English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 10/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today
Mary and her sister Martha sent a message to Jesus saying, ‘Lord, Lazarus whom you love is ill
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11/01-16/:”Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 09- 10/2021

Mother’s Day in Canada: All people have hearts, but Mothers’ Hearts brings all hearts together/Elias Bejjani/May 09/2021
Health Ministry: 570 new Corona cases, 26 deaths
Al-Rahi Slams Those 'Pushing Lebanon to Collapse for Suspicious Motive'
Rahi calls for preserving country's entity
Macron Reportedly Intends to Invite Lebanese Leaders to Paris
Hizbullah in 'Biggest Mobilization since 2006' over Major Israeli Drill
Alloush: Hariri's Problem is that He Trusted the French Too Much
Lebanon’s central bank announces ‘conditional’ plan for dollar withdrawals
"Change will happen but will take time," says Taymour Jumblatt, highlights current need for a government that implements reforms, elections under a non-sectarian law
Hassan before a Bekaa hospitals medical committees' delegation: Lifting subsidies on medicine, medical supplies a 'red line'
Kanaan: People have a right to know the fate of their lifetime savings, solution lies in forensic audit
Druze Sheikh Aql condemns Israeli enemy's violations in Jerusalem
Zahran: Three options after the Fitr Feast
Najjar's press office announces the start of maintenance works on the highway from Nahr Ibrahim to Nahr El Kalb
Geagea supports Palestinian cause
Derian condemns aggression on Palestinians
Dar Al-Fatwa: To detect the crescent of the month of Shawwal after sunset on Tuesday

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 09- 10/2021

Iraqis set Iran’s consulate in Karbala on fire following activist assassination
US Navy seizes advanced weapons from ‘stateless ship’ in Arabian Sea
Fire on Oil Tanker Off Syria's Coast amid Reports of Blast
Dozens injured as Palestinians riot in Jerusalem, al-Aqsa
IDF strikes Gaza after rocket launched at Israel amid Jerusalem unrest
Israel Vows to Keep Jerusalem Order, Hundreds of Palestinians Wounded
Israel helped US track Qasem Soleimani using cell phone - report
Large Chinese Rocket Segment Disintegrates over Indian Ocean
Egypt Hangs Coptic Monk for Killing of Abbot
Putin to review Russian military might as tensions with West soar
Afghan school blast toll rises to 58, families bury victims
Pope Urges End to Clashes in Jerusalem

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 09- 10/2021
Turkey calls Israel 'terrorist' state, seeks to 'save Jerusalem' - analysis/Seth J. Frantzman/May 09/2021
China Aims to Become the World's Leading Space Power by 2045/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute./May 09/2021
The G7 and Its Dicey Clichés/Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/May 09/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 09- 10/2021

Mother’s Day in Canada: All people have hearts, but Mothers’ Hearts brings all hearts together
Elias Bejjani/May 09/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/86018/86018/

Canada celebrates today, on the ninth of May 2021, “The Mother’s Day” and honors with love and gratitude all her sacrifices, devotion, and commitments.
This blessed ritual of genuine honoring is certainly a faith obligation and a human, moral, ethical, religious and ecclesiastical duty for each and every believer who fears God and the day of his last Judgement,
and at the same adheres in his/her pattern of lifestyle, and practices to the Ten Biblical Commandments in which its fifth one verbatim reads: “Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you”.
Honor means to give high regard, respect and esteem to; to bring respect or credit to; an outward token, sign or act that manifests high regard.
Respect means to have deferential regard for, to treat with propriety and consideration; to regard as inviolable.
Meanwhile, this honor and respect, though primarily intended by God to be given to parents, are not limited to them. In spirit it includes civil, religious and educational authorities as well.
God want us to honor our parents because the family is the basic building block or unit of society, thus the stability of the community depends on the stability of the families that comprise it.
“In God’s eyes—and in a small child’s—a parent stands in the place of God Himself. In the physical sense, parents are the child’s creator, provider, lawgiver, teacher, and protector—and sometimes even savior. A child’s response to this relationship will greatly determine his later response to larger relationships in society. And it is ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN to affect his relationship with God. Thus, since parents represent God, it becomes their obligation to live lives worthy of that honor. Ultimately, the responsibility for keeping this commandment falls on the child, but it begins with the parents through child training and example. If parents neither provide the correct example nor teach the correct way, they can hardly expect their children to honor them” (John W. Ritenbaugh).
Mothers and fathers, through the bond of sacred marriage, secure the continuity of humanity. This holy and blessed institution, the institution of the family “Marriage” is the cornerstone of every society. Without it, societies disintegrate, lose values ​​and morals after which destructive chaos and all forms of loss of faith and immorality prevail.
In one of our proverbs back home in Lebanon we say: The Good mother is like a magnet that pulls together her family members and holds them under her wings. Practically this means that with her love, warm and big heart, devotion, passionate, role model, hard work and sacrifices she brings her family members together, embraces them, nurtures them, and always works to cultivate in them all values of love, forgiveness, giving, humility, tolerance, and faith.
We congratulate the mothers on their annual day, and pray for the eternal rest of the souls of the mothers who have passed away.
We ask our mothers who are in heaven dwelling in God’s mentions to pray for us and for peace in the world, especially during this time of world wide state of loss, confusion, despair and fear, while facing the deadly threats of Corona Virus plague.
A Special Prayer For The Mothers
Dear God,
Thank you for your endless provisions of grace and mercy. We come to you today to lift up every woman who answers to the name of “mom.” We ask that you supply each one with the strength they need for those difficult days. Give them wisdom to know when to encourage and when to correct their children. Supply them with an extra dose of patience. Remind them that children are a heritage and a reward from You (Psalm 127:3 CSB), and shower them with special moments they can cherish. Lord, we also ask that you draw them close to you daily. Remind them of their worth in Your eyes – that they, too, are cherished children of a loving Father. We pray for contentment in this very special calling. May every mom realize that this is a mission from You, one that brings truly great rewards in the end. quoted from the Batchelor Brothers page)
Amen

Health Ministry: 570 new Corona cases, 26 deaths
NNA/May 09/2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Sunday, the registration of 570 new Corona infections, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 532,839. It also added that 26 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Al-Rahi Slams Those 'Pushing Lebanon to Collapse for Suspicious Motive'
Naharnet/May 09/2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday called on officials concerned with the formation of the new government to “quickly leave the prisons of their preconditions.”“Let them show professionalism and nobleness and let them honorably, carefully, responsibly and consciously listen to the pain of the people,” al-Rahi added in a mass marking the beginning of the Marian month, urging officials to “form a capable government comprising promising national talents.”“Some are pushing Lebanon to further collapse for a suspicious motive,” the patriarch lamented.He also hoped the rapprochement among rival forces in the region will reflect positively on the Lebanese situation, calling on Lebanese political forces to “withdraw from conflicts and axes, which would allow Lebanon to regain its neutrality, independence and stability.”

Rahi calls for preserving country's entity
NNA/May 09/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided over Sunday's Mass service in Bkirki this morning. In his sermon, Rahi called on the Lebanese to preserve Lebanon’s entity, saying: “Despite all the difficulties and calamities that befell our homeland in recent years, and despite the political crisis and economic hardship, we call on the people to preserve the Lebanese entity and regroup its energies and capabilities. The Patriarch renewed the call to those concerned with forming the government to "rise above their personal interests and narrow calculations for the sake of the country and its people." Rahi considered that there are parties intending to push Lebanon towards further collapse for an evil goal. In this regard, Rahi renewed his call to declare Lebanon's neutrality, and to hold an international conference for Lebanon under the auspices of the United Nations, so that the country's fate becomes independent from the current challenges in the Middle East region, far from any external influence or any compromise or settlement.
 

Macron Reportedly Intends to Invite Lebanese Leaders to Paris
Naharnet/May 09/2021
French President Emmanuel Macron intends to invite Lebanese leaders to hold a conference in Paris, Lebanon’s state-run Tele Liban television has reported. The conference would be aimed at “halting the deterioration of the Lebanese situation and agreeing on a government that would achieve reforms and bring foreign financial support,” Tele Liban quoted French diplomats as saying. The report comes a few days after a visit to Lebanon by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who expressed exasperation over Lebanese politicians’ failure to put together a new reform-minded government.

