Lebanese singer found dead, mutilated in Dubai

Lebanese singer SuzanneTamim was found dead in her apartment in the Gulf emirate of Dubai,media reports said on Tuesday.

"Tamim was stabbed in several parts of her body and her face was completely mutilated," ElNashra news Web site reported.

The Web site added that the Lebanese singer "died under obscure circumstances."

"Her face was disfigured with a knife before she took her last breath," El-Nashra said.

The Web site quoted well-informed sources as saying that Tamim left her residence in Cairo eight months ago,"and no one heard from her since then."

It added that during this time, Tamim had secretly resided in the posh neighborhood of AlJumeira in Dubai until her death was announced on Tuesday.

Personal and family problems have stained the singer's career, even though critics agreed that she had talent, "especially that she had the voice to sing songs from the classical Arabic repertoire," as entertainment and variety magazine Al-Shabaka once reported.

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At least 56 killed in Iraq violence, including 25 pilgrims

Three female bombers blew themselves up on Monday in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad,one of a string of attacks in Iraq that killed at least 56 people, undermining hopes of a drop in violence.

Scores of people were also wounded in the attacks, which came after a relative lull in the sectarian violence that has sharply escalated in Iraq since February 2006, when insurgents blew up a Shiite mosque in the central city of Samarra.

The triple attack in Baghdad killed at least 25 pilgrims as they headed to a holy shrine for a major religious ceremony on the Shiite Muslim calendar that has been marred by bloodshed in the past, security officials said.

Another 27 people died and 126 others were wounded in a suicide bombing during a protest rally in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, and by gunfire in a panicked stampede that followed, local officials said.

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Ministers expected to issue platform on 'Monday or Tuesday'

The ministerial committee tasked with drafting a policy platform met for the tenth time at the Grand Serail Sunday evening to pursue deliberations. As The Daily Star went to press on Sunday, the meeting had still not been adjourned.

Problematic issues such as Hizbullah's weapons, Syrian Lebanese ties and economic reforms have delayed the drafting of the statement.

Hizbullah and Amal ministers in the committee have insisted on dealing with the issue of the resistance and Hizbullah's arms "the same way it was dealt with in previous ministerial statements." Ministers from the March 14 Forces, conversely, reject the clause related to Hizbullah's arms in the previous policy statement.

But sources close to the presidential palace told The Daily Star on Sunday that the ministerial statement is expected to be announced "on Monday or Tuesday at the latest."

On Sunday, press reports indicated that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri came up with a "consensual formula" to end the debate over Hizbullah's arms, and allow the policy platform to be "swiftly" compiled.

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Archaeologists combing through Gemmayzeh excavation site unearth artifacts dating back to first century AD

In Gemmayzeh, on the northeast end of the Lebanese capital, it's common to find relatively recent structures looming over late-Ottoman and Mandate-period buildings,like warnings of coming development.

The architectural record goes back beyond the Ottomans, as it happens, and for the past several months, the diversity of the quarter's historic architecture has been more obvious.

Just east of the Haddad Street gas station, due south of Gouraud Street, is a large hole – at its largest extent, it ran southwest for about 1,100 square meters.

The pit is the site of an archaeological excavation, whose ruins are estimated to have been erected in the Roman period, between the end of the first and the start of the second centuries AD.

At the height of the excavation work, the site was pleasingly incongruous.Peering over the southern lip of the pit is a once-modest late-Ottoman building, which a few years ago underwent a cyborg-like reconstruction a-la Lebanese architect Bernard Khoury.

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Obama: No concessions at expense of Israeli security

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama assured Israel and its US Jewish supporters on Wednesday that he was a friend who would not press for peace concessions that would compromise its security.

Hailing Israel as a "miracle," he vowed staunch support and held only a low-profile meeting with Palestinian leaders in the Occupied West Bank.

