LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Of the Day
Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 10/12-13
10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall. 10:13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 10:15 I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say. 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a sharing of the body of Christ? 10:17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread. 10:18 Consider Israel according to the flesh. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

Lebanon Will Head the UN Security Council throughout May
Naharnet/As of May 1, Lebanon is set to head the United Nations Security Council for the first time in almost 50 years and will remain in that position throughout the month.
Lebanon will gain exceptional importance in that role in light of several conflicts and dangers raging in many areas in the world, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday.
The daily said that Lebanon's presidency "will not change the world, but nations great or small, far or near, friend or foe, will have to address Lebanon with the term 'Mr. President' before the Security Council and the entire United Nations." Lebanon's permanent representative at the Security Council and the current President of the Council, Ambassador Nawaf Salam, told An Nahar: "Part of the Lebanon's message has arrived by its entry into the Security Council." He continued: "The message is that Lebanon is regaining its health, it is present on the international scene, it takes part in international resolutions, and it has an opinion that is heard on matters that concern it and the region within this Council." "This month, Lebanon's image will become clearer through its return to the international political scene, and more light will be shed on its role in issues reaching as far as Nepal and Chad, Sudan and Palestine, and Somalia and all parts of the world," he added. Salam stressed: "Lebanon's voice will be heard throughout the world." Lebanon will start its presidency of the Security Council with a closed meeting with its 15 members and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Long Island in New York. Salam revealed that he held meetings with various heads of departments in the U.N., including its Peacekeeping Operations Department, to look into this month's work schedule. Lebanon is set to make its debut as head of the Security Council on May 5. The session will be attended by the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs Baroness Catharine Ashton during which she will tackle the EU's relations with the United States.
Lebanon will also address the issue of Palestine and the Middle East during May as the region is a monthly issue of discussion at the Security Council.
Furthermore, the issues of Kosovo and Congo will also be addressed. In addition, Lebanon will head the group of Arab states that presented three papers for the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Iran to 'Cut Off Israel's Feet' if Tel Aviv Attacks Damascus
Naharnet/Iran will "cut off Israel's feet" if the Jewish state attacks Damascus, Iranian Vice President Mohammed Rida Rahimi vowed on Friday at the end of a two-day visit to key regional ally Syria. "We will stand alongside Syria against any (Israeli) threat," Rahimi said at a news conference with Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otari. "If those who have violated Palestinian land want to try anything we will cut off their feet," he said in reference to the Jewish state. Rahimi described Syria as a "strong country that is ready to confront any threat" and pledged that Tehran "will back Syria with all its means and strength." On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran and Syria of arming Hizbullah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles which he said undermined stability in the region. And on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against the risk of sparking a regional war if he supplies long-range Scud missiles to Hizbullah. "President Assad is making decisions that could mean war or peace for the region," she warned. Earlier this month, Israeli President Shimon Peres claimed that Syria was supplying Hizbullah with Scud missiles. Syria has denied the charges.
Hizbullah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006 during which it fired more than 4,000 rockets on the Jewish state.
Israel estimates that Hizbullah has since stockpiled more than 40,000 rockets, some of which could reach major Israeli population centers, and has warned it stood ready for any attack by the Lebanese group. Despite a 1949 armistice agreement, Israel remains technically at war with Syria, which was among those that battled the nascent Jewish state in the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. Assad recently indicated willingness to resume indirect Turkish-mediated peace talks, which were suspended when Israel launched its devastating Gaza Strip offensive in December 2008.(AFP) Beirut, 30 Apr 10, 18:02