Hizbullah in 'Biggest Mobilization since 2006' over Major Israeli Drill
Naharnet/May 09/2021
Hizbullah has upped its readiness to 100% in south Lebanon and Syria's Quneitra as a precautionary measure related to a major Israeli military exercise that will last one month, media reports said on Sunday.The Iran-backed Lebanese group has canceled some vacations and called in some of its reserve forces in a move not seen since the devastating 2006 war with Israel, the reports added. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had on Friday warned Israel against any “mistake” during the drill. “As of Sunday morning, we will do all the calm and appropriate steps that do not alarm anyone inside Lebanon in an invisible way, but the enemy must know that we will be cautious, alert and prepared,” he said. “Any wrong move towards Lebanon during the drill will be an adventure by the enemy. The enemy will be mistaken should it think that we will be afraid to confront any attempt to alter the rules of engagement or any security or military action,” Nasrallah cautioned. He added: “We will not be lenient and we will not tolerate any mistake, violation or hostile move by the enemy across the entire Lebanese territory,” Nasrallah vowed. The Israeli exercise simulates a major war on Israel’s southern and northern fronts and on the Sinai and domestic fronts simultaneously with major rocket attacks from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza.
 

Alloush: Hariri's Problem is that He Trusted the French Too Much
Naharnet/May 09/2021
Al-Mustaqbal Movement deputy head Mustafa Alloush has noted that the main reason behind French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit to Lebanon was to “inform Lebanese officials that the French initiative has ended.” In a press interview, Alloush also revealed that PM-designate Saad Hariri was put under “a lot of pressures” by the French. “The last of which was a suggestion that he meet with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil,” Alloush added. “Hariri said that, in order for the meeting to take place, Bassil must openly announce his support for the government and his willingness to grant it confidence” in parliament, the Mustaqbal official said. Criticizing Paris, Alloush added that “the French did not help in resolving the crisis.”“They settled for launching stances that did not lead to any result,” Alloush said. “Most of the forces with which Le Drian met do not have any political weight,” the ex-MP added, referring to civil society groups and established political parties that took part in the October 17 uprising. “Hariri’s problem is that he trusted the French too much,” Alloush lamented.

Lebanon’s central bank announces ‘conditional’ plan for dollar withdrawals
AFP/10 May ,2021
Lebanon’s central bank on Sunday announced a “conditional” plan that would allow depositors, hit by strangling financial restrictions, to access part of their foreign currency savings stuck in Lebanese banks. Lebanon is in the grips of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, and more than half of the population is now in poverty. The Lebanese pound, officially pegged to the dollar at 1,507 since 1997, has lost more than 85 percent of its value against the greenback on the black market. Since Autumn 2019, banks have largely prevented ordinary depositors from accessing their dollar savings or transferring them abroad, forcing them to resort to the black market to obtain foreign currency. Holders of dollar accounts have only been able to access their money by exchanging it into the local currency at a rate of 3,900 to the greenback. The dollar is currently trading for more than 12,500 pounds on the black market. The central bank said Sunday it was negotiating “a mechanism (with Lebanese lenders) under which the banks would begin to gradually give (clients) access to their deposits... in all currencies.”The institution is mulling a plan that would involve banks “paying (savers) sums of up to $25,000 in US dollars or any (other) foreign currency along with its equivalent in Lebanese pounds,” the statement added. It did not specify the exchange rate for amounts converted to the local currency. The central bank said the plan would “begin from June 30” and be spread out over an unspecified period of time, but would be applied “on condition of obtaining legal cover”. A central bank source told AFP that this meant “the adoption by parliament of a law on capital controls.”Draft legislation on capital controls has long remained a dead letter. Lebanon’s government stepped down after a massive blast at Beirut’s port in August last year, but deeply divided politicians have been unable to form a new cabinet. Two associations said this week they had filed a legal complaint against central bank governor Riad Salameh, whom they accuse of fraudulently amassing a large fortune in Europe.

"Change will happen but will take time," says Taymour Jumblatt, highlights current need for a government that implements reforms, elections under a non-sectarian law
NNA/May 09/2021 
"Democratic Gathering" Chief, MP Taymour Jumblatt, stressed the importance of trust as an essential component of any relationship, be it personal or professional, noting that "trust leads to dialogue, and dialogue to settlement, and settlement to a solution to any problem." He added: "The country is collapsing because of its system, the quota system, and the government is responsible for mismanaging the financial crisis over the past years, and nearly most institutions have witnessed downfall...Then Covid-19 spread and the Beirut Port explosion made it difficult for the younger generations to trust the government in any matter related to politics." The MP's words came during his participation today in the "Annual Symposium Gathering" organized by the "St. Gallen University" in Switzerland, in which activists from around the world took part in a session devoted to tackling the challenges of confidence facing young politicians. "We are currently living in a very tense situation, because the political parties do not agree with each other, the political leaders do not trust each other...Unfortunately as well, even the civil society parties do not trust each other, as they do not agree on a common program or a common vision to move forward towards the future, but they do agree on one thing, which is the difference between the political elite and the rising generations, namely that this system must change one way or the other," affirmed Jumblatt. "The problem is that we live in the Middle East, and change does not happen overnight. Rather, it happens through patience and perseverance, and what we need for people like me from the rising generation is to return to an economic system that guarantees social justice, and allows the emerging generation to dream more, and the only way for that is through dialogue between the political parties, or some of them, and the civil society as well, to plan for the future, to learn from the mistakes of the past and to know the mistakes that we have made in the present," Jumblatt maintained. He referred to the challenges facing him as a young politician that hinder his efforts, namely in terms of being perceived as belonging to the current political system, which is a problem in itself. "I have to prove to them that I can change from the inside out; therefore, I have to introduce reform into my party as well as into the whole country. It will be a long and arduous road, but the only way to reach a solution is through dialogue, and I have to start at least somewhere," he corroborated. Responding to a question on how to build this confidence through his experience, Jumblatt said: "The only way now in order to move forward is to convince people that there are actual intentions to carry out political and economic reforms."He emphasized that "at the national level, the most important thing is to form a government that is in harmony with what the international community demands, and to hold elections based on a non-sectarian vote law to give all parties of civil society and younger generations an opportunity to enter parliament and determine their political future."

Hassan before a Bekaa hospitals medical committees' delegation: Lifting subsidies on medicine, medical supplies a 'red line'
NNA/May 09/2021  
Caretaker Public Health Minister, Hamad Hassan, met at his Baalbek residence today with a delegation of medical committees in the Bekaa hospitals, who came to demand expediting the payment of financial dues owed to doctors for the year 2020 and four months of the current year. "There is no doubt that the health sector in Lebanon is going through challenges and complications as a result of the conditions in which we live, but this does not mean that the government and official institutions abandon their duty and role to fulfill the right of the health sector in general, be it the dues of hospitals or the fees of doctors," Hassan said, while commending the high performance and diligence of physicians and medical committees in hospitals in catering to patients' health and wellbeing. He added, "Lebanon is not only suffering from economic and financial problems, but is also facing today a challenge in the continuation of medical services under the circumstances in which we live, but I say to every Lebanese citizen, do not live with this fear and internal tension, for doctors will not abandon citizens and this is a passing crisis."Addressing those responsible for the country's monetary and financial policies, Hassan urged them to find a solution to this issue, and to take the initiative by assuming their responsibilities. "We have agreed to assign a person from the Ministry of Health, starting tomorrow, alongside a person from the Ministry of Finance, and I hope that you will assign someone from the medical committees to follow-up on the matter, so that we can speed-up the pace of payment the soonest possible," Hassan told the delegation. In response to a question about circulating rumors regarding the lifting of subsidies on medicine and medical supplies, the Caretaker Minister said: "I contacted the Central Bank of Lebanon two days ago, and as far as they are concerned, the subsidy for the health sector and its listings has not been lifted, whether on medicines or medical supplies. There is a new mechanism for discussion together, and we are ready and cooperating and we feel the crisis, but the issue of lifting subsidies on medicines and medical supplies is a red line...!""We refuse to take a decision to lift subsidies without sitting at a joint table to discuss a gradual mechanism that guarantees and preserves the citizen's health before talking about lifting subsidies on the health sector," Hassan underscored.

