llLCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

May 22/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.may22.16.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006

Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006

Bible Quotations For Today

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/27-31:"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, "I am going away, and I am coming to you." If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

God said to Abraham, "And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Acts of the Apostles 03/22-26//04/01-04:"Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out from the people." And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, "And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed." When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.’While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.."

Question: "How do God’s mercy and justice work together in salvation?"
GotQuestions.org/Answer: God’s justice and mercy are seemingly incompatible. After all, justice involves the dispensing of deserved punishment for wrongdoing, and mercy is all about pardon and compassion for an offender. However, these two attributes of God do in fact form a unity within His character.
The Bible contains many references to God’s mercy. Over 290 verses in the Old Testament and 70 in the New Testament contain direct statements of the mercy of God toward His people. God was merciful to the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of Jonah, who described God as “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). David said God is “gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8–9, NASB). But the Bible also speaks of God’s justice and His wrath over sin. In fact, God’s perfect justice is a defining characteristic: “There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:21). “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). In the New Testament, Paul details why God’s judgment is coming: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6).
So the Bible showcases the fact that God is merciful, but it also reveals that He is just and will one day dispense justice on the sin of the world.
In every other religion in the world that holds to the idea of a supreme deity, that deity’s mercy is always exercised at the expense of justice. For example, in Islam, Allah may grant mercy to an individual, but it’s done by dismissing the penalties of whatever law has been broken. In other words, the offender’s punishment that was properly due him is brushed aside so that mercy can be extended. Islam’s Allah and every other deity in the non-Christian religions set aside the requirements of moral law in order to be merciful. Mercy is seen as at odds with justice. In a sense, in these religions, crime can indeed pay.
If any human judge acted in such a fashion, most people would lodge a major complaint. It is a judge’s responsibility to see that the law is followed and that justice is provided. A judge who ignores the law is betraying his office. Christianity is unique in that God’s mercy is shown through His justice. There is no setting aside of justice to make room for mercy. The Christian doctrine of penal substitution states that sin and injustice were punished at the cross of Christ, and that only because the penalty of sin was satisfied through Christ’s sacrifice does God extend His mercy to undeserving sinners who look to Him for salvation.
And while Christ did indeed die for sinners, He also died as a demonstration of God’s righteousness, to showcase His justice. This is exactly what the apostle Paul says: “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24–26, emphasis added). In other words, God didn’t immediately punish sin before the time of Christ; rather, extended mercy. But He did not pass over justice. His righteousness (i.e., His justice) was demonstrated by Christ’s death on the cross. At the cross, God’s justice was meted out in full (upon Christ), and God’s mercy was extended in full (to all who believe). So God’s perfect mercy was and is exercised through His perfect justice. The end result is that, by the sacrificial death of Jesus, everyone who trusts in Him is saved from God’s wrath and instead experiences His grace and mercy (Romans 8:1). As Paul says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9).

Pope Francis's Tweet For Today
Each one of us can be a bridge of encounter between diverse cultures and religions, a way to rediscover our common humanity.
Chacun peut être un pont entre cultures et religions diverses, une voie pour redécouvrir notre humanité commune.
يمكن لكل واحد أن يكون جسرًا بين ثقافات وديانات مختلفة ودربًا لاكتشاف إنسانيّتنا المشتركة

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 21- 22/16

Can the Druze community’s rural past secure its future/Ehtesham Shahid/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood: The best of enemies/Nicolas Dot-Pouillard/Middle East Eye/May 21/16
Sykes-Picot – The centennial of an imperial curse/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
The myth about refugees and the economy/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Sovereign immunity – A Pandora’s Box that must remain unopened/Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Iraqis divided over Soleimani's role in their country/Mustafa Saadoun/Al-Monitor/May 21/16
Group that helped sell Iran nuke deal also funded media/By Bradley Klapper/May 21/16

Titles Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 21- 22/16

Report: U.S. Financial Intelligence Official in Lebanon next Week to Tackle Hizbullah Sanctions
Salam to Underscore Syrian Refugee Plight in Lebanon during Istanbul Humanitarian Summit
Asiri Gathers Lebanese Leaders over Dinner, Hopes for President Election 'before Eid al-Fitr'
Three Major Candidates Vying for Parliamentary Seat in Jezzine Polls
Three-Way Battle Expected in Sidon Municipal Polls
Report: Battles within AMAL, Hizbullah Expected in Municipal Elections
Explosive Safely Removed in Ain el-Hilweh
Lebanese General Security Arrests Syrian on Suspicion of Terror Links
Geagea: For voting massively on Sunday, particularly in Jezzine
Clash in Abi Samra over municipal elections, Army intervenes, blocks road to Zgharta
People of Qobayat' Municipal List declared, backed by LF FPM
Salam confers with UN UnderSecretary General
 

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 21-22/16

At least 60,000 dead in Syria regime prisons: monitor
Al-Azhar Sheikh: Terrorist Groups are Tarnishing Islam
Foreign Aid Reaches Flooded Sri Lankan Capital, 71 Dead
'Smoke on Board' EgyptAir Plane before Crash
France: No crash theory ruled out on MS804
Iran: Two dozen of regime’s forces from small city killed in Syria/Signs emerge of large-scale Iranian casualties in Syria
Two young Baluchis murdered by Iran regime’s intelligence agents
IRAN: Nearly 100,000 school students deprived of education in impoverished province
Iran regime may be planning to mass execute child offenders
Iranian Regime launches clampdown on satellite dishes in Iran capital
Iran political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh on Day 23 of hunger strike
Obama to host India’s Modi at White House
US moves to unseal ISIS defector’s case

Links From Jihad Watch Site for May 21- 22/16
Media darling Muslim selfie girl loves Hitler, hates Jews
Bangladesh: Islamic State murders doctor who “called to Christianity”
Muslim prof Joseph Lumbard denied tenure, blames “Islamophobia”
Jihadis recruiting staff at airports in France
Pennsylvania: Muslim posted names of U.S. military, exhorted Muslims to kill them
Hard-Left group paid journalists for favorable coverage of Iran nuke deal
Band in Paris jihad attacks gets gigs canceled for noting Muslims celebrated attacks
German government wants to monitor mosques
40,000 Christians persecuted by Muslims…in Germany
Robert Spencer Moment: Could a Ham Sandwich Stop ISIS?

Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 21- 22/16

Report: U.S. Financial Intelligence Official in Lebanon next Week to Tackle Hizbullah Sanctions
Naharnet/May 21/16/U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen is set to visit Lebanon next week in wake of the adoption of an American law on imposing sanctions on Hizbullah, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. His visit reflects Washington's keenness on the implementation of the law in Lebanon and the world, informed diplomatic and financial sources told the daily. He will inquire on his trip on the “Lebanese measures aimed at confronting illegal funding and combating funding for Hizbullah, the Islamic State group, and other terrorist organizations.”Cohen could be accompanied by his aide Daniel Glaser, the assistant secretary for the Department of the Treasury. In April, Lebanese banks began taking measures against persons or institutions in accordance to a U.S. law that imposes sanctions on banks that knowingly do business with Hizbullah. Last week, two Lebanese banks suspended three Hizbullah-linked accounts in conformity with the U.S. sanctions law.

Salam to Underscore Syrian Refugee Plight in Lebanon during Istanbul Humanitarian Summit
Naharnet/May 21/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam is scheduled to travel to the Turkish city of Istanbul to attend the Global Humanitarian Summit on Sunday, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. It said that he will address the case of Syrian refugees, demanding international support to allow the displaced to return to their homeland and safe regions to ease the burden they pose on Lebanon. He will be accompanied on his trip by Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, and a number of economic consultants. Lebanon is home to more than one million registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. Lebanese officials say that another half a million Syrians live in the country as well. Earlier this week, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon caused a stir in Lebanon in wake of a report in which he allegedly suggested naturalizing the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.The cabinet declared Thursday that it unanimously rejects any attempt to naturalize the refugees. U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag held talks on Friday with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil to clarify Ban's statements.
She said: “The report makes no mention of any specific country and seeks primarily to promote more collective action and better responsibility sharing by member states to address large movements of refugees and migrants.”“The report addresses the challenges of countries hosting refugees for lengthy periods and calls for measures to better support host communities, to promote social inclusion and to combat discrimination.”“The report does not advocate in any specific case for naturalization or granting of citizenship for refugees.”Bassil has repeatedly warned against international attempts to naturalize refugees in Lebanon, demanding that the country take “unilateral action” against such plans.

Asiri Gathers Lebanese Leaders over Dinner, Hopes for President Election 'before Eid al-Fitr'
Naharnet/May 21/16/Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri threw a dinner banquet Friday in honor of Lebanon's political, security and religious leaders and hoped a new president will be elected “before Eid al-Fitr,” which will be observed in early July. “The presidential vacuum is about to enter its third year and the more it protracts the more the State and its institutions are nearing the edge of the abyss,” Asiri said in a speech at the dinner. “I urge you to find the political will and consensual solutions to resolve this issue, so that Eid al-Fitr can be celebrated in the presence of a new president,” he added.The dinner was attended by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, a representative of Speaker Nabih Berri, al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, MP Suleiman Franjieh's son Tony, ex-presidents Amin Gemayel and Michel Suleiman, ex-PMs Najib Miqati and Fouad Saniora, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, a representative of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Aude. It was also attended by Army chief General Jean Qahwaji, Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors, several current and former ministers and MPs, and a number of political, military, spiritual, social and economic figures. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all its leaders will remain the main supporter of national accord and political and security stability in Lebanon and the supporter of the Muslim-Christian coexistence, and it is not true that it has abandoned Lebanon,” Asiri added. “But, in return, Lebanon is required to stay loyal to its history and harmonious with itself and with its neighborhood,” he went on to say. “Yes to Lebanese unity, yes to Lebanese coexistence, yes to Lebanese reconciliation and yes to a new president in Lebanon. Yes to a better tomorrow and yes to peace, stability and prosperity,” Asiri said.“I hope that the ongoing municipal polls -- which are taking place in a civilized and democratic way -- will be a step towards holding the presidential and parliamentary elections,” he added.

Three Major Candidates Vying for Parliamentary Seat in Jezzine Polls
Naharnet/May 21/16/The Jezzine by-election scheduled for Sunday are predicted to witness a battle between three candidates, some of whom enjoy the support of the main Christian parties of the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, and Kataeb, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. The main candidates are Amal Abou Zeid, backed by the FPM, LF, and Kataeb, Ibrahim Azar, the son of former MP Samir Azar, and Patrick Rizkallah, a former FPM activist. FPM founder MP Michel Aoun urged on Friday “Jezzine to assert the political course it adopted in 2009,” when the parliamentary elections were last held. “It is required to repeat this experience to remain firm and to evolve,” he added. “We hope that after 48 hours, we will have the only legitimate MP at parliament,” said Aoun in reference to parliament's extension of its term twice. The term of parliament was extended in 2013 and another time in 2014 after political powers failed to agree on a new electoral law. The by-election is aimed at filling the seat left vacant by the death of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Helou, who passed away in 2014. The by-election will be held simultaneously with municipal polls in the South and Nabatieh on Sunday.