Obama,seeking to allay wariness among some US Jewish voters about his policy toward Israel,flew to Sderot,a town hit by rockets fired from the Hamas run Gaza Strip, saying he hoped to bring peace but would not dictate the terms of a deal.

"I am here to say as an American and as a friend of Israel that we stand with the people of Sderot and all of the people of Israel," Obama told reporters in the town's police station.

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Forest fire rages amid Civil War munitions in Aley

Efforts were under way on Tuesday night to contain a massive fire that broke out Monday evening between the towns of Souk al-Gharb and Aley, southeast of Beirut.

The fire, which has affected the forested Ras al-Jabal region, a triangular stretch of land between the villages of Souk alGharb, Bimkine and Aitat, has been aggravated by exploding land mines left over from Lebanon's 1975-1990 Civil War.

A security official told The Daily Star that the fire, which began Monday evening in the Ras al-Jabal area and continued into Tuesday, has so far "spread over an area of at least two million square meters."

According to the official, "fire fighters began arriving at the scene at 10:45 a.m., along with two helicopters from the Lebanese Air Force."

Eighteen civil defense teams were also dispatched to the area, said the official, who added that the presence of land mines had complicated efforts by the "civil defense to reach the area to try to contain the fire."

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African Union asks United Nation to block International Criminal Court warrant for Bashir

The African Union on Monday asked the UN Security Council to delay a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on whether to indict Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on war crimes charges.

"The African Union requests the UN Security Council to defer the process initiated by the ICC, taking into account the need to ensure that the ongoing peace process is not jeopardized," Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe said.

"We are asking for a delay within the rules of the Rome Statute," he said at the end of AU's Peace and Security Council meeting in Addis Ababa.

The UN Security Council can pass a resolution to defer for a period of 12 months any investigation or prosecution by the ICC and the delay may be renewed by the council under the same conditions.

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Hopes high for Lebanon-Syria ties on eve of Moallem's visit to Beirut

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem is to visit Beirut on Monday a week after Lebanon and Syria agreed to establish diplomatic relations between the adjoining nations.

Moallem is to deliver an invitation to Lebanese President Michel Sleiman from his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to visit Damascus – a trip the Lebanese press said would take place within a week or 10 days.

Moallem last visited Beirut on May 25 to attend the election of Sleiman.

Sleiman and Assad met last weekend at the sidelines of the Mediterranean Union summit in Paris and reportedly agreed on establishing diplomatic ties for the first time since their independence from French colonial rule more than 60 years ago.

"It is expected that the question of diplomatic relations will be raised during the visit. We hope it will mark a new step in Syrian-Lebanese ties," said Syria's Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government.

It added that during his visit, Moallem would discuss "ways of improving relations given the favorable circumstances with the election of a consensus president in Lebanon and the formation of a national unity government."

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Lebanese, Palestinians celebrate as bodies of slain Arab fighters are carried to Beirut

A convoy of eight trucks carrying the coffins of 200 yet to be identified Arab fighters killed in decades of fighting with Israel made their way to Beirut from Southern Lebanon Thursday. In a rare spectacle of national unity, Lebanese and Palestinians from all political and religious affiliations lined the roads to greet the procession, forcing the trucks to make repeated stops as onlookers spilled out onto the road to throw rose petals and rice.

Coffins draped in Lebanese and Hizbullah flags were transported on Mercedes trucks that better resembled celebration floats, decorated with ornate flower wreaths, pictures of slain Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh and victory banners. One such banner read "The martyrs of victory from the 2006 summer war."

Spectators carried flags or photographs of martyred relatives returning as part of the German-mediated deal between Israel and Hizbullah.

"It's like he's coming back to me alive," said Hajj Hassan Wazwazz, whose son Ali had been killed in 2006 after 13 days of fighting.

Mosque and church bells blared, chiming in chaotically with the chorus of patriotic and Hizbullah songs. Representatives from Hizbullah were out en masse. One official told a female reporter: "We are laughing so you cannot say Hizbullah are ‘constipated' and serious. We have feelings:I read and write poetry."