Kanaan: People have a right to know the fate of their lifetime savings, solution lies in forensic audit
NNA/May 09/2021  
Secretary of the "Strong Lebanon" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, stressed today that "the return to building on an internal Lebanese foundation that allows for salvation is the prelude to the solution for an effective government whose priority is to deal with the financial, economic and social crises, which would alter the scene of despair, disgust and frustration that the Lebanese are rightfully feeling, as a result of their perception that the paths for a near solution are blocked." Speaking to "Voice of All Lebanon" Radio Channel this morning, Kanaan considered that "the Middle East is an American-Chinese-Iranian-Saudi battlefield, and continuing to wait for the outcome of the countries' conflict or their initiatives in order to form a government and deal with the monetary financial crisis, rather complicates matters further."He emphasized herein that the Lebanese must rely on themselves in finding suitable ways to get out of the current deadlock, adding that the solution lies in agreeing on the government's mission, not just its form, away from fearing the other's intentions which would render each side entrenched behind its positions. He also stressed that confidence must be restored through agreeing on the content of the next phase. "We are living an exceptional circumstance that needs decisions, and the failure of the caretaker government to convene in order to decide on the rationalization of subsidy, the budget, and other basic dossiers, renders it responsible for the downward sliding path and its consequences, since setting or raising subsidy is historically its duty," Kanaan asserted. He went on to question that "the Lebanese want to know the fate of their money, and the minimum step in this regard would be the forensic audit, so why do some people oppose it?" "Restoring the confidence of the Lebanese in the banks begins with restoring the rights of depositors and reassuring them with a plan to know the fate of their lifetime savings, and the banks must seek to reassure people and end discretionary dealings with them," Kanaan corroborated. He deemed that the depositors are the greatest losers in the event of banks closing or declaring bankruptcy, while the greatest winners are the banks themselves since their money is based abroad. Finally, the MP disclosed that he is currently working on completing his report on Capital Control so that the Parliament can play its role in a way that preserves the rights of depositors and ends the discretionary dealing of banks. "Banks have to reassure people regarding their deposited funds, and Capital Control should be for a specific period so as not to strike the free economic system of Lebanon," maintained Kanaan, adding that "this step must imperatively be accompanied by an economic rescue plan, so that Capital Control does not turn into a permanent measure and a threat to Lebanon, since the solution is to restructure the banks and public debt."

Druze Sheikh Aql condemns Israeli enemy's violations in Jerusalem
NNA/May 09/2021  
Druze Community Sheikh Aql Naim Hassan denounced in a statement on Sunday, "the persistent violations of the Israeli occupation, the latest of which is the racist infringement on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a breach of all values, human rights and respect for religions and their rituals, which is not new to the enemy that continues to pursue its attacks amidst global silence towards all its crimes." Meanwhile, Sheikh Hassan hailed "the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem and the Palestinians, who prove that their affiliation to the cause and the land is stronger than all Israeli arrogance," adding that "these patient and persistent people will be destined to obtain their rights no matter how long it takes."

Zahran: Three options after the Fitr Feast
NNA/May 09/2021  
Media Center Director, Salem Zahran, tweeted Sunday over the country's stalemate situation, saying: "Days separate us from Eid al-Fitr, following which everyone will be faced with three options:

-Holding a quick local settlement that results in a coercive, compromising government between the quarreling parties. -Submitting to a transitional government, chaired by someone of PM-designate Hariri's choice, to oversee the summer 2022 pre-parliamentary elections phase

-Jumping into the crater and igniting the daily-living, sustenance fire...!"

Najjar's press office announces the start of maintenance works on the highway from Nahr Ibrahim to Nahr El Kalb
NNA/May 09/2021  
The media office of Caretaker Public Works and Transport Minister, Michel Najjar, announced in a statement today that maintenance works by the Rashid Al-Khazen Contracting Corporation have begun this morning along the coastal highway, starting from "Nahr Ibrahim" and far-reaching "Nahr Al-Kalb" area, and will continue until next Tuesday. The statement indicated that "these works come at the request of Minister Najjar and the response of former Deputy and Minister Farid Haikal Al-Khazen, in a gesture of support and preservation of public safety and reducing traffic hazards."

Geagea supports Palestinian cause
NNA/May 09/2021 
Head of the "Lebanese Forces" Party, Samir Geagea, declared in a statement on Sunday, the solidarity of the “Lebanese Forces” with the Palestinian people in the face of endless harassment, continuous persecution, permanent oppression and repression of unarmed demonstrators, especially in Al-Aqsa Mosque. “What is happening is unacceptable by all humanitarian and international standards, so it is not permissible for the Palestinian people to remain in endless suffering defending their right to freedom and a secure and stable life,” Geagea said. “The emergency meeting of the Arab League Council, which convenes tomorrow, Monday, is required to take all necessary political steps from the Security Council's call to convene, to the mobilization of all friendly countries, in order to relieve pressure on the Palestinian people and to ensure the restoration of their legitimate rights to establish a state that possesses all the basics of sovereignty, leading to an end to the rampage that began before the middle of the last century and is still continuing,” he underscored.

Derian condemns aggression on Palestinians
NNA/May 09/2021
Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdullatif Derian, described in a statement the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli enemy as “terrorism” and a flagrant violation of human rights and international covenants.
He appealed to the Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to move quickly to protect the Palestinian people and put an end to this repeated aggression without any deterrence or conscience, and to pressure the Zionist entity to stop these violations in Al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied Jerusalem

Dar Al-Fatwa: To detect the crescent of the month of Shawwal after sunset on Tuesday
NNA/May 09/2021
In an issued statement by Dar al-Fatwa on Sunday, it expected that the crescent of the month of Shawwal for the year 1442 AH will be detected after sunset on Tuesday, the twenty-ninth of the blessed month of Ramadan, corresponding to May 11, 2021 AD. In this connection, Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, will perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer at 6:25 a.m. on the morning of the first day of Eid at the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in Central Beirut, taking into account the preventive measures of the Corona pandemic. As part of these preventive measures, the Mufti has apologized for not receiving well-wishers on this Eid.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 09- 10/2021

Iraqis set Iran’s consulate in Karbala on fire following activist assassination
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/09 May ,2021
Protesters set fire to the entrances and gates of the Iranian consulate in Iraq’s Karbala following the funeral of assassinated activist Ehab Al-Wazni. Hundreds of Iraqis buried the body of activist Ihab al-Wazni, who was assassinated at dawn on Sunday by gunmen in Karbala. The mourners chanted against Iran and its militias in Iraq. Unidentified gunmen assassinated prominent Iraqi activist and member of October demonstrations coordination group, Ehab al-Wazni, in an armed attack in the al-Haddad area of Karbala. On Sunday, the US condemned the assassination of the prominent Iraqi activist and protester, Ihab Al-Wazni, and said that “silencing independent voices through violence is totally unacceptable.”The US embassy in Baghdad said, “The US condemns in the strongest terms the killing of Ehab al-Wazni,” adding that “silencing independent voices through violence is totally unacceptable.”The US expressed “deep sympathy with the family of the deceased,” and continued “to stand with those who seek to achieve a peaceful and prosperous future for Iraq.”The British ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hickey, said in a tweet on Twitter that he “strongly condemns the killing of activist Ehab Al-Wazni,” adding that “impunity for the killing of activists since October 2019 has only led to more deaths.”“There is a need to take concrete measures to hold the perpetrators accountable and protect Iraqi citizens as they prepare for the elections in October,” Hickey stressed. Karbala governorate police have mobilized all their efforts, searching for the perpetrators of the attack. Al-Wazni survived an assassination attack in December of 2019, only two months after the start of the October 2019 demonstration in Iraq. The October 2019 protests called for reforms in Iraq’s political system to end decades of corruption and sectarianism. The protesters have received backlash from Iran-backed Iraqi militias and political organizations. Iraqi activists mourned al-Wazni on social media and allegedly pointed fingers to Iran-backed militias.
 

US Navy seizes advanced weapons from ‘stateless ship’ in Arabian Sea
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/09 May ,2021
The US seized an illicit shipment of advanced weapons from a stateless dhow in international water of the North Arabian Sea on Friday, according to a statement released by the US Naval Forces Central Command. The cache of weapons included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, and hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades launchers. The statement added that the original source and intended destination of the materiel is currently under investigation. After all illicit cargo was removed, the dhow was assessed for seaworthiness, and after questioning, its crew was provided food and water before being released. “The US Navy conducts routine patrols in the region to ensure the free flow of commerce for legitimate traffic, disrupt the transport of illicit cargo that often funds terrorism and unlawful activity, and safeguard the rules-based international order,” the statement concluded.

