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<P>U.N. inquiry further implicates Syria in Hariri death </P></B>
<P>Mon Dec 12, 2005 1:18 PM ET</P>
<P>By Evelyn Leopold </P>
<P>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. inquiry uncovered new evidence that reinforced its findings of Syria's involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, a new report said on Monday. </P>
<P>The report by German Prosecutor Detlev Mehlis also said Syria had been "slow" to cooperate with his investigation, contrary to Security Council resolutions, and that the inquiry team had identified 19 suspects which it did not name. </P>
<P>Five Syrian officials questioned by U.N. investigators in Vienna this month were among the suspects, Mehlis said. </P>
<P>Hours before the report was delivered, a prominent lawmaker and fierce critic of Syria, Gebran Tueni, was killed in a car bomb in Beirut, along with his driver and bodyguard. </P>
<P>An interim report by Mehlis in October implicated senior Syrian and Lebanese officials in the murder of Hariri and 22 others in a truck bombing last February 14 in Beirut. </P>
<P>"In the interval since the presentation of that report, the investigation has continued to develop multiple lines of inquiry which, if anything, reinforce those conclusions," Mehlis said on Monday. </P>
<P>Mehlis delivered his report to the U.N. Security Council, which has demanded that Syria detain suspects and cooperate fully with the investigation or face "further action." Mehlis emphasized those sections of the resolution in his report. </P>
<P>Syria has vigorously denied the accusations and said Mehlis' probe was politically motivated. On Monday, officials in Damascus said they were still studying the new report. </P>
<P>Mehlis, who will be leaving the inquiry to return to Berlin, recommended the probe be extended for six months. The Security Council, who will hear from Mehlis on Tuesday, is likely to renew the mandate before it expires this week. </P>
<P>"Given that its substantive lines of inquiry are far from being completed, and given the slow pace with which the Syrian authorities are beginning to discharge their commitments ... the commission recommends that there be such an extension and for a minimum period of six months," the report said. </P>
<P>DOCUMENTS BURNED</P>
<P>Mehlis also said that statements made by two of the suspects in Vienna "indicated that all Syrian intelligence documents concerning Lebanon had been burned." </P>
<P>And Mehlis charged that Syria had continued to disrupt life in Lebanon after Hariri's death. </P>
<P>"It was reported to the Commission that, after the assassination of Mr. Hariri, a high-level Syrian official supplied arms and ammunition to groups and individuals in Lebanon in order to create public disorder in response to any accusations of Syrian involvement in the Hariri assassination," Mehlis said. </P>
<P>The report also attempted to refute a Syrian witness, Hosam Taher Hosam, who recanted his testimony last month and accused Lebanese officials of threats, bribery and torture to induce him to testify falsely. </P>
<P>But Mehlis said that his commission received "credible information" prior to Hosam's recantation that "Syrian officials had arrested and threatened some of Hosam's close relatives in Syria." </P>
<P>"Preliminary investigation leads to a conclusion that Mr. Hosam is being manipulated by the Syrian authorities," the report said. Consequently, it questioned whether Syria's own judicial commission "is committed to conducting an independent, transparent, and professional investigation into this crime. </P>
<P>(Additional reporting by Nadim Ladki in Beirut and Matthew Robinson at the United Nations) <BR><BR>© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. </P>
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From: <I>"Loai Naamani" <loai@mit.edu></I><BR>To: <I>"'LCM Articles'" <lebanon-articles@mit.edu></I><BR>Subject: <I>[LCM Articles] $1M Business Plan Competition</I><BR>Date: <I>Fri, 9 Dec 2005 04:56:58 -0500</I><BR><BR>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 0pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0pt; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 0pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"><I><FONT face=Verdana size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Details about actual competition here: <A href="http://www.arabbusinessplan.com/english/index.html">http://www.arabbusinessplan.com/english/index.html</A>; please read below for context/other players and forward to all interested.<BR>L.<BR> <BR><BR></SPAN></FONT></I></P></DIV>
<H1><FONT face=Verdana color=#9c0000 size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Arab Business Challenge to provide two Arab entrepreneurs with incentive to develop their business</SPAN></FONT></H1>
<H2><FONT face=Verdana size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A href="http://www.ameinfo.com/73251.html">http://www.ameinfo.com/73251.html</A><BR><BR><BR>The Arab Business Angels Network (ABAN), a non- profit organization founded by the Young Arab Leaders during the Clinton initiative in September 2005, has announced the launch of the first annual Arab Business Challenge.</SPAN></FONT></H2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><B><FONT face=Verdana size=1><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">United Arab Emirates:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Verdana size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> Monday, December 05 - 2005<BR><BR>The Challenge will grant the best two business plans submitted by Arab entrepreneurs with the funding necessary to develop their plan into an operating business, with capital funding that can reach up to $1 million for each plan. <BR><BR>As the investment arm of Dubai Holding, Dubai International Capital has been entrusted with the roll-out of ABAN, and will act as the lead angel for the competition, which aims at stimulating regional entrepreneurship and business innovation. <BR><BR>Announcing the launch of the Arab Business Challenge, Sameer Al Ansari, chief executive officer of Dubai
