Lebanese banks reopen as life returns to normal

Lebanese banks reopened their doors to customers for the first time in two weeks, as people's lives began to normalize after an unprecedented wave of protests that prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Despite the two-week break, the number of customers entering major banks was relatively small, according to Reuters witnesses.

Life has returned to normal in Lebanon after nearly two weeks of major protests against the ruling elite, which ultimately forced Hariri to resign on Tuesday.

The resignation somewhat calmed the demonstrations, but it was not enough to send the protesters home, because protesters continued their demonstrations, mainly in the main squares of Lebanese cities.

During demonstrations that took place on Thursday in Riad al-Solh Square, in the heart of downtown Beirut, protesters burned the Israeli flag and chanted "Death for Israel".

A few days ago, the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath television channel said that the Lebanese people were also chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the facts on the ground reveal that it does not This is just another false news.

On his Twitter account, the Saudi channel has published a photo of a Lebanese demonstrator with the country's flag in which the motto is: "Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen are Arabs, not Iranians; Out, Iranian mercenaries!

However, the original photo does not show this slogan and reveals that the Saudi network manipulated the image in order to provoke anti-Iranian sentiments.

At the same time, the administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to retain $ 105 million of aid to Lebanon, despite the ongoing turmoil and economic crisis in the Arab country.

The State Department told Congress Thursday that the White House budget office and the National Security Council had decided to suspend foreign military assistance, two US officials said on condition of anonymity.

Officials did not explain why the aid was blocked. One source said that the State Department had not motivated its decision by Congress.

The decision was made when the US administration previously described the aid as crucial for Lebanon to protect its borders.

A US official told Reuters he believed that security assistance was needed for Lebanon, which was fighting instability not only in its own government, but also in a troubled region hosting thousands of refugees. of the war in neighboring Syria. .

Washington has repeatedly expressed concern over the growing role of the Hezbollah resistance movement in the Beirut government, a key party in the Lebanese parliament and government.

However, fully aware of Hezbollah's key role in the Lebanese economy, Washington has imposed sanctions on various lawmakers, officials and agencies linked to the movement.

Kim Jong-Un Impersonator says he has devised more than 100 women to look like the dictator

Kim Jong-Un Impersonator says he has devised more than 100 women to look like the dictator

A Kim Jong-un-impersonator claims that it seems as if the little dictator has helped him to cover more than 100 women.

The 38-year-old performer named Howard X earns a fortune that appears as the Rocket Man of North Korea at glittering events.

He said: "It certainly makes me popular, all girls want photos, I have had dozens of women.

"It has not stopped since I started five years ago.

"I'm kidding that I can make my mistress number two, three and four."

Howard, from Hong Kong, shares a money-spinning double act with American impersonator Dennis Allen, 66 - the striking image of US President Donald Trump.

He gave the 35-year-old Kim the nickname Rocket Man when they rowed about nuclear weapons.

Howard, who does not reveal his real surname, said: "We are impersonators of the two biggest idiots and lunatics.

People love it when we start kissing and imitating sex.

"They have gone crazy in Singapore.

In restaurants we get free drinks and food.

We also earn money by endorsing products such as sunglasses and roast chicken. "

Howard gets up to £ 10,000 for every appearance as "Best Leader" of North Korea and says he has met numerous celebrities.

In 2015 he crept into the Grammies in Los Angeles and surprised pop star Katy Perry, 33.

He asked her: "Do you recognize me?"

She replied: "I was surprised they let you come into the country."

Pakistan's new president, Arif Alvi, has been sworn in

Pakistan's new president, Arif Alvi, has been sworn in

Ruling party leader Arif Alvi (C), President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), arrives at the National Assembly in Islamabad on September 4, 2018 before the presidential election. On September 4, Pakistan began voting with a new president, with a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan, considered the favorite to replace Mamnoon Hussain as the only Islamic State with nuclear weapons in the world. FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP


Pakistan's new president, Arif Alvi, was sworn in at a ceremony in Islamabad last Sunday and completed the peaceful transfer of power from the country to his new government after a turbulent election campaign.
His appointment continues the power of the ruling party after controversial polls in July, which have been contaminated by allegations of military interference and curving, said former prime minister Imran Khan, a former cricket champion.

Arif Alvi, a close ally of Khan and one of the founders of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI), becomes Pakistan's 13th president and replaces Mamnoon Hussain.

