Beirut's Burkini Backlash: Muslim Bathing Suit Banned From Lebanese Beaches

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© AFP 2017/ FETHI BELAID

Tunisian women, one (R) wearing a "burkini", a full-body swimsuit designed for Muslim women, swim at Ghar El Melh beach near Bizerte, north-east of the capital Tunis

by sputniknews.com/ Many beaches and swimming pools in Lebanon have reacted to increasing numbers of women arriving in "burkinis," by banning the swimming suit. More and more beach-goers in Lebanon have become subject to a restriction on wearing the "burkini," a swimming costume for conservative Muslims that covers a women's body from top to toe. Burkini sales have soared in recent years as the garment has received attention from the media and the authorities in Europe and elsewhere.     After the burkini was banned from beaches in several regions of southern France in August 2016, sales of the garment increased several times over, suppliers reported Australian designer Aheda Zanetti, who claims the trademark on the name burkini and burqini, told the BBC that online sales were up 200 percent as a result of the furor.

Recently, the owners of private beaches and swimming pools in Lebanon have ordered swimmers not to wear burkinis. One swimming pool owner told Sputnik Arabic that he banned the costume, explaining that the socially accepted clothing for females to swim in public places is a bikini. Lebanese sociologist Talal Atrisi told Sputnik that the country is home to diverse cultures which have peacefully co-existed for a long time. A burkini ban on certain beaches doesn't mean that these women are completely prevented from swimming, but rather that they are supposed to visit special women-only beaches or pools. Some owners of public pools and beaches are trying to attract a certain clientele, who might not want to see women in burkinis, the expert explained. "There is a culture with a conservative Islamic dimension which is manifested in terms of dress and tradition. In contrast, there is another culture that is also relatively conservative but influenced by the western atmosphere," Atrisi said.

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North Korea probably couldn't nuke the US military in Guam even if it tried

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by Alex Lockie - Business insider - After strong words from President Donald Trump promising "fire and fury" in response to continued threats from Pyongyang, North Korea threatened to launch a nuclear-missile attack on the US military in Guam. But North Korea mentioned a specific missile, the Hwasong-12, that it has tested just once, and an expert contacted by Business Insider says hitting the US military in Guam would be easier said than done. "No one, not even the North Koreans, knows the CEP of the HS-12," Mike Elleman, the senior fellow for missile defense at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Business Insider, referring to circular error probable, or the distance by which a missile can be expected to miss its target. "Having said that, we can guesstimate a minimum CEP from first principles," Elleman said. Essentially, even a small task like cutting off the engines a fraction of a second too late can make the missile go miles off course. "All told, the CEP will be greater than 5 km," Elleman said. (Five kilometers is equal to about 3 miles.) "But this is a very rough estimate.

Given the paucity of flight tests, I suspect if used today, the HS-12 would have a CEP considerably larger than 5 km, perhaps 10 km, or more." While Andersen Air Force Base, the home of the strategic bombers North Korea expressly wanted to target, spans about 35 miles across, North Korea would have greater problems than accuracy. The massive blast radius caused by a nuclear device, which North Korea, according to news reports this week, is believed to have perfected and miniaturized to deliver on missiles, could make up for a lack of accuracy. But serious questions remain around North Korea's ability to build vehicles to reenter the planet's atmosphere through tremendous pressure and friction.

The only test of the Hwasong-12 was done on a lofted trajectory and not a realistic, flatter curve. b-1 bomber guam Four B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, arriving at Andersen AFB in Guam on February 6. US Air Force "The more interesting and important question revolves around the missile's reliability," Elleman said. Though Elleman thinks the Hwasong-12 would work more often than not, North Korea would need to launch several missiles, and there's just no evidence it has enough deployed and available. Additionally, the US military at Guam has the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile-interceptor system, perhaps the most reliable anywhere. "We always maintain a high state of readiness and have the capabilities to counter any threat, to include those from North Korea," Lt. Col. Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, told Business Insider. When North Korea tested its intercontinental Hwasong-14 missile on July 4, the US was aware 70 minutes ahead of time, according to the Diplomat. After North Korea issues a warning like the one it did Tuesday, the US would be even more on guard and may intervene if it spotted North Korea preparing a launch.

Lebanese govt stresses commitment to rid country of terror groups

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By NAJIA HOUSSARI BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri on Tuesday stressed the government’s commitment to clearing Lebanese territory from terrorist groups. They highlighted Lebanon’s commitment to the international coalition against terrorism, outlining “the urgent need not to waste any chance to combat and deter terrorism and violence.” Aoun chaired a meeting of the Higher Defense Council at the presidential palace on Monday. It was attended by Al-Hariri; the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, finance, interior, justice and economy; army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun and other security apparatus leaders. At the end of the meeting, the council issued a statement saying: “The participants discussed the security and military situation in the barren areas close to the Lebanese border, Ras Baalbek and Al-Qaa. The council has taken all the necessary recommendations and decisions to ensure the success of the military operations undertaken to eradicate the terrorists.” The decisions were kept “confidential in compliance with the law.” Arsal Mayor Bassel Al-Hujeiri told Arab News that hundreds of Daesh militants are in the barren areas of Al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek. The negotiator who mediated between Hezbollah and Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (JFS), Sheikh Mustafa Al-Hujeiri, told Arab News that “no one is currently negotiating with Daesh.” He said negotiations were possible with JFS but “difficult” with Daesh because it “resorts to killing instead of negotiating.”