French Anti-burqa Law Calls for Jail and Fines for Offenders
Naharnet/France will jail and impose huge fines on anyone who forces a Muslim woman to wear a full-face veil, according to a leaked version of a proposed law revealed on Friday.
While women will face only a 150 euro penalty if they choose to don a burqa or a niqab, President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to slap one-year prison terms and 15,000-euro (20,000-dollar) fines on those who make others wear them. "No-one may wear in public places clothes that are aimed at hiding the face," says the text of a new law that is to be presented to parliament in July, according to a copy seen by the pro-government newspaper Le Figaro. The law will create a new offence of "incitement to cover the face for reasons of gender," the paper said, and this offence will incur a 15,000 euro fine and a year in prison. Legislators decided to impose a much smaller fine on women caught wearing the veil in public "because these women are often victims," one of the authors of the law told Le Figaro. Women caught wearing the full veil can choose to attend a "citizenship course" instead of paying the fine, the paper said.
Sarkozy decided this month to opt for a total ban on the full-face veil, despite warnings from the State Council, France's top administrative body, that the law could be struck down as unconstitutional. The president has declared the burqa and the niqab -- veils worn by Muslim woman in parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Gulf -- unwelcome in France, calling them an affront to French values that denigrate women. There has been a fierce debate in France, home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority of between five and six million, with supporters of a ban arguing that veils are a sign of creeping fundamentalism that must not be allowed to take hold. But opponents accuse Sarkozy of pandering to the far-right with such moves and note figures showing that only 1,900 women wear the full veil in France. Neighboring Belgium on Thursday became Europe's first country to vote for a ban, sparking dismay among Muslims and warnings of a dangerous precedent.(AFP) Beirut, 30 Apr 10, 14:46

Shami: Foreign Affairs Ministry did not know about US delegation visit to Masnaa
May 1, 2010 /Now Lebanon
Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Shami said on Saturday that his ministry was not informed ahead of time that the US security delegation was going to visit to the Masnaa border area on Wednesday, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. As-Safir newspaper reported on Thursday that two officials from the US State Department Counterterrorism Office and a security agent from the US Embassy in Lebanon visited the Masnaa border crossing on Wednesday. A spokesperson from the US Embassy in Lebanon issued a statement on Friday that the Lebanese government invited and coordinated with the security delegation that visited Masnaa. Shami said “any phone calls or visits to Lebanese officials made by diplomatic missions” should go through the Foreign Affairs Ministry. On another topic, Shami said Lebanon supports implementing the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, adding that “Israel’s threats against Lebanon are threats against all Arabs.”Shami called on the UN Security Council “to pressure Israel so that all international resolutions, including 1701, can be [fully] implemented.”
-NOW Lebanon