Fire on Oil Tanker Off Syria's Coast amid Reports of Blast
Agence France Presse/May 09/2021
A fire broke out Sunday on an oil tanker off northwest Syria's Banias refinery due to "technical failure" in one of its engines, state media reported. "A technical failure in one of the engines of an oil tanker parked off the coast of the city of Banias led to a small fire and the appearance of black smoke," SANA news agency said. "The fire was dealt with by the tanker's crew and it was put out immediately before causing any damage." The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an "explosion" caused the blaze. It was the same "Iranian vessel" that had caught fire in an April 24 attack that killed three Syrians, including two crew members, according to the war monitor's head Rami Abdul Rahman. Syria's oil ministry at the time said a drone attack was believed to have caused the blaze. Tanker Trackers identified Sunday's vessel as the Panama-flagged WISDOM ship -- the same ship in last month's attack. Banias oil refinery is located in the regime-controlled coastal province of Tartus. Early last year, Damascus said divers had planted explosives on offshore pipelines of Banias refinery, but the damage had not halted operations. And in February 2020, four oil and gas sites in the central Syrian province of Homs were attacked by armed drones, sparking fires and causing damage. Before its war broke out in 2011, Syria enjoyed relative energy autonomy, but production has since plummeted, pushing the government to rely on importing hydrocarbons. Western sanctions on oil shipping, as well as U.S. punitive measures against Syria's ally Iran, have complicated these imports. Pre-war production was 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in Syria. But it stood last year at just 89,000 bpd, Syria's oil minister said in February, of which up to 80,000 came from Kurdish areas outside government control.

Dozens injured as Palestinians riot in Jerusalem, al-Aqsa
Jerusalem Post/May 09/2021
Tensions have risen throughout Israel during Ramadan over the potential eviction of Palestinians from homes in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Over 100 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem on Saturday night and Sunday morning, amid violent riots throughout the capital and the West Bank, fueled by tensions surrounding planned evictions in east Jerusalem. Over 90,000 worshippers visited al-Aqsa Mosque on Saturday night to mark Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), which commemorates the night that Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. On Sunday morning, clashes broke out on the Temple Mount between Palestinians and Israeli forces, with the doors of at least one of the gates to the compound being closed amid the clashes. At least 10 people were injured. "We have 20 wounded soldiers, including one Border Police officer who is in moderate condition," Israel Police spokesperson Commander Eli Levi told KAN news on Sunday morning, adding that the Police is ready for whatever comes this week.
Violent clashes were also reported near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, with video footage taken by Palestinian media showing stun grenades being fired toward crowds in the area. The IDF and the Police increased their presence throughout Jerusalem after the violent clashes and thwarting of a “major attack” overshadowed the end of Ramadan in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the weekend. Clashes broke out on Saturday night by the Damascus Gate and near the Temple Mount, as well as in a number of sites in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, including Budrus in the northern West Bank and the Huwwara checkpoint near Nablus. According to Palestinian reports, a number of Palestinians fired shots towards the Jalameh checkpoint north of Jenin.
Video from the Damascus Gate showed rioters clashing with police, who fired stun grenades and tear gas. Images showed a number of injured people, including a widely-shared photo of a woman with a bloodied face being carried by two men. At least 90 Palestinians were injured during the clashes on Saturday night, with over 20 of the injured transferred to hospitals for further treatment. The Palestinian Red Crescent claimed that Israeli security forces prevented ambulances from reaching the Damascus Gate area to treat the wounded.
The injuries were mostly caused by rubber bullets, stun grenades and beatings, according to Palestinian reports.
On Sunday morning, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon told Army Radio that the violent altercations that took place on Saturday night were carried out on the Palestinian side mostly by Islamic-Jihadists from the North and South, not by residents of Jerusalem.
On Saturday night, two suspects were arrested in Sheikh Jarrah after attacking police officers with pepper spray. The officers approached the suspects after they were spotted causing damage to property in the area. Public Security Minister Amir Ohana conducted a situational evaluation with police chief Kobi Shabtai and Jerusalem District commander Doron Turjeman, as well as other officials, amid the unrest on Saturday night. "Israel Police is constantly working to enable freedom of worship and maintain order and security. At the same time, we will not allow violent riots, law breaking and harming police officers," said Shabtai. "We ask everyone to de-escalate the violence, especially on such an important day for the Islamic religion."
"Large forces are now working in Jerusalem to allow anyone who wants to come and pray as part of Laylat al-Qadr to do so freely, and indeed tens of thousands of worshipers are expected, but also to prevent any violence and violation of law and order," said Ohana. "Yesterday, Border Police forces thwarted a major attack that could have taken place in Jerusalem," added Ohana. "We have no intention of compromising on the safety and security of Israeli citizens and security forces. I call on everyone to calm down and resume their routine, I wish a happy holiday to Muslims and a good week to all."
Amid the protests on Saturday night, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip rioted along the border fence, throwing explosives and lighting large fires. During the night, a rocket was fired from Gaza towards southern Israel, setting off an alert in an open area. The IDF responded by striking a military position belonging to Hamas. Tensions have risen substantially throughout Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan over the potential eviction of Palestinians from homes in the disputed neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in east Jerusalem. Violent clashes broke out at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Friday between worshipers and security forces, just as tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers gathered to mark the last Friday prayers of the Ramadan month of fasting. The violence has drawn international condemnations and calls for calm, from the US to the UAE. Two people were arrested and another detained on Saturday following a brawl at A-Tur junction in east Jerusalem on suspicion of engaging in the violence and using a weapon, while two others were arrested after allegedly assaulting police officers on Hagai Street in Jerusalem.
During the brawl, one of those detained allegedly fired a shot into the air. After police arrived, the suspects pelted them with stones, which is what also led to their arrests. Five protesters in the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm were also arrested on Saturday after allegedly throwing stones at a police station. Hundreds of people were spotted walking up to Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon as Israel Police stopped traffic heading into Jerusalem just ahead of Laylat al-Qadr, one day after violent clashes erupted on the Temple Mount. The police stated that they had stopped traffic to investigate passengers on one bus of a row of buses, heading to Jerusalem to bring Muslims to al-Aqsa mosque. However, the buses were left standing in place as police conducted checks, so passengers embarked on foot. According to Israeli media, one specific bus was stopped for investigation of the passengers, leaving the entire road blocked. Following the investigations, police opened the highway for travelers to Jerusalem.
Route 1 was left at a standstill as a result of the security checks.
In response to the road blockage, the police spokesperson indicated that they intend to prevent anyone wishing to commit violent acts from arriving in Jerusalem. "The Israel Police respects all religions and will continue to allow freedom of worship. At the same time, the police will not allow protesters to arrive in Jerusalem for the purpose of participating in violent disturbances," the statement concluded. Meanwhile, dozens of protesters carrying Palestinian flags gathered in Jaffa's Clock Square on Saturday evening, crying out chants about al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah, and voicing opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Sheikh Jarrah on Saturday night, police dispersed protesters after they threw rocks, according to the police spokesperson. The police also allegedly set up checkpoints in order to quell the violence, Walla News reported. Demonstrations by Arab-Israelis and Palestinians also have been taking place in numerous localities on Saturday over police conduct at the Aqsa Mosque on Friday.

IDF strikes Gaza after rocket launched at Israel amid Jerusalem unrest

Jerusalem Post/May 09/2021
A number of rioters were injured along the Gaza border as IDF soldiers responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. The Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas military site in the southern Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire earlier on Saturday night, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel on Saturday night, amid riots along the Gaza border fence and in Jerusalem, according to the IDF. A rocket alert was sounded in an open area. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) decided on Sunday morning to freeze the entry permits of 350 Gazan businessmen into Israel until further notice after the tense night, a COGAT spokesperson explained. Entries from Gaza into Israel haven't been allowed due to COVID-19 and were supposed to start again on Sunday. Earlier on Saturday night, a number of Palestinian rioters were injured during riots along the border of the coastal enclave, amid unrest in recent days around the Temple Mount and planned evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem. According to Palestinian reports, the IDF responded to the rioters, who were referred to as the "night confusion units" by Palestinian media, by launching tear gas and firing rubber bullets. The protestors have used incendiary and explosive balloons in the past to disrupt the lives of Israeli citizens living near the Gaza border. It remains unclear exactly how many rioters were injured and what condition they were in, but video footage from the scene showed ambulances arriving and at least one person who appeared to be unconscious. Initial reports indicated the injuries included one person injured by rubber bullets and a number of others who were short of breath due to tear gas. Images and video from the riots showed Palestinians lighting large fires and throwing explosives at the border fence. Regional councils in Israeli communities near the border issued statements to residents, informing them that the explosions were occurring within Gaza and that the IDF had the situation under control. Amid the unrest, the commander of the IDF's Gaza Division met with local authorities from communities bordering the Gaza Strip on Saturday night, according to Israeli media. THE RIOTS come after a number of incendiary balloons were launched from the Gaza Strip in recent days and riots broke out in Jerusalem, amid protests against the planned eviction of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah homes.
At least 53 Palestinians were injured in riots on Saturday night, as 90,000 worshippers visited al-Aqsa.
An incendiary balloon from the Gaza Strip landed in the yard of a house in Moshav Zimrat on Saturday evening, N12 News reported. The family was at home when the incendiary balloon landed, according to the report. At least three balloons were spotted in areas surrounding the Gaza Strip on Saturday, with two of them sparking fires. Additionally on Saturday, Egypt called on Palestinian terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip to de-escalate tensions and on Israel to halt the Sheikh Jarrah evictions, according to Al-Arabiya. Abu Ubaida, spokesman of Hamas's military wing the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, issued a short statement in support of the rioters in Jerusalem on Saturday night.
"We salute the steadfastness of our people stationed in Jerusalem and al-Aqsa, and we tell them that the Commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Muhammad al-Deif, has promised you and will not break his promise," he said. Ubaida was referencing statements made by Deif last week, in which he stated: “This is our final warning. If the aggression against our people in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood does not stop immediately, we will not stand idly by and the occupation will pay a heavy price.”