Three-Way Battle Expected in Sidon Municipal Polls
Naharnet/May 21/16/A heated battle between three political forces is expected during Sunday's municipal polls in the southern city of Sidon, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. The battle will be waged between a list headed by Mohammed al-Saudi, who is backed by the Mustaqbal Movement, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, and Abdul Rahman al-Bizri, a second headed by Bilal Shaaban, who is backed by the Popular Nasserite Organization, and a third headed by Ali al-Sheikh Ammar, The most heated competition is predicted to be between the Mustaqbal Movement and Popular Nasserite Organization. Observers expect a heavy voter turnout. Sunday's municipal elections will take place in the South and Nabatieh. The elections kicked off in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 8. They were followed by polls in Mount Lebanon on May 15. The final round of the elections will be held in the North on May 29.

Report: Battles within AMAL, Hizbullah Expected in Municipal Elections
Naharnet/May 21/16/The Shiite powerhouses of Hizbullah and AMAL are expected to witness electoral battles during Sunday's municipal polls in the South and Nabatieh, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday. The battles are set to take place between candidates among each party as opposed to the two parties themselves, political sources told the daily. The Lebanese Communist Party will act as a third competitor in the polls as it has candidates running in several towns and villages. On the eve of the elections, Speaker and AMAL chief Nabih Berri addressed southerners, saying: “These elections are aimed at development and showing loyalty.” He urged them to vote for the lists that are included in an understanding that was reached between AMAL and Hizbullah, hoping for a heavy turnout that would demonstrate Lebanon's democracy. He hoped that the municipal polls will serve as a precursor to the presidential and parliamentary ones. The municipal elections kicked off in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 8. They were followed by polls in Mount Lebanon on May 15. The third round will take place in the South and Nabatieh on Sunday and the final round in the North on May 29.

Explosive Safely Removed in Ain el-Hilweh
Naharnet/May 21/16/An explosive device was discovered in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon, reported Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) on Saturday. It said that the explosive, which was ready to be detonated, was located in al-Tahtani street in the camp. It has since been removed by members of the Fatah group.

Lebanese General Security Arrests Syrian on Suspicion of Terror Links
Naharnet/May 21/16/General Security announced on Saturday the arrest of a Syrian national on suspicion of his affiliation to a terrorist group.It said that A.M. contacted a terrorist group and its leader, identified as Syrian M.M., for the purpose of providing it with logistic support. He also helped smuggle people and facilitate their entry to Syria to join this group.Lebanese national H.H. was among those sent to Syria.The suspect has since been referred to the concerned judiciary and investigations are underway to uncover his accomplices.

Geagea: For voting massively on Sunday, particularly in Jezzine
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces Party Head, Samir Geagea, urged supporters to vote excessively in Sunday's municipal elections, especially in Jezzine municipality, citing "development" as a priority to his Party.
 

Clash in Abi Samra over municipal elections, Army intervenes, blocks road to Zgharta
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - A dispute occurred between members of Hassoun family in the town of Abi Samra over municipal elections, involving tearing-up of candidates posters, whereby Army units intervened immediately, cutting-off the road leading to Zgharta and arresting a number of suspects, NNA correspondent reported on Saturday.

People of Qobayat' Municipal List declared, backed by LF FPM
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - The "People of Qobayat" Municipal List, supported by the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement, was announced on Saturday in a ceremony held at "Our Lady of Peace" School premises in Qobayat, amidst a crowd of townsmen and dignitaries.The coalition list includes 18 members, dedicated to catering to the town's developmental needs and fostering an atmosphere of change for a better future for Qobayat.

Salam confers with UN UnderSecretary General
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Tammam Salam met on Saturday with United Nations Under-Secretary General, UN Women's Commission Executive Director Van Zyl Blambo Ngcuka, with talks centering on latest developments.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 21-22/16

At least 60,000 dead in Syria regime prisons: monitor
Agence France Presse/ May. 21, 2016 /BEIRUT: At least 60,000 people have died in Syrian government prisons over the past five years from torture or due to dire humanitarian conditions, including a lack of food, a monitor said Saturday. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, Rami Abdel Rahman, said he compiled the toll from regime sources. "Since March 2011, at least 60,000 people lost their lives to torture or to horrible conditions, notably the lack of medication or food, in regime detention centres," Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said the highest number of deaths had been recorded in the infamous Saydnaya prison as well as detention centres run by Syria's notorious air force intelligence and state security forces. Thousands of prisoners are held in the military-run Saydnaya prison, one of the country's largest detention centre located 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Damascus. Rights groups have accused Syria's government of systematically using torture and inhumane practices in its detention centres. A UN probe in February accused the Syrian government of a policy of "extermination" in its jails. The Britain-based Observatory says it has compiled a list of 14,456 names -- including 110 children -- who have died in regime prisons.According to Abdel Rahman, government forces have arrested a total of 500,000 people since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011. While some have been released and others died, the whereabouts of thousands of detainees remain unknown. Abdel Rahman also said that "several thousand people" have died while being held by rebel groups and jihadist factions like the Islamic State group. In early 2014, a regime defector calling himself "Caesar" smuggled out of Syria some 55,000 photographs depicting the tortured and abused bodies of around 11,000 people who had reportedly died in Syrian jails during the first two years of the conflict. Earlier this month, the UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura named Eva Svoboda to oversee progress on the issue of detainees.

Al-Azhar Sheikh: Terrorist Groups are Tarnishing Islam
Waleed Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al Awsat/May 21/16/President Muhammadu Buhari received in audience H.E. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam Sheikh Al-Azhar from the Arab Republic of Egypt in Statehouse on 18th May 2016. President Muhammadu Buhari received in audience H.E. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam Sheikh Al-Azhar from the Arab Republic of Egypt in Statehouse on 18th May 2016. Cairo – For the first time ever, Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb visited Nigeria accompanied by a delegation. El-Tayeb called the terrorist group Boko Haram to repent. El-Tayeb asked the international community to help the displaced civilians and refugees. Analysts believe that Africa is undergoing a new struggle now with terrorist groups especially ISIS and the so-called ISIS of Nigeria, Boko Haram. According to sources, al-Azhar has expressed fears of ISIS expanding in Africa to compensate its losses in Syria and Iraq especially after the attacks from the U.S.-led coalition. El-Tayeb met with the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential palace in Abuja. Both parties discussed means to fight extremism. In his speech directed to African people, el-Tayeb said that some of those who affiliate themselves with Islam are tarnishing its image with blood and carnage. He added that the portray of such image and constant display on TV has only one goal and that is to present Islam as a violent and blood-thirsty religion. El-Tayeb stressed that Islam is not violent and it is wrong to judge religions based on the act of some of its followers who have been misled and are misleading others. He emphasized that one can’t impose Islam by force and by waging wars on others. Regarding ISIS, el-Tayeb said that it is a diabolic entity that is becoming successful in spreading hate among religions. He then called Boko Haram to repent and redeem themselves before it is too late. El-Tayeb then visited a refugee camp in the Nigerian capital, Abuja and called international community to help the refugees. In 2014, Boko Haram was responsible for killing over 6,644 in an estimated 317% increase than 2013. Boko Haram’s first attack outside of Nigeria was on the borders of Chad and Cameron where 520 were killed in Cameroon and six in Chad. According to sources, al-Qaeda in Morocco sent Boko Haram weapons that were transferred from Libya through the Chad – Niger borders. Boko Haram recently pledged allegiance to ISIS, increasing its military powers.

Foreign Aid Reaches Flooded Sri Lankan Capital, 71 Dead
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/16/Foreign aid began arriving in Sri Lanka Saturday, bringing help to half a million people forced out of their homes by heavy rains and landslides that have killed at least 71 in a week of extreme weather wreaking havoc in South Asia. As the heaviest rains in a quarter of a century battered Sri Lanka, Cyclone Roanu barreled into the Bangladesh coastline leaving six people dead and forcing the evacuation of 500,000 as it unleashed winds as strong as 88 kilometers (54 miles) per hour and heavy downpours. Torrential rains have deluged Sri Lanka since last weekend, triggering huge landslides that have buried victims in up to 50 feet (15 meters) of mud and left 127 people missing. As aid began to arrive Saturday on a military plane from India and a commercial flight from Japan, Sri Lankan authorities said their priority was now preventing diseases such as diarrhoea, with many areas still under water."We have sent a large number of doctors and nursing staff to ensure there is no outbreak of waterborne diseases," Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told AFP. In Colombo, residents clung to ropes as they battled to cross torrents of water pulsing through the streets of the flooded capital, with some forced to take shelter in rickshaws. The Indian government has provided inflatable boats, outboard motors, diving equipment, medical supplies, electricity generators and sleeping bags, officials said. The first of two Indian naval ships arrived Saturday at the port in Colombo, while Australia and the United States have made cash donations to help victims. Floodwaters in parts of the capital subsided slightly overnight, officials said, but heavy downpours on Saturday prevented many from moving back to their homes on the banks of the Kelani river. "Colombo did not receive any significant rain last night and the water levels of the Kelani went down slightly," Disaster Management Centre spokesman Pradeep Kodippili told AFP. "But there were showers upstream and we are worried that the water levels can rise again in a day."
Buddhist holiday
Nearly 300,000 people were staying in about 500 state-run relief centres Saturday, which also marks the Buddhist holiday of Vesak, while a further 200,000 people were staying with friends or family. Officials said there was a fresh landslide in the worst-hit central district of Kegalle, but that no casualties were reported because the area had been evacuated. The country's influential Buddhist clergy urged the faithful to divert at least half of the money spent on holiday celebrations to help flood victims. "There are lots of people who have lost their homes, some have only the clothes they are wearing," top Buddhist monk Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana said. "Consider this your meritorious deed to celebrate Vesak." Vesak celebrations were muted Saturday in Colombo compared with previous years when the entire city was decorated with lanterns and coloured lights. President Maithripala Sirisena called on Sri Lankans to provide shelter and donate cash or food to flood victims as offers of assistance came in from overseas. The accommodation booking website airbnb.com listed at least 29 places offering free lodging for anyone affected by the floods in Sri Lanka. Disaster management officials said there had been a huge outpouring of sympathy for victims with donations of food, clothing and dry rations. The meteorological department says the rains were caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal, ahead of the arrival of the southwest monsoon. Around 22 of Sri Lanka's 25 districts have been affected by the rains, according to disaster officials. Almost a third of residents have been moved from the low-lying capital, which has a population of about 650,000.