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Prisoner exchange raises hopes for release of Palestinian detainees

The release of five Lebanese militants in an Israel Hizbullah swap drew cheers among Palestinians Wednesday, from ordinary people to Gaza's Hamas rulers, and raised hopes that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners could soon be freed in a similar exchange.

Many also expressed glee over perceived Israeli weakness and admiration for the Lebanese resistance group's violent tactics – at the expense of the path of negotiations espoused by Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.

Israel handed over the remains of 199 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners and released five Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Kontar, who carried out a deadly 1979 attack. Hizbullah gave Israel the remains of two Israeli soldiers seized in a cross-border raid in 2006.

Israelis view Kontar as a gruesome killer they were forced to exchange for their fallen comrades.An Israeli court found that Kontar in a 1979 attack shot an Israeli man, Danny Haran, in front of his 4-year-old daughter, then killed her by striking her head with his rifle butt. Kontar denies he killed the girl and says both were slain in cross fire.

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United States financial crisis causes stocks to tumble around the world

As financial market turmoil intensified on worries of a banking crisis, US President George W. Bush and Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke sought Tuesday to calm jitters while warning of a bumpy road to economic recovery.

Bush expressed confidence the country would emerge "stronger than ever before" from its current malaise.

"We're going through a tough time, but our economy is growing, consumers are spending, exports continue increasing and American productivity remains strong," Bush said.

"We can have confidence in the long-term foundation of our economy, and I believe we will come through this challenge stronger than ever before," he added.

Bernanke meanwhile said the Federal Reserve lifted its outlook for the US economy in 2008 in a forecast that appears to show no recession. But he warned of numerous risks including a potentially troublesome rise in inflation and stressed financial markets.

The Fed chairman said a "top priority" of the central bank would be to keep financial markets functioning, and that the Fed was paying close attention to the troubles of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Delivering his semiannual forecast to Congress, Bernanke indicated that his outlook for better growth and cooling inflation remained subject to a "high degree of uncertainty."

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Aitaroun starts turning trash into treasure

The large building near the border with Israel was already ear marked to be a green pioneer in Lebanon when it was blown apart by two missiles during the short but sharp summer war of 2006.

Now the demolished building has been rebuilt – and with it a ground-breaking environmental project has risen from its own ashes.

In a country with serious waste management problems, the war-ravaged small town of Aitaroun in the South lies in the vanguard of recycling, setting an example it is hoped will be followed by others.

Located just meters from the frontier,Aitaroun was devastated by the 34-day war with Israel in July and August two years ago.

On the village's edge is the Center for Solid Waste Management, a 700-square-meter structure rebuilt with Italian assistance after the conflict.

The center refuses to dump any waste at all.

"Everything is recycled,nothing is thrown away," says Ziad Abichaker of Cedar Environmental, a group that specializes in recycling technology. "We wanted to create the example of a rural town which not only gets rid of its waste but also uses it to benefit organic agriculture.

"Some things are stored as we research and develop outlets for them," Abichaker says, adding that shoes can be used in a special cement for the manufacture of public benches.

The facility's five employees patiently sort through potato peelings, plastic bottles and old clothing before proper recycling can begin.

In many rural areas of Lebanon, municipalities burn solid waste, causing an unbearable stench and often sparking forest fires.

"People did not like the smell of burning rubbish. This project is a blessing for them," Abichaker says of the traditional method of incineration.

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Lebanese American University graduates 1,381 students at Beirut, Byblos campuses

The Lebanese American University's two campuses in Beirut and Byblos graduated 1,381 students on Thursday and Saturday. Among those in attendance were several representatives of President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

The commencement exercises in Beirut began with a speech by LAU president Joseph Jabbra. He noted the progress that LAU has made toward several of its financial, academic, and professional goals, in accordance with its five-year strategic plan that it implemented in September 2005. According to Jabbra, the plan "gave our university a renewed sense of purpose."

