By ASSOCIATED PRESS — BEIRUT — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister said Tuesday he was shocked to learn he was being charged with negligence in the Aug. 4 port explosion, saying he did his utmost duty during his brief tenure, during which he learned about dangerous chemicals stored at the port. In an interview with the Associated Press, Hassan Diab described being singled out and charged while others knew more, calling it “diabolical.” He insisted the investigating judge must go through parliament to question him further, now that he has been charged. Lebanon’s prosecutor investigating last summer’s horrific explosion at the Beirut port filed charges against Diab and three former ministers earlier this month, accusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people. The charges caused a political storm in Lebanon and Diab and other ministers refused to appear before the judge for questioning as defendants, calling the charges politically motivated and selective.

Two of the former ministers challenged the authority of Judge Fadi Sawwan, calling on him to be recused from the investigation and a new judge named. The challenge prompted a pause in the probe that has cast doubt on the fate of the investigation into the blast that killed more than 200 people and destroyed parts of Beirut. “Questioning me is not an issue, he [the judge] is welcome to do it. But being charged is a whole different ball game,” Diab said. The catastrophic explosion was caused by the ignition of a large stockpile of ammonium nitrate that — it later transpired — had been stored at the port for six years with the knowledge of top security officials and politicians who did nothing about it. They include senior security officials, the army command, the president and former prime ministers. The blast killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands, devastating large parts of the capital Beirut.

This US resolution just passed with full support: S.Res.682 expresses the Senate’s affirmation that U.S. assistance should be delivered directly to the Lebanese people following the recent explosion in Beirut. Further, it calls on Lebanon to conduct a transparent investigation into the cause of, and responsibility for, the explosion and to prioritize policies and programs […]

Vatican City, (CNA).- Pope Francis issued a new law Monday reorganizing Vatican finances following a series of scandals. In a document issued Dec. 28, the pope formalized the transfer of financial responsibilities from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which functions as the Holy See’s treasury and sovereign wealth manager. He first announced the shake-up in an Aug. 25 letter to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin that was made public on Nov. 5 after the Secretariat of State was engulfed by accusations of financial mismanagement. The pope promulgated the new law in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio (“on his own impulse”). The text, entitled “A better organization,” also set out new regulations for the oversight of Peter’s Pence, an annual worldwide collection supporting the pope’s mission.

Vatican officials have been forced to deny that money raised for Peter’s Pence was used to cover losses on a controversial London property deal overseen by the Secretariat of State. The document, signed Dec. 26 and coming into force before the start of the Vatican’s new fiscal year, contains four articles. The first concerns the transfer of investments and liquidity from the Secretariat of State to APSA. The second regulates the management of papal funds. The third sets out “provisions on economic and financial monitoring and supervision” and the fourth addresses the functioning of the Secretariat of State’s administrative office. Under the new law, APSA will gain ownership of funds, bank accounts, and investments, including real estate, previously administered by the Secretariat of State from Jan. 1, 2021. APSA’s management of its new responsibilities will be subject to “ad hoc control” by the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, established in 2014 to oversee the financial activities of the Holy See and Vatican City State. The Secretariat for the Economy will in future also serve as the Papal Secretariat for Economic and Financial Matters.

By Kareem Chehayeb — middleeasteye.net — Lebanon’s Michel Aoun said on Monday he’d take the Covid-19 vaccine, hours after his spokesman told Middle East Eye the president had not decided whether to take it or not. The issue had become a hot topic in the country after al-Jumhurriah newspaper reported Aoun would refuse to take the vaccine and as healthcare officials attempt to tackle disinformation and conspiracy theories about the pandemic. “The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, will receive the vaccine against corona, in contrast to what was published today in the media and social media,” Aoun’s twitter account said on Monday. Earlier, his spokesman told MEE: “The president has not taken a decision yet,” noting that the vaccine was not going to be rolled out in Lebanon until February anyway.

Other political officials, including Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri, have not yet commented on the matter. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview on Al-Mayadeen television that he would refer to his doctors’ advice regarding the vaccine, but would “definitely not” take what he called “the American vaccine”. Dr Firass Abiad, who heads the government-run Rafic Hariri University Hospital, told MEE that public officials needed to step up, endorse the vaccine and counter disinformation about it. “We need people with moral, social, scientific, and even religious authority coming up and endorsing the vaccine, to start some kind of a wave of acceptance,” he said. “Unfortunately, up until now, we see that a lot of the people doing the talking are the sceptics with [only] some individual authorities fighting back.”