'Smoke on Board' EgyptAir Plane before Crash
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/16/Smoke was detected inside an EgyptAir plane shortly before it plunged into the Mediterranean with 66 people on board, investigators said Saturday, offering clues but no answers about why it crashed. The Airbus A320 had been flying from Paris to Cairo early Thursday when it plummeted and turned full circle before vanishing from radar screens, without its crew sending a distress signal. Egypt's military released pictures of wreckage recovered so far, including a pink bag decorated with butterflies, a life vest, shredded seat covers and mangled debris showing the EgyptAir name. France's aviation safety agency said Flight MS804 had transmitted automated messages indicating smoke in the cabin as the disaster unfolded. While the information may help investigators, more wreckage including the black boxes will need to be found before they can piece together what happened. "There were ACAR messages emitted by the plane indicating that there was smoke in the cabin shortly before data transmission broke off," a spokesman for France's Bureau of Investigations and Analysis told AFP. ACAR, which stands for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, is a digital system that transmits short messages between aircraft and ground stations. It was "far too soon to interpret and understand the cause of the accident as long as we have not found the wreckage or the flight data recorders," the spokesman said. Search teams were scouring the eastern Mediterranean on Saturday for more parts of the plane and the black boxes for clues on why it came down. While Egypt's aviation minister has pointed to terrorism as more likely than technical failure, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Saturday that nothing was being ruled out. "At this time... all theories are being examined and none is favored," he told a news conference in Paris after meeting with relatives of passengers.The disaster comes just seven months after the bombing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt's Sinai peninsula in October that killed all 224 people on board. The Islamic State group was quick to claim responsibility for the attack, but there has been no such claim linked to the EgyptAir crash.
Families want the bodies'
Relatives of the passengers on the EgyptAir flight gathered at a hotel near Cairo airport after meeting airline officials as they struggled to come to terms with the catastrophe. "They haven't died yet. No one knows. We're asking for God's mercy," said a woman in her 50s whose daughter had been on board. EgyptAir Holding Company chairman Safwat Moslem told AFP that the priority was finding the passengers' remains and the flight recorders, which will stop emitting a signal in a month when the batteries run out. "The families want the bodies. That is what concerns us. The army is working on this. This is what we are focusing on," he said. A French patrol boat carrying equipment capable of tracing the plane's black boxes was expected on Sunday or Monday. The plane disappeared between the Greek island of Karpathos and the Egyptian coast in the early hours of Thursday. It had turned sharply twice before plunging 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) and vanishing from radar screens, said Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos.
Boy, babies on board
Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security International Magazine, told the BBC that technical failure could not be ruled out. "There was smoke reported in the aircraft lavatory, then smoke in the avionics bay, and over a period of three minutes the aircraft's systems shut down," he said. "That's starting to indicate that it probably wasn't a hijack, it probably wasn't a struggle in the cockpit, it's more likely a fire on board. Now whether that was a technical fire, a short circuit, or whether it was because a bomb went off on board, we don't know."Personal belongings and parts of the Airbus A320 were spotted by teams searching the sea off Egypt's northern coast about 290 kilometers (180 miles) from the city of Alexandria, the military said. Kammenos said the teams, which include multinational aircraft and ships, had found "a body part, two seats and one or more items of luggage". The passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, two Iraqis, two Canadians, and citizens from Algeria, Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. They included a boy and two babies.Seven crew members and three security personnel were also on board. The European Space Agency said one of its satellites had on Thursday spotted an oil slick about 40 kilometers southeast of the plane's last known location. In October, foreign governments issued travel warnings for Egypt and demanded a review of security at its airports after the Islamic State group said it downed the Russian airliner over Sinai with a bomb concealed in a soda can that had been smuggled on the plane. IS has been waging a deadly insurgency against Egyptian security forces and has claimed attacks in both France and Egypt.

France: No crash theory ruled out on MS804
Agencies Saturday, 21 May 2016/French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he and other officials - including representatives of Paris Aeroport, the French prosecutor, EgyptAir, and the Egyptian ambassador to Paris - had met with about 100 family members to express "our profound compassion" over the crash. In a statement delivered to reporters following the meeting, he said: "All the hypotheses are being examined - none are being favored."French air accident investigators are already in Cairo, he said.Meanwhile, Egyptian armed forces on Saturday released images of debris of the crashed EgyptAir jet. The pictures showed passenger belongings and parts of the plane which crashed into the Mediterranean on Thursday. The jet had sent a burst of error messages indicating that smoke had been detected on board before crashing, France's BEA air accident investigation agency said on Saturday, although this is yet to be confirmed by Egypt. "These messages do not allow in any way to say what may have caused smoke or fire on board the aircraft," a spokesman for the agency said, adding that the messages indicated that smoke been detected towards the front of the cabin. He said the priority now was to find the aircraft and its two flight recorders containing cockpit voice recordings and data readings. The Airbus A320 vanished from radar on its way to Cairo from Paris with 66 people on board. The flight data was sent through an automatic system called the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which routinely downloads maintenance and fault data to the airline operating the aircraft. Aviation website Aviation Herald published a burst of seven messages broadcast over the space of three minutes. These included alarms about smoke in the lavatory as well as the aircraft's avionics area, which sits under the cockpit. While suggesting a possible fire, the relatively short sequence of data gives no insight into pilot efforts to control the aircraft, nor does it show whether it fell in one piece or disintegrated in mid-air, two aviation safety experts said.The BEA is assisting an official investigation into the crash, which has been launched by Egypt's air crash investigation authority.
Media reports
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said automated warning messages indicated smoke in the nose of the aircraft and an apparent problem with the flight control system. The warnings, which were automatically sent by the Airbus A320's computer systems, came about 2:26 a.m. Thursday local time, just before air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane carrying 66 people, the Journal said. The messages indicated intense smoke in the front portion of the plane, specifically the lavatory and the equipment compartment beneath the cockpit. The error warnings also indicated that the flight control computer malfunctioned, the report said. CNN also reported smoke alerts on the flight minutes before it crashed, citing information it obtained from an Egyptian source that was filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, which sends messages between planes and ground facilities. A relative of the victims of the EgyptAir flight 804 reacts as she makes a phone call at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside of Paris,  Egypt's aviation minister has said a terrorist attack was a more likely cause than technical failure for the crash. On Friday, search teams found wreckage including seats and luggage about 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt's military said.The plane disappeared without any distress signal between the Greek island of Karpathos and the Egyptian coast.It had turned sharply twice in Egyptian airspace before plunging 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) and vanishing from radar screens, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has said. (Reuters and AFP)

Iran: Two dozen of regime’s forces from small city killed in Syria/Signs emerge of large-scale Iranian casualties in Syria
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - Twenty three members of the Iranian regime's forces from the small city of Varamin, south-east of Tehran, have been killed in Syria's civil war, an official of the mullahs' regime has said. On Friday, May 20, the Mehr news agency, affiliated to the regime's Intelligence Ministry, quoted Amir Pour-Javadi, head of the regime's Foundation for Martyrs of Varamin City, as saying that the city had thus far offered "23 martyrs who defended the sacred shrine." In the 2011 census, Varamin's population was recorded at 220,000. The overall population of Iran was recorded at a little more than 75 million at the time. If the city’s casualty rate were to be taken as a sample of the Iranian regime’s overall losses in Syria, it would mean that the casualty tally at a national level would range in the thousands. The Iranian regime has deployed tens of thousands of its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and affiliated foreign militias to Syria to fight in support of dictator Bashar al-Assad who is massacring the Syrian people. It describes this action as an attempt to “defend the sacred shrines.” This is while most of the Iranian regime's casualties are in the Aleppo region which is almost 300 kilometers away from the holy Shiite shrines near Damascus.The Iranian regime has made a concerted effort over recent years to keep secret the official tally of its casualties in Syria’s civil war which has been raging for the past five years. In recent weeks, however, there have been numerous signs which point to a high casualty rate. In one example, the Iranian regime's forces around the strategic town of Khan Tuman suffered heavy blows from Syrian opposition fighters on May 6 in the battles in southern Aleppo. Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on Saturday said: "The mullahs' regime is afraid of announcing its true casualty rate in Syria out of fear of a public backlash resulting in its further isolation at home. But all the news and signs point to the regime's casualty rate in Syria being far higher than previous estimates. One can confidently say that the mullahs have lost thousands of their forces in Syria." "Syria has transformed into a strategic deadlock and quagmire for Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the mullahs' regime. Despite deploying more than 70,000 IRGC forces, foreign militias and more recently its Regular Army and pouring in the Iranian nation's wealth into supporting Syria's dictator, the mullahs have failed to score a strategic victory and guarantee the survival of Assad's regime. Khamenei believes the only solution is to become ever more embroiled in the conflict in Syria but in this crisis they have no way back and no way forward. As the Iranian regime's officials have repeatedly acknowledged, Assad's fall from power is a 'red line' for the mullahs who see their grip on Syria as a strategic lifeline. The regime's casualty rate in Syria is however increasing with each passing day," he added.

Two young Baluchis murdered by Iran regime’s intelligence agents
Friday, 20 May 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) last week murdered in cold blood two young Iranian Baluchis one of whom was still a minor, according to information received from Iran’s south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan. The two victims, identified as Allah-Noor Salarzehi, 17, and Saeed Salarzehi, 21, were walking in Rajai Street of Zahedan when agents of the MOIS driving down the street opened fire on them last Friday, May 13. Both victims died of their wounds. Local reports say that the Intelligence Ministry agents fled the scene as soon as the local people started to protest. Last July, two young Balouchi workers -Molabakhsh Abbas Zehi, 25, and Naim Abbas Zehi, 23 - were killed under torture on hours after they were arrested by the MOIS in the town of Chabahar. These two laborers were from deprived families and had gone to work in Shiraz to earn a living. On their return to Chabahar they were arrested by regime’s intelligence agents while fasting.The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has previously stated that such atrocities that are committed to frighten the deprived people of Sistan and Balouchistan Province and to prevent large social uprisings have increased public anger and abhorrence toward the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.

IRAN: Nearly 100,000 school students deprived of education in impoverished province
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - The head of the Iranian regime’s Department of Education in Iran’s impoverished Sistan and Baluchistan Province has admitted that 96,000 school students in the province are deprived of education. In a May 19 interview with the state-run daily Shahrvand, Zahra Borhan-Zehi said: "About 13 thousands of these people - children and teenagers - do not have an identity card and they are just immigrants. Among those who do not have identity cards, there are an increasing number of Iranian children whose fathers are foreigners.”She added: “The state of education in this province is significantly different from the national average. There is no difference between the Sistani students and the children of immigrants.”
 