International Capital and Young Arab Leader said, "Despite the liquidity of capital markets in the Middle East, young businesses and start-ups often fall into an equity gap where they cannot secure funding to flourish." </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Verdana size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">'This initiative by the Arab Business Angels Network unleashes young entrepreneurs from the shackles of raising capital through personal finance, family funding or venture capital, and gives them greater confidence to turn their ideas into profitable enterprises that have a positive impact on the economic development of the region.'</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Verdana size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR><BR>Submissions for the Arab Business Challenge will commence in January of 2006, and Arab entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 to 40 are eligible for entry. A website dedicated to the Challenge has been launched, www.arabbusinessplan.com, which provides application details as well as the official business plan form to be submitted. <BR><BR>Strategic partners in the Arab Business Challenge initiative include Price waterhouseCoopers and McKinsey, who will be lending resources in reviewing and evaluating the project plans submitted by young Arabs, as well as contributing with advisory expertise. Al Araybiya satellite channel is the exclusive media partner and will provide special programming based on the initiative. The American University in Dubai (AUD) and American University in Cairo
(AUC) along with other key universities from across the Arab world have also partnered with the initiative in order to allow maximum reach to potential candidates. <BR><BR>Business Angels, also known as Angel Investors, are typically individuals who invest in businesses offering a higher return than they would usually see from more traditional or conventional investment. These networks serve as a vehicle to pool together investment efforts and fuel the growth of productive entrepreneurial initiatives. <BR><BR>Today, ABAN is uniquely positioned as the biggest organizations in the Arab world to provide entrepreneurs with access to a large pool of angel funding through its network of high net worth individuals (HNWIs). <BR><BR>'Financial capital that pools seed capital, or early stage funding through angel investors, are extremely limited in the region and in some parts non-existent. The
founders of the ABAN believe that a venture such as this is an ideal platform to complement the economic development objectives of the Arab world and launch creative and exciting ventures,' added Al Ansari. <BR><BR>Habib Ghawi, YAL Executive Board Member said, 'Beyond the financial support, the Arab Business Plan Competition, through the different regional and international strategic partners, will provide expert counsel to the winning plan through the development process until it is actually realized.' He added, 'We believe this initiative will create a launch pad for many of the future's successful businesses. It very much reflects YAL's strategic projects that aim at boosting the economy in the Arab region through empowering its young.' </SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Verdana color=gray size=1><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Related Information:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Verdana color=gray size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: gray; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR>About Arab Business Angels Network (ABAN) <BR><BR>Arab Business Angels Network is an initiative founded by Dubai Holding with the aim of supporting the economic development in the pan-Arab region, with particular emphasis on young people, entrepreneurs and investors. <BR><BR>Based in Dubai, the region's business capital, with a network of subsidiary offices, ABAN is the ideal platform to complement the economic development objectives of the Arab world and launch creative and exciting entrepreneurial ventures. <BR><BR>Given the respective specialisations, skill sets, and capabilities of ABAN's founding
partners, the consortium is endowed with all the prerequisites to fuel the expansion of the project and engender unrivalled credibility. <BR><BR>About Dubai Holding (DH) <BR>Dubai Holding was launched in October 2004 to consolidate the various large scale infrastructure and investment projects in Dubai that were created over the past five years as well as research, identify and execute future major projects that will benefit the UAE and the region. <BR><BR>The company has been created with the goal of providing a better future for all - across the range of life-improving industries it is involved in. Each of the Dubai Holding operating companies focuses on key areas which will dynamically support the development of Dubai as a world leading hub for commerce, leisure and finance, in turn driving these companies to become leaders in their respective fields in the Middle East and beyond.