Lebanon can still do something to protect itself from war
Hanin Ghaddar, May 1, 2010
Now Lebanon/A Lebanese family stands in front of the ruins of their house in the southern village of Siddiqin. (AFP photo/Joseph Barrak)
Hezbollah is neither a Lebanese party with arms nor a militia with a political agenda. The majority of Lebanese know this, having experienced Hezbollah’s audacity and firepower too many times for their own liking. It has taken the Scud missile crisis, however, to finally demonstrate to the international community that the Party of God is an army, and a very strong one at that, with or without Scuds.
Still, Hezbollah and the Syrian regime seem to be suffering one political blow after another, leading to heightened tension on the diplomatic level and in international relations. The fear is that Hezbollah will try to release this tension at the expense of Lebanon’s security and fragile stability.
The international community has already voiced its concerns over the risk of war and has once again called for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1559. As Lebanon is essentially impotent in this situation, the UN resolutions offer the country its only chance of protection.
Terje Roed Larsen, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy, told An-Nahar in an interview published Friday that Resolution 1559’s demands on the Lebanese-Syrian border demarcation and disarmament of all militias should be implemented to close the chapter on the resolution.
Earlier this week, UN Special Coordinator to Lebanon Michael Williams held a press conference following his Wednesday meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and called on all parties to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to avoid any escalation in tension and to prevent any military confrontation in the region.
The main purpose of the two resolutions is to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty, and the current crisis shows that Lebanon, having failed to implement these resolutions, is not sovereign and cannot control decisions of war and peace.
Meanwhile, Tehran and Damascus are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiations with the West. (The Scud crisis is the finest example of Syrian brinkmanship with the US and an indication that it is drifting closer to Iran.) If they succeed, Lebanon will have to pay the price and suffer the consequences of Iranian and Syrian hegemony. If they fail, it will be after Lebanon has experienced yet another devastating war.
The drums of war are, if not beating, certainly being tapped. Earlier this week, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Hezbollah has a missile arsenal bigger than that of most countries and accused both Iran and Syria of arming Hezbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, which he said undermined stability in the region. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also weighed in, warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday that he risks sparking a regional war if he supplies long-range Scud missiles to Hezbollah.
In the wake of these statements, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Rida Rahimi warned on Friday during a press conference in Damascus that Tehran would “cut off Israel’s feet” if the Jewish State attacks Syria. Rahimi described Syria as a “strong country that is ready to confront any threat” and pledged that Tehran “will back Syria with all its means and strength.”
This fiery statement followed Hezbollah’s objections of a visit on Thursday by two US officers - part of an assessment team from the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance program (ATA) - to the Masnaa border crossing along the Lebanese-Syrian border. These objections were probably based on media reports quoting an unnamed UN source as saying that the US administration and the UN Security Council are planning to introduce an amendment to Resolution 1701 that would enable stationing international troops along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Hezbollah immediately declared the visit an American violation of Lebanon’s security even though the team is in all likelihood, as the US Embassy has said, in Lebanon to assess past and present training programs that the US has provided in cooperation with the Lebanese government.
The reality is that, amid recurrent statements about imminent sanctions against Iran, any kind of monitoring along the Lebanese-Syrian border is not good news for Hezbollah, which is already nervous after a UN team from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) questioned Hezbollah witnesses earlier this week in relation to the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other political murders. Hezbollah is certainly not in a good position, but would the party react arbitrarily if push came to shove?
Although Israeli officials, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that Israel has no intention of starting a war against Lebanon and Syria, primarily because they cannot do so without US approval, the Scud debate has put Hezbollah and its arms back under the spotlight, tying the Syrian regime to any resulting crisis. Lebanon could protect itself with resolutions 1701 and 1559. However, it cannot implement them by itself. It would be naïve to expect that the Lebanese state could alone stop arms smuggling to Hezbollah or make the party disarm. Lebanon can pledge its commitment to the resolutions, use its good relations with regional and international states to stop Israel from going to war and take responsibility for security along its border with Israel. The last couple of weeks witnessed a number of efforts of this sort by President Michel Sleiman and PM Saad Hariri, but it is still not enough. Furthermore, the international community can help Lebanon by pressuring Israel to withdraw from the rest of the occupied Lebanese territories and put the disputed Shebaa Farms region of South Lebanon under UN jurisdiction. There is also the option of revisiting the 1949 Armistice Agreement. Lebanon is trying its best, but help is desperately needed.
*Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon

Salam says Lebanon on the road to recovery
May 1, 2010 /Now Lebanon/In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published on Saturday, Lebanese Permanent Representative to the UN Nawwaf Salam said that Lebanon is headed toward recovery, and the country’s 2009 election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and its participation in the creation of international resolutions, proves this.
Salam said he recently met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to look into the Security Council’s agenda for the next month as Lebanon assumes the rotating position of the Council’s presidency beginning in May. Lebanon will head a Council session on May 5 to finalize the agenda, Salam said. He also said that Lebanon and the Arab states unanimously agree on a nuclear-free Middle East, adding that he rejects linking the issue to the Mideast peace process. If he was asked to do so, Salam said he would not mind meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, Salam said no request regarding this matter has been offered. Iran's UN mission in New York said Ahmadinejad applied Wednesday for a US visa to lead Iran's delegation to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, which will begin on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York.
Several US lawmakers on Friday denounced Ahmadinejad’s plans to attend the conference, and urged officials to reject the Iranian president’s visa.
Salam said Lebanon supports compromise with Iran when it comes to nuclear talks. According to Salam, Lebanon has not yet chosen the monthly topic it will propose for discussion in the Security Council. -NOW Lebanon