BY AMY-MAE TURNER — Mashable.com — We’re huge fans of Wikipedia. The nonprofit organization represents the largest collection of knowledge collaboratively accumulated in one place — ever. While the concept of a free, community-managed, online encyclopedia had been around for some time, Wikipedia, as we know it now, officially began with its first edit on Jan. 15, 2001, two days after the domain was registered by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Whether over the last 20 years you’ve used Wikipedia for study or for work, to satisfy random bursts of curiosity, to settle arguments, or to cheat at Zoom quiz nights, we’re all indebted to the amazing free service. In order to celebrate Wikipedia’s 20th anniversary, we’re sharing 20-plus facts about the free encyclopedia that you never knew you never knew…

1. Wikipedia’s stats are jaw-dropping. It currently has more than 55 million articles across more than 300 languages.

2. There are more than 280,000 editors who take time to contribute to Wikipedia every month.

by AFP — Lebanon’s army said it had arrested eight people after a dispute led a group of Lebanese nationals to set fire to an informal refugee settlement in the country’s north. The army said on Sunday it “arrested two Lebanese nationals and six Syrians over a personal dispute … between a number of Lebanese men and Syrian workers,” according to a statement. “The Lebanese men fired bullets in the air and torched the tents of Syrian refugees,” it added, without elaborating on the cause of the altercation. The fire on Saturday night tore through the tented shelters of some 75 families near the town of Bhanine in the north Lebanon Miniyeh region, leaving only a charred wasteland. The camp’s more than 370 residents were forced to flee, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), and at least four people were taken to hospital for injuries The National News Agency (NNA) reported that the fire followed an “altercation” between a member of a Lebanese family and “Syrian workers”. Other youths from the Lebanese family then “set fire to some of the refugees’ tents”, the NNA added. The Lebanese Civil Defence worked to control the blaze while the army and police were deployed to restore calm, according to the report. A security source told AFP shots were heard, saying the fight in the Bhanine area was set off when Syrian workers demanded a wage which their employers refused to pay.

by pinkvilla.com — Let us find out what 2021 – 2022 has in store for Astrology, Horoscopes and your zodiac sign.

Aries: You are going to make an impact on the environment in 2021 as you know and are aware of human’s disastrous effect on the planet. You are going to lose some old friends and make new friends that might spark up a romance in your life. If you are already in a relationship, you might think of this as a good time to introduce your partner to your friends and connect on a deeper level. Aries, this year is all about establishing a deeper connection with friends, lovers and the planet.

Taurus: Things that were put on hold this year will finally come into action in 2021. This year is going to be massive for you with lots of beginnings in your career, love life and health. You will be working on projects, you will expand your reach professionally, so, taking calculative risks is wise. Stay open to experimenting when it comes to your life as you might end up in an unexpected relationship that will blossom into something fruitful next year.

To view all horoscopes click read more 

The gift card — what you get someone when you typically can’t think of what to buy — has suddenly become one of the hottest holiday gifts as people look to circumvent stores and shipping delays amid the pandemic. Bloomberg reports Americans are slated to buy more gift cards than ever this holiday season, increasing […]

by TAREK ALI AHMAD — arabnews.com — LONDON: In 2005 and at the young age of 23, Nayla Tueini’s whole world virtually turned on its head. The young journalist was catapulted from undergoing a month-long training program at French newspaper Le Figaro, to being prepped to take over and lead one of the biggest Lebanese dailies, Annahar, after her father — renowned editor and publisher Gebran Tueini — was killed in a car bombing in the Mkalles suburb of Beirut. “It was a big challenge because I was a young woman starting. I was in the middle of people with 30, 40, 50 years’ experience, and they were saying, ‘Who is she? She doesn’t know anything. She’s just a young girl … trying to have fun’,” Nayla told Arab News. Fifteen years later, at 38, she has been chosen as Media Personality of the Year at the 2020 Arab Media Forum, held virtually from Dubai, for her strong and steady leadership of Annahar through what has been described as Lebanon’s worst year ever.

In 2020, the country experienced an unprecedented financial crisis, devaluation of the local currency, the coronavirus pandemic, the Aug. 4 blast at the Port of Beirut and ongoing political corruption. The blast shattered the newspaper’s glass-facade headquarters, which stands not 700 meters from the port. “Having 30 injured people, blood around you, all the glass, everything … it was worse than the war,” Nayla said. “It was a difficult year.”

by catholicweekly.com.au — The Maronite Eparchy of Australia and Caritas Lebanon have launched a “Lebanese Family Appeal” to address massive poverty and social dislocation in the nation in the aftermath of August’s tragic explosion in the Port of Beirut. A monthly contribution of $50 for twelve months or a once-off $600 payment can provide basic food necessities for a small family in Lebanon for one year, a statement by Bishop Tarabay said. Lebanon’s situation is dire. The 4 August explosion magnified the devastation of the implosion of the Lebanese economy and government earlier in the year and has led to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese now counted as homeless. Meanwhile, the 6.8-million strong nation is host to an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, 75 per cent of whom have no legal status. On a per capita basis, Lebanon hosts more refugees than any other nation on earth.

The impact of the August explosion in the Port of Beirut has and will continue to exacerbate the grim economic and food security situation in Lebanon,” Bishop Tarabay said. “Prior to the explosion, the country had already been going through the worst economic crisis in its history, whilst having to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, leaving more families vulnerable and unable to meet their daily needs. “This amount of $50 per month will help a small family provide necessities. “We aim to sponsor 500 families unable to meet their daily needs, profiles of whom have been provided by Caritas Lebanon.” Bishop Tarabay said donors can choose to select a specific family profile or contribute to a family randomly selected based on its urgent need. Contributions can be made via the designated envelopes and forms, available through Maronite Parishes and or via the Eparchy’s website.