LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 10/2012
Bible Quotation for today/A Call to Holy Living
1Peter 01/13-25: "So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set
your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ
is revealed. Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by
those desires you had when you were still ignorant. Instead, be holy in all that
you do, just as God who called you is holy. The scripture says, Be holy because
I am holy. You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by
the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest
of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. For you know what was paid to
set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It
was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; it was the
costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. He had
been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these
last days for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from
death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have
come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with
all your heart. For through the living and eternal word of God you have been
born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal. As the
scripture says,"All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like
wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the word of the
Lord remains forever.
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Bradley Burston/If Obama
wins in November, is Netanyahu in trouble?/09.03.12
Israel Harel/Hatred toward
Netanyahu prevents a fair debate on Iran/09.03.12
Ariela Ringel-Hoffman/Fighting
Assad: Israel, stay out of Syria/09.03.12
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 09/12
The impact to Canada if Israel attacks Iran
Israel introduces ‘tunnel warfare’ to combat Hezbollah:
report
Panetta: US attack on Iran would be more effective
Iran: We'll never
suspend nuke activities
Think-tank:
Israeli attack on Iran unlikely this year
U.S. denies Obama promised bunker busters to Netanyahu
Netanyahu asked Panetta to approve sale of bunker-busting
bombs, U.S. official says
Clinton: There's still space for talks to tackle Iran
nuclear issue
World powers tell Iran:
open military site for IAEA
High-level Syrian official defects over crackdown
Khamenei hails Obama's remarks against Iran strike
U.S. magazine forms Iran war 'doomsday clock,' sets it to
10 minutes to midnight
Syrian women on the
frontlines, determined not to be sidelined
British, Italian hostages in Nigeria killed by captors
Al-Qaeda says leading figure in Yemen dead: SITE
Egypt's military probing charges against activists
Zvi Bar'el / When it comes to Kurdish rebels, Turkey
doesn't have a problem invading Syria
Ghalioun Hails Deputy Minister's Defection, U.S. Calls It
'Good News'
Higher Defense Council Expresses Relief over Security
Situation
Security Council to
discuss Resolution 1701 report
Teenager Released Hours after Being Kindapped in Baalbek
STL Prosecution, Defense Given Deadline to File Written
Submissions on ‘Criminal Association’
Israeli jets over
Lebanon, bulldozers on border
Lebanon Labor Ministry
website hacked
Kanaan Meets Miqati: Our Position is Clear on Any
Draft-Law that Doesn’t Respect Constitution
Al-Rahi on Call to Protect Free Syrian Army: Lebanon
Doesn’t Take Orders on How to Run its Affairs
Panetta: US attack on Iran would be more effective
Yitzhak Benhorin/Ynetnews
US defense secretary says his country has better attack capabilities than
Israel. 'It’s clear that if the US did it we would have a bigger impact,' he
tells National Journal . WASHINGTON – United States Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta addressed the possibility of a strike against Iran, clarifying Thursday
that the US has better attack capabilities than Israel's.
In an interview with the National Journal Panetta discussed what were to happen
if Israel carries out an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. “If they decided
to do it there’s no question that it would have an impact, but I think it’s also
clear that if the United States did it we would have a hell of a bigger impact,”
Panetta stated. Washington's diplomatic escalation in regards to Iran comes
after a long week of meetings between US President Barack Obama and Israel's
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, in which the US
declared it's committed to preventing Iran from achieving nuclear
capabilities.Let me be clear—we do not have a policy of containment,” Panetta
clarified. “We have a policy of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
Just like his fellow Washington officials, Panetta has come to a conclusion that
Israel has yet to make up its mind about whether or not to attack Iran. “As the
president himself has said, I don’t believe they’ve made a final decision here,”
Panetta said. “I feel confident that they really are seriously weighing all of
the ramifications of how best to deal with Iran.”
Panetta mentioned the US has far more advanced weapons and a significantly
larger air force than Israel, concluding that an American attack on Iran would
be a lot more effective.
Attack 'unlikely this year' On Wednesday, the head of a respected London-based
think-tank said that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would only
set back Tehran’s program by a couple of years. International Institute for
Strategic Studies (IISS) head John Chipman said an Israeli attack against Iran
was unlikely this year, following US assurances this week to Israel that it
would not rule out military action.Only the United States could conduct a
serious campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities, he said.
