In This Edition

 

The UN says the number of Syrian refugees flowing into Lebanon is to hit 100-thousand by the weekend.

A group of Egyptian judges criticize President Mohammed Morsi of attempting to remove the country's top prosecutor.

The IMF downplays the likelihood of China's economy falling into recession.

And people in China celebrate Mo Yan's winning of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature.

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

Syrian refugees in Lebanon to reach 100,000 by weekend

The United Nations says the number of Syrian refugees flowing into neighboring Lebanon is expected to hit 100-thousand by the weekend.

 

Turkey is already hosting the same number.

 

The Lebanese government is already struggling to care for the increasing number of Syrian refugees.

 

The UNHCR in Lebanon says it needs additional support from both Non-Government Organizations and the international community to deal with the refugees.

 

Dana Sleiman is with the UN Refugee Agency.

 

"The number of Syrian refugees across the region has now increased tremendously since last year. In Lebanon, the numbers are close to 100,000 Syrian refugees.There is need to address the need of all Syrians in Lebanon, from shelter to food and non-food items, to education and health. So there is a crisis that we are trying to address in a best way possible with our partners and government."

 

The conflict in Syria has also left hundreds-of-thousands displaced inside the country as well.

 

Panetta says Karzai should be thankful to US war effort

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has rejected the Afghan President Hamid Karzai's recent criticism of the American war effort, saying it would be helpful if the Afghan leader expressed gratitude for the sacrifice of US military.

 

The remarks came a day after Karzai told a news conference in Kabul that the United States was playing a double game in his country by fighting the war in Afghan villages rather than going after those in Pakistan who support insurgents.

 

"Those lives were lost fighting the right enemy not the wrong enemy. I think it would be helpful if the President every once in a while expressed his thanks for the sacrifices that have been made by those who have fought and died for Afghanistan, rather than criticizing them."

 

Panetta also noted that 2,000 U.S. troops were among those who had been killed in the war, which has been spearheaded by the United States, NATO allies and the Afghanistan government.

 

Tensions between Washington and Kabul have risen in recent weeks, driven in part by an increase in attacks by Afghan troops on their U.S. and international counterparts as well as tensions over uncertainty about the coming withdrawal of international forces by the end of 2014.

 

Egyptian judges criticize Morsi ousting of top prosecutor

A group of Egyptian judges is criticizing President Mohammed Morsi of attempting to remove the country's top prosecutor.

 

The judges are describing the move as a "farce".

 

Morsi is trying to dump prosecutor-general Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud because of his connections to the previous government of Hosni Mubarak.

 

However, Mahmoud is unwilling to give up his position.

 

Morsi's decision comes just a day after an Egyptian criminal court aquitted a group of supporters of the old regime, drawing large-scale demonstrations.

 

"The removal of the prosecutor general has come too late. We have been calling since July 2011 for him to be fired, he had to be removed. We have to feel that the revolution's martyrs will eventually get their rights."

 

24 supporters of former leader Hosni Mubarak have been cleared of organizing attacks on protestors during last year's uprising.

 

They were accused of sending men on camels and horses to break up a protest in Cairo, leaving several people dead.

 

Hezbollah confirms sending drone over Israel last week

Hezbollah in Lebanon is claiming responsibility for the launch of a drone that was shot down over Israel last week.

The drone was taken down by Israeli fighter jets after it entered Israeli airspace from the Meditarranean.

 

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah says the Iranian-made drone was directed toward Palestinian territory.

 

"The issue is that the resistance in Lebanon sent an advanced drone aircraft from Lebanon, we do not need to specify from where in Lebanon, towards the sea. It breached the enemy's high defenses and entered into southern Palestine and flew over sensitive installations until it was discovered by the enemy near the Dimona area. In addition, I have to remind and assure everyone that it is our right to fly other drones into occupied Palestine at the time we want. This trip was not the first and won't be the last."

 

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promising to a continued defense of the Israeli borders in the wake of the drone-launch.

 

IMF downplays risk of hard-landing of China economy, says growth will occur

The International Monetary Fund is downplaying the likelihood of China's economy falling into recession.

