail the distribution of wealth.

“But development is a little different because you can ensure that everyone will receive a share,” she added. “This is where education comes in.”

Hariri believed that the necessary change would only follow the emergence of a “critical mass” of educated people, Baassiri said. “This is why he invested in so many.”

Bekaa Valley security plan nets 10 outlaws

BAALBEK, Lebanon: Lebanese security forces arrested 10 individuals and confiscated 18 stolen cars in the Bekaa Valley Thursday, on the first day of a security plan launched in a region notorious for kidnappings and other crimes.

Braving a snowstorm, Army vehicles rolled into Hor Taala, Brital and surrounding villages known to shelter people involved in kidnappings for ransom, killings, drug smuggling and car thefts.

Taking part in the long awaited operation were units from the Army, Internal Security Forces and the General Security, an Army statement said.

The statement added that the expansive operation, which would last for several days, included a number of raids, the erection of checkpoints and staging patrols in various villages. It said 10 wanted people were arrested so far and 18 stolen cars confiscated.

Security sources told The Daily Star about 1,000 Army soldiers, 500 police and 500 General Security personnel were involved in a joint operation which began at 6 a.m.

But the sources said that most suspects were believed to have fled to Syria, particularly because media outlets had announced the plan would be launched soon.

They dismantled their illicit businesses, including Captagon drug factories, leaving little behind for the security forces to seize, the sources added.

But a senior Army source said the security plan was proceeding in an “excellent” manner.

He said that the military had no information about wanted individuals fleeing to Syria.

The source added that it was up to the government to decide whether it would coordinate with Syrian authorities to hand over these wanted people if it turned out that they actually crossed into Syria.

Officials from the Bekaa Valley, a largely underdeveloped area, argued that socioeconomic development initiatives should be coupled with security plans in order to significantly reduce crime in the area.

The security campaign in the Bekaa Valley is an extension of a similar plan launched last year in north Lebanon by the government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam.

Speaking at the outset of a Cabinet session he chaired at the Grand Serail Thursday, Salam voiced hope that the security plan in the Bekaa Valley would be strictly implemented so that the area becomes safe.

Separately, the Lebanese Army dismantled an explosive device planted on the side of a road in the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal, an earlier Army statement said Thursday.

It said members of the Army Intelligence found the device during an overnight patrol in the area of Ras al-Sarj.

“The device, weighing 25 kilograms of highly explosive material, was planted on the side of a road that is frequently used by Army patrols,” the statement said.

Last month, the Army dismantled two rigged cars near Arsal.

Timeline of major events since Hariri’s assassination

BEIRUT: The Feb. 14, 2005, assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri generated earth-shaking changes for Lebanon’s political scene, shattering the status quo that had prevailed for the previous decade and a half and creating new political alliances. Shortly after the assassination, the Syrian army withdrew from Lebanon after a nearly three-decade presence in the country, a development that many people never thought possible.

But Syria’s allies came together to form what would be known as the March 8 coalition, while those opposed to Syria’s presence in the country joined hands under the March 14 coalition.

Rivalry between these two camps continues to define politics in Lebanon up to this day.

Below is a timeline of the major political events that Lebanon has witnessed following the assassination of Hariri:

Feb. 14, 2005: A massive explosion in Downtown Beirut kills Hariri and 21 others. In the following days, massive street protests erupt calling for the government’s resignation, for Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon and for the truth behind Hariri’s killing to be revealed.

Feb. 28, 2005: Prime Minister Omar Karami steps down under popular pressure and after an emotional speech by MP Bahia Hariri in Parliament, in which she called for the government’s resignation.

March 8, 2005: Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese take part in a Hezbollah-led demonstration in Downtown Beirut organized by parties allied to Syria under the slogan of “Thank You Syria.” The group would become known as the March 8 coalition.