Furthermore, a pre-emptive Israeli strike could backfire because it is likely to
push the Tehran regime to accelerate its nuclear ambitions, warned the IISS
director-general at the release of its annual “Military Balance” report. “My
judgment is that an Israeli attack on Iran of an overt kind is unlikely this
year,” Chipman told a news conference on the annual assessment of the global
military power balance.
Panetta participated in the meeting between Obama and Netanyahu, afterwhich he
sat down privatally with the Israeli PM. According to Panetta, “I think they’re
serious about the threat that they view from Iran and its impact on Israel. I
think they also understand that we view Iran as a threat to our security as
well.” Meanwhile, the White House denied Thursday that Obama and Netanyahu
discussed an Israeli request for advanced US military technology that could be
used against Iran. "In meetings the president had there was no such agreement
proposed or reached," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
Obama and Netanyahu meet in the Oval office for two hours on Monday and then had
lunch together. An Israeli official said earlier on Thursday that Israel has
asked the US for advanced "bunker-buster" bombs and refueling planes that could
improve its ability to attack Iran's underground nuclear sites.
Reuters contributed to this report
U.S. denies Obama promised bunker busters to Netanyahu
By Natasha Mozgovaya and Reuters
White House statement comes after Israeli media reports claim U.S. President
agreed to give Israel the GBU-28 bombs; Netanyahu: Strike on Iran isn't a matter
of weeks, but also 'not of years. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not discuss in their meetings this week a
reported Israeli request for advanced U.S. military technology that could be
used against Iran, the White House said on Thursday. "In meetings the president
had there was no such agreement proposed or reached," White House press
secretary Jay Carney told reporters. Obama and Netanyahu meet in the Oval office
for two hours on Monday and then had lunch together.Carney's comment came after
an Israeli official quoted by the Maariv newspaper earlier on Thursday indicated
that Israel has asked the United States for advanced "bunker-buster" bombs and
refueling planes that could improve its ability to attack Iran's underground
nuclear sites. On Tuesday, Haaretz quoted a U.S. official as indicating that
Netanyahu had asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for the GBU-28 bunker busting
bombs as well as for advanced refueling aircraft. The source added that Obama
then instructed Panetta to start work on a request to work directly with Defense
Minister Ehud Barak on the matter, indicating that the U.S. administration was
inclined to look favorably upon the request as soon as possible. However,
Carney's comments on Thursday seemed to specifically relate to those meetings
participated by Obama and Netanyahu, while failing to comment about the content
of other lower-level talks.
"We have obviously high-level cooperation between the Israeli military and the
U.S. military, and at other levels and with other agencies within their
government and our government", Carney said, "adding: "That was not a subject of
discussion in the president's meetings." The White House official then pointed
to the U.S.'s extensive cooperation "with the Israeli military. We have provided
material to the Israeli military in the past, and I'm sure we will continue to
do that as part of our cooperation with and partnership with the Israeli
military." Carney noted that "there is agreement between this administration,
this government and the Israeli government on what Iran is doing and where it is
in the process of its nuclear program. And there is great coordination between
this government and the Israeli government, between our militaries and between
our intelligence officials, and that will continue." Finally, the White House
spokesperson commented on apparent praise given to Obama by Iran's Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei over the U.S. president's apparent ability to stem Israel's
intention to attack Iran. "The president's policy toward Iran is focused in a
very clear-eyed way on Iranian behavior, certainly not on rhetoric of any kind",
Carney said. "We are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,
and Iran continues to violate its obligations and has not yet demonstrated the
peaceful intent of its nuclear program." Referring to the prospect of a military
strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, Netanyahu told Channel 10 earlier
Thursday that a strike of Iran's nuclear facilities is not a "matter of days,
weeks, but not a matter of years," adding:" If I don't make the right call [on
Iran] maybe there won't be anyone to explain to.""Who will I explain it to? The
next generations? The ones that will not come?" the PM asked.
Security Council to discuss
Resolution 1701 report
March 08, 2012 12:20 PM The Daily Star
BEIRUT: U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly said he will travel
to New York soon to participate in the Security Council meeting earmarked for
discussion of the latest report on Resolution 1701. Plumbly told reporters after
meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour that the Security Council
meeting is expected to take place on March 21. He also said that he discussed
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's latest report on 1701 with Mansour. A report on
the implementation of Resolution 1701 is issued by the U.N. every four months.