Egyptian Christians Enraged Over Developments in Nag Hammadi Massacre Trial
http://www.aina.org/news/20100430220433.htm
5-1-2010 /(AINA) -- Nearly 2000 Christian Copts staged a sit-in on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 inside the grounds of St. Marks Cathedral in Cairo during the weekly lecture of his HH Pope Shenouda III, protesting against what they termed as the procrastination of the judiciary in the Nag Hammadi Christmas Eve Massacre case, and their fear that it will have the same fate as the previous cases where in the end the Muslim killers were acquitted.
The demonstrators held banners and chanted slogans showing their anger over the continued deferral of the trial and the continued support of Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) for the 'real instigators' behind the massacre. Many observers believe the accused killer Mohamad el-Kamouny was only an object and that the government is shielding high ranking members in the NDP who are behind the massacre.
The media including, Egyptian and Arab TV channels, were prevented from attending the demonstration by the state security and the Cathedral guards, but two reporters managed to slip in.
The protesters criticized the stance of the NDP through chants like "We will not elect the NDP, its members kill Copts" or "a racist party which is promoting discrimination." They also held banners saying "Shout out loud…the rights of the martyrs will never die" and "Egypt is our homeland and we will not leave it...because Egypt is the land of the Copts" (video of sit-in).
When the protesters called for a Coptic boycott of the NDP in the coming elections, state security moved in and tried to break up the sit in, but their efforts were in vain. The majority of the protesters were young men and women had come from Nag Hammadi, a 12-hour bus journey, were not intimidated and stressed their right to be within the grounds of St. Mark's Cathedral.
Among those who also came from Nag Hammadi for the sit-in was the father of Abanoub, one of those killed in the shooting. He said the adjournment by the court is having its toll emotionally on him and his wife. "I only want justice for my son from whoever killed him."
Bishop Kirillos of Nag Hammadi told Freecopts that he fears the case would have the same disappointing fate like the previous cases of El-Kosheh, Abu Fana and others. "I am not reassured at all," he said
Following the Nag Hammadi shootings, in which six Copts were shot dead as they left church after celebrating Midnight Mass on the Coptic Christmas Eve on January 6 (AINA 1-7-2010), fingers pointed at Abdel Rahim al-Ghoul, MP for Nag Hammadi for being the main instigator behind the massacre, due to a feud going back to the elections for the seat of Nag Hammadi in 2005, when the Copts refused to give him their votes. It was reported that he vowed to take his revenge on them. It is common knowledge in Nag Hammadi that Mohamad el-Kamouny is one of al-Ghoul's 'boys' who intimidate voters to give al-Ghoul their votes.
The MP was interviewed by all TV stations regarding this relationship which he flatly denied until a video surfaced and was brought by "The Truth" TV program, showing al-Ghoul inaugurating a health club belonging to el-Kamouny; the video showed them to be on very friendly terms. (video showing the two together).
According to al Dostour newspaper on January 31, al-Ghoul threatened that if he was to be charged he would "reveal the truth behind the massacre."
The Egyptian Public Prosecutor asked for the lifting of parliamentary immunity from MP al-Ghoul to question him regarding insulting the Coptic MP Georgette Kellini on national TV by calling her a "criminal." Kellini was sent by the Egyptian Human Rights Organization to Nag Hammadi following the massacre and came back together with two colleagues with a damning report about the situation which led to the slaying. It was reported that the NDP members in Parliament supports al-Ghoul against Kellini.
What has angered the Copts recently was a visit of support from NDP Secretary Ahmed Ezz to al-Ghoul in Nag Hammadi. This visit was reflected in the chants against the NDP at the sit-in: "al-Ghoul told El-Kamouny, the Big Ones are protecting us."
Commenting on this visit, prominent Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub, who was among the Cathedral protesters, said "Now everyone knows the true relationship between al-Ghoul and the killer el-Kamouny, by still supporting al-Ghoul the NDP is sending a clear message to the Copts that the instigator of the massacre will escape justice."
Yacoub added, "We have come to know that there is pressure on two top Coptic lawyers Dr. Ihab Ramzy and Dr. Awad Shafik, to withdraw from the Nag Hammady case under the pretext that they are also representing the Copt Girguis Baroumi, who has been charged with raping a Muslim minor in Farshout" (AINA 4-10-2010).
Surprisingly, Mahmoud Abdel-Salam, who is the judge presiding over the trial of the three suspects of the Nag Hammadi shootings, is also presiding over the trial of Girgis Baroumi.
"We are fed up with government interference in the case, the news black-out by preventing the media and the activists from attending court sessions, and most of all barring the lawyers and relatives of the victims from attending court sessions. This is a scandal," Yacoub said.
Pope Shenouda recently described the Nag Hammadi massacre as an "international case" and not a local issue.
By Mary Abdelmassihl
Copyright (C) 2010, Assyrian