"We have adopted the best practices in student recruitment, kept tuition increases low, increased … financial aid to over $10,000,000 … [and] attracted brilliant students," he added.

Jabbra also detailed the progress the university was making toward achieving full certification with an American accreditation agency, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.According to Jabbra, LAU received accreditation candidacy confirmation in September 2007, and he said he felt "very strongly" that LAU would receive full accreditation in 2009. Jabbra also described the progress toward enrollment at the new LAU Gilbert and Rose Marie Chagoury School of Medicine,by next year, students from the pre-med undergraduate program will begin enrolling in the new medical school.

At the Byblos campus graduation, an honorary doctorate was awarded to businessman and banker Francois Bassil. In his acceptance speech, Bassil described some of the current challenges faced by the Lebanese state and its populace, including his sentiment that Lebanese citizens "[do] not belong to the nation, but [are] still confined to the family and sect."

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Iran test-fires more missiles in Gulf war games

Iran test-fired more weaponry on Thursday as it continued war games, ignoring global concern over its launch of a broadside of missiles amid efforts to end the crisis over its nuclear program.

The weapons fired in the Gulf by the naval section of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps included shore-touards Web site , Iran, Israel, Gulf, Gulf war games, enemy, weapon , nucle-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles, state television said.

It said the war games also included firing the Hoot (Whale) torpedo that Iran unveiled in April 2006 and which it says is a hogh-speed weapon capable of hitting enemy submarines.

Iran on Wednesday test-fired its Shahab-3 long-range missile, which the Islamic Republic says can reach Israel and US bases in the Gulf, and eight other medium- and short-range missiles.

The move sparked major concern in Western governments,which say they fear Iran's nuclear drive is aimed at making atomic weapons, a charge that Tehran vehemently denies.

In a separate land exercise late on Wednesday, the military also fired "longer- and mediumrange missiles," state television said, showing several missiles being fired into the night sky.

Footage was also broadcast of the naval maneuvers, showing divers fixing mines to a pier, missiles being fired from shorebased mobile launchers and the Hoot speeding toward a target.

Washington and its regional ally Israel have never ruled out military action against Iranian atomic facilities, while Tehran has warned of a fierce response if it is attacked.

"Iran rejects the international demand to halt the enrichment of uranium and the world must respond accordingly – by increasing and intensifying the sanctions against Iran," Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Thursday.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli public radio Iran represented a challenge for the whole world.

"Israel is the strongest country in the region and we have already shown in the past that we are not afraid of acting when our vital interests are threatened," he added.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that the United States would defend itself and its allies.

"We will defend American interests and the interests of our allies.We take very strongly our obligation to defend our allies and we intend to do that," she told reporters in Tbilisi.

There has been concern an attack against Iran could be imminent after it emerged that Israel had carried out maneuvers in Greece that were effectively dry runs for a potential strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.

The latest war games come amid increased diplomatic efforts to end the five-year standoff over the Iranian nuclear drive. Iran's response to a deal by world powers, in which it would be offered technological and economic incentives if it suspended uranium enrichment, is being analyzed by diplomats.

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Tehran test-fires long-range missile in face of mounting pressure from West

Iran on Wednesday test-fired a missile it said is capable of reaching Israel, angering the United States amid growing fears that the standoff over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program could lead to war.

The Shahab-3 was among a broadside of nine missiles fired off from an undisclosed location in the Iranian desert during maneuvers currently being staged by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), state television showed.

"The aim of these war games is to show we are ready to defend the integrity of the Iranian nation," state-run Arabic channel Al-Alam quoted General Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC's air force, as saying.

The United States led Western condemnation of the tests, complaining that they would reinforce suspicions over Tehran's military ambitions at a time when efforts are under way to resolve the long-running nuclear standoff.The United States carried out its own muscle-flexing in the region earlier the week, holding naval exercises in the Gulf.

Iran insists its nuclear work is aimed solely at generating energy, its right as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, but the West fears the program could be aimed at making an atomic bomb and has called for a freeze of uranium enrichment.