Pro-army positions Vice Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani told the National News Agency (NNA): “The Lebanese army is the only authority that should protect and preserve Lebanon’s borders and sovereignty.” He added: “The army is the one to decide the timing of the upcoming battle against Daesh, with the support of the political authorities … The necessary measures have been taken to secure the transportation of wounded persons, in cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross.” A member of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc, Yassine Jaber, told the NNA that he is “confident” that the army will prevail against Daesh. Jamaah Islamiyah (Islamic Group) MP Imad Al-Hout expressed his appreciation to the military for its sacrifices, saying it is the sole decision-taker in the upcoming battle. MP Joseph Al-Maalouf expressed hope that the army “will end the battle with minimal physical and material losses.” He told the Voice of Lebanon radio station: “In the past two weeks, after the eruption of the battles on the eastern borders of Lebanon, the Lebanese have shown their full support for the army.” He criticized unilateral decisions taken by Hezbollah in the battle against JFS in the barren areas of Arsal, saying they undermined Lebanese sovereignty

US wants UN mission in Lebanon to report on Hezbollah

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by AFP - UNITED NATIONS: The United States wants UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon to take on an expanded mission and investigate alleged violations by Hezbollah militias in the volatile area, Ambassador Nikki Haley said Monday. The UN Security Council is set to vote on renewing the UN interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) later this month, and Haley said she will seek “significant improvements” to its mandate. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed the council in a letter sent on Friday that he intended to look at ways in which UNIFIL could beef up its efforts “regarding the illegal presence of armed personnel, weapons or infrastructure inside its area of operations.” “We share the secretary-general’s strong desire to enhance UNIFIL’s efforts to prevent the spread of illegal arms in southern Lebanon,” said Haley in a statement. “These arms –- which are almost entirely in the hands of Hezbollah terrorists –- threaten the security and stability of the region.” “UNIFIL must increase its capacity and commitment to investigating and reporting these violations,” she added. Guterres is expected to discuss UNIFIL’s mission when he pays his first visit as UN chief to Israel and the Palestinian territories later this month. Haley has been a strong supporter of Israel, which fought a month-long war against Hezbollah in 2006. The fighting killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. There has been speculation about the possibility of a new war breaking out between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese paramilitary organization, more than a decade after their last direct confrontation. There have been periodic skirmishes along the UN-monitored demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon, longtime adversaries which are technically still at war with each other. Set up in 1978, UNIFIL was beefed up after the 2006 war and now has 10,500 troops on the ground monitoring the ceasefire and helping the Lebanese government secure its borders. A vote on UNIFIL’s mandate at the council is tentatively scheduled for August 30. – AFP Advertisement

US Special Forces Deploy To Support Lebanese Army’s Operations Against ISIS

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by southfront.org

The US-based Arabic TV channel Alhurra claimed that dozens of US soldiers have been deployed in Lebanon to support the Lebanese Army in its upcoming operation against ISIS at the Syrian-Lebanese border. Alhurra claimed that 70 servicemen from US Special Operations Forces are currently in Lebanon but did not reveal the tasks of these soldiers or how they will support the Lebanese Army. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Al-Jumhoria newspaper claimed that the Lebanese government may ask the US-led coalition to provide an air support for the Lebanese Army during its operation against ISIS in the border area. According to the report, Lebanese officials may have contacted Russia and asked them to pressure Syria and Iran to allow US-led coalition warplanes to operate at the Syrian-Lebanese border. However, it appears that Syria is opposing this idea that might lead to establishing of the US-led coalition foothold at the Syrian-Lebanese border. Back in 2014, ISIS fighters captured Jorud Ras Baalbek and Jorud Ras al-Qaa in northeastern Lebanon and Jorud Qara and Grijer in Western Qalamoun inside Syria at the Syrian-Lebanese border. Major General Abbas Ibrahim General director of the Lebanese General Directorate of General Security said that the Lebanese authorities are ready to negotiate with ISIS fighters in Ras Baalbek area if they agree to withdraw like HTS, or they will face a military operation. According to the recent reports, the Lebanese Army will be the main force in the military operation against ISIS in the area. Hezbollah may participate in the operation from the Syrian side. According to Lebanese sources, the operation was delayed because the Lebanese Army had not finished preparations for the effort.

Support to the Lebanese Army

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