The latest report described Lebanon’s security situation as “generally stable”
but warned of several threats to this stability, including political
polarization and spillover from the crisis in Syria. In the report, Ban said the
Syrian situation is a serious concern for stability, noting that Syrian security
forces have continued to carry out operations along the recently mined border
and that cross-border fire has led to casualties.
He said Hezbollah’s arms in the country “pose a serious challenge to the state’s
ability to exercise full sovereignty and authority over its territory.” Plumbly
also told reporters that he had discussed with Mansour the crisis in Syria and
its implications for Lebanon along with the recent visit to Syria by U.N.-Arab
League special envoy to Syria Kofi Annan. Anan, a former U.N. secretary-general,
is expected to arrive to Damascus on March 10. The U.N. has said that over 7,000
people have been killed in an almost year-long crackdown on demonstrators
against President Bashar Assad.
Annan urges end to Syria violence, official defects
March 08, 2012/ By Oliver Holmes/Daily Star
BEIRUT: Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League special envoy on Syria, said Thursday
he would urge President Bashar Assad and his foes to stop fighting and seek a
political solution to the conflict, drawing angry rebukes from dissidents. The
turmoil prompted Syria's deputy oil minister to change sides in the first
defection by a senior civilian official since the start of a popular uprising
against Assad. Abdo Hussameldin, 58, said he knew his move would bring
persecution on his family. In another sign of mounting pressure on Syria, the
national currency fell as low as 100 pounds to the dollar from about 47 a year
ago. Dealers in Damascus said the pound plunged about 13 percent in the last 24
hours on fears of U.S. military action.
"As I move to Syria, we will do whatever we can to urge and press for a
cessation of hostilities and end to the killing and violence," Annan, due in
Damascus on Saturday, said in Cairo. "But of course, ultimately the solution
lies in a political settlement," the former U.N. secretary-general said before
talks with Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby. "We will be urging the government
and a broad spectrum of Syrian opposition to come together to work with us to
find a solution that will respect the aspirations of the Syrian people." Syrian
activists, who say calls for dialogue only give Assad more time to suppress
them, bitterly criticised Annan's remarks. "That seems like a wink at Bashar,"
said an activist in the northwestern province of Idlib, who gave his name only
as Mohammad. "They are supposed to be with the people, but this will pressure
Assad to crush the revolution." Hadi Abdullah, an activist in the city of Homs,
said: "We reject any dialogue while tanks shell our towns, snipers shoot our
women and children and many areas are cut off from the world by the regime
without electricity, communications or water." Opposition sources say the
government, controlled by Assad's minority Alawite sect that has dominated power
in Syria for the past five decades, has effectively stopped functioning in
places that have been at the forefront of the uprising, such as Homs and Idlib.
They say the time for dialogue has passed.
An officer in the rebel Free Syrian Army said diplomatic initiatives had proved
fruitless in the past. "When they fail no action is taken against the regime and
that's why the opposition has to arm itself against its executioner," he added.
China, one of Assad's few friends abroad, said its envoy had given his Syrian
hosts a message similar to Annan's.
The Chinese envoy urged Assad's government and other parties to stop the
violence immediately and prodded them to let relief agencies into strife-hit
areas -- also the focus of a mission by U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos to Syria.
Syria Wednesday "welcomed" China's initiative, stressing Beijing's opposition to
foreign interference in its affairs. China is trying to counter Western and Arab
charges that it, along with Russia, has colluded in Assad's repression of
dissent by twice vetoing U.N. resolutions criticising him.
The world has failed to stop an unequal struggle pitting mostly Sunni Muslim
demonstrators and lightly armed rebels against the armoured might of Assad's
300,000-strong military, secret police and feared Alawite militiamen. Despite
the strains of a conflict in which the security forces have killed well over
7,500 Syrians, according to a U.N. estimate, and lost at least 2,000 of their
own, few senior military officers and government officials have defected. Deputy
Oil Minister Hussameldin became the highest-ranking civilian official to do so
since the start of an uprising inspired by Arab revolts elsewhere. "I join the
revolution of this dignified people," he said in a YouTube video, whose
authenticity could not be confirmed. He said he had been in government for 33
years but did not want to end his career "serving the crimes of this regime",
adding: "I have preferred to do what is right although I know that this regime
will burn my house and persecute my family." Burhan Ghalioun, Paris-based leader
of the opposition Syrian National Council, welcomed Hussameldin's action, but
said the SNC was not in contact with him. "People from the government must
continue to join the opposition," he told Reuters.