ON SATURDAY night, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement issued a statement in support of the Jerusalem rioters as well, warning Israel that "its criminal leaders must understand the message of the resistance leadership well."
The PIJ called on Palestinians to continue to clash with Israeli forces on Monday, when Israelis mark Jerusalem Day to celebrate the capture of the capital in 1967, so that "the enemy and everyone who supports it knows that the men of Al-Aqsa are the people of defiance and steadfastness."Additionally on Saturday, PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah warned that what is happening in Jerusalem "cannot be tolerated" and that Israel should expect a response "at any moment."
The tensions also come as the IDF prepares to launch a massive, month-long exercise on Sunday called "Chariots of Fire." The exercise is set to be the largest ever carried out by the IDF and will simulate war on multiple fronts, including with Gaza and Hezbollah. The Lebanese terrorist group has reportedly raised its alert level in southern Lebanon and Syria in light of the exercise. Sources who spoke with Lebanon's El-Nashra newspaper claimed that the level of alert was the highest since the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Hezbollah officials reportedly fear that the exercise could be used to launch an attack, with the sources saying that it is being viewed as "extremely dangerous.""Hezbollah warned against this maneuver because Israel worked during the past wars to take soldiers and personnel from the training fields to the field directly, and this is what is happening now at the southern front of Lebanon and the north of Palestine," the sources told El-Nashra.

Israel Vows to Keep Jerusalem Order, Hundreds of Palestinians Wounded
Agence France Presse/May 09/2021
Israel vowed Sunday to restore order in Jerusalem after hundreds of Palestinian protesters were wounded in a weekend of clashes with Israeli security forces, while the justice ministry put off a key court ruling on a flashpoint property dispute. Consecutive nights of violence around the revered Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City has been the worst since 2017, fueled by a years-long bid by Jewish settlers to take over nearby Palestinian homes in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel "would decisively and responsibly impose law and order in Jerusalem."Amid growing international calls for a de-escalation, Tunisia said the U.N. Security Council was to hold a closed-door meeting Monday, at its request, to discuss the violence. Some 121 Palestinians were wounded in Saturday's overnight clashes, many hit by rubber bullets and stun grenades, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Israeli police said 17 of its officers were wounded. The previous night more than 220 people, again mostly Palestinians, were hurt as police stormed Al-Aqsa, saying Palestinians had thrown rocks and fireworks at officers. Four Arab countries that normalized ties with Israel over the past year -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan -- all condemned Israel's actions and voiced support for the Palestinians. The UN children's agency UNICEF said that over two days, 29 Palestinian children had been injured in east Jerusalem, including a one-year-old. Eight Palestinian children have been arrested, it said. On Saturday night, thousands of Palestinians packed Al-Aqsa mosque compound for special Ramadan prayers at Islam's third-holiest site, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount. Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would maintain "freedom of worship for all religions."But police set up roadblocks the previous night, saying they wanted to limit access to the Old City and avoid "violent riots" -- effectively preventing hundreds from praying. An AFP reported saw police stop at least one bus heading to east Jerusalem and detain some Palestinians, while hundreds of others marched on highways to the Holy City."They want to stop us from going to Al-Aqsa," said Ali al-Komani, 40, outside the holy site.
Heightened tensions
Saturday marked Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Destiny), a key moment in the Muslim calendar believed to be the night when the Koran holy book was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. Worshippers prayed peacefully at Al-Aqsa, but violence flared elsewhere in east Jerusalem, in the West Bank and on the Gaza-Israel border. Mounted police deployed outside Damascus Gate, a key access point to the Old City, as agents fired stun grenades to disperse protesters. Palestinians pelted riot police with stones and set fire to a makeshift barricade, and reporters saw a woman with a bloodied face being escorted away from the scene by a rescuer. Police said they detained nine people for "disrupting public order" and warned that "all means will be used to maintain calm".Police also dispersed a rally in Sheikh Jarrah district, where Palestinian families facing eviction from their homes in a dispute with Jewish settlers had been expecting a Supreme Court decision on Monday. Police fired stun grenades and water cannon at protesters who pelted them with stones, while a group of Palestinians clapped and sang resistance songs. A reporter for Israeli public television tweeted footage of a Jewish driver whose car was attacked with stones and windows shattered at the entrance to Sheikh Jarrah. "We are here, in the street, to say that we are not going to leave," demonstrator Adnan, 20, told AFP. "For years, settlers have attacked us and taken our land, but silence is no longer an option."Hamas Islamists in Gaza have threatened attacks against Israel if the high-profile case goes against the Palestinian families.The justice ministry said Sunday that in light of "all the circumstances," it would delay the court hearing.
Calls for calm
In Gaza, Palestinians on Saturday packed tires inside vehicles and drove to the border with Israel where they set them on fire. They also fired incendiary balloons across the frontier. The violence has sparked international calls for calm, including from Pope Francis. "Violence only generates violence. Let's stop these clashes," he said. "I pray so that (Jerusalem) might be a place of encounter and not violent clashes, a place of prayer and of peace." The Middle East Quartet of envoys from the European Union, Russia, the United States and the United Nations expressed "deep concern" and called for restraint. The U.S. State Department has urged both sides to "avoid steps that exacerbate tensions."Russia said the expropriation of land and property in the occupied Palestinian territories including east Jerusalem was "a violation of international law."Jordan, the custodian of holy sites in east Jerusalem, condemned Israel's "barbaric attack."Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas voiced "full support for our heroes in Al-Aqsa."

Israel helped US track Qasem Soleimani using cell phone - report

Jerusalem Post/May 09/2021
"The Israelis, who had access to Soleimani’s numbers, passed them off to the Americans, who traced Soleimani and his current phone to Baghdad." Israel gave the US access to multiple cellphone numbers for former top Iranian official Qasem Soleimani to help enable his assassination in January 2020, Yahoo News reported on Saturday night. Soleimani was the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force chief. The Jerusalem Post has previously reported that Israel’s role in the assassination was far greater than had been revealed. For example, according to foreign reports, Israel was instrumental in keeping the idea of removing Soleimani as an option despite resistance by some of the US defense establishment. Internal US debates are described in the Yahoo article. Soleimani’s vehicle and a second accompanying vehicle were destroyed by US drones after he flew into Iraq from Damascus. According to Yahoo News, “in the six hours before Soleimani boarded his flight from Damascus, the Iranian general switched cellphones three times, according to a US military official.”“In Tel Aviv, US Joint Special Operations Command liaisons worked with their Israeli counterparts to help track Soleimani’s cellphone patterns. The Israelis, who had access to Soleimani’s numbers, passed them off to the Americans, who traced Soleimani and his current phone to Baghdad,” said the report. In addition, at an earlier date, “Israeli intelligence at one point tipped off the CIA about a courier for Soleimani who would travel outside Iran to pick up clean phones for the Quds Force leader and his inner circle, recalled a former intelligence official. The CIA got wind that the courier would visit a specific market in a Gulf country to procure these devices, and sprang into action. The agency executed a complex supply chain compromise, installing spyware on a set of phones that were seeded into the marketplace used by Soleimani’s courier,” said the report. Further, “The gambit worked, said the former official, and the courier purchased at least one bugged phone that was then used by someone who was often in the same room as Soleimani. But because Soleimani and other Iranian leadership would often rotate their devices, and employ other measures to avoid being surveilled, successes of this sort were fleeting, said former officials,” stated Yahoo. Other new revelations indicated that several Kurdish agents on the ground at the Iraqi airport where the assassination took place had key roles. One Kurdish agent impersonated a ground controller; one impersonated an official for receiving luggage and a third pretended to be an Iraqi police officer to positively ID Soleimani as dead through photographic and DNA evidence. Israeli intelligence reportedly has deep penetration of anti-Iranian Kurdish groups, though the US also has strong Kurdish ties. In addition, the Yahoo report revealed that Us special forces were on the ground and fired on a second car to get it to slow down until it was also hit by a US drone overhead.