March 14, 2005: Supporters of the Future Movement, Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, Free Patriotic Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party and others take part in a massive demonstration in Downtown Beirut, calling for Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon and the truth behind Hariri’s assassination to be revealed. Described as one of the largest demonstrations independent Lebanon has ever witnessed, it marked the founding of the March 14 alliance.

April 19, 2005: Najib Mikati forms a transitional government to hold parliamentary elections scheduled for May.

April 26, 2005: The last Syrian soldier withdraws from Lebanon, ending around 30 years of Syrian military presence in the country.

May 7, 2005: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun returns from France, where he spent around 15 years in exile.

June 2, 2005: March 14 journalist Samir Kassir is assassinated.

June 19, 2005: The March 14 coalition, led by Saad Hariri, the son of late Rafik, wins a parliamentary majority in general elections.

June 21, 2005: A bomb kills George Hawi, former leader of the Lebanese Communist Party.

July 18, 2005: Fouad Siniora forms his first government, bringing together March 8 and March 14 parties. The FPM does not join the new Cabinet.

July 26, 2005: Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea is released after being imprisoned for 11 years over charges related to political assassinations.

Dec. 12, 2005: An explosion kills March 14 MP Gebran Tueni, the editor-in-chief of An-Nahar newspaper.

Feb. 6, 2006: Aoun and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

March 2, 2006: Speaker Nabih Berri launches national dialogue between rival Lebanese groups.

July 12, 2006: Israel launches a one-month-long war against Lebanon after Hezbollah captures two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack in south Lebanon.

Nov. 11, 2006: Ministers from Hezbollah, Amal and one loyal to then-President Emile Lahoud resign in protest of the government’s intention to send a letter to the U.N. secretary-general requesting the establishment of a U.N.-backed court to try Hariri’s assassins.

Nov. 21, 2006: Unidentified gunmen assassinate Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.

Dec. 1, 2006: The March 8 coalition stages a massive sit-in in Downtown Beirut demanding the resignation of Siniora and the formation of a national unity Cabinet in which it wields veto power.

May 30, 2007: The U.N. Security Council issues Resolution 1757 establishing the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, tasked with trying Hariri’s assassins. The court is inaugurated in March 2009. In June 2011, it indicts four Hezbollah members for the crime and a fifth member in October 2013. Trials kicked off on Jan. 16, 2014.

June 13, 2007: Future bloc MP Walid Eido is assassinated in a car bomb in Beirut.

Sept. 19, 2007: Kataeb Party lawmaker Antoine Ghanem is killed in an explosion.

Nov. 24, 2007: Lahoud’s term expires. He leaves the presidential palace amid the failure of the March 8 and March 14 groups to agree on a successor.

Jan. 25, 2008: A bombing kills Internal Security Forces officer Wissam Eid.

May 8, 2008: Pro-Hezbollah gunmen take over large swaths of West Beirut and clash with PSP fighters in Chouf after Siniora’s Cabinet decides to dismantle the party’s telecommunications network.

May 21, 2008: Rival Lebanese political parties strike a deal in Doha to end the 18-month political deadlock. They agree on electing Army commander Gen. Michel Sleiman to the presidency, forming a national unity government in which each of the March 8 and March 14 coalitions wield veto power and drafting a new election law.

May 25, 2008: Parliament elects Sleiman as president.

July 11, 2008: Siniora puts together a national unity government.

March 2009: Syria appoints an ambassador to Lebanon, an unprecedented move.

June 7, 2009: The March 14 coalition wins a majority in Parliamentary elections again.

Aug. 9, 2009: PSP leader Walid Jumblatt announces his withdrawal from the March 14 coalition.

Nov. 9, 2009: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri forms a national unity government.

Dec. 2009: Harri visits Damascus for the first time.

Jan. 12, 2011: March 8 ministers resign, bringing down Hariri’s government after the latter refuses to cut his Cabinet’s ties with the STL.

