by DR. DANIA KOLEILAT KHATIB — .arabnews — In a press briefing on Monday, ailing Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who had problems reading a scripted speech properly, answered a journalist who asked where the country was heading to if a new government was not formed. He answered with a cold tone: “We are heading to hell.” The gimmick of the formation of a new government will not save Lebanon, as French President Emmanuel Macron is promoting. The problems and the solutions do not end with Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib or his predecessor Hassan Diab and their Cabinets, as both men are a cover-up for a corrupt power structure that uses every maneuver possible to stay afloat.

The first maneuver is the apparent rift between the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Hezbollah. The president’s party said it refuses Hezbollah’s claim to the finance portfolio in the next government, stating that the different ministries are not dedicated to a particular confession. However, this show of integrity will not fool a sharp observer. The accord that laid the foundation of the Hezbollah-Aoun alliance will not be broken anytime soon. The FPM is a client of Hezbollah and it is impossible for Aoun to maintain his entourage and his base of supporters without the financial support of the Iran-sponsored group. Nevertheless, as the ghost of potential sanctions comes to haunt Gebran Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law, the apple of his eye and the head of his political party, some distancing — at least publicly — and a controlled feud are deemed necessary. This will allow for the formation of a government: A government in which Aoun will have his share and that will have the blessing of Macron, who is supposed to offer legitimacy for this botched project among the international community.

by npr.org — California will phase out the sale of all gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 in a bid to lead the U.S. in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging the state’s drivers to switch to electric cars. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday that amounts to the most aggressive clean-car policy in the United States. Although it bans the sale of new gas cars and trucks after the 15-year deadline, it will still allow such vehicles to be owned and sold on the used-car market. “This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” the governor said in a statement. “Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”

Newsom, a Democrat, also threw his support behind a ban on petroleum fracking but called on the California Legislature to make that change. With extreme wildfires still burning in the state, Newsom says fighting climate change is an emergency. However, the state’s efforts have run afoul of the Trump administration, which has sought to revoke California’s authority to mandate zero-emission vehicles – a challenge that has landed in court. Gov. Brown’s Biggest Climate Foe Isn’t Trump. It’s Car-Loving Californians In January 2018, Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order setting ambitious targets of 200 hydrogen fueling stations and 250,000 electric vehicle chargers to support 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2025. The number of zero-emission electric vehicles being sold in the state has been on the upswing in recent years, although they accounted for fewer than 8% of all new cars sold in California last year.

BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) – France backed on Wednesday a proposal by a former Lebanese prime minister that could help break a deadlock blocking formation of Lebanon’s new cabinet amid the Middle East nation’s worst crisis since its 1975-90 civil war. Paris has been pressing politicians for the quick formation of a government that will draw up reforms to tackle corruption and help attract international aid to fix an economy drowning in debt and struggling after a massive explosion at Beirut port. Lebanese Deputy Parliament Speaker Elie Ferzli said he now saw “promising possibilities” for an end to the cabinet logjam. The process of forming a cabinet hit the buffers this month after Lebanon’s two main Shi’ite Muslim parties insisted they pick some cabinet posts, including the finance minister, which has been held by a Shi’ite for years.

Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib, a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon’s sectarian system of power-sharing, had sought to shake up ministerial positions with a new cabinet of specialists. Former prime minister Saad al-Hariri, a leading Sunni politician, offered a way out by proposing on Tuesday that an “independent” Shi’ite candidate be named as finance minister. “This declaration represents an opening and all parties should understand its importance so that a government of mission can now be established,” the French Foreign Ministry said.