<BR><BR>Dubai Holding currently has 19 companies operating in a variety of sectors ranging from health, technology, finance, real estate, education, tourism, energy, communication, industry, biotechnology and hospitality. <BR><BR>These companies include: Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubailand, Dubai International Capital, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Properties, Dubai International Properties, Dubai Investment Group, Dubai Energy, Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai Outsource Zone, International Media Production Zone, E-Hosting Datafort, Empower, SamaCom, Jumeirah Hospitality & Leisure, Dubiotech and Dubai Studio City. <BR><BR>About Dubai International Capital (DIC) <BR>Established in 2004, Dubai International Capital is a Dubai based international investment company that primarily focuses on private equity. <BR><BR>It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai
Holding a large and diversified group that operates in the fields of healthcare, technology, finance, real estate, research, education, tourism, energy and communications. <BR>Dubai International Capital manages an international portfolio of diverse assets that provide Dubai Holding and its stakeholders with <BR>• Value growth <BR>• Diversification <BR>• Strategic investments and relationships <BR><BR>In its first year of operation Dubai International Capital has made the following investments <BR>• Committed over US$ 300 million to private equity funds $1 billion investment in DaimlerChrysler, making it the company's third largest shareholder <BR>• £800 million acquisition of The Tussauds Group in the UK the largest operator of visitor attractions in Europe <BR>• JD 200 million ($272m) investment company 'JD Capital' targeting opportunities in Jordan <BR>• Anchor investor in a US$
150million transaction bringing the world's leading budget hospitality brand - Express by Holiday Inn to the GCC <BR><BR>Such achievements make Dubai International Capital an ideal lead angel and 'anchor' in the Arab Business Angels Network. <BR><BR>About Young Arab Leaders (YAL) <BR><BR>The Young Arab Leaders is a network of Arab men and women who have seen the power of action in their own lives, reached unprecedented levels of success for their age, who are positive and can see beyond today's difficulties to that vision of a prosperous Arab future. These leaders are currently in prominent positions of responsibility and are destined for extraordinary achievement, and they believe that their efforts today can have an impact on their communities, countries and the region as a whole. <BR><BR>Better opportunities for education, new means of income generation and a belief in the ability to
achieve is what will help Arab youth become tomorrow's leaders. Members of Young Arab Leaders bring together their capabilities and resources to building the necessary environment that will facilitate the way for tomorrow's young Arab leaders. <BR><BR>Each year, the Young Arab Leaders commit to implementing an Action Plan that sets the strategic vision of the organization. They undertake projects focusing on mentorship and education, while producing sector-specific plans that aim to increase income generation opportunities for youth. <BR><BR>About McKinsey & Company <BR><BR>McKinsey & Company is one of the world's leading management and consulting firms. For the past 75 years, our primary mission has been to help clients achieve substantial, lasting improvements in their performance. <BR><BR>We aspire to help leading companies - and companies with the potential to lead - to
improve their strategies, organizations, and operations, whether they are 100 years old or 100 days old. We also help a diverse group of governments, institutions, and non-profit organizations solve their most difficult management challenges. <BR><BR>In serving clients we set, and strive to surpass, extraordinary high performance standards, while upholding our firm's professional values. This approach leads clients to entrust us with their toughest management challenges, ones that demand insight, creativity, and perseverance to solve. <BR><BR>McKinsey has 6000 consultants in 83 offices across 45 countries, with the UAE office serving the Middle East region. <BR><BR>About PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) <BR><BR>PwC Global <BR>PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax, and advisory services. Our tax services assist clients in the areas of tax strategy and compliance,