Iran regime may be planning to mass execute child offenders
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - Iran’s fundamentalist regime has transferred at least seven young death-row prisoners to solitary confinement in Gohardasht (Rajai-Shahr) Prison in preparation for their imminent execution, according to reports from the prison. The young inmates were transferred earlier on Saturday from the prison's Ward 5, known as the adolescents' ward, to solitary confinement in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, north-west of Tehran. Reports say the regime plans to execute them at the latest by next Wednesday. All seven inmates are believed to be between the ages of 22 and 25 and some are suspected to have been minors at the time of their alleged crime. The names of six of the prisoners are believed to be Mohsen Agha-Mohammadi, Farhad Bakhshayesh, Iman Fatemi-Pour, Javad Khorsandi, Hossein Mohammadi and Masoud Raghadi. The mullahs' regime on Friday hanged a man in a prison in Qazvin, north-west of Tehran. Ismaeil Sadeqi Niaraki, a notorious mullah who is the regime's Prosecutor in Qazvin, confirmed the execution had taken place in the city's central prison. He identified the victim only by his first name Sepahdar. Iran’s fundamentalist regime has sharply increased its rate of executions, carrying out at least 21 hangings in a 48-hour period earlier this week. Ms. Farideh Karimi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and a human rights activist, on Tuesday criticized the lack of response by the international community and human rights groups to the appalling state of human rights in Iran. The latest hanging brings to at least 98 the number of people executed in Iran since April 10. Three of those executed were women and one is believed to have been a juvenile offender. Iran's fundamentalist regime last week amputated the fingers of a man in his thirties in Mashhad, the latest in a line of draconian punishments handed down and carried out in recent weeks. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a statement on April 13 that the increasing trend of executions “aimed at intensifying the climate of terror to rein in expanding protests by various strata of the society, especially at a time of visits by high-ranking European officials, demonstrates that the claim of moderation is nothing but an illusion for this medieval regime.”Amnesty International in its April 6 annual Death Penalty report covering the 2015 period wrote: "Iran put at least 977 people to death in 2015, compared to at least 743 the year before.""Iran alone accounted for 82% of all executions recorded" in the Middle East and North Africa, the human rights group said. There have been more than 2,300 executions during Hassan Rouhani’s tenure as President. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran in March announced that the number of executions in Iran in 2015 was greater than any year in the last 25 years. Rouhani has explicitly endorsed the executions as examples of “God’s commandments” and “laws of the parliament that belong to the people.”

Iranian Regime launches clampdown on satellite dishes in Iran capital
Saturday, 21 May 2016 /NCRI – The mullahs’ regime has launched a new clampdown on Iranians in the capital watching satellite television, banned by the fundamentalist authorities.The regime’s suppressive state security forces (police) on Friday carried out a swoop of districts in eastern Tehran, taking down satellite dishes from rooftops. The regime has been working hard to block Iranians’ access to satellite television stations by jamming signals. It aims to prevent the Iranian people from becoming privy to its egregious and nefarious conduct inside and outside of Iran or to be informed of anti-government protest, strikes and other activities by the Iranian Resistance. Last July, an Iranian cleric Mullah Mir Ahmadi told Iranian state television: “Satellite television is more dangerous than an atomic bomb.” He claimed that that satellite channels are destroying the way people think, and he urged the regime’s officials to launch new satellite channels propagating the regime’s stances to combat the influence of anti-regime satellite channels. Despite regular crackdowns on satellite viewers, producers and distributors, regime officials have admitted that increasing numbers of Iranians are watching satellite television channels in Iran.
The head of cultural affairs in the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on January 29, 2015 that over 60 percent of Iranians watch satellite television channels. Senior officials of the regime have admitted that 40 percent of Iranian families have access to major opposition satellite channel Simaye Azadi. Operating from Europe, prominent non-profit 24/7 Iranian opposition channel Simaye Azadi, or ‘Iran National Television’ (INTV), broadcasts news and information to Iranians around the world via satellite and the internet.
The regime has stepped up internet censorship, blocking around five million websites dedicated to arts, social issues and news and filtering the contents of blogs and social media. It also tracks down and arrests many online activists inside Iran. Many have therefore turned to INTV as a means of obtaining real information without being traced. INTV has played a unique role in breaking the mullahs’ censorship and providing the Iranian people with uncensored news and flow of information. It is banned in Iran for reports that expose the violation of human rights perpetuated by the mullahs and for raising awareness among millions of Iranians of the regime’s fundamentalism, suppression of ethnic minorities, meddling in the affairs of other countries, and particularly about their support for terrorism in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the region. INTV provides constant news, breaking news, talk shows, live question and answer sessions, art and cultural programs, special programs for the youth and women, and political satire to millions of Iranians all across Iran who tune in to watch with their satellite dishes. The Iranian regime’s officials on scores of occasions have warned against the growing popularity of this channel. Culture Minister Ali Jannati has said that in Tehran, over 70 percent of citizens watch satellite channels. INTV relies heavily on volunteer work of Iranians all over the world and provides for its expenses solely through donations of Iranians inside and outside of Iran as well as citizens of other countries who support the cause of human rights and freedom in Iran. Gholamreza Khosravi, an activist of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, PMOI (Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK), was executed in Iran on June 1, 2014, on the charge of ‘enmity against God’ for collecting information and giving monetary assistance to the Sima-ye Azadi station.

Iran political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh on Day 23 of hunger strike
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - Iranian workers’ rights activist and political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh is on Day 23 of an indefinite hunger strike in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison against the regime's clampdown on union activities in Iran. Azimzadeh's heath is reported to have deteriorated significantly and he is under pressure by the mullahs' regime to end his protest. He has reportedly become weak, with his vision deteriorating, and he has developed kidney problems. The Tehran prosecutor's office on Tuesday demanded that he end his hunger strike. On Tuesday he had to be transferred by car to the visitor's hall to see his wife as he was unable to walk after becoming frail due to his hunger strike. According to reports, officials from the Tehran prosecutor's office have suggested to Azimzadeh that he would be given an opportunity to take long-term leave from prison if he breaks his fast. Reports say that Azimzadeh replied to the representative of the Tehran prosecutor's office: "I did not go on hunger strike in order to be permitted to have prison leave. In the letter that I had written prior to beginning my hunger strike, I set out my demands clearly, and I expect them to be fulfilled. The first step to fulfilling these demands is to halt the implementation of the [current] verdicts and reevaluate our file rejecting the accusation of acting against national security. I will therefore continue with my indefinite hunger strike." Azimzadeh, who was arrested last November, is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for engaging in peaceful and legitimate trade union activities. Azimzadeh this week protested his detention in Evin Prison while the mullahs' kangaroo court in Saveh, south-west of Tehran, considers his case. He has demanded that he be allowed to properly defend himself in the court. Azimzadeh sent a statement out of Evin Prison following the release on bail of fellow political prisoner Ismail Abdi, Secretary General of Iran’s Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA).
The following is the text of the statement by Jafar Azimzadeh: My dear friend and resistant cellmate Ismail Abdi was released on three 3 billion Rials bail (U.S. $100,000). He had spent 11 months in prison without a judicial verdict and solely based on the will of the security apparatus. Abdi’s release, while exciting and gratifying, does not mean that even a small step was being taken to realize our demands and the demands of millions of teachers and workers. In our joint statement that was strongly and passionately supported by the country’s teachers and workers unions as well as labor and teachers’ organizations across the world, we demanded an end to treating social and civil protests as security issues and removing the charge of “associating and colluding with intent to act against national security" from the open files of protesting workers and teachers and imprisoned union activists, including ourselves. We protested wages below the poverty line, the ban on holding independent and free celebrations to mark International Workers’ Day and Teachers’ Day, the ban on forming independent trade unions, and lack of transparency and effective action by the International Labor Organization (ILO) against flagrant violation of the essential rights of Iranian workers and teachers, and we did go on hunger strike. Accordingly, as far as it concerns Ismail Abdi’s release through a heavy bail and an open case with heavy security charges, such an act from the legal authority dealing with his case even within the framework of existing law-breaking actions, was routine and, in Ismail’s case, predictable. For that reason, his release can’t be used as a claim of addressing our demands and that of millions of workers and teachers, and it appears that it was intended to overshadow and limit the scope of the ever increasing (labor and teachers) movement that has centered around ending the treatment of protests by teachers and workers as security issues and protesting heavy security charges against trade activists around the country and around the globe.Therefore, with great appreciation for the support of Iran’s teachers and workers and labor and workers’ unions and organizations around the world for our demands in the joint statement with Ismail Abdi, and emphasizing on realization of all of them, I will continue my indefinite hunger strike that I began on April 30.Copy to: International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)/Jafar Azimzadeh - Ward 8 of Evin Prison

Obama to host India’s Modi at White House
AFP, Washington Saturday, 21 May 2016/President Barack Obama will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on June 7, as the pair try to flesh out nascent trade and security ties. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Modi’s visit would “highlight the deepening of the US-India relationship in key areas since the president’s visit to New Delhi in January 2015.”“The President looks forward to discussing progress made on our climate change and clean energy partnership, security and defense cooperation, and economic growth priorities.” This will be Modi’s second White House visit since his Hindu nationalist party won a sweeping victory in 2014 polls. Obama has assiduously courted the Indian premier, cultivating a strategic relationship seen as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China. It has been a dramatic transformation for a man who in 2005 was denied a visa to the United States on human rights grounds. He had served as chief minister in his home state of Gujarat, when anti-Muslim riots killed hundreds.But turning Obama and Modi’s warm words into concrete agreement has proven difficult. A proposed bilateral investment treaty has languished for years, as New Delhi has taken a tough negotiating line. Talks have been stalled over several issues, including the lack of protection for foreign firms in disputes with the Indian government. “I think there is a reasonable chance we will see the leaders re-commit to engaging in BIT negotiations,” said Rick Rossow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, predicting limited progress. India’s economy is rapidly growing, but poverty remains pervasive and foreign investment has lagged behind China, Brazil and even advanced economies like Ireland. Modi, who faces reelection in 2019, has pegged his political future on a reform agenda and boosting the economy. Observers say there could be more progress on security and energy cooperation. A series of technical steps could allow the men to announce US nuclear companies entering the potentially lucrative Indian market. In 2005, then-president George W. Bush lifted a three decade long moratorium on nuclear cooperation with India, introduced after the country developed a nuclear bomb. The issue had been a major hurdle to relations between two of the world's largest democracies. Modi has made nuclear energy a priority, to offset horrendous levels of air pollution that is worsened by the dominance of coal-fired power plants and reduce dependence on foreign gas and oil. A series of military agreements linked to support and logistics could also be signed by the two leaders and could pave the way for deeper military cooperation. Many of the agreements have been stalled for years by India’s concerns about weakening the ability to act alone militarily. Modi will also address a joint session of Congress on June 8. Modi was invited to address the US Congress by Republican speaker Paul Ryan, who called the US-Indian relationship “a pillar of stability in a very, very important region.”