By Doreen Abi Raad • Catholic News Service BEIRUT (CNS) — Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai warned that the Christian presence in the Middle East is shrinking and church leaders “are called to face the winds that blow in our homelands.” The assessment by the patriarch of Maronite Catholics during a meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches executive committee Sept. 18 underscored the dire reality facing Christians in the tumultuous region. “The ship threatened by strong winds and waves” that is sinking symbolizes “the witnessing church in the sea of our Middle Eastern countries troubled by the winds of conflicts and wars, political, economic, financial and livelihood crises, and the corona epidemic,” Cardinal Rai said. The cardinal also explained at the meeting he hosted at Bkerke, the Maronite patriarchate north of Beirut, that the threat “reached its climax” in Lebanon with the catastrophic double explosion in the port of Beirut Aug. 4. The disaster left nearly 200 people dead, injured another 6,000, and displaced more than 300,000 people.

He stressed that the MECC is called in such turbulent time to work with churches and their leaders, institutions and the faithful “to face the waves and winds that ravage their homelands … with stances of faith and hope.” “We ask you, Lord, through the intercession of our Mother Virgin Mary, the star of the sea in the storm, to lead our homelands, our churches and our people to the port of safety,” Cardinal Rai pleaded. The MECC in its final statement reiterated its appeal for an end to “the destructive wars and conflicts in the Middle East, to protect human dignity, and build peace on the basis of justice and rights.” Meeting participants expressed their “deep solidarity” with the Lebanese in the “catastrophic tragedy” they are suffering from the Beirut explosions. They called for continued “ecumenical ecclesiastical efforts with all local, regional and international partners to lift the material and psychological repercussions of this tragedy.” They also expressed their solidarity with all those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, especially people who have lost loved ones, offered appreciation to medical and humanitarian aid teams, and assured their continued prayers for an end to the pandemic.

by Al Jazeera — The Lebanese army said the blast occurred in a building in the southern village of Ein Qana, about 50km (30 miles) south of the capital Beirut, on Tuesday and that it was investigating. Hezbollah members imposed a security cordon around the blast area, barring journalists from reaching it. Hezbollah’s media office […]

by arabnews.com — NAJIA HOUSSARI — BEIRUT: Lebanon is “going to hell” if it fails to form a government, the president warned on Monday. A huge explosion on Aug. 4 at the Port of Beirut led to the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his administration. Mustapha Adib, the country’s 48-year old ambassador to Germany, was named as his replacement and tasked with assembling a new government. However his mission has stalled, not least because of a dispute over who will lead the Ministry of Finance. Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement want Shiite ministers in the cabinet, including the finance minister. The Free Patriotic Movement has objected to their demand and proposed naming ministers from small sects to assume key portfolios.

Lebanon “is going to hell if the situation remains as it is,” President Michel Aoun said. “Neither bullying one another will benefit, nor channeling foreign powers will help. Only understanding each other based on the constitution and balance will take us to stability and recovery. The rigidity of positions will not lead us to any result except for more aggravation, while what Lebanon needs most in light of all its successive crises is some resolution and solidarity so that it can rise and confront its problems.” An initiative from France stipulates that the government comprise specialists who are separate from the parties in power, that portfolios should be rotated, that the government be small, its work team homogeneous and that it carry out a specific reform mission. This mission, based on its implementation, would lead to crucial international aid that would bail Lebanon out of its economic and financial misery. President Emmanuel Macron gave parties a deadline to form a government. It was missed, however, and has been extended until Tuesday. Aoun proposed cancelling the sectarian distribution of key ministries, not allocating them to specific sects but making them available to all sects, and making the ability to accomplish and not sectarian affiliation as the criterion for choosing ministers.

by Deutsche Welle — egyptindependent — While traffic seethed elsewhere in the city, crowds of angry people moved through central Beirut in protest at a government blamed for the devastating August 4 blast. By the following weekend, security forces submerged the city center in tear gas. At Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square, people fled from violent clashes with police and retreated amid the turmoil. Cries of “We are oppressed in our own country,” came from the crowd. Their voices were female. Everybody in Lebanon knows the slogan refers to foreign influence and a corrupt, typically male, ruling class. But for women it takes on an added layer of meaning.