Israel Nixes Weapons Sales to Turkey
by Maayana Miskin/Arutz Sheva
Israel has begun turning down Turkey's requests to buy certain advanced weapons, according to the military news and analysis sites Jane's Defense Weekly and DEBKAfile. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan has made scathingly anti-Israel remarks, and has drawn closer to Syria and Iran.
According to the report, the Turkish navy was interested in acquiring the Barak 8 missile interceptor, a system developed jointly by Israel and India. The system provides 360-degree coverage from missile or air attack. Israeli sources said Turkey's request was rejected over fears that Turkey would allow Iran to study the technology.
Indian military leaders were also against the sale, fearing, like Israel, that the technology would be shared with Iran. From there, it could be traded to Pakistan in exchange for nuclear technology, they worried, giving the Pakistani army a technological boost. The Israeli air force has been blocked from Turkish air space for training. India has developed close military ties with Israel and may be a possible solution. In November 2009, DEBKAfile reported that Erdogan had promised Iran that it would have Turkish support in case of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Turkey agreed to pass on any intelligence information suggesting that Israel or the United States was preparing a strike on Iran, the report stated

Elliot Abrams: US Must Deal with Iranian Threat
by Hana Levi Julian/Arutz Sheva
A former national security official in the Bush administration told American Zionists this week that the United States should deal with Iran's threat to wipe Israel off the map – before Jerusalem does. Elliot Abrams, who served as Deputy National Security Adviser and senior director for Near East and North African Affairs in the Bush administration's National Security Council, told a symposium in Baltimore that Israelis live with “the threat of annihilation” every day. Abrams also served as Assistant Secretary of State under former President Ronald Reagan. Currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Abrams made his remarks at an April 25 symposium entitled “U.S.-Israel Relations in a New Era.”“If the world does not act, I believe Israel will act,” he said, “and I hope the U.S. will.” According to the Baltimore Jewish Times, the former national security official pointed out that at present, there does not appear to be anyone backing up their words with actions on Iran, other than the State of Israel.
“We keep saying it's unacceptable for Iran to have a bomb, but we don't mean it,” he said. “We mean it's terrible, we don't want it. But when Israel says it's unacceptable, they mean it.”
Iran's president has repeatedly threatened to destroy the State of Israel, and although the United Nations Security Council has ordered the country to cease its nuclear development activities, the Islamic Republic is continuing its race to enrich uranium at a level that would enable it to create an atomic bomb. Three sets of sanctions imposed on Iran by the United Nations in the hopes of forcing the country to stop its uranium enrichment activities have so far been ineffective. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany are currently meeting in New York to discuss a fourth round

