Sleiman, Rai discuss presidential election

BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman and Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai discussed the latest developments concerning the presidential election Thursday following an abortive Parliament session to elect a new president a day earlier.

The two held talks at Baabda Palace concerning a range of national issues, at the top of which was the presidential election.

Speaker Nabih Berri Wednesday adjourned the Parliament session to elect a new president to May 15 after only 73 MPs showed up, preventing a quorum for the third time in less than a month.

Sleiman’s mandate expires May 25, by which time Parliament must elect a new president or else there will be a vacuum.

The president also met with Future Movement MP Ammar Houry as well as former MPs and ministers and discussed the latest developments and political files.

Machnouk issues requirements for entry of Syrian Palestinian refugees

BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk stressed Thursday that Palestinian refugees from Syria were not barred from entering Lebanon, but that specific requirements for their entry had been issued.

“There is no decision preventing Palestinian refugees in Syria from entering Lebanon and passing through the country,” Machnouk said according to a statement by the ministry.

He said some measures were taken last weekend against a number of Syrian citizens and Palestinian refugees from Syria who had tried to travel through Lebanon to unspecified Arab countries, and that “a decision was taken to deport them for committing the crime of possessing fake travel documents.”

Some 49 Syrians and Palestinians previously living in Syria were arrested at Beirut airport last Saturday on suspicion of possessing forged documents. About 40 were deported back to Syria the next day, all of whom are believed to be Palestinian, according to Human Rights Watch. It is not know what happened to the other nine or so.

As a result of the incident, Machnouk said new requirements had been put in place to better govern the entry process of Palestinian refugees from Syria coming into Lebanon.

Palestianian refugees from Syria must now possess an entry permit approved by the General Directorate of General Security, a residency of one to three years, or a Lebanese exit and return permit. Those who want to travel abroad through Beirut's airport may do so as long as they have the necessary travel documents or permits.

Palestinian refugees from Syria coming through the airport will be given a crossing permit valid for 24 hours, although Lebanese authorities will no longer automatically give permission for them to enter Lebanon, even if they have the right to return to Syria.

Further, a new rule states that Palestinians who have bought a nine-month residency, which costs LL300,000, will be given a three-month extension to make it last for a year.

Machnouk stressed that these requirements were subject to alteration according to the security situation in Syria, and that any decision to totally close the border to refugees would have to be issued by the Cabinet following deliberations with the involved ministerial committee.

First coronavirus case detected in Lebanon: Health Ministry

BEIRUT: The first coronavirus case was detected in Lebanon, a spokesperson of the Health Ministry confirmed to The Daily Star Thursday.

"We can confirm that first coronavirus case was detected at one of the Lebanese hospitals but we cannot disclose the name of the hospital at the moment," the spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Daily Star.

Earlier, Health Minister Wael Abu Faour gave an order to activate scanners to detect cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus among travelers arriving at Beirut airport.

“All the suspected cases at the hospitals and after conducting the necessary tests show that so far there is no trace of Corona in Lebanon," Abu Faour told reporters after a tour of Rafik Hariri International Airport.

He said the scanning devices have been installed at the airport.

The MERS virus has killed some 117 people in Saudi Arabia since it was detected in September 2012.

Abu Faour has said that Lebanese hospitals are ready to handle patients who have the virus.

Congress Holds Former IRS Official Lois Lerner In Contempt

House Republicans on Wednesday voted to hold former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress for repeatedly refusing to answer questions about her alleged involvement in targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

In testimony before congressional hearings, as recently as March, Lerner has invoked the Fifth Amendment on the matter.

Lerner directed the Internal Revenue Service division that processes applications for tax-exempt status of political groups.

The IRS first came under fire in May of last year when Lerner apologized to conservative organizations that had been singled out for extra scrutiny. Many of those groups had complained about delays in their applications for tax-exempt status.

Ball Aerospace gets missile-detection contract

BOULDER, Colo. -- Boulder-based Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been awarded a $24 million contract to develop a missile-detecting laser system for U.S. Navy ships.

The NATO Seasparrow project is designed to help the Navy detect and identify potential threats to its ships.

According to the Boulder Daily Camera (http://bit.ly/1m11gOB ), the laser system is designed to provide protection against new threats at sea.

Officials: No danger from Tritium leak at SC plant

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Water with traces of a radioactive hydrogen isotope have leaked at a nuclear power plant in South Carolina.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday that the level of tritium in the water is well below limits that would make it dangerous to drink.

The leak was reported Wednesday at the Oconee Nuclear Station near Seneca. The NRC says water was being transferred from one chemical treatment pond to another and began seeping from the ground.

Officials say the leak was greater than 100 gallons of water.

Duke Energy runs the plant. A watchdog group is calling on the company to figure out why the leak happened and prevent future spills. Duke officials say the reporting was voluntary and that no one is at risk from the release.

Panel to hear testimony on 38 Studios bond payment

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The House Oversight Committee is due to hear testimony on whether Rhode Island should honor its bond debt from the 38 Studios debacle.

A hearing is set for Thursday. John Simmons of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council is expected to testify. Gary Sasse of Bryant University's Institute for Public Leadership was also slated to testify, but a House spokesman said he asked to be removed from the witness list.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee's administration says it would be disastrous to default on the debt. He says doing so would harm the state's financial reputation and increase future borrowing costs.

Oversight Chairwoman Karen MacBeth has been a vocal critic of repayment.

Chafee's office says an independent report on the bond payment issue is due out soon.