‘The revolution was, and is, female’ Lebanon was already suffering from an array of distress: an economic crisis, long-standing protests against corruption and a sectarian system of patronage — then came the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port last month. The high number of women involved in the struggle against those challenges is striking. The women among the protest movement show particular courage and strength and are often at the forefront of demonstrations. Almost half of the protesters at Martyrs’ Square following the blast were female. Driving the uprising forward, many of the younger ones arrived in tight jeans and short tops. “The revolution was, and is, female,” said 60-year-old Laila Zahed, grinning. She has been to almost every demonstration since protests began on October 17 last year. On several occasions women stood between soldiers ready to fire and angry demonstrators, so that violence would not break out, she said.

(MENAFN – Daily News Egypt) Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry has met with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, to discuss the latest updates on the situation in Lebanon. The meeting, which was held during Kubis’ visit to Cairo on Sunday and which saw the UN representative brief Shoukry on the latest updates in Lebanon, also reviewed the means of supporting the Lebanese people through the country’s current crisis. A statement by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez noted that Shoukry stressed Egypt’s steadfast position in supporting Lebanon’s security and stability. Shoukry also highlighted the importance of continued support for Lebanon as it overcomes its current crisis. The minister expressed confidence in the Lebanese people’s ability to overcome the challenges posed by the Beirut port explosion that occurred in early August. Shoukry visited Lebanon last month, following the explosion, to take part in discussions with Lebanese officials on supporting the country through the fallout of the explosion.

عظة البطريرك الكردينال مار بشاره بطرس الراعي الأحد الأوَّل بعد عيد الصَّليب: طلب إبني زبدى دير سيّدة إيليج – الأحد 20 أيلول

2020 “لأنَّ ابنَ الإنسان لم يأتِ ليُخدَم بل ليَخدُمَ، ويَبذُلَ نفسَهُ فِداءً عن كثيرِين” (مر 45:10) 1. ربُّنا يسوع المسيح، إبنُ الله الازليّ الذي صار ابنَ الانسان في الزمن، جاء أرضَنا ليفتديَ بموته على الصَّليب خطايا البشريَّة جمعاء، ويَبعثَ في الإنسان، بقيامته، الحياةَ الجديدة. فتركَ للعالمِ نهجًا جديدًا من أجل استمراريَّةِ عمل الفداء، وانبعاثِ الحياة الإلهيَّة في كلِّ شخصٍ يولَد في العالم. هذا النهج كشفَهُ ليعقوب ويوحنَّا، داعيًا إيَّاهما إلى شُربِ كأس الألم معه، والاصطباغ بمعموديَّة الدمّ، “لأنَّه هو – ابنَ الإنسان- لم يأتِ ليُخدَم، بل ليَخدُم، ويَبذُل نفسَه فداءً عن كثيرين” (مر 45:10). إنَّه نهج الخدمةِ المتفانية وبذلِ الذات، نهجُ الشُّهداء بامتياز، على مرِّ العصور. 2. ها نحن نواصِلُ تقليدًا في سنتِهِ الرَّابعة والعشرين، ونحتفل بالذَّبيحة الإلهيَّة إحياءً لشهداء المقاومة اللُّبنانيَّة الخمسة آلاف الذين ضحَّوا بنفوسهم من أجل حماية الإيمان المسيحيّ والوطن لبنان دون سواه، ودُوِّنت أسماؤهم في هذا المكان المقدَّس، وقد سبقَهُم بطاركتُنا القدِّيسون الذين عاشوا هنا بحماية سيّدة إيليج، مدَّة ثلاثماية وأربع وعشرين سنة، من 1120 إلى 1444 في كلِّ عهد المماليك المظلِم حتَّى بدايات الأمبراطوريَّة العثمانيَّة الصَّعبة، ومن بين هؤلاء البطريرك الشَّهيد جبرايل حجولا الذي أُحرِق حيًّا في ساحة طرابلس.