Large Chinese Rocket Segment Disintegrates over Indian Ocean
Agence France Presse/May 09/2021
A large segment of a Chinese rocket re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean on Sunday, the Chinese space agency said, following fevered speculation over where the 18-ton object would come down. Officials in Beijing had said there was little risk from the freefalling segment of the Long March-5B rocket, which had launched the first module of China's new space station into Earth orbit on April 29. But the U.S. space agency NASA and some experts said China had behaved irresponsibly, as an uncontrolled re-entry of such a large object risked damage and casualties. "After monitoring and analysis, at 10:24 (0224 GMT) on May 9, 2021, the last-stage wreckage of the Long March 5B Yao-2 launch vehicle has re-entered the atmosphere," the China Manned Space Engineering Office said in a statement, providing coordinates for a point in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives. It added that most of the segment disintegrated and was destroyed during descent. The US military's Space Command said the rocket "re-entered over the Arabian Peninsula at approximately 10:15 pm EDT on May 8 (0215 GMT Sunday)". "It is unknown if the debris impacted land or water."Monitoring service Space-Track, which uses US military data, said that the location in Saudi Arabia was where American systems last recorded it. "Operators confirm that the rocket actually went into the Indian Ocean north of the Maldives," it tweeted. The segment's descent matched expert predictions that any debris would have splashed down into the ocean, given that 70 percent of the planet is covered by water. Because it was an uncontrolled descent, there was widespread public interest and speculation about where the debris would land. American and European space authorities were among those tracking the rocket and trying to predict its re-entry.
Accusations of negligence
Objects generate immense amounts of heat and friction when they enter the atmosphere, which can cause them to burn up and disintegrate. But larger ones such as the Long March-5B may not be destroyed entirely. Their wreckage can land on the surface of the planet and may cause damage and casualties, though that risk is low. Last year, debris from another Chinese Long March rocket fell on villages in the Ivory Coast, causing structural damage but no injuries or deaths. That, and the one that came down Sunday, are tied for the fourth-biggest objects in history to undergo an uncontrolled re-entry, according to data from Harvard-based astronomer Jonathan McDowell. The uncertainty and risks of such a re-entry sparked accusations that Beijing had behaved irresponsibly. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suggested last week that China had been negligent, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson echoed that after the re-entry on Sunday. "Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations," Nelson said in a statement. "It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris."
China's space ambitions
To avoid such scenarios, some experts have recommended a redesign of the Long March-5B rocket -- which is not equipped for a controlled descent. "An ocean reentry was always statistically the most likely," McDowell tweeted. "It appears China won its gamble (unless we get news of debris in the Maldives). But it was still reckless."Chinese authorities had downplayed the risk, however. "The probability of causing harm to aviation activities or (on people and activities) on the ground is extremely low," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Friday. Beijing has poured billions of dollars into space exploration to boost its global stature and technological might. The launch of the first module of its space station -- by the Long March rocket that came down Sunday -- was a milestone in its ambitious plan to establish a permanent human presence in space.

Egypt Hangs Coptic Monk for Killing of Abbot
Agence France Presse/May 09/2021
Egyptian authorities on Sunday executed a Coptic Christian monk convicted over the 2018 killing of the abbot of an ancient desert monastery, the monk's family told AFP. "We were told at 8 am (0600 GMT) this morning that the execution took place in Damanhour prison and I am on my way to pick up the body," said Hany Saad Tawadros, the monk's brother. Capital punishment for civilian convicts in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, is carried out by hanging. An Egyptian court last year confirmed the death sentence for the monk Isaiah, whose original name is Wael Saad Tawadros, over the killing of Bishop Epiphanius. Another monk convicted for his role in the crime was sentenced to life in prison. "I didn't even tell the rest of the family because I didn't want them to be heartbroken. We thank God in any case," Hany Tawadros said. Security and judicial sources also confirmed the man's execution to AFP. The abbot of the Saint Macarius monastery in the plains of Wadi al-Natrun, northwest of the capital Cairo, was found with a bleeding head wound after being bludgeoned to death in July 2018, in a case that shocked the Middle East's largest religious minority. Coptic Christians make up about 10-15 percent of Egypt's predominantly Sunni Muslim population of over 100 million, and the country's vast deserts are home to some of Christianity's oldest monasteries. The church later defrocked the pair and placed a one-year moratorium on ordaining new monks. Prosecutors said Wael Tawadros confessed to beating the cleric with a metal bar as the second monk kept watch. Authorities blamed the killing on unspecified "differences" between the bishop and the two monks. In video footage of court sessions shared on social media in recent years, a sobbing Tawadros, wearing white overalls, accused interrogators of stripping him naked and torturing him physically and psychologically. Stop the Death Penalty Egypt, a local advocacy group calling for the end of capital punishment in the North African country, said Sunday that its pleas to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to revoke the verdict and pardon the monk had been ignored. "The (monks') trial was marred by discrepancies, violations and forced confessions taken under duress," the group said in a statement on social media. In April, Egypt executed at least nine people over the storming of a police station in 2013 in which 13 policemen were killed. Amnesty International last month noted "a significant spike" in recorded executions in Egypt, which saw a more than threefold rise to 107 last year, from 32 in 2019. "Egyptian authorities have displayed a ruthless determination to persist with their escalating use of the death penalty," Amnesty said in a statement. "It is extremely concerning that it (the death penalty) is used after unfair trials, with courts routinely relying on torture-tainted 'confessions'," it added.

Putin to review Russian military might as tensions with West soar
NNA/May 09/2021
President Vladimir Putin is expected to review Russia's traditional World War Two victory parade on Sunday, a patriotic display of raw military power that this year coincides with soaring tensions with the West. The parade on Moscow's Red Square commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two is expected to feature over 12,000 troops, more than 190 pieces of military hardware, including intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, and - weather permitting - a fly-past by nearly 80 military aircraft. Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, traditionally watches the display, which is due to start at 0700 GMT, with Soviet war veterans from a review platform. This year's parade precedes parliamentary elections in September and comes at a time when Moscow's relations with the West are acutely strained over everything from Ukraine to the fate of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The United States and Russia have expelled each other's diplomats in recent months in a series of retaliatory moves and Moscow and EU member states have been involved in a similar tit-for-tat diplomatic dispute. Sunday's parade follows a massive show of Russian military force near the borders of Ukraine and in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Kyiv in 2014, and an uptick in fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces.Moscow said the build-up, which alarmed the West, was a training exercise in response to activity by the NATO military alliance and Ukraine. It has since ordered a withdrawal of some troops. ---Reuters

Afghan school blast toll rises to 58, families bury victims
NNA/May 09/2021
The death toll from an explosion outside a school in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul has risen to 58, Afghan officials said on Sunday, with doctors struggling to provide medical care to at least 150 injured. The bombing on Saturday evening shook the city's Shi'ite Muslim neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi. The community, a religious minority in Afghanistan, has been targeted in the past by Islamic State militants, a Sunni militant group. An eyewitness told Reuters all but seven or eight of the victims were schoolgirls going home after finishing studies. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday blamed the attack on Taliban insurgents but a spokesman for the Taliban denied involvement, saying the group condemns any attacks on Afghan civilians. Families of the victims blamed the Afghan government and Western powers for failing to put an end to violence and the ongoing war. Bodies were still being collected from morgues as the first burials were conducted in the west of the city. Some families were still searching for missing relatives on Sunday, gathering outside hospitals to read names posted on the walls, and checking morgues."The entire night we carried bodies of young girls and boys to a graveyard and prayed for everyone wounded in the attack," said Mohammed Reza Ali, who has been helping families of the victims at a private hospital. "Why not just kill all of us to put and end to this war?" he said. The violence comes a week after remaining U.S. and NATO troops began exiting Afghanistan, with a mission to complete the drawdown by September 11, which will mark the end of America's longest war. But the foreign troop withdrawal has led a surge in fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents with both sides trying to retain control over strategic centres.---Reuters