Jan. 14, 2011: Anti-regime protests begin in Tunisia, heralding the start of the “Arab Spring,” or popular uprisings which swept through several Arab countries.

March 15, 2011: The Arab Spring reaches Syria and the first anti-regime protests break out in the southern province of Deraa. The conflict would develop into an all-out civil war, transforming Syria into a battlefield for regional powers. In Lebanon, the March 14 coalition backs Syrian rebels, while March 8 parties stand by the side of the Syrian regime.

April 2011: Hariri leaves Lebanon, citing security reasons.

June 13, 2011: Mikati forms a March 8-dominated government which adopts a “disassociation policy” regarding the war in neighboring Syria. The March 14 coalition joins the opposition.

Oct. 19, 2012: A car bomb kills Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, the head of the ISF Information Branch.

March 22, 2013: Mikati resigns from the premiership.

May 25, 2013: Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah officially announces that his party had joined the war in nearby Syria to prevent the fall of the regime, and by extension Lebanon into hands of takfiri groups.

Dec. 30, 2013: President Michel Sleiman announces that Saudi Arabia has pledged $3 billion to purchase arms for the Lebanese Army from France.

Feb. 15, 2014: Tammam Salam forms his national unity government, including rivals Hezbollah, the Future Movement and other March 14 political parties.

May 25, 2014: Sleiman leaves Baabda Palace after his term expires amid failure by the Parliament to elect a successor.

Aug. 8, 2014: Hariri visits Beirut for few days to oversee the implementation of another $1 billion Saudi grant to Lebanese security services.

Rafik Hariri legacy rendered eternal by new mausoleum

BEIRUT: The grave of late former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Downtown Beirut will be revamped by top architects to become a contemplative mausoleum. The works that already started last year are expected to wrap up over the course of 2015.

The Rafik Hariri Mausoleum in the heart of Beirut will be flanked by the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque and the Martyrs’ statue. The project’s mastermind, renowned French architect Marc Barani, sought a refined and minimalist square-shaped edifice that would pay homage to the notion of void, seeing that Hariri’s killing has left a significant void on the Lebanese political scene.

Barani had visited the Hariri grave in the fall of 2005, a few months after the politician’s assassination and was deeply touched by the words of the premiere’s youngest son Fahd, who compared his father to a mountain.

In a bid to pay homage to Lebanon’s most prominent post-Civil War politician, Barani wanted the monument to work as a link between the sky and the earth. The architect also played on the notion of movement, choosing bulky blocks of limestone to make up the mausoleum.

One of Barani’s main objectives was to create layers and perspectives in order to draw the attention of visitors to Beirut’s cultural heritage, the preservation of which Hariri contributed to in the aftermath of the devastating Civil War that reduced the Lebanese capital’s Downtown district to rubble.

Barani collaborated on the project with architects Milena Cestra and Rachid Karam.

In addition to Hariri and the seven bodyguards that perished with him at the Valentine’s Day bombing 10 years ago, the mausoleum comprises the graves of top intelligence officer Wissam al-Hasan and his bodyguard, and former minister Mohammad Chatah and his bodyguard.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on February 13, 2015, on page 2.

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Film depicts milestones of Rafik Hariri’s journey

BEIRUT: Valentine’s Day marks the 10-year anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and Lebanon’s TV stations are premiering a documentary with never-before-seen details of his life and the investigation of his death.

Six major TV stations will broadcast a jointly produced documentary titled “Zaman Rafik Hariri” (The Era of Rafik Hariri).

The film airs Friday at 9:30 p.m. on Future TV, LBC, MTV, Tele Liban, NBN and OTV, exactly a decade from the eve of Hariri’s murder.

The former premier was killed on Feb. 14, 2005, in a massive bombing near the Saint-George Hotel in Mina al-Hosn.

The explosion killed 22 people and wounded more than 200.