US moves to unseal ISIS defector’s case
Reuters Saturday, 21 May 2016/US prosecutors on Friday sought to unseal the to-date secret criminal case of an ISIS defector after NBC News broadcast an interview with the New York man in which he spoke out against the militant group. Unsealing the case could allow the US Justice Department to make public details of why the man turned against ISIS at a time when the government is trying to combat the group’s online propaganda. The 27-year-old man had been cooperating in investigations and had explored speaking publicly against the militant group “for some time” before agreeing to the NBC interview broadcast Thursday, prosecutors said in a letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. The man, identified only as “Mo,” pleaded guilty under seal in November 2014 to charges including that he provided material support to ISIS, the letter said.US authorities arranged the NBC interview after learning the network was preparing a story on Mo, who NBC said attended Columbia University, prosecutors said in the letter. “ISIS is not bringing Islam to the world,” Mo said during the interview. “And people need to know that.”A spokeswoman for Brooklyn US Attorney Robert Capers declined comment. Mo’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. NBC had no immediate comment. Mo is one of more than 85 people since 2014 to face US charges over crimes related to ISIS, which controls territory in Syria and Iraq and has claimed responsibility for attacks in Paris in November that killed 130 people. Prosecutors said in June 2014, Mo traveled from Brooklyn to Syria, where he enlisted with ISIS. Once there, they said, he received military training and served as a sentry at one of its headquarters and in various administrative positions. But Mo became “disillusioned,” prosecutors said. During the NBC interview, Mo said “towards the end as things were getting more and more serious, I did see severed heads placed on spiked poles.”In November 2014, Mo escaped across the border into Turkey and found his way to a US State Department outpost, prosecutors said. Once back in the United States, he was arrested and began cooperating.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 21-22/16

Can the Druze community’s rural past secure its future?
Ehtesham Shahid/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Veteran journalist and writer Eyad Abu Shakra delivered a lesson in history at an Al Arabiya roundtable session recently. The London-based thinker’s geo-political analysis of the Druze community gave us a glimpse of the past and the present of this rather miniscule minority, which has been an integral part of the Middle East for ages.This Arabic-speaking esoteric ethno-religious group – estimated to be around 1.2 million all over the world – has faced numerous existential challenges. It has been at the forefront of old tribal and clan factionalism of the Levant, evolving for centuries. If the community wasn’t divided by loyalties it would be torn apart by conflicts, as is happening in Syria today. The community’s size in northern Syria, for instance, has dwindled from 20,000 just before 2011 to 5,000 now. Half of the 4 percent population in Lebanon does not reside in the country any more. Yet, despite all the challenges, the Druze community has managed to survive in this very turbulent region for 1,000 years. In the lecture, Eyad described the Druze as a “Muslim heterodox minority”, which has lacked the strategic depth needed to exercise political space. To tide over its shortcomings, it banked on its survival instinct during testing times. According to Eyad, apart from a strong sense of communal identity, the Druze also mastered the art of “dissimulation” when faced with overwhelming force. As enterprising members of the Druze community migrate to different parts of the world they continue to be distinguished by their roots in the villages of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Turkey. In other words, the community did not keep all the eggs in the same basket but rather “subdivided” itself while awaiting the outcome of struggles between competing regional powers. In the words of Eyad: “when a victor emerged, its Druze allies would still co-opt their brethren who were allied with the vanquished”. Call it clever or conniving, the community has figured out a way to survive, which is what matters at the end.
The mountain dwellers
Eyad’s one passing reference during the lecture was indeed telling – the Druze were predominantly (around 90 percent) rural and mountain dwelling communities. The community took the advantage of living in naturally defended mountainous regions. However, like most other minority groups in the region – Christian Maronites and Alawis (Nussairis) etc. – urbanization played its part in luring these people away from their roots. With economic transformation, social and political changes becoming the order of the day, cities grew at the expense of the countryside. Prior to this, land always meant livelihood for the community as there were no marketplaces or industries to earn them a living. This began to change in the mid-20th century when the community’s reliance on agriculture and husbandry started declining. To offset this detachment, the community reinforced its sense of identity, communal solidarity and esprit de corps. However, the movement away from roots had become an irreversible process as has been the case around the world. Now, when the community is compelled to ponder over its future, it can barely take solace from the embattled Middle East, which has been their land for centuries. As enterprising members of the Druze community migrate to different parts of the world they continue to be distinguished by their roots in the villages of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Turkey. It will be an absolute tragedy if a deeply-rooted community such as the Druze gets obliterated in today’s orgy of violence. In an ideal world, they should all return to their roots and live side-by-side the various original inhabitants of this land. But, as they say, it is easier said than done. A wistful Eyad cites a recent example that gives him hope. “Five members of a family belonging to Shouf district of Mt Lebanon traveled all the way from the US to their village solely to vote in the municipal elections”. They voted with their feet indeed. More such families need to demonstrate courage for nothing more is expected of warmongers.

Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood: The best of enemies?
Nicolas Dot-Pouillard/Middle East Eye/May 21/16
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-and-muslim-brotherhood-best-enemies-2061107490
When the Arab Spring revolutions broke out in 2011, the Islamic Republic of Iran hailed them as an “Islamic awakening” and considered them as a continuation of its own revolution in 1979. The affinity that Iran saw in the Muslim Brotherhood was real. Even today Iran recognises the Brotherhood and Tehran have much in common, particularly the notion of “Islamic democracy”. Mustapha Zahrani, the head of the Institute for Political and International Studies which is the research centre of the Iranian Foreign Affairs Department, said: “The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideas do really matter for the founders of the Iranian Islamic Republic. We believe in the Islamic democracy and in a moderate Islam: as do organisations close to the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey and in Egypt."Then there is the history: the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei translated into Farsi the works of Sayid Qutb, an intellectual and one of the founding thinkers of the Brotherhood, who was killed in prison in Egypt in 1966. They also share the same politics: both support Palestine and are opposed to Western powers. During the 1980s, the Iranian Islamic Republic had been a role model for many leaders of the Brotherhood, such as Fathi Yakan in Lebanon or Rached Ghannouchi in Tunisia, founder of the Movement of Islamic Tendency, now known as Ennahda. In June 2012, Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, close to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, became the country's first democratically elected president of the Republic. Iran applauded.
Two months later, Morsi went to Iran, during the Non-Aligned Movement Summit. That was a real event for, since 1979, Iran had not forgiven Egypt for signing a peace treaty alone with Israel. Nevertheless, after a 33-year diplomatic freeze, an Egyptian president was invited in Tehran as a Muslim brother.
When Morsi was overthrown by the army in July 2013, Hossein Amir-Abdulahian, Iran's deputy minister of Arabs affairs, claimed that Iran had condemned the coup. "We did assure the Egyptian authorities that we do not consider the Muslim Brotherhood like a terrorist organisation. However, we did attend the investiture ceremony of President Sisi," he said.Amir-Abdulahian said Iran had called on the Egyptian army to exercise restraint, condemning the brutalities that occurred in Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood. In January 2014, the Egyptian authorities, offended by the Iranian support to the Brotherhood, called in the Iranian ambassador in Egypt, Mojtaba Amani."This coup d’etat did more bad than good for Egypt. Indeed, there are now two forces: the Brotherhood and the partisans of Marshal Sisi. Egyptian society is split in two," said Amir-Abdulahian.
Relations aggravated by Syrian crisis
But a bigger split occurred over Syria. Tehran has not forgiven the former Egyptian president for attending in Cairo, in June 2013, an Islamic conference "for the victory of Syrian people". Morsi had announced then that Egypt would cease all diplomatic relations with Syria, and criticised the military intervention carried out by the Lebanese Hezbollah - the key Arab partner for Tehran - while supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Patrick Haenni, a former researcher at the Centre for Economic, Judicial, and Social Study and Documentation in Cairo and an expert on Egypt, called the conference a turning point.
“Important Salafi leaders attended, like a Sunni front to support the Syrian revolution. The Brotherhood felt threatened. Some of their leaders, such as Khayrat al-Shater, were close to the Salafists, who at that time, represented 25 percent of the Egyptian voters," he said.
The Syrian crisis confused Iran and all organisations who claim some sort of affiliation with Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. In February 2012, Ennahda was leading Tunisia, where an international conference of Syria’s friends was taking place. That conference was supporting the Syrian National Council, bringing together all the major opposition parties - among them the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood who represented the majority. Around the same time, the Palestinian Hamas, who had been funded in part by Tehran, moved closer to Qatar and Turkey. In June 2013, its leader, Khaled Meshaal, attended in Qatar a conference in support of the Syrian opposition, where the Egyptian preacher Youssef al-Qaradawi, a leading contemporary theorist of the Muslim Brotherhood, harshly attacked Hezbollah - in English the Party of God - and called it the ‘Hezb al-Shaitan’ - the party of the Devil.
In February 2016, Fahmi Howeidy, an Egyptian writer and intellectual close to the Muslim Brotherhood, was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Tehran. He criticised Iranian regional politics but his criticisms were still published on the Iranian Foreign Affairs thinktank's website.
He said: "Iran overthrew the Shah. And now they are supporting Bashar al-Assad. Syria's government had been turning a blind eye to the welfare of its population which led to foreign interventions as we know them. I had been supporting the Islamic revolution for the past 37 years. But when I started to criticise Iranian positions, I got attacked."  Iran does not view the Syrian uprising as a popular revolution. It worries more about how Gulf states are supporting the Syrian opposition, how Sunni militant movements are rapidly expanding in the region, and how since 2011 western countries have been silent about how the Shia population is being crushed by the authorities in Bahrain. ‘How can we call it a ‘Syrian’ uprising since during the first weeks, western diplomats were participating?” Mustapha Zahrani said. This was a reference to a visit to Hama, in July 2011 by Robert Ford and Eric Chevallier, the former American and French ambassadors in Syria.Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the Islamic Research Institute for Culture and Thought (IRICT), a centre close to the Iranian sheikh Ali Akbar Rachad, is realistic: "Iran knows that it has partially lost the support of Sunni Arabs, among them the Muslim Brotherhood. Syria is a dictatorship. However for Iran, the war in Syria remains a defensive war. Our current main issue is our conflict with Saudi Arabia and the terrorist threat.”
The isolated case of Turkey and Palestine
Despite disagreements about Syria - and Yemen - some of the Muslim Brotherhood's representatives in the Arab world are still considered by Iran as representatives of a ‘moderate Islam’. For instance, Tunisia's Ghannouchi, still has some sort of intellectual credibility with the Iranian religious authorities.
He has maintained friendly relations with the Iranian diplomatic representation in Tunisia, even though he supports the Syrian opposition. In September 2015, he met with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister. In February 2016, he attended the ceremonies of the 37th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
However, Iranian leaders fear that the Muslim Brotherhood might turn into a Salafist movement. In January 2016, Ayatollah Nasser Makaram Shirazi’s office - one of the main religious authorities in the country - published a series of brochures about "extremist and takfiri movements" that included a history of the Muslim Brotherhood. The relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran has gone from mutual respect to mutual distrust, potentially fuelling the further polarisation between Sunni and Shia in the region. There are however two notable exceptions to this decline in relations. The first, surprisingly, is Turkey. Its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a member of the the AKP (Justice and Development Party), has become the guardian of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Syria and Tunisia. In Syria, his animosity against towards Assad is uncontested.
And yet, since 2011, Iran and Turkey have maintained diplomatic relations that go beyond mere cordial niceties. In March 2016, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu went to Iran with five ministers and several Turkish businessmen. Economic partnerships and a common viewpoint on the Kurdish issue explain the good relations between Ankara and Tehran. The second exception is Hamas. It is true that in November 2014, Salah Raqab, a member of its political office, accused Iran of trying to establish "a Persian empire" in the region, claiming that more Palestinians were becoming Shia Muslims. And yet Hamas and Iran have made one step towards a reconciliation.In February 2016, Osama Hamdan, in charge of the Palestinian Foreign Affairs for Hamas, went to Tehran. Immediately after meeting with the Iranian authorities, Hamas issued a straightforward press release: "We want a clean slate with Tehran."
The question of Palestine is deeply rooted in the Iranian ideology. And even though they share a different point of view about the Syrian crisis, Hamas has never stopped receiving Iranian support. Historical links between Iran and organisations claiming affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood are not binary relationships. They are a mix of confessional suspicions, disagreement about the Syrian crisis and difficulties to discuss through Ankara or Gaza. Iran and the Brotherhood have not yet disappeared from the regional political scene: they need now to remain the best of enemies.
**Translation from French (original) by Ali Saad.
The interviews mentioned in the article were carried out when a delegation from the When Authoritarianism fails in the Arab World-European Research Council (WAFAW) went to Iran. Although responsibility for its contents rests with the author alone. All rights reserved to the Middle East Eye.