Pope Urges End to Clashes in Jerusalem
Agence France Presse/May 09/2021
Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to violence in annexed east Jerusalem, where clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police have left scores of Palestinians injured. After delivering his Regina Caeli prayer from the window overlooking St Peter's Square, the pope said he was "following with particular concern the events that are happening in Jerusalem.""I pray so that this might be a place of encounter and not violent clashes, a place of prayer and of peace," he said. "I invite everyone to seek shared resolutions so that the multi-religious identity and multi-culture of the holy city might be respected and so that fraternity might prevail. "Violence only generates violence. Let's stop these clashes." Tensions ran high Sunday in east Jerusalem after hundreds of Palestinians were wounded in a weekend of clashes between protesters and Israeli security forces, sparking global concern that the unrest could spread further. The violence around Jerusalem's revered Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the Old City, mostly at night, is the worst since 2017, fueled by a years-long bid by Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem. The pope also offered his prayers for the victims of the attack on Saturday on a school in Kabul, describing it as "an inhumane action that killed many girls as they were leaving school." "Let us pray for all of them and for their families, and that God might grant peace to Afghanistan," he said. A series of blasts outside the school during a peak holiday shopping period killed more than 50 people, mostly girl students, and wounded over 100 in Dasht-e-Barchi, a west Kabul suburb populated mostly by Hazara Shiites. Finally, the Argentine pontiff offered some words for a small crowd of people bearing Colombian flags who had come to St Peter's Square hoping for some reference to the demonstrations and clashes in their country. "I would also like to express my concern for the tension and violent clashes in Colombia which have left many wounded. There are many Colombians here, let's pray for your country," he said.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 09- 10/2021

Turkey calls Israel 'terrorist' state, seeks to 'save Jerusalem' - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/May 09/2021
Accusing Israel of being a “cruel” and “terrorist” state is part of Ankara’s desire to use the tensions in Jerusalem to boost Turkey’s image. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called Israel a cruel “terrorist” state, as Turkish media called to “free al-Aqsa” in Jerusalem, just like he reconsecrated the historic Church of Hagia Sophia as a mosque last year. Writing in Turkish, Erdogan said he “invite[s] the whole world, especially the Islamic countries, to take effective action against Israel’s attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and Palestinian homes.”
Writing in Hebrew, Erdogan said he strongly condemned the “heinous attacks” in Jerusalem and that he would stand with his “Palestinian brothers.”
Erdogan also tweeted in Arabic and linked the Israeli “attacks” to Ramadan, suggesting that Israel does this every year. Accusing Israel of being a “cruel” and “terrorist” state is part of Ankara’s desire to use the tensions in Jerusalem to boost Turkey’s image. Ankara has long sought to play a greater role in Palestinian affairs, going back more than a decade to before the IDF’s Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in 2009. Turkey mobilized extremists from the group IHH to board the Mavi Marmara in 2010, for instance, to “break” the blockade of Gaza, an incident that led to a downward spiral in Turkish-Israeli relations. In 2019, Erdogan compared Israel to the Nazis, and he has threatened to “liberate” Jerusalem. Turkey also hosted Hamas delegations in 2019 and 2020. Hamas has reportedly planned terrorist attacks from Turkey, including kidnappings in 2014, as well as receiving diplomatic support from Ankara. For instance, top Hamas member Salah al-Arouri, who is wanted by Israel and the US, lived openly in Turkey for many years.
The US condemned Ankara for hosting Hamas in 2020. The terrorist group is treated as if it is the government of a state by Turkey, receiving support from its president and at the highest levels. This estranged relationship with Israel shifted a bit after US president Donald Trump lost the election in November. Turkey then claimed it might reconcile with Israel. That reconciliation was designed to harm Israel’s relations with Greece, and Jerusalem rejected the entreaties. Ankara has now returned to form. It is using religion mixed with pro-Palestinian messages, similar to Iran’s regime, to stoke tensions. It has been harnessing this mix of religious and Islamic messaging and pro-Palestinian rhetoric for years. The Jerusalem clashes have given Turkey a chance to reinsert itself into Palestinian politics. It may also want to encourage elections in the Palestinian Authority so that it can help bring Hamas to power.
Turkey has long sought to push its efforts in Jerusalem, working with local allies and endowments to increase its role. Israel has been wary of this. With tensions growing, Ankara is moving quickly to make as many announcements as possible.