Question: "Would the discovery of Noah's Ark be important?"
Answer: There have been numerous claimed discoveries of Noah's Ark in recent years. The discoveries have been in various locations, ranging from Mount Ararat in Turkey, to a mountain range in Iran, to an entirely different location on Mount Ararat (with a visitors' center). It is not the purpose of this article to evaluate whether or not the Noah's Ark discovery claims are legitimate. Rather, the question at hand is: If Noah's Ark was discovered, would that be significant? Would the discovery of Noah's Ark cause people to turn to God in faith?
The discovery of a boat-like structure in the mountains of the Middle East, carbon dated to approximately the time of the biblical account of Noah's Ark (2500 B.C), with evidence of animal life once having been aboard would surely be a tremendous discovery. For those who believe in God and trust in the Bible as His inspired Word, it would be powerful confirmation that the Bible is true and that early human history occurred precisely as the Bible describes it. A verified discovery of Noah's Ark would likely cause many seekers and open-minded skeptics to at least re-evaluate their beliefs. For the close-minded critic and hardened atheist, however, the discovery of Noah's Ark would not make one bit of a difference.
Romans 1:19-20 declares, "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse" (ESV). If a person is rejecting the clear evidence of God in the universe, no biblically-related discovery would change his/her mind. Similarly, in Luke 16:31, Jesus declared, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." No discovery, no argument, and no miracle will change the mind of a person who has been blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4) and is, with a hard heart and closed mind, rejecting the light of the Gospel.
Conversely, would it matter if Noah's Ark is never discovered? No, it would not matter because the Christian faith is not built on every biblical account being explicitly/conclusively proven. The Christian faith is built on faith. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). With that in mind, though, there are two primary explanations for why Noah's Ark might never be discovered. First, the wood of the Ark would have been very valuable post-Flood. Noah and his family would have needed wood to build their homes. It is possible that Noah and his family, or their descendants, deconstructed the Ark and used its wood for other purposes. Second, even if Noah and his family left the Ark intact, approximately 4500 years have passed (if the biblical account is interpreted strictly literally). A wooden structure exposed to harsh elements for 4500 years would, for the most part, decompose/decay into virtual nothingness.
While the discovery of Noah's Ark would be a tremendous and powerful archaeological find, it will never be something Christians should place their faith in. The discovery of Noah's Ark, or the Ark of the Covenant, or the Garden of Eden, or any other biblical artifact will not prove the Christian faith and will not change the mind of anyone whom God is not drawing (John 6:44). "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

Muslim Extremists Execute a Somali Christian
http://www.persecution.org/suffering/newssummpopup.php?newscode=12238&PHPSESSID=7b9af27b0cb216a3afcf4291490e8f6a
Washington, D.C. (April 30, 2010)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on March 23, members of Al-Shabaab (an Al-Qaeda linked Islamic extremist group) executed another Somali Christian in Afgoye, Somalia.
Three gunmen from Al-Shabaab killed Mu’awiye Hilowle Ali in front of his house. They executed him by firing from close range and hitting his head and chest. He died on the spot.
The Islamists had previously accused Ali and his family of spreading fitna (an Arabic word for religious discord). Trained in the former Soviet Union, Ali had served in the Somali armed forces. He converted to Christianity in 2006.
His body has temporarily been buried in the compound of his residential house after members of Al Shabaab refused to allow his burial to be conducted in a public burial place, calling it Muslim territory.
Ali is survived by a wife and ten children.
Al-Shabaab is waging jihad in Somalia to establish an Islamic government based on Sharia law. The Somali church has been the most visible victim of the Al-Shabaab “holy-war” in Somalia. Al-Shabaab and members of other Islamic extremists have killed more than a dozen Christians in Somalia over last year alone.
Speaking to ICC, a Somali church leader in Mogadishu said, “Ali’s martyrdom will only strengthen the Somali church and that such violence will never succeed in stopping the church planting movement we see in Somalia today.”
ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, said, “The plight of Christians and other innocent Somalis is increasing by the day as Al-Shabaab intensifies its jihad attacks. The situation in Somalia will continue to deteriorate unless the international community steps up its effort to contain the influence of Al-Shabaab. We urge the international community not to turn a blind eye to the crisis in Somalia.”

Vietnamese Christian Beaten to Death Officials attempt cover up
http://www.persecution.org/suffering/newssummpopup.php?newscode=12239&PHPSESSID=7b9af27b0cb216a3afcf4291490e8f6a
Washington, D.C. (April 30, 2010)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that an imprisoned Vietnamese Christian died on March 11, 2010, after a long period of abuse and torture.
K’pa Lot was arrested on May 20th, 2007, for publicly expressing his Christian faith, and imprisoned in Phu Yen province. He was kept separate from other prisoners and relocated whenever community and international agencies visited to monitor prison conditions.
On March 9th, 2010, K’Pa was taken from the prison to a hospital in Pleiku. In the past Vietnamese authorities have released prisoners just prior to death in order to keep it off the official record.
Scott Johnson, spokesman for the Montagnard Foundation (a non-profit dedicated to protecting the Montagnard people of central Vietnam) described the state K’Pa Lot arrived in, “His family could not recognize him. He was swollen and had bruises all over his body and face. He could not move or eat, and could barely speak.”
“K’Pa whispered to his wife in his native language and told her about how he was regularly tortured inside prison, beaten on a daily basis by the authorities. He said they beat him with whatever they had in their hands as if they wanted him to die.”
K’Pa Lot died on March 11 from internal bleeding.
According to Montagnard Foundation, security officials forced the family to quickly bury his body. K’Pa Lot, 31 at the time of his death, is survived by his wife and two children.
ICC’s Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated, “K’Pa’s torture and death exposes the true state of religious freedom in Vietnam. In 2006 the US State Department removed Vietnam from the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list, citing progress in religious freedom. Clearly events like this show what really is happening behind closed doors; religious freedom in Vietnam is a convenient falsehood. We urge the US and other governments to exert influence all on Vietnam to improve its treatment of religious minorities. ”

