Lebanon, Iraq Uncover Scam Network Targeting Lebanese Banks

By Donna Abu-Nasr -Bloomberg- Lebanese and Iraqi security services have uncovered an Iraqi network that spread false information about Lebanese banks in order to extort them, and several of its members have been arrested, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said Tuesday. The agency cited an Iraqi statement issued by the national intelligence service on Monday. The network’s members claimed to have millions of dollars in assets in the banks, but the supporting documents were forged, the statement said. The intelligence service said the network attempted to defraud Bank Audi SAL, but didn’t say whether any money was extorted. The bank issued a warning about the scam in a July 17 statement, saying it had been the subject of “fabricated, cheap and untruthful rumors on certain social media platforms, all of which are completely inaccurate and totally fallacious.” Bank Audi is one of several Lebanese banks operating in Iraq and other cities in the region. Lebanon’s banking sector has remained stable amid political upheavals, an influx of 1.5 million refugees who have strained the country’s resources and slow economic growth.

Pakistan elected last week former cricketer, supporter of blasphemy laws

by catholicnewsagency.com -- Islamabad, Pakistan (CNA).- Imran Khan has emerged as the victor in a general election held in Pakistan Wednesday, July 25. The professional cricket player-turned-politician has previously voiced support for the country’s controversial blasphemy laws. While votes are still being tallied in some areas, Khan’s centrist Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) have won 115 seats so far, becoming the largest party in the National Assembly. Khan, who ran as a populist reforming candidate, has publicly supported laws imposing strict penalties for blasphemy against Islam – including desecrating a Quran or insulting Mohammed. Penalties for insulting Islam’s chief prophet include fines, prison, and even the death penalty. While no one has been formally executed for the crime in Pakistan, mob violence and killings have accompanied public accusations of blasphemy. This includes the assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the Muslim governor of the Punjab province and a critic of the blasphemy laws, and Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic and Pakistan’s only Christian cabinet member. Bhatti's cause for beatification was opened by the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in 2016.

In his 2011 autobiography, Khan spoke out against a lack of government action against religious leaders who used the issue of blasphemy “arguably [to] incite murder.” Coming just weeks before the election, his public backing for the controversial laws was seen by many observers as a concession to hardliners in the country ahead of the vote. Parties running on an explicitly anti-blasphemy platform did poorly at the polls, with Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, which campaigns under the rallying cry “Death to Blasphemers” failing to win a single seat, despite a garnering a large following in the province of Punjab. As CNA has previous reported, accusations of blasphemy are disproportionately leveled against religious minorities, and the laws are seen as a vehicle for religious intolerance or persecution. While Pakistan is 97 percent Muslim, 14 percent of blasphemy cases are brought against non-Muslims.

Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Archbishop of Karachi, has spoken about the religious climate in Pakistan, which he says is getting more dangerous for Christians. In an interview with CNA in June, he raised the risks increasing posed by radicalization and foreign influences. While saying that the majority of Pakistani Muslims are moderate and support democracy, he noted that some extremists do not. “[They] don't accept democracy, they don't accept the international declaration of human rights, they say it's not Islamic.” While saying that Islamic hard-liners are a small minority, Coutts cautioned that they are now becoming a more prominent force in the life of the country. “We’ve always had these kinds of people on the fringes, but they weren't dominant,” he added. “Now they are becoming more assertive.” While he will need to form a coalition to formally take power, Khan is widely expected to become Prime Minister. He has pledged to create 10 million new jobs in five years and promised in his acceptance speech to prioritize the rule of law and end institutional discrimination. "We will not do any kind of political victimizing. We will establish the supremacy of the law; whoever violates the law, we will act against them. "We will set an example of how the law is the same for everyone. If the West is ahead of us today, it is because their laws are not discriminatory; this will be our biggest guiding principle.” Although pledging to end corruption, the victory comes with allegations of vote-rigging. Every party apart from Khan’s Movement for Justice have complained about the way the vote was conducted. European Union observers characterized the campaign as having a “lack of equality” among the parties. Despite this, the second largest party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has accepted the result. Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, a senior party official said that despite "reservations" over the way the election was held, they were accepting the result to "strengthen democracy in the country". "Even if democracy is flawed,” he said, “its solution is more democracy, and then more democracy." If Khan becomes Prime Minister, it will be only the second democratic transition of power in Pakistan’s history.