Western powers have shied away from Libya-style military intervention in Syria,
at the heart of a conflict-prone Middle East, but some U.S. lawmakers have asked
how many Syrians must die before President Barack Obama's administration uses
force. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Wednesday defended U.S. caution,
especially in the absence of international consensus on Syria, and said, at
Obama's request, the Pentagon had reviewed U.S. military options in Syria,
assessing issues such as potential missions and Syria's troop line-up.
Annan said any further militarisation of the crisis in Syria would "make the
situation worse".Amos, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, saw desolate scenes when she visited the former rebel
redoubt of Baba Amr in Homs city the same day. "It was like a closed-down city
and there were very few people around," Amanda Pitt, a UNOCHA spokeswoman said
after Amos toured Baba Amr with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. It "looked like it
was devastated from the fighting and shelling", Pitt said in New York, relaying
Amos's impressions.
Amos, allowed into Syria only after Russia and China joined the rest of the U.N.
Security Council in rebuking Damascus for keeping her out, is seeking
humanitarian access to battle zones. A U.N. spokesman in Damascus said she was
meeting Syrian officials and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Thursday, but would
make no more field trips before leaving later in the day. An ICRC convoy has
been unable to enter Baba Amr since it reached Homs Friday, a day after rebels
left a district that had endured sustained bombardment and sniping for 26 days.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said aid delays were unacceptable and
urged Syria to respect a pledge last November to withdraw troops, free prisoners
and allow peaceful protests. "The regime's refusal to allow humanitarian workers
to help feed the hungry, tend to the injured, bury the dead, marks a new low,"
she said, adding that she planned to meet her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov
Monday at the United Nations.
Russia's U.N. envoy accused Libya's new rulers of training and arming Syrian
rebels. "This is completely unacceptable ... This activity is undermining
stability in the Middle East," said Vitaly Churkin. Syrian activist groups said
the army, after its onslaught on Homs, is preparing to attack rebel bastions in
Idlib province, a mountainous area in the northwest which borders Turkey. A
pro-Syrian Lebanese official told Reuters last month that Assad aimed to crush
insurgents in Homs and move on to Idlib
Israel introduces ‘tunnel warfare’ to combat Hezbollah:
report
March 08, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Israeli Army has introduced a method
it dubs “tunnel warfare,” designed to penetrate underground tunnel systems used
by Hezbollah and Hamas in any future war, an Israeli newspaper reported
Wednesday. According to Haaretz, “The method, which has been developed since the
Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead, is meant to combat the underground
tunnel systems used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel believes Hezbollah has an large network of underground tunnels and
bunkers which it uses to store and transport rockets and other weapons.
The Israeli Army Tuesday used a video demonstration to showcase the recent
combat technique. The video depicted soldiers entering a constructed tunnel
system.
According to the paper, the army “avoids entering tunnels and underground
command centers if it can avoid doing so, because of the danger posed to the
soldiers.” But it added that in some cases, such as when a soldier is kidnapped
or vital intelligence can be gathered, the army may find it essential to do so.
Also Wednesday, on Lebanon’s southern border, a team of Israeli soldiers and
engineers failed to commence the scheduled construction of a security wall. Five
Israeli military hummers equipped with machine guns, maps, and around 30
soldiers, along with several engineers, showed up in an area near the border
village of Kfar Kila. The team did a field survey of the area and placed red
marks in the spots where the wall will be constructed but left after an hour
without initiating work.
The Lebanese Army and members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon deployed in
the area upon the arrival of the Israeli team to observe the work and to ensure
that no violations of Lebanon’s territorial integrity occurred. A team of
peacekeepers also performed a field survey of the area on the Lebanese side.
According to U.N. sources, Israel has decided to begin construction works –
which are expected to last a month – on the wall Monday.
The 5-meter-high, 1-kilometer-long security wall, which would separate the
adjacent villages of Metula (Israel) and Kfar Kila (Lebanon), is expected to be
equipped with surveillance cameras and alarm systems.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which was introduced to maintain the
cessation of hostilities following the 2006 war established a buffer zone on the
Lebanese side of the Blue Line, where only UNIFIL and Lebanese Army troops are
permitted.
Israeli officials have said that the purpose behind building the security wall
is to prevent future clashes.