Al-Alam said the missiles test-fired included a Shahab-3 with a one-ton conventional war head and a 2,000-kilometer range.

"Our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy," Salami warned. ‘"The enemy must not repeat its mistakes. The enemy targets are under surveillance."

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Erdogan accepts French invite to Mediterranean summit

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning to attend a summit this weekend aimed at launching a Mediterranean union despite Turkish reservations about the French initiative, an aide said Tuesday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy telephoned Erdogan and personally invited him to Sunday's gathering in Paris.

"The prime minister said he will attend unless something extraordinary happens," Erdogan's spokesman Akif Beki told AFP, without giving details.

Ankara has been hesitating about whether to embrace the Union for the Mediterranean, an initiative spearheaded by Sarkozy, because of doubts that it may be an attempt to delude the country's European Union membership prospects.

Sarkozy is a staunch opponent of Turkey's EU accession and advocates a "special partnership" rather than full membership – a proposal Ankara categorically rejects.

Turkish diplomats took part in a meeting last week to draft a final resolution to be adopted at Sunday's summit and secured "significant" changes in the text,Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said earlier Tuesday, without elaborating.

"There are several more issues on which talks will continue," he said, adding that diplomats would meet again to put the final touches on the draft on the eve of the summit.

Sarkozy has invited leaders from about 40 countries, including Arab nations and Israel, for the launch of the initiative, aimed at boosting cooperation between EU and Mediterranean rim states.

"We are not jumping on this initiative, but at the same time we are making preparations and keeping in touch" with the organizers, a Turkish government official said, adding that other countries also had reservations about the project.

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Lebanon's Antonine Sisters open new school in Canada

Lebanese-Canadians made history in July by consecrating a full-time educational institution in the heart of Canada's capital, which is a ma jor milestone for the community.The school is called the Providence Academy and is run by the Antonine Sisters, a Maronite Catholic order that originates in Lebanon.

The head of the school, Sister Félicité Daou,called it a "blessed and remarkable leap for the mission and a graceful moment in our dedication to the service of the people of Ottawa." The Antonine Congregation has operated in Ottawa for 20 years and the opening of the school was a turning point and a great accom plishment for hard work. Sister Daou stressed the role of this new school "in a society, where respect for individuals inherently implies respect for diverse cultures and religious beliefs."

The new school will be added to the kindergarten that was opened five years ago.Alongside the provision of "an exceptional pedagogic program," the school pamphlet says, "the school nurtures students spiritually, culturally and morally, so they may grow up to become living testimonies to the biblical word while meeting with their parents pedagogical and moral expectations from our mission." It also instills in students a sense of national commitment,"to become responsible citizens well aware of their role in the community and capable of successfully functioning in a multicultural environment."

The school accepts girls and boys, offering classes from kindergarten to grade 8 and progressing over the years to add classes up to the secondary level (grade 13). The academic program is trilingual: French and English are taught as a first language and Arabic (or another international language) as a second language. The academy offers a trilingual program devel oped in accordance with the Ministry of Education in the province of Ontario.

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Lebanese showcase their creativity at Beirut handicraft exhibition

Dozens of booths sell ing handicrafts ranging from paintings and furniture to cushions and fashion accessories make up a four-day exhibition from July 2 to July 6 known as Afkart 2008, held this year in Downtown's Saifi Village.

"The idea really started around 20 years ago in [the mountainous town of] Faqra, to promote the creative handicrafts of the village of Beit Chabeb," said Nayla Bassili, one of the event's major organizers.

"But handicrafts exhibitions such as Afkart, which now occur up to three times a year, actually kicked off in 2003," Bassili added.

"We have rules here. First, the makers must be Lebanese. Second, all crafts must be handmade. And more importantly, these exhibitions are made to display the works of people who do not have their own business or store," said Bassili.

