Khazen

President General Michel Suleiman says can’t keep delaying Cabinet formation

 

Daily Star Lebanon – BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman hinted Monday he could move ahead with the formation of a fait accompli Cabinet if a consensus over a new government is not reached soon, in a challenge to Hezbollah which insists on a national unity government. “In case there isn’t a consensus on a [national] unity Cabinet, do we stay without a government? Would a consensus on a government necessarily reflect national consensus?” Sleiman asked. “How long can a president keep on rejecting Cabinet formulas and how long can the delay go on?” the president asked.

Sleiman hinted that non-political partisans should be given a chance to form the next government in the country. “Are not the Lebanese who do not belong to any [political group] allowed to take part in reviving the country? Do such people harm the consensus in Lebanon?” he asked.

However, the president said the political rivals still had a chance to reach a consensus over the next Cabinet.

“Anyway, the door for consultations is still open and political rivals still have a chance to reach a unifying [Cabinet] formula with Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam,” he said.

Lebanon’s Cabinet formation process has been stalled for over nine months due to conditions and counter conditions set by the March 8 and March 14 rivals groups.

 

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Contacts Ongoing to Persuade Pope to Visit Lebanon in May

  Pope Francis expressed readiness to visit Lebanon during a trip planned to the Holly Land, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Monday.   According to the daily, contacts are ongoing with the Vatican to convince the pontiff to make a brief visit to Beirut during his first trip to the Holy Land, visiting Amman, Bethlehem and […]

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What is the polar vortex?

    A blast of brutally cold air – thanks to the polar vortex – is roaring across the central and eastern USA early this week, sending temperatures to levels not seen in 20 years.   The polar vortex is a strong area of low pressure that usually wanders around the Arctic throughout the winter. […]

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The ‘Tiger Mom’ Now Has A List Of Which ‘Culture Groups’ Have The Best Chance Of Making It In America

 

You may remember Amy Chua, a Yale law professor as the "Tiger Mom" who argued that running a severely strict household was the key to raising success children.

Now she and husband Jed Rubenfeld are out with an even more controversial book about success and parenting, "The Triple Package."

According to a review by Maureen Callahan in the New York Post, the pair have "gathered some specious stats and anecdotal evidence to argue that some groups are just superior to others and everyone else is contributing to the downfall of America."

The authors write:

That certain groups do much better in America than others — as measured by income, occupational status, test scores and so on — is difficult to talk about. In large part, this is because the topic feels so racially charged.

Here is their list:

  • Nigerians
  • Jews
  • Chinese
  • Indians
  • Iranians
  • Lebanese-Americans
  • Cuban exiles
  • Mormons

The pair argue that studies about vanishing upward mobility often exclude immigrants and their children, who often possess at least one of three character traits — a superiority complex, insecurity, and impulse control — that other, less successful groups allegedly lack.

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Historical Library Torched in Tripoli

  TRIPOLI – A decades-old library owned by a Greek Orthodox priest in north Lebanon’s majority Sunni city of Tripoli was torched late Friday, a day after a sectarian scuffle, a security source said. "Unknown assailants torched the Saeh Library in Tripoli, destroying two thirds of some 80,000 books and manuscripts housed there," said the source, […]

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UAE Renews Travel Warning to Lebanon

  The United Arab Emirates on Friday reiterated its call on its citizens not to travel to Lebanon over the deteriorating security situation in the country.   A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry also asked UAE nationals currently in Lebanon to leave the country immediately and coordinate with the country’s embassy to facilitate their […]

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Columnist: US should counter anti-Christian persecution

 

.- Americans should not resign themselves to “a Middle East without Christians” but should work to expand their traditions of religious freedom overseas, says Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson. “Across North Africa and the greater Middle East, anti-Christian pressure has grown during the past few decades, sometimes subtle, sometimes overt,” Gerson wrote on Dec. 26.

He cited the Christmas Day bombings in Iraq that killed more than 30 people, the flight of Syrian Christians to Turkey, and attacks on Coptic Christians and their churches in Egypt. Gerson said the United States should see its “unique success” in dealing with religion at home as a guide for global action. He advocated a foreign policy that more strongly condemns human rights abuses, backs moderate forces and makes foreign aid conditional on the protection of minorities.

He also praised Prince Charles of Wales’ efforts to build bridges between Islam and Christianity, noting that the prince believes there is now a “crisis” where these bridges are “rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so.” Gerson said that other countries’ respect for religious minorities is important for both humanitarian and strategic reasons. Citing William Inboden of the University of Texas, he said there is a “robust correlation” between religious persecution and threats to national security.

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What can $3 billion do?

  When French president François Hollande visits Saudi Arabia, a traditional Western ally in the Middle East, most expect standard-fare statements about cooperation and concern for security developments in the region. But on December 29, 2013, news came from the Saudi king’s luxurious Rawdat Khurayim farm residence about the country’s decision to arm the Lebanese […]

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U.N. ‘Outraged’ by Haret Hreik Blast

  The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly “strongly” deplored on Thursday the car bombing in the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, expressing his anger over the recurrent explosions in Lebanon.   "I express my outrage that this is the fourth bomb to have exploded in Beirut’s southern suburbs since July,” Plumbly said […]

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