The prime minister-designate began putting together a government he said will have the chief goal of organizing crucial parliament elections before a May 31 deadline in an effort to end Lebanon's long political crisis.
Najib Mikati, a telecommunications tycoon who has close links with Syrian President Bashar Assad, said he was to meet with President Emile Lahoud yesterday and that he intends to announce a government as soon as possible.
That formula would satisfy the anti-Syrian opposition, which has for weeks sought a neutral Cabinet focused solely on calling the election. The opposition wants the polls to be held on time because it is confident of winning a majority in the 128-member parliament, ending the domination by pro-Syrian factions.
Lebanon has had no government since Feb. 28, raising fears of a delay in elections that are supposed to take place before the current parliament's mandate expires May 31.
Meanwhile, lawmaker Bassem Fleihan, who was badly wounded in the Feb. 14 blast that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, died Monday at a Paris military hospital where he was being treated, making him the 21st victim of the bombing. He was 41.
Mikati, who was invited by Lahoud on Friday to form a government, consulted with legislators on the formation of a new Cabinet, meeting first with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, then with other lawmakers, including opposition members.
Speaking to reporters after consultations ended, Mikati said he was leaning toward a small Cabinet with ministers who were not running for election.
The main goal of the Cabinet "will be passing the election law and holding general elections within the constitutional time-frame," he said. It was the first time Mikati, who had earlier said he wanted elections "as soon as possible," specifically mentioned the May 31 deadline.
School bullies in Singapore are to face caning under new guidelines, but the education minister on Tuesday said it would be meted out only as a last resort with strict safeguards. Human rights groups regularly criticize Singapore for the use of corporal punishment, which remains part of the school and criminal justice systems, but authorities have defended it as a deterrent to crime and serious misconduct. Caning was discussed in the parliament after legislators asked how it would be used in relation to bullying in schools. The debate followed stricter guidelines on serious student misconduct, including bullying, unveiled by the Singaporean Ministry of
A MESSAGE: Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drills is a clear deterrence signal to China not to attack Taiwan while the US is busy in the Middle East, an analyst said The Japan Self-Defense Forces yesterday fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during a joint maritime exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces, hitting a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, in drills that underscore Tokyo’s rising willingness to project military power on China’s doorstep. The drill took place as Manila and Tokyo began talks on a potential defense equipment transfer, made possible by Japan’s decision to scrap restrictions on military exports. The discussions include the possible early transfer of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines, Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. Philippine Secretary of
‘GROSS NEGLIGENCE?’ Despite a spleen typically being significantly smaller than a liver, the surgeon said he believed Bryan’s spleen was ‘double the size of what is normal’ A Florida surgeon who is facing criminal charges after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen has said he is “forever traumatized” by that person’s death. In a deposition from November last year that was recently obtained by NBC, 44-year-old Thomas Shaknovsky described the death of 70-year-old William Bryan as an “incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply.” Bryan died after the botched surgery; and last month, a grand jury in Tallahassee indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of manslaughter. “I’m forever traumatized by it and hurt by it,” Shaknovsky added, also saying that wrong-site surgeries can happen “during
A South Korean judge who last week more than doubled former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee’s prison sentence was found dead yesterday, police said. Shin Jong-o was found unconscious at about 1am at the Seoul High Court building, an investigator at the Seocho District Police Station in Seoul said. Shin was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, he said. “There is no sign of foul play in the death,” the investigator added. Local media reported that Shin had left a suicide note, but the investigator said there was none. On Tuesday last week, Shin presided over 53-year-old Kim’s appeal trial, finding her guilty
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