إنَّ شهداء المقاومة اللُّبنانيَّة أرووا تراب الوطن بدمائهم، ليُثمر مواطنين مؤمنين مخلصين يشمخون بكرامتهم مثل غابة الأرز هذه التي غُرسَت إحياءً لذكرى المئة والستَّة وثلاثين شهيدًا راقدين هنا في مدافن الشهداء. 3. أودُّ أن أحيّي معكم رابطة سيّدة إيليج التي، مع رئيس دير سيّدة ميفوق ودير مار شليطا القطارة والآباء، تعتني بهذا المقرّ البطريركيّ، وتحيي ذكرى الشُّهداء، وتعمل على المحافظة على ذاكرة المقاومة اللُبنانيَّة وتراثِها الفكريّ وولائِها للبنان الوطن الغالي الذي منه تنبع الكرامة، وشرفُ الانتماء إليه دون سواه، والتَّضحيةُ في سبيل إعلاءِ شأنه دولةً وكيانًا وشعبًا أبيًّا. وقد جسَّدَ كلَّ ذلك الرئيسُ الشَّهيد الشيخ بشير الجميّل، فأضحى فخرَ الشُّهداء. ٤. إختارت رابطة إيليج شعارًا لهذا الاحتفال: “أمِّي وطني” تكريمًا لأمَّهاتِ الشُّهداء، ولكلِّ أمٍّ تتفانى في سبيل عائلتها، وتكرِّمُ الرَّابطةُ ثلاثًا منهنَّ أنجبنَ، واحدة أحد عشر ولدًا واثنتان اثني عشر، للدَّلالة أنَّ الأمَّ تُنجِبُ أولادًا للوطن، وتُؤمِّن له مسيرةَ الأجيال الجديدة. إنَّ شعارَ “أُمّي أُمَّتي” ينطبق أيضًا على الدولة الأمّ بالنسبة إلى المواطنين. فيا ليت المسؤولين السياسيّين الممعنين في قهر المواطنين وإذلالهم، من أجل مصالحهم الخاصَّة، مستغلّين سلطتهم ونفوذهم ومالهم وسلاحهم، يعودون إلى نفوسهم، ويخافون الله في عباده.

by arabnews.com — BEIRUT: It’s every parent’s worst nightmare – a newborn baby taken from his mother’s arms and lost, and yet that’s what happened to a young Lebanese couple moments after the birth of their son in an Istanbul hospital.. Mohammed Salim, 27, and Jana Al-Qawzi, 23, had just welcomed their newborn baby boy into the world when staff took him from his mother’s arms – he has not been seen since. Four months ago the couple had moved to Turkey in the hope of a new and better life, but instead are now in a desperate search for answers over the disappearance of their son. They say the hospital authorities have failed to give them a convincing explanation of the fate of their baby, who was taken from his mother’s arms moments after being born and vanished. Jana’s mother, Nada Al-Qawzi, who works at the American University of Beirut, said “her daughter is devastated and inconsolable.”

She told Arab News: “Jana wanted to offer her unborn child a shot at a better life, so she decided to leave Lebanon, knowing that Mohammed owned a hardware store and Jana was an employee at a private hospital in Beirut. “In Istanbul, they both found work and her pregnancy was normal. However, in the sixth month of pregnancy, doctors told my daughter that the baby’s heartbeats were slowing. A month later, Jana complained of abdominal pain and her doctor told her she should give birth immediately. “That is when Jana and Mohammed’s tragedy began.” Jana said that she cannot escape the nightmare she has been living in since July. “My tears have dried, but I am on painkillers,” she said. The couple’s residence permit in Turkey has expired, but Jana is refusing to leave without knowing the fate of her newborn in the Okmeydani hospital in Istanbul. As a non-Turkish citizen, Jana had to pay the hospital 4,000 Turkish liras ($528) on July 5. But when she checked with the local authorities, they made the hospital admit her for free. In the hospital, Jana was left alone in the delivery room after labor was induced. Her husband was not allowed to stay with her because other women were giving birth nearby. Jana’s mother said that when her daughter gave birth, she was shocked that the baby was “so little and kind of blue-ish.”