Resistance declares right to defend itself
By Dalila Mahdawi
Daily Star staff
Thursday, April 29, 2010

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BEIRUT: Hizbullah Wednesday reacted to US claims it was stockpiling Scud missiles by saying it had a right to defend itself, as a senior UN official said tensions were expected to “dissipate” soon.

“The resistance has the right to use all legitimate means to build its capacity to defend Lebanon,” Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah told AFP. He added that US arms were “annihilating” civilians in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon, and were the chief “cause of all suffering in the region.”

Last week, Israeli President Shimon Peres accused Syria of furnishing Hizbullah with Scud missiles. The charges were repeated late on Tuesday by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said the military capabilities of the Shiite group undermined stability in the region. “Syria and Iran are providing Hizbullah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability,” Gates said at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak. “We’re at a point now where Hizbullah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world,” Gates said, adding that Washington was monitoring the situation “very carefully.”

Gates did not, however, explicitly accuse Syria of supplying Hizbullah with Scud missiles. Barak also voiced concern over Syrian support for Hizbullah but did not repeat the claim that Damascus was supplying the group with Scuds. “We do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria,” he said.

The Scud charges have been denied by Syria, which says Tel Aviv fabricated the story to justify a possible military strike in the future. Lebanese Armed Forces chief General Jean Kahwaji has also dismissed the claims, noting the outdated 30-meter Scuds would be too hard for Hizbullah to conceal and too cumbersome to launch.

The charges showed the US was “waging a diplomatic and political battle” to help its ally Israel maintain superior military capabilities, Fadlallah said. “The US is asking us to accept Israel’s alleged superiority to ensure Israel remains capable of launching attacks at its will, while we are stripped of the ability to face these aggressions,” he told AFP. “We have no interest in acceding to these attempts to concretize Israeli superiority.” The US, rather than Hizbullah, was “the principle factor destabilizing the region, undermining its security and preventing development,” Fadlallah added.

At a meeting with Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri Wednesday, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michal Williams said he expected regional tensions over the Scud controversy to subside.

“The last thing this region wants and needs is further conflict. It has had enough of that over the years,” he said. Williams added he didn’t believe another war was likely, saying there was “too much at stake to lose for all the parties.” “I expect all parties will do their part to maintain the stability in the south and across the Blue Line and that tensions will dissipate,” he added.

In comments published Wednesday by the Qatari Al-Watan daily, Hariri reiterated comments that by claiming Hizbullah had Scud missiles. Israel was trying to justify new war against Lebanon that it could launch whenever it wants.”

He asked whether there was any proof that Hizbullah possessed Scuds, adding that Israel possessed nuclear weapons.

He said he would refuse to ask the Shiite group to deny possessing the missiles. “Why put ourselves in the position of being accused, and why give Israel the right to make such accusations?”

Heightened tensions over the Scud missiles have prompted EU officials to urge Israel, Lebanon and Syria to avoid provocative acts. “The European Union is concerned by the public statements that have been exchanged recently between various parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East,” EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement Tuesday.

In July 2006, Israel launched a devastating 34-day war on Lebanon. Over 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed during the conflict.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the conflict, called for Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon outside the control of the government.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=114343#ixzz0mREaHOD4
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)