A vote this week saw him elected by more than a thousand legislators from both houses of parliament and four provincial assemblies.

Khan and his cabinet attended the ceremony, led by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, as well as leaders of the armed forces and senior diplomats from Islamabad.

Alvi has sworn "to bring true faith and faithfulness to Pakistan" and to fulfill his duties "in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, welfare and prosperity of Pakistan" .

A former dentist, Alvi has been an important confidant of Imran Khan on both party and national issues.

He served as Secretary General of PTI for eight years beginning in 2006 and was elected MP for the southern megalopolis of Karachi in 2013, winning re-election in the July vote.

Alex, a father of four and an enthusiastic Twitter user, was shot and wounded during a protest against military dictator Ayub Khan in Lahore in 1969. He still has a bullet in his right arm.

The election of the PTI marks the end of several decades of leadership between the impoverished Pakistani Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), interrupted by periods of military rule.

But Khan and his cabinet face many challenges, including a weak economy, militant extremism, water shortages, and rapid population growth that destroys growth in developing countries.

Pakistan's presidents had more power before 2008, when President Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, took office and handed most of his powers to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Former Trump Campaign Aide Sentenced To 14 Days In Prison

George Papadopoulos, formerly Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, was sentenced on Friday to 14 days in prison after pleading guilty last year to lying to federal agents.

Prosecutors for Special Counsel Robert Mueller said Papadopoulos song to agents about his contacts with Russians during the campaign "to minimize both his knowledge of his contacts," according to the government's sentencing memorandum.

Among those contacts were London-based professor Joseph Mifsud, who told him the Russians had "dirt" on Trump's Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails."


Papadopoulos defended himself and contradicted White House officials in a CNN special program Saturday night, "The Mysterious case of George Papadopoulos."

In the interview with CNN reporter Jake Tapper, Papadopoulos said that he raised the prospect of Trump and his campaign officials meeting with the Russians.

"The candidate (Trump) gave a nod, but did not commit either way," he said.

Trump has something to do with Russians and his campaign.

Russia has denied U.S. allegations that it interfered in the campaign and Trump denies campaign collusion.

Prosecutors had asked Judge Randolph Moss in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to impose a prison sentence, saying that Papadopoulos' lies impeded their investigation and that he did not cooperate.

"He did not come close to the standard of 'substantial assistance,'" prosecutor Andrew Goldstein told the judge at the sentencing hearing. "It was at best, begrudging efforts to cooperate."

In addition to the prison time, Papadopoulos was sentenced to one year of supervised release and 200 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $ 9,500.

Boris Johnson & his Wife To Divorce After 25 Years

Former Secretary of State, Boris Johnson, confirmed that he and his wife Marina Wheeler are divorced and are engaged in a divorce.

The news was first reported on Friday on the front page of the Sun newspaper. In a joint statement released to the UK Press Association, Johnson and Wheeler confirmed the split.

"A few months ago, after 25 years of marriage, we decided that it was in our interest to divorce," the statement said.

"We then agreed to divorce and that process is under way."

"As friends, we will continue to support our four children in the coming years and we will not respond any further."

China to Scrap Limit On Number Of Children Couples Can Have

China appears to be on the verge of reducing the number of children couples can have, an official newspaper citing a draft civil code that would put an end to decades of controversial family planning policies.

The far-reaching code would eliminate a policy imposed through fines, but was also notorious for cases of forced abortion and sterilization in the most populous country in the world.

The Procuratorate Daily said the code omitted any reference to "family planning" - the current policy that restricts couples from having more than two children.

The draft code would be submitted to a vote in the Legislative Assembly, the National People's Congress, in 2020.


The Communist Party began in 1979 to implement a one-child policy to slow population growth. The limit was raised to two children in 2016 as the country strives to rejuvenate its aging population by about 1.4 billion.

There is concern that aging and shrinking labor forces will slow down the economy, while gender imbalances could lead to social problems.

Ex-US Presidential Candidate, John McCain Dies at 81

John McCain, prisoner of war, presidential candidate and one of the most influential American politicians of his generation, has died of brain cancer.

The eight-year-old Arizona senator, who is 81 years old, has been absent from Washington since last December, but he remained frank to the end, pleading against Donald Trump and calling for the defense of the liberal democratic order postwar.

A statement from his office said: "Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28 pm on August 25, 2018. With the senator when he was adopted, there was his wife Cindy and their family. the United States of America faithfully for 60 years. "


In a burst of tribute, Barack Obama, who beat McCain for the presidency in 2008, said he and his rival shared "a loyalty to the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants fought, sacrificed and sacrificed.