merger and acquisition support, and human resource services. Advisory services focus on managing risk, structuring transactions and improving performance. <BR><BR>PwC member firms operate in 148 countries. Our clients are both public and private and range from the world's largest organisations to innovative entrepreneurs. PwC combines the diverse skills and unsurpassed business experience of its more than 130,000 people to build trust and create value for clients. We call this collaborative approach to client service, Connected Thinking. PwC challenges itself - and its clients - to think harder, to understand the consequences of every action and to consider new perspectives. <BR><BR>PricewaterhouseCoopers is dedicated to the pursuit of responsible leadership. In today's business environment, responsible leadership is about taking an active role in building a sustainable business - one
that creates long-term value for clients, people and the stakeholder community within which it operates.' <BR><BR>PwC in the Middle East <BR>PricewaterhouseCoopers' has over 30 years of experience in the Middle East Region, which covers 13 countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE). The Region currently has 55 partners and over 1,100 staff, operating from 23 offices, providing professional Assurance, Advisory and Tax services. We deliver innovative, forward thinking solutions to match the increasingly complex business problems facing our clients in these challenging times. The Middle East is no exception. The region's economy is transforming fast and growth expectations are again on the rise. The countries in this region, governments, companies and family businesses face irreversible changes. By understanding these
changes and managing the challenges, we play an important role in these exciting times. <BR><BR>About Al Arabiya News Channel <BR><BR>In 2003, Al Arabiya News Channel was launched. The 24/7 free-to-air news and current affairs satellite outlet soon became the news source of choice for Arabs seeking credible news and information about the Middle East and the world beyond. Al Arabiya's reputation for sober and balanced reporting now extends beyond its natural geographical and cultural domain i.e. the Middle East. A number of renowned international news organisation and research institutes interested in the Arab and Islamic worlds regularly monitor Al Arabiya. <BR><BR>The new news channel was launched in the tradition of its parent Middle East Broadcast Centre (MBC) group that saw the light in London, UK in 1991. MBC is the first satellite, free-to-air multi-channelled media group of its
kind in the Arab world. Of more significance perhaps, MBC paved the way for the emergence of the comprehensive Arabic language news service. The Group identified the need for a dedicated news gathering and dissemination process that soon became the mainstay of all Arab broadcast news media, primarily satellite TV. MBC in fact brought to Arabic speakers for the first time ever, their own independent media organisation that provides tens of million of viewers around the world with a balanced and comprehensive diet of news and information, which is far from the traditional restrictions of Arab official censorship, as well as an array of Arab and international entertainment. <BR><BR>In keeping with tradition, and perhaps reflective of the fundamental changes afoot in the area, MBC provided Al Arabiya with all the means of sustenance and success. Now based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
(MBC HQ for the first decade was London, UK), Al Arabiya occupies a place of pride in the prestigious Dubai Media City alongside renowned media giants such as CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Reuters etc. <BR><BR>Al Arabiya runs an extensive global network of correspondents and reporters to provide its audiences with the latest updates, scoops, interviews, and exclusives. <BR><BR>With nearly 30 offices around the world and large-scale presence in several countries such as Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Yemen. Al Arabiya enjoys a competitive edge in providing on-the-ground, first hand coverage of major events. <BR><BR>Al Arabiya's purpose-built news centre with its state-of-the-art studios and broadcast technology is instrumental in providing Arab viewers with superior news coverage that is credible, timely and relevant. It also plays a key role in bringing to life Al
Arabiya's vision of being the prime Arab source of Arab news and information for the Arab viewers at home and across the globe. <BR><BR>Al Arabiya introduced a calibre of professionalism and a standard of informative journalism that guarantee objectivity and honesty in the world of Arab media. Al Arabiya's goal is to deliver news and commentary that provide accurate information to viewers, without exaggeration or intimidation, by ensuring professional and balanced coverage. Al Arabiya's mission is to cover events, deliver news and introduce various opinions, thus empowering viewers to make informed decisions and consequently facilitate prudent and sensible opinions.</SPAN></FONT></P>
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