The assassination precipitated the division of Lebanon’s political establishment into two camps, the March 8 and March 14 movements, named for competing rallies held in the tumultuous aftermath of the killing. Continued protests led to the “Cedar Revolution,” which brought an end to 30 years of Syrian military presence in Lebanon.

The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon was established to investigate the assassination and bring the killers to justice. On Jan. 16, 2014, the Hague-based tribunal began proceedings against five Hezbollah members, who are being tried in absentia.

“Zaman Rafik Hariri” will examine the “major and pivotal phases” in the life of Hariri, who is credited with rebuilding Beirut following Lebanon’s destructive Civil War.

Renowned Lebanese journalist George Ghanem contributed to the film. Director Pierre Sarraf highlighted Ghanem’s role in the project, and said it was especially important due to his knowledge of political developments at the time of Hariri’s death.

“This is the added value of the film,” Sarraf told The Daily Star. “The film wasn’t done 10 years ago in the middle of the chaos. For the first time, we’re taking a step back and narrating the story from a [historical] perspective. And things that couldn’t have been said before can be said today.”

“Zaman Rafik Hariri” will attempt to shed light on the personal life of the late premier as well as his political legacy.

“We tried to do something which documentarists refer to as an ‘album de famille’ [family album],” Sarraf said.

The film shows personal and archival photographs from throughout Hariri’s life, some of which have never been seen by the public.

The documentary also features people whom Sarraf described as being in Hariri’s “inner circle,” including Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, Future bloc leader Fouad Siniora, and former intelligence chief Johnny Abdo.

“Through the script, the picture, and the music, we tried to give a feeling that’s a bit personal,” Sarraf explained.

The film stops on the day of the assassination, and does not delve into political changes that followed.

Future TV has also a produced a proprietary documentary examining the assassination itself. “The Road to the 14th of February” will air Friday at 8:30 p.m.

“This [documentary] narrates the process of the assassination of Rafik Hariri – the planning phase, the monitoring, and the implementation,” Hussein Wajeh, Future TV’s director of news and political programs, said.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Wajeh explained that the film would present information based on the indictments handed down by the STL. “There’s someone who gathered all of this information [from the STL] and we are presenting it as a televised story.”

“Everyone knows Rafik Hariri was assassinated on Feb. 14, 2005, and everyone has a piece of the story,” Wajeh said.

“We are trying to tell the people that this is how [the killers] assassinated Rafik Hariri, based on the facts, data and information presented by the tribunal – not [just] analyses or accusations.”

Storm Yohan finally expected to subside Friday afternoon

SIDON/TRIPOLI/BAALBEK, Lebanon: Storm Yohan is expected to subside by Friday afternoon, as Lebanon recovers from the aftermath of its brutal winds and heavy snows that clogged major roads Thursday. Friday’s weather is expected to be cloudy with heavy rains and thunderstorms, according to the daily weather forecast from the Meteorological Department at Beirut’s airport. Snow is also expected at altitudes of 800 meters and above.

The intensity of rain will decrease gradually from Friday afternoon.

Temperatures will range between 6 and 15 degrees Celsius along the coast, minus 1 and 6 in the mountains, minus 4 and 1 in the Cedars and 1 and 12 in the Bekaa Valley.

A slight rise in temperatures is likely Saturday as intermittent rains and snow will fall at an altitude of 900 meters and above. The department warned of ice forming overnight on mountain roads.

Thursday’s weather was marked by serious snowfall that blocked major roads across the country.

Villages near the southern border were blanketed with fresh snow Thursday morning, including Marjayoun and Bint Jbeil, as well as UNIFIL’s posts by the Blue Line.

Bulldozers belonging to UNIFIL and the Public Works Ministry went to work reopening blocked roads. The Lebanese Army and peacekeepers worked in cooperation to help citizens move cars lodged in snow.

Villages situated along the borders were subjected to especially harsh winds and heavy rain.

Snow fell around the southern town of Jezzine at altitudes of 700 meters and above. About 20 centimeters of snow blocked major southern roads but were later cleared by plows operated by the Civil Defense and the Public Works Ministry.