Sykes-Picot – The centennial of an imperial curse
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
For my generation of Arabs, the “Asia Minor Agreement”, better known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, came to symbolize imperial betrayal and treachery, a secret scheme signed in May 1916 by Mark Sykes, a British diplomat, and François Georges-Picot his French counterpart representing the two victorious European Empires in WWI to divide the imperial inheritance of the dying Ottoman Empire. In the collective mind of the peoples living in what used to be called Asia Minor and the Fertile Crescent, Sykes and Picot became names that shall live in infamy, for they imposed an imperial construct by etching arbitrary lines and coloring zones of influence on a map, and establishing artificial entities over these regions that have been inhabited by a rich mosaic of peoples, ethnicities, cultures, and religions over millennia of successive civilizations.
The Sykes-Picot scheme, like the subsequent agreements, deals, declarations, conferences born out of the crucible of the First World War to create a new order in the land then known as the Near East, were predicated on denying the agency of the human beings who called these regions home. In the decades following the agreement, “Sykes-Picot” became a convenient excuse, and an attractive shorthand used by successive Arab autocrats, despots and ruling elites to justify their disastrous failures at providing good governance, and to explain all the political and economic ills of the region for a full century. To paraphrase Shakespeare, the fault is not in the borders, arbitrary as they may have been, but in what the Arabs have done and not done within the borders.
Imperial schemes
Huge amount of ink has been shed on the centennial of the map that was born out of the ashes of the First World War and seems to be unraveling now in a crescendo of similar violent upheavals, calamities and disastrous dislocations. But does “Sykes-Picot” deserve this pride of place in the hierarchy of modern Middle Eastern disasters? To begin with, the Sykes-Picot borders and zones of influence have very little in common with the current borders in the Middle East.
But what makes the Sykes-Picot scheme to slice the carcass of the Ottoman Empire stand out is the fact that it was the first of subsequent attempts by Western powers in the decade that followed the war to divide the region. The British issued deceptive and contradictory promises and declarations (the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence and the Balfour Declaration) for the Arabs and the Zionist movement, and in a series of post-war conferences held in locals with strange names for the peoples of the region; The Versailles Peace Conference, The Treaty of Sèvres, the San Remo Conference and the Treaty of Lausanne, most of the current borders of the Middle East were finalized. Again with no regard whatsoever, to the wishes of the peoples whose futures were being shaped by imperial writ.
Sykes and Picot became names that shall live in infamy, for they imposed an imperial construct by etching arbitrary lines and coloring zones of influence on a map
But the imposition of these maps did not go unchallenged and in fact inspired Arab and Turkish nationalisms. The Turks under the capable leadership of a former Ottoman officer, Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) undermined both the Sykes-Picot agreement and the Treaty of Sèvres which sought to dismember Anatolia. However, the Arabs led by Faisal Bin Hussein who established the independent Arab Kingdom in March1920 encompassing modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and parts of Turkey, could not defend their new brittle realm against the onslaught of France’s Army of the Levant at the battle of Maysalun near Damascus four months later. The French sought to weaken the nationalist impulses in Syria, by the creation of sectarian statelets for the Alawites on the Mediterranean coast, and for the Druze in the South as well as around the historic cities of Damascus and Aleppo. But these cynical plans for divide and rule were resisted by most Syrians.
The shifting, arbitrary and resilient borders
During the last century the legacy of the “artificial” borders spawned by Sikes-Picot was repeatedly assaulted politically and in some places were changed by military force, as was the case following the Arab-Israeli wars, and recently with the rise of the self-declared Islamic State (ISIS) which following its control of large swaths of land in both Iraq and Syrian, bulldozed the earthen berms marking the border and declaring “the end of Sykes-Picot”. But decades of grievances against Sykes-Picot elevated it into a mythical status in the minds of many Arabs, a malignant milestone in their modern history, a scapegoat explaining the perennial question asked by generations of Arabs in the last hundred years: what went wrong?
True, the current borders of the Middle East are “artificial”, but most borders in the world are artificial, they are drawn by agreement or as a result of conflicts and don’t necessarily follow natural boundaries like river basins or mountain ranges; and most midsize and large states are heterogeneous with diverse ethnicities, religions and languages. And while the borders of the modern Middle East were arbitrarily drawn, they were not totally without basis, and in fact some borders were somewhat based on the Ottoman vilāyet (from the Arabic Wilaya) administrative system.
Arab and Syrian Nationalists in Syria and Iraq would always complain that they were living in truncated states; but if mandated Syria had included Northeastern Lebanon, Northern Palestine and Alexandretta (in present day Turkey), areas Syrian Nationalists craved because they were at times ruled by Damascus, does that mean that Syria would have developed a just, modern, viable and better representative polity? If the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq had included the old Trans-Jordan and Kuwait, would it follow that Iraq would have followed a radically different political trajectory? We cannot say for sure. But it is very likely, that a larger Iraq and a larger Syria would have ended up where their truncated versions are today. If the Arab Kingdom was not dismantled by the French, in one fell swoop, chances are that it would have gradually unraveled by Turkish Nationalist opposition, and its rejection by the non-Muslim and non-Arab communities within its “artificial “borders. Creating countries with diverse communities, particularly in the aftermath of upheavals and wars, is always arbitrary, violent and messy, particularly if the new entities are led by oppressive or non-representative regimes and if the basic political and cultural rights of the various communities are not recognized. This is the modern tale of Syria and Iraq. The Ottoman Empire ruled the region for four centuries, before the return of the European armies to the Middle East for the first time since the Medieval Mamluk dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria drove the Crusaders from their last coastal outpost in Acre, in 1291, thus ending their long occupation of parts of Anatolia, Syria and Palestine.
Empire and chaos
The defeated Ottoman Empire left behind a devastated Levant and Mesopotamia as a result of war, and famine where whole communities were uprooted and turned into refugees, while others were subjected to mass killings. During the Ottoman centuries the region was controlled by the Sublime Porte in Istanbul through the vilāyet system centered on the historic cities of Damascus, Mosul, Baghdad, and others. Local communities were left to their own devices as long as they paid taxes and did not undermine order. Some communities like the Druse and Maronites of Mount Lebanon enjoyed considerable local autonomy and sometimes decades would pass without these communities encounter a single Ottoman soldier. The various peoples of the region; Arabs, Kurds, Muslims, Christians, Jews and others did mostly co-exist, although there were occasional spasms of religious and ethnic violence and mass killings particularly during the long decline of the Empire in the 19th century. Local leaders representing powerful, domineering feudal families working on behalf of the Sublime Porte, maintained order with an iron fist, and they showed no mercy when confronting social and political protests.
The demise of Ottoman rule exposed a region bereft of political traditions, modern governing institutions and skilled and experienced political elites capable of immediately taking charge of large and diverse societies still reeling from the horrific ravages of a world war. Although the war ravaged and partitioned Anatolia, but the emerging Turkish Republic was able to drive the foreign armies from its territories and establish a modern nation-state in part because it was able to rebuild its state institutions and economy and fostered a strong sense of nationhood and quickly established a strong centralized authority. Most of these attributes were lacking in the fragmented lands of the Levant and Mesopotamia. One cannot but ask an intriguing question in this context. What would have happened, if the British/French mandate system was not imposed on the region following the end of the Ottoman centuries? Would it be a stretch to answer: chaos and violence? We will never know for sure, but given the history of the region, the lack of viable institutions, its breathtaking diversity and its tragic conditions after the war, chaos and violence were likely to ensue in the absence of a dominant power exercising control.
Governance not borders
In the last five years, with Syria and Iraq unraveling and spewing epic catastrophes, and Sunni-Shia sectarian bloodletting is covering an arc stretching from Beirut on the Mediterranean to Basra at the mouth of the Gulf (not to mention Yemen), predicting the demise of Sykes-Picot has become the default position of many analysts of the region. And one could easily see why. There are powerful forces on the ground trying to demolish the old borders or establish new ones by fire and iron. In the past Arab and Syrian Nationalists considered the imposed borders as the original sin committed by the Europeans against the Arabs, and in the process called into question the legitimacy of the new fragile nation- states that were trying to forge distinct national identities. But now disparate forces, some with legitimate grievances like the Kurds who constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without a state, and who were denied independence after WWI, and terrorist groups like ISIS, are chipping away at the old borders. One could say with considerable certainty that Iraqi Kurdistan has begun its long journey towards independence in 1991 and it is a question of time when the journey will reach statehood. Vice president Joseph Biden, who proposed a decade ago to divide Iraq into three autonomous regions: Kurdish, Shia and Sunnis, told American diplomats and military personnel in Baghdad recently and without a hint of irony, that the U.S. is trying to keep the peace in “places where, because of history, we’ve drawn artificial lines, creating artificial states made up of totally distinct ethnic, religious, cultural groups, and said: ‘have at it. Live together.’”
Scholars and historians will be writing and speculating about the causes of the current convulsions and the absence of good governance in many Arab lands, not only in the Levant and Iraq, but also in Libya, Yemen and beyond for years to come. What is clear is that borders in themselves, are not the causes of Arab dysfunction, or the reasons why Arab civil societies were stunted and never allowed to develop into vibrancy, even in those countries that had nascent civil societies, a modicum of state institutions and relatively modern educational systems, such as Egypt, Iraq, Syria during the period between the two World Wars. In fact there was in these countries from the 1920’s until the late 1940’s and early 1950’s before the onslaught of the Arab militaries against state and society, a semblance of political life, the beginning of admittedly wobbly parliamentary traditions, vibrant cultural debates, considerable artistic creation, a growing space for free expression with noticeable participation of women and minorities in all of these spheres.
But these fragile societies were not allowed to strengthen their state institutions, allow political parties to fully function as legitimate political forces, and the Judiciary was never allowed by the ruling elites to become truly independent.
Then winter descended on the Arabs in the form of military coups masquerading as revolutions claiming to redress the loss of Palestine, to undo the vestiges of colonialism and imperialism, to revive the glory days of the Arabs of medieval times, to build powerful militarized states, and strong economies. These Arab praetorian forces failed in all endeavors. The leaders of these societies where transformed from autocrats, some of them benign, who would not countenance widespread terror or mass killings, into ruthless and vengeful tyrants more than willing to engage in wanton and gratuitous terror against their own peoples and commit crimes against humanity as we have seen in Iraq, Libya and Syria.
These are the men who waged war on the minorities, some of them with deep roots in the region that predate Arabs and Muslims. In recent decades and long before the season of Arab uprisings, we have witnessed the diminishing of what was left of public spaces, the suffocation of what was left of the basic civil rights of the peoples and even the withering of culture. Those who argue that a different set of borders would have given us different outcomes and good governance should tell us how.
One century after Sykes-Picot we are facing a long nightmare: maintaining the old borders, without a radical rearrangement of the political and social contract in these societies and sawing the seeds of good governance, means perpetual conflict. The paradox is if political solutions are predicated on the reconfigurations of the current borders of Iraq and Syria (the same goes for Libya and Yemen), such change could conceivably spark ethnic and sectarian cleansings, claims and counterclaims and new cycles of violence. The breakup of Sudan is very close to home. Breaking up countries with diverse groups is as messy, violent and uncertain as creating them.