Anoop Singh is the IMF's director for Asia and the Pacific.

 

"China is not having a hard landing and the numbers are clearly recognising that China will grow this year about seven and three quarter."

 

The IMF says it expects growth in China to slow to 7.8 percent this year.

 

It's forecasting a rebound to 8.2 percent next year.

 

The fund also says growth in the Asia-Pacific region slowed to 5.5 percent in the first half.

 

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim.

 

"Today, the global economy's at a critical juncture. What unites our diverse members is that all are searching for new solutions to secure a more prosperous, more sustainable, and more inclusive future,"

 

The IMF this week scaled back its global growth forecast for this year to 3.3 percent from 3.5 percent.

 

Lagarde warns world is losing "momentum" to meet economic reforms

The head of the International Monetary Fund is warning that sacrificing growth for the sake of austerity could put the entire world economy in a trap.

 

Christine Lagarde ha made the suggestion at the ongoing IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Tokyo.

 

"The right pace of fiscal adjustment, mindful of not undercutting growth but with solid realistic plan to bring debt down over the medium term, finishing the banking sector clean-up and structural reforms to boost productivity and growth...That's the package that is needed,"

 

The IMF has scaled back its global growth forecast this year to 3.3 percent from 3.5 percent.

 

It is also warning its dimmer outlook might even be overly optimistic if Europe and the United States fail to resolve their respective economic problems.

 

Q&A with Andrew The unemployment rate in Greece

The latest stats from Greece show the unemployment rate in July hit 25.1 percent, a record high in the country.

 

Over 1.2 million Greeks are unemployed, an increase of some 42 percent year-on-year.

 

The jobless percentage in the 15 and 24-year old range is over 54-percent.

 

For more on Greece's economic condition, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Andrew Peaple, Columnist from Wall Street Journal Europe.

 

Andrew Peaple, Columnist from Wall Street Journal Europe.

 

Commemorations marking 10th anniversary of the Bali bombings

Commemorations have been held on the Indonesian island of Bali to mark the deadly bombings there 10-years ago.

 

The ceremonies have taken place among tight security, after police in Bali warned earlier this week of possible attacks against visiting dignitaries.

 

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former Prime Minister John Howard joined Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to mark the event.

 

"This remembrance is a valuable opportunity to renew, to reiterate our collective commitment to strengthen the voice of moderation, of tolerance, of mutual understanding among different communities."

 

88 Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attack.

 

In Australia, memorial services are being held across the country as well.

 

A group linked with al-Qaeda carried out the 2002 attack on nightclubs in the popular resort destination.

 

Some 600 suspected militants have been detained since the bombings took place.

 

The 3 main perpetrators were convicted and executed back in 2008.

 

Surrounding areas deal with aftermath of toxic gas leakage in S Korea

Investigators in South Korea are suggesting improper operations are behind a mass toxic gas leak at a chemical plant in eastern South Korea.

 

Tons of hydrofluoric acid leaked from the plant following an explosion this past week, leaving five people dead.

Some 3-thousand others have been treated for nausea and other ailments.

 

The investigation has revealed the leak took place when 2 workers were trying to unload hydrofluoric acid into gas containers.

 

Farm produce from a village 100 meters away from the plant is going to have to be destroyed, which is a big economic blow for the local villagers.

 

"Nothing is edible as our vegetable gardens are polluted. The toxic residues are harmful to health. I have blisters around my mouth and feel dizzy every now and then. Instead of going back home, I can only stay here in this shelter."

3-hundred people have been moved out of the area.

 

The South Korean government is planning to list the area as a "special disaster zone."

 

Chinese Proud of Nobel Literature Laureate from Home Soil

People in China say they feel proud of Chinese writer Mo Yan receiving the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature.

 

The Swedish Academy announced the winner in Stockholm, making Mo Yan the first Chinese Nobel laureate in literature.

 

China's aviation industry to recruit more foreign pilots

With the rapid development of China's civil aviation sector, many companies have been forced to search overseas to find qualified pilots.