Obama added, "Few of us have been tested like John once was, or forced to show the kind of courage He has done, but we can all aspire to the courage to put the greatest good above John showed us what it means, and for that we are all in debt. "

President Trump Walk Of Fame Star Will Stay Put Despite Violence

lightning rod for violence, but it's going to weather the storm and stay put because cops and the group that manages the Walk of Fame don't want it 86'd.

Law enforcement sources say the LAPD has met with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and both orgs realize they're between a rock and a hard place. They know by keeping Trump's star front and center on the famed Blvd., it will be at the center of what has become a civil war between raging Trump and anti-Trump factions.

Here's the problem, the Chamber and LAPD both agree it would be even worse to remove the star because that would embolden people to deface the stars of celebs they dislike. For example, if Trump's star is removed, Trump supporters might go after Jane Fonda's star. And, if her star is removed, others might retaliate by going after Clint Eastwood's star.


So, the decision has been made to keep Trump's star in its place, knowing it will probably be destroyed again, and possibly again and again and again. Even worse, the Chamber and LAPD are keenly aware the warring factions will be using the star as a battleground.

Donald Trump postpones the visit of Vladimir Putin to the US till 2019

The follow-up meeting that President Donald Trump has offered to hold with his Russian counterpart in a few weeks will no longer take place this year, the White House said Wednesday.



"The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the end of the witch hunt in Russia, so we agree that it will be after the first of the year," said John Bolton .



The second round of talks, which Trump instructed Bolton to hold last week, drew surprise and dismay from some national security officials. The invitation was suddenly announced on Twitter by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

Tina Turner's Oldest Son Commits Suicide At His Home

The singer, songwriter and dancer born in the United States, dancer, actress and author, Tina Turner's eldest son, Craig Raymond Turner, committed suicide, after he was found dead by a self-inflicted bullet wound, at his home in Studio City, California on Tuesday.

Thailand Children' Rescued From Cave They Have Been Trapped In For Nine Days

 These are the first photos of Thai schoolboy football players who were rescued after spending nine days trapped underground in a flooded cave.

Egyptian President El-Sisi Pardons 712 Prisoners

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi pardoned 712 prisoners, state news agency MENA said on Wednesday, and security sources said many of those released were young people imprisoned for anti-government protests.

Popular U.S Rapper Rushed To Hospital In Near-death Car Crash (Photos)

 The 34-year-old American rapper, Darryl Kevin Richardson, popularly known as Lil Scrappy, nearly died in a near-death car accident after falling asleep behind the wheel when returning from the strip club, and was hospitalized after the car accident.

This is how TMZ informed the story;

***********

"Lil Scrappy was hospitalized this weekend after being found almost unconscious and seriously upset after a horrible car accident in which she was involved ... TMZ has learned.



Sources close to the "Love & Hip Hop" star tell us that Scrappy was sailing early Sunday morning with a friend when they were leaving the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami. We are told that Scrappy believes that his friend fell asleep at the wheel, however the cops list Scrappy as the driver in the crash. Either way ... they hit a post, adding the car.

According to the traffic accident report obtained by TMZ, Scrappy and his friend Ca $ ino Roulette found themselves outside the car and on the ground when the authorities arrived. Neither of them could coherently explain what had happened. The report also notes that there were no witnesses ... and no citations were issued. The cops say the car was probably driving too fast for the conditions.



Scrappy finally went to a hospital, but the sources say he does not remember who found it or how he got there. They tell us that he is seriously injured, with a broken foot that needs to be operated on. They tell us that their friend, Ca $ ino, is in ICU ... Scrappy no.

Scrappy's famous mother, Momma Dee, and his wife, Bambi, are at his bedside while he recovers.

After the accident, Scrappy went to social networks, saying: "@ casinoroulette here also hurts, but God saved our lives #Godisgreat #Mercy #Grace".

Top North Korea Officials Arrive New York To Prep Nuclear Summit

Kim Jong Un's right-hand man flew to New York on Wednesday to talk with President Donald Trump's top diplomat in the middle of a fight to organize the historic nuclear summit next month between the North Korean and American leaders.

Donald Trump Heads To Singapore On June 12 To Meet Kim

US President Donald Trump announced that he will be heading to Singapore on June 12 to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.