The myth about refugees and the economy
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
This week, the United Nations announced the “Nobody left outside” campaign, which aims to reach out to individuals and companies to raise $500 million for shelters, tents and transitional housing for the millions of people displaced due to conflicts in Syria, Africa and Central America.
The launch of the campaign coincided with the publication of a study examining the impact of refugees on host countries’ economies over the next 15 years. The study showed that for every EUR1 ($1.12) invested in refugees, they would pay almost EUR2 ($2.24) back into the economy over the next five years alone.
Extension
While it is undoubtedly important to provide housing and shelter for refugees, the campaign can also be used to highlight the need for the private sector to help them, and what refugees can in turn do to company profits. The private sector can offer a lot more than just shelters, and the public - including the United Nations - should not limit their request to ‘physical’ shelters.
Giving refugees jobs does not withhold employment opportunities from the local population
The world must call on the sector to provide adequate ‘life’ shelters for refugees, including everything from learning the language to a long-term job in which they can utilize their skills. For refugees, life shelters and economic blankets are just as important as physical shelters and thermal blankets, if not more so.
Stealing jobs?
Giving refugees jobs does not withhold employment opportunities from the local population. A 17-year study on the impact of refugees on the Danish labor market showed that refugees entering the unskilled labor market pushed locals from unskilled to medium-complex skilled jobs, thereby increasing their income. This also makes locals more economically mobile, as more complex jobs provide a wider skillset that can be used in various sectors.
Coordination
Without the legal right to work, the true impact of refugees cannot be tracked. This is when inter-governmental coordination becomes important. Governments must work toward automatically granting refugees the right to work as soon as they are granted refugee status. Only four countries currently do this: Sweden, Australia, Spain, and Canada.
In order to maximize refugees’ economic potential, the private and public sectors must coordinate. Guaranteed employment of refugees must be at the forefront of the agenda, and their skills should be noted during the refugee-registration process. This has the potential to be the strongest link between the public and private sectors. The skills that a refugee can bring are as important as their names, origins and ages.

Sovereign immunity – A Pandora’s Box that must remain unopened
Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Last month, the US Supreme Court unilaterally ordered that around $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets be handed over to Americans affected by attacks which Iran stands accused of organizing over past decades, particularly the 1983 bombing of the US barracks in Beirut that killed 241 people.
Within a short space of time the Iranian Parliament predictably retaliated with a list of compensation demands for “63 years of spiritual and material damage,” including the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup and support for Iraq against Iran in the 1980s, culminating in attacks against Iranian oil platforms and shipping.
The US and Iran have not traded with each other for a long time and neither has invested significant assets in the other’s economy. So although such claims may thwart Obama’s desire for improved relations, the impact of such reciprocal compensation demands is mostly symbolic.
However, what happens when two countries with very tightly enmeshed economies start making compensation claims against each other? In many cases this would not be possible because most developed nations with sophisticated legal systems have laws in place preventing trials being pursued against other states; in particular the principle of sovereign immunity.
This may be about to change.
On May 17, the US Senate unanimously passed a bill stating that foreign states could be put on trial if they were found culpable for terrorist attacks that killed American citizens. Those Republican senators who forced this bill through make no secret of the fact that they are targeting Saudi Arabia, using flimsy circumstantial evidence to claim that Saudi officials aided and abetted the al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for 9/11.
The 9/11 Commission stated clearly that there was “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” the terrorists. Leading figures from the Commission, speaking to CNN and other media outlets in recent days, rubbished such rumours and stressed that no evidence exists for any kind of Saudi complicity. However, certain powerful US figures detest Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world and are willing to believe any number of bizarre conspiracy theories.
Often laws are in place for very good reasons. This is certainly the case regarding sovereign immunity
Obama’s Administration has made it clear that they plan to veto this bill. Furthermore, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir warned that if the legislation passes the Kingdom could withdraw up to $750 billion in Treasury securities and other assets to avoid any risk of them being frozen. You don’t have to be an economic expert to realize what effect the sudden withdrawal of this volume of assets would have on the US economy!
While it appears unlikely that such an attack on the principle of sovereign immunity could succeed, with certain US presidential candidates taking opportunistically anti-Saudi stances in their campaigning, who knows what may happen?
A major problem with individuals pursuing partisan compensation claims is that they ignore the national interest. Although Obama is often slow to recognize it, the US-Saudi relationship is paramount if the US seeks to have an effective relationship with the Arab world and an influence on events. It would be dangerous to allow litigation battles to poison this already somewhat fraught relationship.
Misinformed attacks
We recognize how traumatic 9/11 was for America, but misinformed attacks against the Kingdom make America less safe, by jeopardizing its relationship with the powerbroker in the region with the strongest record in combatting militancy, while countering Iran’s aggressive support for terrorist proxies in the region. Obama has said it himself – The close intelligence-sharing relationship has thwarted attacks and saved American lives.
Those pursuing this attack on sovereign immunity have been so focused on their own partisan interests that they have spared no thought to the danger of such a precedent if their efforts were successful.
The removal of sovereign immunity would allow someone to walk into a US court and - with the assistance of a good lawyer - claim that Venezuela, Azerbaijan or Bosnia-Herzegovina had engaged in state-sponsored terrorism against them. Mechanisms could then be set in motion, freezing all financial asset belonging to those countries within the US sphere of influence.
As we have seen when America unilaterally seized $2bn in Iranian assets – no country will fail to react to such a provocation. Their first reaction would be to withdraw all vulnerable assets and their second move would be to take retaliatory measures against US assets – changing their own domestic laws if necessary.
The White House Press Secretary raised this exact concern, saying: "This legislation would change long-standing international law regarding sovereign immunity and the President of the United States and continues to harbor serious concerns that this legislation would make the United States vulnerable in other court systems around the world."
Glass houses
The expression that “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” has never applied so strongly. As was pointed out in an LA Times editorial: “The potential exposure such a measure would bring to the US is inestimable. Expect to see civil claims by victims of collateral damage in military attacks, lawsuits by people caught up in the nation's post-9/11 detention policies, including Guantanamo Bay, and challenges over atrocities committed by US-backed Syrian rebels. Pretty much anywhere that US policies have led to damages, those who suffered could potentially seek redress in their own courts, jeopardizing American assets overseas, where the rule of law sometimes is solid, but in other cases is a tool wielded for political purposes.”
Qatar, Russia and other oil-rich states have invested hundreds of millions of British pounds in UK property. We are all too familiar with spurious media claims that funding for Syrian entities indirectly allows arms to reach extremist groups responsible for attacks on Westerners. It is not an issue of whether these claims are credible. It is simply a question of whether someone with a good enough legal team is willing to force this issue in court. Even a slight prospect of such actions would make major investors reluctant to invest abroad in long-term assets. We don’t have to follow the logic of this thought experiment too far to see the makings of a global financial cold war.
Just as trade wars can have disastrous and escalatory consequences for the economies of rival nations – resulting in trade barriers, retaliatory tariffs, price wars and economic blockades – such a war of litigation between states would spiral out of control. Particularly given the ease with which entities with a grudge could embark on marathon court battles and enforce indefinite freezing of assets amounting to a substantial proportion of a national economy or state budget – as is the case with the Saudi assets invested in US Treasury bonds.
It is right that individual Syrian, Iranian or Russian officials are targeted for asset freezes in the case of war crimes and breaches of international law. Freezing or confiscating the assets of an entire state is a very different situation with grave consequences for millions of citizens in all countries concerned and the global economy as a whole.
Often laws are in place for very good reasons. This is certainly the case regarding sovereign immunity. Members of the US Senate and the Congress as a whole would do well to think very carefully before going any further in opening up Pandora’s Box.

