Aoun, Berri are at odds over 2 key issues

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Amal leader Speaker Nabih Berri are at odds over 2 key issues:
1 – Lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
2 – Formation of a committee to study abolishing of political sectarianism.
.

Berri came under attack from Aoun when he called last Friday for a Monday parliament session to vote on lowering the voting age to 18 .
Aoun on Friday indirectly criticized Berri by asking why there is a rush to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. Berri slammed Aoun in response later in the evening.
Berri is reportedly also mad at Aoun for changing his mind about the formation of a committee to study abolishing political sectarianism . According to Berri Aoun was positive on the issue during the parliamentary vote of confidence.
A meeting between FPM official MP Ibrahim Kenaan and Amal official MP Ali Hassan Khalil to resolve the differences was supposed to take place today but was reportedly canceled .
Kanaan told Al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Sunday: “There is a bit of a difference in the points of view between our parties .”
Similarly Khalil told Al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Sunday : The Free Patriotic Movement and Amal Movement have different points of view,.”
Hezbollah is reportedly trying to step in to reconcile his 2 key allies

Haiti government fears quake toll could rise to 300,000

The confirmed death toll was raised to 150,000 on Sunday, but that was only the count of bodies so far found and collected in the capital Port-au-Prince.
It did not include those recovered in other areas like the shattered city of Leogane, near the earthquake epicentre, and Jacmel on the southern coast.
“Nobody knows how many bodies are buried in the rubble – 200,000 … 300,000?” said Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue, the information minister. “Who knows the overall death toll?”
She said the final toll may never be known.
The Lebanese embassy in Caracas confirmed last week that one elderly lady of Lebanese origin died from the earthquake . telegraph.co.uk

Iran opposition calls for holding a free election

The political party of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi called on Sunday for the holding of a free election and permission to stage demonstrations, its website said.
The Etemad Melli party also insisted the reformist cleric, who charges that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election in June last year was the result of fraud, had the evidence to back up his accusations.
“Hold a free election or allow a free gathering by providing security to supporters of Karroubi or (Mir Hossein) Mousavi which will show how people can wake you up” to realities, Sahamnews.org website said, referring to the two main opposition leaders.
“It is necessary for you to know that Mr. Karroubi is standing firm and tall and has evidence for all his comments,” it added in an address to the country’s regime. AFP

Sfeir:Lebanon has 18 sects, not every sect can have a state

The head of the Lebanese Christian Maronite community Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir warned on Sunday that multi-sect Lebanon belongs to all.
Without naming the Hezbollah Shiite militant group he said :”There are 18 sects in Lebanon and not every sect can have its own state,” Sfeir cautioned, adding that Lebanon requires unity and solidarity by all.
Hezbollah has been accused of acting as a state within a state and of undermining the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon.
He expressed hope that Muslim and Christian Lebanese families will continue to love each other.

Hamadeh: Jumblatt to attend the Hariri commemoration on Feb. 14

Democratic Gathering bloc MP Marwan Hamadeh told Future News on Sunday that Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt will sit next to Saad Hariri on February 14 during the commemoration of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri , but does not know who will be delivering speeches.
Hamadeh also said President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri may also attend the event .
The pro-Syrian newspapers have been speculating that Jumblatt may not attend the event and instead he will use the occasion to publicly apologize to the Syrian regime . This is reportedly one of the remaining conditions set by the Syrian regime before he can be welcomed in Damascus
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called for a big rally on Feb. 14 “to prove wrong those who claim that there is no more Cedar Revolution nor cedars.”
Regarding the municipal elections, Hamadeh said: “They will reveal what the parliament elections did not.” He did not elaborate any further.
Regarding the vote Monday on lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 Hamadeh said: the MPs want to reach a position of consensus ”
“ The point is to look into other laws, such as granting the expatriates the right to vote,” he said, adding that “this way, the session will pass by calmly.”
He described that behavior of some parties in ridiculing the consensus decisions reached during previous national dialogue discussions as “extremely dangerous.”

Mubarak: Egypt to quash Islamic militant groups

Egypt’s president said on Sunday his security forces would quash Islamist groups threatening stability in Egypt and the region, highlighting worries about al Qaeda building up strength in places such as Yemen.
President Hosni Mubarak also defended building a barrier on the Gaza border, saying it would stop militants crossing.
“We live in a difficult region and a world fraught with tension … witnessing an expansion of instability across the world from Afghanistan to Pakistan and in Iran and Iraq and Yemen and Somalia and Sudan,” Mubarak said in a speech.
Egyptian prosecutors charged 26 men in 2009 of links to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and of planning attacks in Egypt. Reuters

42 injured when Russian-made plane caught fire in Iran

Some 42 Iranians were injured when a Russian-made (Tupolev) Iranian passenger plane caught fire as it landed in northeastern Iran on Sunday, state radio said.
“About 42 passengers, out of 157 aboard, were injured when the plane was landing at Mashhad city’s airport,” said Gholamreza Massoumi, head of Iran’s emergency medical services.
There were no fatalities, said Iran’s civil aviation spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh. Washington Post

Iranian firefighters work on a burned Russian-made Iranian passenger plane after its crash landing at Mashhad airport, northeastern Iran, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010.

Bin Laden claims responsibility for failed airline bombing

Al Qaeda’s leader claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day attempt to blow up an American civilian jet in an audiotape broadcast today on Arab television.
In the clip, Osama bin Laden said his group was behind the failed attempt, allegedly carried out by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight.
Speaking directly to President Barack Obama, he vowed to continue launching terrorist attacks against the United States as long as Washington supported what he described as Israel’s unjust treatment of Palestinians. LAT

White House Chief of Staff comes under fire from right-wing Jewish activists

The White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is being asked by right-wing activists to stay away from Kotel, when he arrives in Israel to celebrate his son’s Bar Mitzvah.
Right-wing activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel sent a threatening letter Emanuel , accusing him of hurting Israel’s interests.
“You whisper in President [Barack] Obama’s ears against the state [of Israel], inciting, agitating and working against the entire Jewish people like a fifth column in the White House. Recently you even told our consul in Los Angeles that Americans were ‘disgusted with Israelis.’” they wrote.
The Western Wall sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (al-Buraaq Wall in Arabic) is located in the Old City of Jerusalem which was occupied by Israel in the 1967 war.
Bar Mitzvah literally translates to “son of commandment” and implies “responsible male.” According to Jewish Law, every Jewish boy becomes a bar mitzvah at age 13. The Jerusalem Post

Jumblatt defends Berri’s stances

In an interview with al Nahar newspaper Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt criticized attacks on Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri over his stance on abolishing political sectarianism.
“We feel sorry for the attack on Speaker Berri from all sides,” Jumblatt said.
Jumblatt added : “The attack is aimed at preventing participation in political life in a civilized manner”
Jumblatt also defended Berri’s call for a parliament session to amend article 21 of the constitution, by voting on lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
Jumblatt said his Progressive Socialist party MPs are in favor of lowering the voting age to 18 .
“Historically, the Progressive Socialist Party has been with the lowering of the voting age to 18″ Jumblatt said
Jumblat added : “I Won’t Impose Anything on Democratic Gathering MPs but we are with Lowering Voting Age”. About half of the Democratic Gathering MPs are not PSP members.
Jumblatt left for London this afternoon on a private visit