A thick fog hung in villages east of Sidon, where a significant drop in temperatures led to hail. Heavy showers and strong winds battered the city, forcing fishermen to shore.

The heavy snowfall led to a surge in demand for diesel, which was unavailable in many gas stations in Sidon’s remote villages.

Some even took advantage of the situation by increasing the price of fuel by LL6,000 or more.

In Dahr al-Baidar, the snowplowing center worked overtime to clear the snow, which reached at least 30 centimeters high in certain areas.

The area’s main roads remained open for SUVs and cars equipped with metal chains.

Members of the Internal Security Forces were deployed near the entrance of Kab Elias to prevent unequipped cars from passing.

The strong winds associated with the storm destroyed numerous makeshift refugee camps and toppled trees along the side roads of Ablah, Riyaq and along the Chtaura-Masnaa road.

Olive orchards and grapevines were also damaged due to the heavy snows across the country.

In addition to damaging newly refurbished roads, the storm wrought havoc for electricity networks and drinking water lines in a number of villages. Roads leading to villages in West Bekaa and southeast Lebanon were cleared of snow briefly but closed after layers of ice solidified due to cold.

Syrian refugees were also subject to severe weather-related hardships.

In addition to not having diesel, poorly equipped makeshift camps were destroyed as a result of strong winds in the Bekaa Valley, prompting humanitarian organizations, in coordination with UNHCR, to distribute aid early Thursday morning. Distributions will continue Friday.

Toward north Lebanon, snow fell on villages in the Bsharri district including Abdeen, which lies 1,700 meters, Wednesday night.

The main road from Tourza, leading to Bsharri and Ehden was blocked with snow. The ministry’s snowplows managed to reopen the road, however. The Bsharri-Arz road leading to ski lifts was also passable after the area’s municipality reopened them. In some areas residents had to trudge through 40-50 centimeters of snow.

In many areas, schools and businesses were closed. Education Minister Elias Bou Saab gave school administration the right to use their discretion and decide whether to remain open.

A team from the Public Works Ministry inspected Thursday damages Yohan inflicted on the coastal road the day before, the National News Agency reported.

Led by civil engineer Joseph Bou Samra, who heads the ministry’s road and buildings directorate, the team surveyed damages to the coastal region from Beirut’s Ain al-Mreisseh Corniche, to Dbayyeh, the Nahr al-Kalb tunnel and Amchit, north of Beirut.

Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim also launched an investigation into the company that built the coastal road, which stretches from Jounieh to Beirut, after it partially collapsed, LBCI reported.

Electricite du Liban said in a statement that the company was working to fix damaged electricity lines Thursday.

The statement said the power outage which affected numerous areas in Lebanon, including Beirut, was due to Yohan, which prompted the company to ration power.

The Clay Hunt Act: What the President Just Signed

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Today, President Obama signed the Clay Hunt Act into law in the East Room of the White House.

The new suicide prevention law is named in honor of Clay Hunt, an extraordinary young Texan and decorated Marine who served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like too many of our veterans, Clay struggled with depression and post-traumatic stress after he came home. Sadly, Clay’s life ended much too soon when he tragically committed suicide in 2011 at the age of only 28.

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act is a testament to the type of man that Clay Hunt was — even after his death, his legacy of helping veterans lives on.

In America, our veterans and troops are still struggling. As a country, we must do more to help our veterans deal with injuries like post-traumatic stress and depression.

"Everyone can do more, with and for our veterans. This has to be a national mission."

— President Obama

Ensuring that veterans have access to timely and effective mental health care is a top priority for the President and his Administration. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act will help the Administration take additional steps to address mental health and prevent suicide among veterans.