Israeli jets over Lebanon, bulldozers on border
March 08, 2012/ The Daily Star
SIDON: Israeli warplanes flew low over south Lebanon Thursday as Israeli
bulldozers engaged in unspecified work in the area between the technical fence
and the Blue Line
The overflights south of the Litani River all the way to the southern port city
of Sidon coincided with Israeli work near the border town of Bint Jbeil,
high-ranking security sources told The Daily Star.
They said the three bulldozers involved in the operation did not cross the Blue
Line.
Nevertheless, Lebanon has expressed its reservations regarding Israel's actions
near the border villages of Maroun al-Ras and Aytaroun.
The security sources, who spoke to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity,
expected Lebanon to contest Israel’s move by protesting to UNIFIL, the United
Nations force in south Lebanon. Sources with UNIFIL
and the Lebanese Army said Israel’s actions were part of an effort to construct
a security wall near the border town of Kfar Kila.
Israeli soldiers and combat engineer units in a convoy of four armored Humvees
and three GMC vehicles Wednesday put red marks in the area where the Jewish
State intends to construct a security wall.The Lebanese Army and U.N.
peacekeepers had deployed in the area upon the arrival of the Israeli unit at
10:00 a.m. to observe the work and ensure that no violations of Lebanon's
territorial integrity occurred. The five-meter-high,
one-kilometer-long security wall, which would separate the adjacent villages of
Metula (Israel) and Kfar Kila (Lebanon), is expected to be equipped with
surveillance cameras and alarm systems. Credible
sources in south Lebanon said Israel has set March 12 as the date to start
construction work. U.N. Security Council Resolution
1701, which was introduced to maintain the cessation of hostilities following
the end of the July-August 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, established a
buffer zone on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line temporary border where only
UNIFIL and Lebanese Army troops are permitted. Israeli
officials have said that the purpose behind building the security wall is to
prevent future clashes.
The impact to Canada if Israel attacks Iran
By Andy Radia
Politics Reporter
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/impact-canada-israel-attacks-iran-214350455.html
Canada Politics – Tue, 6 Mar, 2012....
Talk of an immediate Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites were diffused this
week, after Benjamin Netanyahu's visit with President Obama and Prime Minister
Harper.
Reportedly, both North American leaders urged the Israeli Prime Minister to give
diplomacy a chance.
"We're now hearing noises about [Iran] returning to the negotiating table, that
it is deeply in everybody's interests, the United States', Israel's, and the
world's, to see if this can be resolved in a peaceful fashion," Obama said in a
press conference Tuesday warning against an ill-timed military strike against
Iran.
"There are consequences for Israel if this happens prematurely, there are
consequences for the US as well."
There would also be consequences for Canada.
If Israel were to attack Iran, Canadians should brace for a painful impact.
Gas prices would soar:
According to ABC News, about 20 percent of the oil traded worldwide passes
through the Persian Gulf, bordered by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the
Gulf states.
If Israel were to bomb Iran, and there was to be a pro-longed battle, some
analysts are projecting oil prices could hit $175 - $200 a barrel.
Former Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who now operates Tomorrowsgaspricetoday.com,
doesn't expect an immediate attack on Iran, especially in light of President
Obama's recent comments.
But in the "unlikely event" there is a war, McTeague says, "the sky is the
limit."
"Remember [oil prices] doubled in 1991...last time during the Gulf War," he told
Yahoo! Canada News on Tuesday.
Canada enters the war:
An Israeli attack on Iran will inevitably lead to a retaliation.
The anecdotal evidence tells us that Canada would come to the defence of its
ally. Both Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird have publicly
touted their unconditional support for the Jewish state.
"There is no better friend to Israel than Canada," Baird said in speech in
January.
"We shall always be there for you, and in front of you."
Also, last November, the National Post reported Canada and Israel were about to
sign-off on a number of defence co-operation agreements that would
"significantly tighten military bonds"
The agreements cover a range of areas, including intelligence sharing, joint
research and development and military exchange programs.
One of the agreements, noted the article "could oblige Canada to come to
Israel's defence should the latter be attacked."
High terror alert levels:
An Israeli attack against Iran would likely spur a new wave of terrorism
directed by Tehran.
"If we, the United States, we're bombing Iran, then I think they'd certainly
want to try to do something on our homeland because we were bombing their
homeland," former White House counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke told ABC
News.
Does that mean they would attack Canada or Canadian consulates abroad?
At the very least you can expect high terror alert levels in both Canada and the
United States.
For Canadians, that would mean longer border line-ups and security delays at our
airports.