Amal Clooney makes Lebanese student's dream come true with scholarship

by star-magazine.co.uk -- The human rights lawyer, who married Hollywood superstar George Clooney in 2014, founded her educational initiative the following year to help girls from her native Lebanon realise their potential. This year (18), Amal and assessors at the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, an organisation founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, chose 16-year-old women's rights activist Kamar Omary as the youngster who will travel to Armenia to attend the United World College Dilijan. "This scholarship will give young women from Lebanon the opportunity of a lifetime," the 40-year-old said in a statement. "Cross-cultural learning and studying abroad can be transformative. I am grateful to the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative for helping to open doors for these bright and talented young women." Kamar, who was selected due to her interest in activism and her school grades, also revealed that her mother "cried" when she found out that her daughter would begin studying in Armenia in August. She added: "The closer it gets to August the more nervous I become - it's exciting because it's terrifying. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I hope to gain a platform - to talk to and change people. To bring about change you need to inspire individual people and change the world one person at a time. And that's what I'm planning to do."

Singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy performs at Beiteddine Art Festival near Beirut, Lebanon

French-Italian musician Carla Bruni (C) and her husband, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) pose for a photograph with Beiteddine Art Festival president Noura Jumblatt (L) at the Beirut airport on July 29, 2018. AFP / ANWAR AMRO

Singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the former French First Lady, performs at the Beiteddine Art Festival near Beirut, Lebanon, on July 30, 2018. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy performed her fifth album "French Touch" at the festival. (Xinhua/Li Liangyong)

An-Nahar - BEIRUT: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with President Michel Aoun Monday then met PM Hariri and President Suleiman concert  ahead of his wife Carla Bruni's at the Beiteddine Art Festival. Sarkozy and his singer-wife arrived in Lebanon on Sunday evening where they were greeted by the French ambassador Bruno Foucher and Nora Joumblatt, President of Beiteddine Art Festival. Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt, who is married to Nora, is set to meet with Sarkozy as well. Since her 1st album "Quelqu'un m'a dit" in 2002, Bruni has toured the world from New York to Rio, London, and Moscow, making her way to Beirut to perform at the Festival tonight as part of her world "French Touch" tour.

World Bank offers 2 bln USD for Lebanon's development

BEIRUT, (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has provided Lebanon with 2 billion U.S. dollars for the country's development, the National News Agency reported Monday. "The World Bank is always ready to help Lebanon by funding its development and productive projects," said Farid Belhaj, the World Bank's vice president for Middle East and North Africa. Belhaj's remarks came during his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun over the World Bank's role in the country. He also praised the political and economic reforms by Lebanon, in order to restore the confidence of the international community in Lebanon. Aoun said Lebanon is keen on implementing economic reforms and reviving productive sectors, highlighting anti-corruption as the priority of all political parties. The Lebanese president also praised the World Bank's support for Lebanon, saying the funding will be given to projects that would increase economic growth and modernize the infrastructure.

We Can't Force Iran Out of Syria, Russia Tells Israelis

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) - Russia cannot compel Iranian forces to quit Syria, Moscow's ambassador to Tel Aviv said on Monday, rebuffing Israel's long-standing demand that it should work to ensure their total withdrawal from the country. Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov said Moscow could equally do nothing to prevent Israeli military strikes against Iranian forces in Syria, which along with Russia and Tehran-backed Lebanese militias are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in combating rebel fighters. With Assad now in almost complete control of southwestern areas abutting the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, Viktorov told Israel's Channel 10 television in an interview that only Syrian army troops should be deployed there.

Last week an Israeli official said Russia had offered to keep Iranian forces at least 100 km (60 miles) from the Golan Heights ceasefire line. The offer came up during a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, but Israel rejected it as insufficient, the official said. Viktorov defended the Iranians' presence in Syria. "They are playing a very, very important role in our common and joint effort to eliminate terrorists in Syria. That is why, for this period of time, we see as non-realistic any demands to expel any foreign troops from the entirety of the Syrian Arab Republic," he said. "We can talk with our Iranian partners very frankly and openly, trying to persuade them to do or not to do something," he said. But asked whether Russia can force Iran out, he answered: "We cannot." While formally neutral in the seven-year-old civil war next door, Israel has carried out scores of air strikes against suspected emplacements or arms transfers by Iranian or Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas in Syria, apparently unimpeded by the Russian defense systems deployed there. A military hotline Israel and Russia set up in 2015 has also helped to the countries avoid inadvertently clashing over Syria. Viktorov expressed disapproval of the attacks on Syria, but added: "We cannot dictate to Israel how to proceed ... It is not up to Russia to give Israel freedom to do anything, or to prohibit Israel to do anything." (Writing by Dan Williams; editing by David Stamp)