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Hariri urges the Lebanese not to lose hope

Machnouk backs amending smoking ban: eatery owners

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Clay Hunt Act Complements the VA's Ongoing Commitment to Veterans' Mental Health

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act complements VA’s ongoing, multi-faceted efforts to improve mental health care for our nation’s veterans, and I’m pleased that both houses of Congress came together to pass the SAV Act. I’m proud to stand with President Obama today as he signs this important legislation.

The health and well-being of the courageous men and women who have served in uniform is VA’s highest priority. And we’re working hard to provide timely access to the highest-quality recovery-oriented mental health care that anticipates and responds to veterans’ needs and supports their reintegration back into their communities.

We know that a growing number of veterans are seeking mental health care, and VA has deployed significant resources and increases in staff toward mental health services. VA provides a continuum of forward-looking outpatient, residential, and inpatient mental health services across the country.

We have many entry points for care: through our medical centers, more than 800 community-based outpatient clinics, 300 Vet Centers that provide readjustment counseling, the Veterans Crisis Line, VA staff on college and university campuses, and other outreach efforts. VA offers expanded access to mental health services with longer clinic hours, telemental health capability to deliver services, and standards that mandate rapid access to mental health services.

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Calling All Innovators: Apply to Serve the Nation as a Presidential Innovation Fellow

Today, we are very excited to announce that we are on the lookout for more innovators and technologists to serve the nation as Presidential Innovation Fellows.

The Fellowship brings talented, diverse individuals from outside government to team up with top federal innovators to tackle some of our country’s most pressing challenges. Acting as a small team alongside federal agency “co-founders,” Fellows will work quickly and iteratively to turn promising ideas into game-changing solutions.

As always, the Fellows will focus on national priorities, leveraging the best principles and practices of the innovation economy to help create positive impact in the span of months, not years. This is an opportunity to truly transform how government works for the people it serves.

Projects will focus on topics such as:

• Education: Fellows will work with myriad agencies to help make education more accessible to more Americans.


• Jobs and the economy: Fellows will work on fueling the economy and stimulating job growth through innovation and improved opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes.


• Climate change: Fellows will help our country and its communities prepare for the impacts of climate change.


• Health and patient care: Fellows will leverage innovation to save lives, provide better access to benefits and programs promoting quality of life.

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Lebanon charges 17 in hospital fuel fraud case

BEIRUT: Beirut’s Investigative Judge Sami Sedki Thursday filed indictments against 17 people, including public employees, on charges of embezzlement of public funds, fraud and bribery in the case of manipulating diesel quantities provided to public hospitals.

Judicial sources told The Daily Star that Sedki requested prison sentences ranging between three and 10 years with hard labor for 13 suspects, including the owner of the petroleum company which was contracted by the government to supply the hospitals and the company’s two accountants.

The judge also demanded prison sentences ranging between three months and two years to four of the defendants for allegedly defrauding the state and accepting bribes, the sources said.

The defendants were accused of direct involvement or complicity in manipulating the quantity of petroleum products and issuing fraudulent invoices.

Several employees at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital were among the defendants.

In the indictment, Sedki charged that the medical facility’s chief purchaser, identified as Soad M., received bribes ranging between $2,000 and $3,000 from the company’s owner once every two months, and facilitated the fraudulent invoicing.

According to the indictment, the petroleum company manipulated its tankers’ meters to show that 20,000 liters of diesel had been supplied, while only 5,000 liters were actually pumped.

The Internal Security Forces said two months ago that they had arrested the owner of Desert Petroleum, a company providing government institutions, including the ISF, with fuel oil, accusing the firm of defrauding the state.

Police also said it confiscated several fuel-transporting tankers which contained secret storage areas and manipulated meters.

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Gunman makes off with $20,000 from Beirut bank

A gunman made off with about $20,000 in cash after sticking up a Beirut area bank Thursday, a security source said.

North Lebanon road crash reduces cars to twisted metal, 1 dead

Lebanon struggles to reopen snow-blocked roads

Mountain roads remained closed for a second day Thursday amid a violent storm that ravaged the coast and caused power...