"People pay the same price for the same tent.We give them electricity, publicity, chairs and tables, and guaranteed safety overnight," she added.

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Obama shift gears on issues, including Iraq

Barack Obama bills himself as a new brand of leader poised to drain Washington's swamp of political cynicism. But despite spellbinding calls for "Change We Can Believe In," the Democratic hopeful is not shirking from cold-eyed positioning to boost his hopes of victory over Republican White House hopeful John McCain.

Obama has turned down the crowd-swooning oratory since beating Hillary Clinton to the Democratic nomination last month. The Illinois senator has switched to a general election strategy, making a beeline for the fabled political center, with policy adjustments, tonal shifts and speeches extolling faith and patriotism. Obama also appeared to be maneuvering for room on Iraq, after his anti-war stance and calls for immediate troop withdrawals underpinned his primary triumph.

But Thursday Obama denied he had changed his mind,despite claims from Republicans he had performed another "flip-flop."

Political scientist Costas Panagopoulos of New York's Forham University said Obama's tactics were normal behavior for a presidential candidate.

"This is typical in presidential campaigns, to run with more extreme positions in primaries, and then to slowly drift to the center to appeal to the greatest number of voters in a general election," he explained.

"I think for Obama it is especially crucial, because to some extent he can't run away from his record, which is one of the most liberal voting records in Congress," said Panagopoulos.

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Oil hits new record at $146.69 and $250 may not be far off

The price of oil set a record high above $146 a barrel here on Thursday, driven by falling reserves of US crude, simmering tensions over Iran and a weak dollar, traders said.

Russian energy giant Gazprom, meanwhile, forecast that oil would "very soon" hit $250 a barrel.

Brent North Sea oil for August delivery surged to a lifetime peak of $146.69 a barrel after breaching $146 for the first time earlier on Thursday.

New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for August delivery, leaps to an all time pinnacle of $145.85.

"Prices rose to set new all time highs… supported by a decline in US crude oil inventories," said Barclays Capital analyst Kevin Norrish.

After hitting new heights, Brent crude stood at $145.13 a barrel in electronic deals, up $0.87 from Wednesday's close as traders banked profits. New York crude was $0.28 cents higher at $143.85.

Oil prices, which have doubled over the past year, were driven by news that American crude stockpiles fell by 2.0 million barrels to stand at 299.8 million barrels in the week to June 27. The US government's Energy Information Administration also said on Wednesday that crude inventories were 15.3 percent lower than at the same stage one year ago.

"It was the first time inventory fell below the psychologi cally critical 300-million-barrel threshold since January," said PetroMatrix analyst Olivier Jakob.

The latest record-breaking price surge also came after Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hos sein Nozari warned Iran would react fiercely to any military attack against the oil exporter.

OPEC added that replacing Iran's crude output would be difficult should the country face attack.

"If something happened in Iran, it is difficult to replace [Iran's output of] 4.1 or 4.2 million barrels a day," OPEC Secretary General Abdallah alBadri told the daily newsletter of the World Petroleum Congress in Madrid.

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Small earthquake shakes rattled residents of Southern town

An earthquake of 3.1 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred around 7:30 a.m in the Southern town of Srifa Wednesday, following a report from Israeli experts on Monday saying they were expecting a high magnitude earthquake in Lebanon soon.

Some residents had already been sleeping in tents due to the Israeli warnings.

Engineers from the Italian contingent serving within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon conducted a soil study and inspected the river area on a hill overlooking the town of Srifa on Wednesday.

The troops began clearing paths leading to the hill from Srifa to allow the town's residents access to safety in the event of a quake.The Italian engineers also pitched some 40 tents on the hill.

Maryam Noureddine, a Srifa resident, decided to set up a tent on the roof of her house, saying that she feared a possible landslide if she stayed in a tent on the ground.

Moueen Hamzeh, secretary general of Lebanon's National Scientific Research Center, said that ever since February 12, Srifa and the whole Southern region had witnessed at least 800 quakes that reached magnitudes of up to 5.1 on the Richter scale.