China Aims to Become the World's Leading Space Power by 2045
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute./May 09/2021
"China is taking steps to establish a commanding position in the commercial launch and satellite sectors relying in part on aggressive state-backed financing that foreign market-driven companies cannot match." — US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in its 2019 Annual Report to Congress.
"Chinese and Russian space activities present serious and growing threats to U.S. national security interests. Chinese and Russian military doctrines also indicate that they view space as critical to modern warfare and consider the use of counterspace capabilities as both a means of reducing U.S. military effectiveness and for winning future wars." — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, written testimony prior to his confirmation hearing. Space.com, March 19, 2021.
"The PRC continues to strengthen its military space capabilities, despite its public stance against the weaponization of space.... the PRC is developing electronic warfare capabilities such as satellite jammers....and China probably intends to pursue additional ASAT [Anti-Satellite] weapons capable of destroying satellites...." — Pentagon report about China's military capabilities, Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020.
Given the chance, China will also move ahead to use space to dominate not only the US but also the rest of the planet. Any defense budget cuts or flatlines in the in the US military budget -- or any monetary transfers out of it -- should be regarded as suicidal.
In terms of US national security, China's space capabilities have been defined as one of the most significant future threats. Pictured: A Long March 5B rocket, carrying China's Tianhe space station core module, lifts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan province on April 29, 2021. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Shortly after becoming president in March 2013, Xi Jinping made his ambitions for China's space power clear. "Developing the space program and turning the country into a space power is the space dream that we have continuously pursued", he said. "The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger". China aims to become the world's leading space power by 2045: "China will become an all-round world-leading country in space equipment and technology. By then, it will be able to carry out man-computer coordinated space exploration on a large scale," wrote China Daily in 2017.
One cornerstone of China's space program is the Beidou Navigation Satellite system (BDS), a global navigation satellite system that provides positioning, navigation and timing, in addition to data communication. The People's Liberation Army created the program in order not to be dependent on the US-controlled GPS network. "In recent years, the PRC has actively sought to promote the image of Beidou as a civilian-led program intended primarily for commercial and scientific purposes," stated a report by the Jamestown Foundation. "However, the program is under overall military direction, with the PLA in charge of Beidou's senior-most program management organizations,"
Beidou is also known as China's "Space Silk Road", which expands China's land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" and sea-based "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" -- better known collectively as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- into space. Beidou makes participants in the Belt and Road Initiative dependent on China for precision navigation and other space based services. According to a report by Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in 2017:
"A China Real Time Report in the Wall Street Journal refers to Beidou as the 'digital glue' for the roads, railways, ports and industrial parks that China builds to extend its presence and influence.
"Chinese provision of satellite communications, weather monitoring and earth observation add to this vision for a Space Silk Road that overarches and underpins the Belt and Road Initiative. By signing up to the BRI 'Space Information Corridor', the BRI states would become dependent on Chinese-provided space services. That would give Beijing greater power to influence the policy choices of those states, because it would control the vital space capabilities that sustain their economic growth".
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission wrote in its 2019 Annual Report to Congress:
"Beijing has specific plans not merely to explore space, but to industrially dominate the space.... Beijing uses its space program to advance its terrestrial geopolitical objectives, including cultivating customers for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)... China's promotion of... the Beidou global navigation system under its 'Space Silk Road' is deepening participants' reliance on China for space-based services,"
China's "Space Silk Road", however, forms just one, albeit crucial, part of its ambitious space goals. According to the report:
"China is taking steps to establish a commanding position in the commercial launch and satellite sectors relying in part on aggressive state-backed financing that foreign market-driven companies cannot match. China has already succeeded in undercutting some U.S. and other foreign launch and satellite providers in the international market, threatening to hollow out these countries' space industrial bases... The aggressive pursuit of foreign technology and talent...continues to be central to this strategy and to China's space development goals in general."
"The next steps in [China's] manned space programs will be manned exploration of the moon," wrote the CCP's China Daily in 2019.
"We will set up bases on the moon to conduct scientific operations, expand a habitable place for mankind and gain experience and expertise for deep-space expeditions beyond the moon. The long-term goal is to send humans to Mars."
In March, China signed an agreement with Russia to work together to build a research station on the moon which will carry out research on exploration and, crucially, utilization of the moon. Already in 2013, China launched its first lunar rover to explore the surface of the moon, hoping, among other things, to discover rare earth minerals, which are reportedly abundant on the moon. In December, China's Chang'e 5 lunar probe mission landed on the moon and brought back geological samples to China, which became just the third country to do so after the US and Russia.
China's first unmanned Mars mission -- the Tianwen 1 spacecraft -- entered its orbit around the planet in February and is reportedly due to land on Mars in May. In addition, China also plans to build a space-based solar power station by 2035.
In terms of US national security, China's space capabilities have been defined as one of the most significant future threats. "Chinese and Russian space activities present serious and growing threats to U.S. national security interests," wrote Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III in written testimony prior to his confirmation hearing.
"Chinese and Russian military doctrines also indicate that they view space as critical to modern warfare and consider the use of counterspace capabilities as both a means of reducing U.S. military effectiveness and for winning future wars."
Counter space capabilities include anti-satellite weapons.
A September 2020 Pentagon report about China's military capabilities, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020," specified:
"The PRC continues to strengthen its military space capabilities, despite its public stance against the weaponization of space. The PLA continues to invest in improving its capabilities in spacebased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), satellite communication, satellite navigation, and meteorology, as well as human spaceflight and robotic space exploration...the PRC is developing electronic warfare capabilities such as satellite jammers; offensive cyber capabilities; and directed-energy weapons. ...China has an operational ground-based Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile intended to target low-Earth orbit satellites, and China probably intends to pursue additional ASAT weapons capable of destroying satellites up to geosynchronous Earth orbit".
The Pentagon report showed that China has already moved ahead of the US in several areas: shipbuilding, land-based conventional ballistic and cruise missiles and integrated air defense systems. China has the largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and submarines, whereas the U.S. Navy's battle force is approximately 293 ships as of early 2020. It has more than 1,250 ground launched ballistic missiles (GLBM) and ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, whereas the United States currently fields one type of conventional GLBM with a range of 70 to 300 kilometers and no GLCMs. Finally, China has one of the world's largest forces of advanced long range surface-to-air systems.
Given the chance, China will also move ahead to use space to dominate not only the US but also the rest of the planet. Any defense budget cuts or flatlines in the US military budget -- or any monetary transfers out of it -- should be regarded as suicidal.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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The G7 and Its Dicey Clichés
Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/May 09/2021
The real bad news, however, is that the London conference failed to develop a coherent and mutually agreed analysis of the international situation, without which no serious policy-making is possible. The Americans came to London with a set of clichés used during their presidential campaign last year, notably the catch-all "America is back!", but were unable to say where that "back" was or whether it was necessary to go there.
They also talked a lot about "multilateralism" without making it clear what it was they wanted to be multilateral about. Multilateralism is a method of doing things, not the substance of policy. You could do both wise and foolish things multilaterally. The Libyan disaster resulted from President Barack Obama's "leading from behind" multilateralism. The latest example of foolish multilateralism is the cut-and-run policy the Biden administration is marketing on Afghanistan.
What seems clear is that both China and Russia are trying to project power in a 19th-century colonial style... Putin's strategy... copying General Paskevich's warning: "to keep the land you grabbed today, you will have to grab more land tomorrow."
Does anyone believe that, short of a shock-and-awe operation, Kim Jung-on could be leashed in without help from China? And could the G7's habitual cat-and-mouse game with the Khomeinist regime in Tehran produce positive results while Russia plays cheerleader for the mullahs?
The current G7 position could only persuade Beijing and Moscow to set their differences aside and promote a low-intensity global war against the democratic world.
Even if the so-called G7 group of industrial democracies is no longer as powerful and/or relevant as it was when it was first launched more than four decades ago, it is still capable of making a difference on the global stage where a difference is necessary. Pictured: Foreign ministers of the G7 meet in London on May 4, 2021. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Even if the so-called G7 group of industrial democracies is no longer as powerful and/or relevant as it was when it was first launched more than four decades ago, it is still capable of making a difference on the global stage where a difference is necessary. It is therefore good news that the group, consisting of the US, Canada, Britain, Germany France, Italy, and Japan managed to convene a face-to-face conference of its foreign ministers in London, the first in two years.
The ministerial conference, also attended by the European Union foreign policy spokesman, had the task of preparing the agenda for a full summit of the seven nations, again in Britain, next month. The planned summit will provide Joe Biden with his first foray into the international arena as US President.
While the holding of the London conference was good news, it also contained an element of bad news. To start with, the British host tried to promote one of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's many brainwaves by inviting India, Australia, and South Africa as guests with a wink and nod in the direction of the Commonwealth.
Having relished then regretted his reputation as the British Donald Trump, Johnson isn't sure how he might get along with Biden, who has made no secret of his "unhappiness" about Brexit. Johnson and his team have been promoting what they call a D-10 group of democracies, most of them part of the Anglo-sphere, as a broader alternative to G7 and a cozier version of the G-20.
The real bad news, however, is that the London conference failed to develop a coherent and mutually agreed analysis of the international situation, without which no serious policy-making is possible. The Americans came to London with a set of clichés used during their presidential campaign last year, notably the catch-all "America is back!", but were unable to say where that "back" was or whether it was necessary to go there.
They also talked a lot about "multilateralism" without making it clear what it was they wanted to be multilateral about.
Multilateralism is a method of doing things, not the substance of policy. You could do both wise and foolish things multilaterally. The Libyan disaster resulted from President Barack Obama's "leading from behind" multilateralism. The latest example of foolish multilateralism is the cut-and-run policy the Biden administration is marketing on Afghanistan. (Even Hillary Clinton has questioned the wisdom of that decision.)
"Consensus" was another cliché circulated in London. But consensus, too, is an abstraction that, if not applied to a clear policy, is useless or even dangerous. Consensus on jumping together from a cliff may sound dramatic but could be suicidal. In any case, there was hardly any consensus on the key issues raised at the London conference.
There was no consensus on how to categorize the challenge that China and Russia are supposed to pose against what US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken calls "the rule-based international order", a cliché that adds another layer of ambiguity to any analysis of the current situation.
Does this mean that that international law and norms as practiced since the end of World War II are no longer sufficient and that additional "rules" are needed? And if yes who fixes those rules?
While President Biden portrays China as a growing monster capable of "eating us up", Canada and the European trio of Britain, Germany, and France see the Communist-dominated power as a lucrative partner. In fact, had it not been for Trump's pressure, Prime Minister Johnson would have not canceled the controversial 5G deal with the People's Republic. As for China, investment plans currently taking shape could make Germany the People's Republic's number one economic partner.
France, too, is drawing closer to China as a source of direct investment, technology transfer, and market for luxury goods and agricultural products.
There is also no agreement on what kind of threat Russia poses. While the Americans claim that Vladimir Putin is trying to revive the Soviet Union, the Europeans think he is after reconstituting the Tsarist Empire.
What seems clear is that both China and Russia are trying to project power in a 19th-century colonial style. China is building a blue-water navy, copying the British imperial model, an expensive and ultimately useless strategy in the rapidly changing world of the 21st century. Putin's strategy is also very 19th century, copying General Paskevich's warning: "to keep the land you grabbed today, you will have to grab more land tomorrow."
Land-grabbing may have been profitable or at least not so costly when the Berlin Conference colonial empires were running the show. These days, however, the lands that Putin has annexed in Crimea, Donetsk, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia, not to mention de facto glacises imposed in Syria, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia, are a growing financial burden for Russia's fragile economy.
To make matters more complicated it is clear that the G7 or the still elusive D-10 won't be able to tackle other problems without the support, or at least the neutrality of China or Russia, or in some cases, both.
The London conference discussed North Korea, Myanmar, and the Islamic Republic in Iran. Does anyone believe that, short of a shock-and-awe operation, Kim Jung-on could be leashed in without help from China? And could the G7's habitual cat-and-mouse game with the Khomeinist regime in Tehran produce positive results while Russia plays cheerleader for the mullahs?
As for Myanmar, it is clear that without at least tacit support from China, the military regime won't be able to crush that nation's fragile democratic movement.
To make things more complicated, China and Russia also have conflicting interests in a number of places including Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Myanmar. The current G7 position could only persuade Beijing and Moscow to set their differences aside and promote a low-intensity global war against the democratic world.
Neither China nor Russia is capable of winning such a contest, while both can do much mischief in many domains. In their different ways, both have succeeded in creating powerful state structures in weak short-term societies, a model that, although capable of making an impression in a 100-meter stint, cannot win against the democratic model in a marathon contest.
Henry Kissinger, a leading lobbyist for Beijing, portrays China as the inevitable future "superpower". A similar claim is made by Russia's European, mostly German apologists.
Such claims have persuaded the G7 to overestimate China and Russia as challengers, competitors, rivals, or even enemies in strategic terms while appearing negligent about them at the tactical level. That analysis needs be stood on its head: Despise the enemy strategically but take him seriously tactically.
Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.