Lebanon probes coastal road collapse

BEIRUT: Lebanon's financial prosecutor Thursday launched an investigation into the company that built a coastal road which collapsed the day before during a violent storm, media reports said.

LBCI said Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim asked for an investigation after sections of the road that stretches between Beirut and Jounieh completely crumbled.

The reported added that Ibrahim summoned officials from the company that had constructed the coastal strip for interrogation.

Storm Yohan was the second massive storm to hit Lebanon this year, causing widespread damage to the coastal area and forcing road closures across the country.

Massive waves also ravaged Beirut's Corniche, ripping out metal barriers from the pavement and knocking down trees.

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Pressure Mounts On Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber To Resign

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

Gov. John Kitzhaber is accused of looking the other way while his fiancée allegedly used his office to land contracts for her consulting business. A state ethics probe is underway.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Keystone XL Pipeline Would Transport 'Dirty Energy'

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

Despite veto threats, the House sent the Keystone XL pipeline bill to President Obama. David Greene talks to Susan Casey-Lefkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council about environmental issues.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Lebanon Cabinet may discuss new decision-making system

Security prerequisite to tourism, Salam warns

Lebanon’s tourism industry will forever be stymied if the security situation remains unresolved, Prime Minister Tammam...

Gunman makes off with $20,000 from Beirut bank

Gunman makes off with $20,000 from Beirut bank

A gunman made off with about $20,000 in cash after sticking up a Beirut area bank Thursday, a security source said.

Lebanon struggles to reopen snow-blocked roads

BEIRUT: Snow-covered mountain roads remained closed for a second day Thursday amid a violent storm that ravaged the coast and caused power outages across Lebanon one day earlier.

The National News Agency said overnight snowfall in the northern district of Akkar made mountain roads completely impassable at an altitude above 1,200 meters.

Bulldozers in the morning worked to reopen some critical roads linking major towns, the report added.

Police meanwhile said that the Dahr al-Baidar road linking Beirut to the Bekaa Valley is impassable by all vehicles, including 4-wheel-drive trucks and cars with chains on their tires as a result of the snow.

In the southeastern region of Marjayoun, the NNA said that most schools were closed because of snow piling up as high as 50 cm. Roads were also shut across villages in the region as bulldozers worked to reopen them.

The NNA said snow fell in southeastern regions as low as 500 meters above sea level.

Blowing over from Europe, Storm Yohan intensified Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Wind speeds reached 100 kilometers per hour, forming 8-meter-high waves that battered corniches in coastal cities. Accompanied by heavy rain and hail, the storm destroyed restaurants, damaged crops, brought down trees and caused widespread blackouts.

Coastal areas suffered catastrophic damage from the huge waves whipped up by the high winds. Beirut’s Ain al-Mreisseh Corniche was severely damaged, its metal barriers ripped out of the pavement by the ferocity of the storm. The Beirut Fire Department cautioned citizens to stay away from the coast due to the dangerous waves.

Restaurant Chez Zakhia, in the northern coastal town of Amchit, was completely devastated, according to the NNA, as powerful waves damaged the venue’s external foundations and flooded it with water.

A Civil Defense rescue center stationed in Jounieh’s port was also heavily damaged, and four boats sank in the city’s port as a result of the crashing waves.

To the south, strong winds uprooted trees, tore down advertisements, and caused power outages in Tyre and across the region. With waves reaching 3 meters, fishermen tied up their boats out of fear they would swallowed by the sea.

Sidon’s port was forced to close, as its facilities were ravaged by strong winds and 7-meter waves. Huge breakers swamped bulldozers at the city’s commercial seaport, dragging one into the sea.

Army dismantles explosive device in Arsal

Lebanon launches Bekaa Valley security plan

Security forces raided towns in the eastern Bekaa Valley before dawn Thursday, sources said, sending fugitives fleeing.