In Srifa, the recurrent earth quakes have damaged 353 houses, causing cracks in walls and ceilings.

Hamzeh added that earthquake activity had intensified during the past two months, which implied a need for urgent "prevention measures" from the authorities.

According to Lebanese experts, an earthquake of a magnitude ranging from 5 to 6 on the Richter scale, like the one that shook Lebanon in 1956, killing 136 people and devastating 6000 homes, could hit Lebanon soon.

Moreover, Israeli seismologists seem to believe a high-magnitude earthquake is likely to hit the region soon, as it has been noticed that tremors have historically rocked the area every eight decades.The last important quake in the area occurred 81 years ago, in July 1927 and had devastating consequences.

Israeli Health Ministry Director General Avi Yisraeli said the seismic activity in South Lebanon was abnormal. He added that in May, as the tremors had intensified, they were felt in Northern Israel.Yisraeli urged his government to take measures to protect citizens from a possible high-magnitude earthquake.

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1701 report notes ‘unprecedented' Israeli air violations

Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace reached "unprecedented" levels in March and April, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's report on Security Council Resolution 1701 issued on Tuesday.

The violations, caused both by aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles,"occurred almost daily, at an average rate of more than 20 violations per day," Ban said.

Tuesday's was the eighth official report on Resolution 1701, which brought a cessation of hostilities in the summer 2006 war with Israel.

On April 16 alone, UNIFIL recorded 72 violations of the airspace by unmanned aerial vehicles. "The government of Israel maintains that they are necessary security measures that will continue until its two abducted soldiers are released," Ban said, referring to troops who were captured by Hizbullah on July 12, 2006.

Still no response to requests for data on locations of cluster-bomb strikes Israel used the incident as a pretext to launch the war, and the two sides are now negotiating a prisoner exchange which Hizbullah has always said was the reason for the raid.

While the swap deal was approved by the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday, Ban wrote in his report: "Owing to the sensitivity of those negotiations, I am unable to report on this issue at this time."

Resolution 1701 was passed on August 16, 2006 and was approved by the Lebanese Cabinet the next day. It called for the cessation of hostilities,the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territory and the disarmament of Hizbullah. It also forbids the presence of any armed force other than the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) south of the Litani River.

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Beirut must be weaned off local banks – Bassil

Lebanese banks need to lower their lending to the government and focus more on the private sector in order to achieve good growth, the head of the Associations of Banks in Lebanon said on Monday.

"We have been financing the public for a long time and I think it is time for the government to tap other markets," Francois Bassil told The Daily Star in an exclusive interview.

Lebanese banks hold over 54 percent of Lebanon's public debt, which now stand at more than $43.5 billion, or 176 percent of the country's GDP.

Bassil said that this ratio of lending to the state is extremely high by any standard.

"If we look at other countries the total bank loans to governments do not even exceed 20 percent of their loan portfolio and the rest goes to the private sector," he said.

But the outgoing Lebanese government under Premier Fouad Siniora succeeded in securing massive cash injection from the donor countries that met in Paris in January 2007.The donor states pledged $7.6 billion in soft loans and grants to Lebanon to reduce the country's debt-servicing costs and finance some infrastructure projects.

Thanks to this cash injection, the Finance Ministry was able to secure funds for the rest of 2008.

In February 2008 the Finance Ministry had little raising $885 million in Euro bonds to roll over existing loans.As usual, the Lebanese banks were the main subscribers for this issue.

Bassil said that if the next government secured billions of dollars from the privatization of the telecommunications sector, the state would not have any difficulty in tapping international markets for fresh loans.

"We don't want to stop completely lending the government but this pattern needs to change gradually over time," he said.

He added that the government may have a hard time financing outstanding debts in foreign currency in 2009 if economic reforms and the privatization of the cellular networks do not materialize this year.

The private sector has complained in the past that the government is unfairly competing with it for loans from commercial banks.

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