Iraqis divided over Soleimani's role in their country
Mustafa Saadoun/Al-Monitor/May 21/16
BAGHDAD — Iran's Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani has stirred a great deal of controversy in Iraq, where people have started arguing over whether his role is a positive or a negative one. Some Iraqi youths have created social media campaigns in support of Soleimani using the hashtags #WeAreAllSoleimani and #SoleimaniIsOneOfUsIraqis, while others denounce him with #SoleimaniUnderMyFeet.
These campaigns emerged after April 30, when followers of the Sadrist movement shouted slogans against Soleimani and his country in Grand Festivities Square, located in the heavily fortified Green Zone. On the same day, Iraqi activists shared via YouTube an Al Jazeera broadcast about the raising of Iranian flags in Baghdad's predominantly Sunni area of ​​Adhamiya. "Armed Shiite groups known as the Hezbollah Brigades raised the Iranian flag in Adhamiya," Al Jazeera reported.
Iraqis are divided over Soleimani's role in the battles between Iraqi government forces and the Islamic State (IS). Some believe he is defending Iraq, while others suspect he has an Iranian agenda that could harm their country.
On May 6, groups of civilians drove around the province of Basra waving the Iranian flag from their cars.
It should be noted that prior to the events of June 10, 2014, when IS fighters took control of Mosul, many Iraqis did not know Soleimani. He started attracting attention when Iran announced its support for Iraq's fight against IS in mid-2014. The move raised the ire of Vice President Ayad Allawi, who said in March, "Iraqis do not need Soleimani's presence on the battlefield under the pretext of supervising the battles against IS."
In reaction to the raising of the Iranian flag in the predominantly Shiite province of Basra and Sunni-dominated Adhamiya, a number of activists in the province of Basra organized a protest against the raising of the Iranian flag in their province, fighting back by hoisting the Iraqi flag.
Asked to comment on the appearance of the Iranian flag in Iraqi cities, Majid al-Gharawi, an Iraqi parliamentarian for the Sadrist movement, whose followers chanted slogans against Soleimani in Baghdad during the demonstrations against the Iraqi government, told Al-Monitor, "In Iraq, only the Iraqi flag that represents the Iraqi state should be raised. Iraq is a sovereign country, and no other flag should be raised."
He added, "There are people who want to underestimate Iraqi sovereignty, and we will not accept this. We are a sovereign country that everyone should respect so long as we respect everyone. We will face any act aimed at weakening and undermining our sovereignty."
Iraqi TV presenter Ghazwan Jassem told Al-Monitor, "We all agree that Soleimani played a pivotal role in fighting IS, including those who believe he is an icon and those who see him as an enemy. But the recent division emanated from factions that had long worked under his banner on both the political and the military levels, albeit indirectly. Those factions believe that Soleimani now represents a threat to them, especially considering that he is closer than many Iraqi faction leaders to the Shiite fighters in the battlefronts."
Jassem added, "Trying to involve the community in the dispute over Soleimani is a mere political maneuver and an attempt to promote nationalism against Iran on the part of a faction that finds itself unwelcomed by Tehran these days [an oblique reference to the Sadrist movement]. However, as soon as financial and political support returns, the relations will heal."
Blogger Saadallah al-Majid, an opponent of Soleimani's presence in Iraq, told Al-Monitor, "Iraq has turned into an Iranian province, as Iran is dominating the political and security scene in Iraq. The raising of the Iranian flag in Adhamiya and Basra confirms the tragic and bitter reality that is currently plaguing Iraq."
He added, "The raising of the Iranian flag in Iraq as well as Soleimani's presence in the country are intended to convey the message to the world that Iraq is under the control of Iran. Iran and Soleimani's influence should be terminated in Iraq."
Unlike Majid, media figure Mohammed al-Shabaki, who supports Soleimani's presence in Iraq, told Al-Monitor, "Soleimani played a major role in the fight against terrorism. On Aug. 8, 2014, he rescued the city of Erbil from the IS threat, and he is the first military adviser to have arrived in Iraq from a neighboring country. He brought weapons and ammunition to stop IS' expansion toward Baghdad and to protect the city of Samarra."
Shabaki noted, "The recent division over Soleimani has a political aspect. For the Sadrist movement, this division stems from the conviction that some factions of the Popular Mobilization Units that are close to Soleimani did not support the movement in its protests against corruption and are thus against the movements project."
Regardless of the debate over Soleimani and his role in Iraq, his influence has become quite significant, not only on the battlefield against IS but on the Iraqi street as well. At the end of the day, Soleimani has links to armed factions such as the Badr Organization and the League of the Righteous, among others. He enjoys the support of influential political blocs, such as the State of Law Coalition led by Vice President Nouri al-Maliki, though some prominent figures such as Iraqi parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri do reject Soleimani's presence in the country.

Group that helped sell Iran nuke deal also funded media
By Bradley Klapper/May 21/16
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7044e805a95a4b7da5533b1b9ab75cd2/group-helped-sell-iran-nuke-deal-also-funded-media

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group the White House recently identified as a key surrogate in selling the Iran nuclear deal gave National Public Radio $100,000 last year to help it report on the pact and related issues, according to the group's annual report. It also funded reporters and partnerships with other news outlets. The Ploughshares Fund's mission is to "build a safe, secure world by developing and investing in initiatives to reduce and ultimately eliminate the world's nuclear stockpiles," one that dovetails with President Barack Obama's arms control efforts. But its behind-the-scenes role advocating for the Iran agreement got more attention this month after a candid profile of Ben Rhodes, one of the president's top foreign policy aides. In The New York Times Magazine article, Rhodes explained how the administration worked with nongovernmental organizations, proliferation experts and even friendly reporters to build support for the seven-nation accord that curtailed Iran's nuclear activity and softened international financial penalties on Tehran.
"We created an echo chamber," said Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, adding that "outside groups like Ploughshares" helped carry out the administration's message effectively. The magazine piece revived Republican criticism of the Iran agreement as they suggested it was evidence of a White House spin machine misleading the American people. The administration accused opponents of trying to re-litigate the deal after failing to defeat it in congressional votes last year. Outside groups of all stripes are increasingly giving money to news organizations for special projects or general news coverage. Most news organizations, including The Associated Press, have strict rules governing whom they can accept money from and how to protect journalistic independence.Ploughshares' backing is more unusual, given its prominent role in the rancorous, partisan debate over the Iran deal.
The Ploughshares grant to NPR supported "national security reporting that emphasizes the themes of U.S. nuclear weapons policy and budgets, Iran's nuclear program, international nuclear security topics and U.S. policy toward nuclear security," according to Ploughshares' 2015 annual report, recently published online. "It is common practice for foundations to fund media coverage of underreported stories," Ploughshares spokeswoman Jennifer Abrahamson said. Funding "does not influence the editorial content of their coverage in any way, nor would we want it to."
Ploughshares has funded NPR's coverage of national security since 2005, the radio network said. Ploughshares reports show at least $700,000 in funding over that time. All grant descriptions since 2010 specifically mention Iran.
"It's a valued partnership, without any conditions from Ploughshares on our specific reporting, beyond the broad issues of national and nuclear security, nuclear policy, and nonproliferation," NPR said in an emailed statement. "As with all support received, we have a rigorous editorial firewall process in place to ensure our coverage is independent and is not influenced by funders or special interests."Republican lawmakers will have concerns nonetheless, especially as Congress supplies NPR with a small portion of its funding. Just this week, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee tried to summon Rhodes to a hearing entitled "White House Narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal," but he refused. Ploughshares' links to media are "tremendously troubling," said Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, an Iran-deal critic.
Pompeo told the AP he repeatedly asked NPR to be interviewed last year as a counterweight to a Democratic supporter of the agreement, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who he said regularly appeared on the station. But NPR refused to put Pompeo on the air, he said. The station said it had no record of Pompeo's requests, and listed several prominent Republicans who were featured speaking about the deal or economic sanctions on Iran. Another who appeared on NPR is Joseph Cirincione, Ploughshares' president. He spoke about the negotiations on air at least twice last year. The station identified Ploughshares as an NPR funder one of those times; the other time, it didn't. Ploughshares boasts of helping to secure the deal. While success was "driven by the fearless leadership of the Obama administration and supporters in Congress," board chairwoman Mary Lloyd Estrin wrote in the annual report, "less known is the absolutely critical role that civil society played in tipping the scales towards this extraordinary policy victory."The 33-page document lists the groups that Ploughshares funded last year to advance its nonproliferation agenda.
The Arms Control Association got $282,500; the Brookings Institution, $225,000; and the Atlantic Council, $182,500. They received money for Iran-related analysis, briefings and media outreach, and non-Iran nuclear work.Other groups, less directly defined by their independent nuclear expertise, also secured grants.J-Street, the liberal Jewish political action group, received $576,500 to advocate for the deal. More than $281,000 went to the National Iranian American Council. Princeton University got $70,000 to support former Iranian ambassador and nuclear spokesman Seyed Hossein Mousavian's "analysis, publications and policymaker engagement on the range of elements involved with the negotiated settlement of Iran's nuclear program."
Ploughshares has set its sights on other media organizations, too.
In a "Cultural Strategy Report" on its website, the group outlined a broader objective of "ensuring regular and accurate coverage of nuclear issues in reputable and strategic media outlets" such as The Guardian, Salon, the Huffington Post or Pro Publica.Previous efforts failed to generate enough coverage, it noted. These included "funding of reporters at The Nation and Mother Jones and a partnership with The Center for Public Integrity to create a national security desk." It suggested using "web videos, podcasts, photo-based stories" and other "attention-grabbing formats" for "creatively reframing the issue."
The Center for Public Integrity's CEO, Peter Bale, confirmed the grant. "None of the funding received by Ploughshares was for coverage of the Iran deal," said Bale, whose company received $70,000. "In general, we avoided that subject because the topic did not lend itself to the type of investigative reporting the Center does."Caitlin Graf, a spokeswoman at The Nation, said her outlet had no partnership with Ploughshares. She referred queries to The Nation Institute, a nonprofit associated with the magazine that seeks to strengthen the independent press and advance social justice. Taya Kitman, the institute's director, said Ploughshares' one-year grant supported reporting on U.S.-Iran policy, but strict editorial control was maintained. Mother Jones' media department didn't respond to several messages seeking comment.
The AP has taken grants from nonpolitical groups and journalism foundations such as the Knight Foundation. As with all grants, "AP retains complete editorial control of the final news product, which must fully meet AP standards for independence and integrity," Standards Editor Thomas Kent said.