Prosecutors seeking to overturn the acquittal of two men over the 2005 assassination of Lebanese former prime minister Rafik Al Hariri have said there were “fundamental errors” in the judgment.
They said on Monday that judges of the lower chamber at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had not properly assessed circumstantial evidence in the case, which was based almost entirely on mobile phone records, when they acquitted Hassan Habib Merhi and Hussein Hassan Oneissi last year.
“It is this incorrect approach to assessing the evidence which infects the judgment as a whole and is fundamental in understanding how, in the prosecution's submission, the judgment went wrong,” said prosecutor Norman Farrell.
The lower trial chamber last year convicted Salim Jamil Ayyash, a former member of the Shiite movement Hezbollah, for the bombing that killed veteran Sunni politician Hariri and 21 others.
All suspects were tried in absentia and remain at large. Prosecutors are now seeking the conviction on appeal of Mr Merhi and Mr Oneissi.
Lawyers for Mr Ayyash have also tried to appeal his conviction, but judges in April said there were was no legal framework to allow a defence appeal for somebody tried in absentia. Ayyash would be able to lodge an appeal or demand a retrial if he ever handed himself in, they said.
The hearing on the appeal lodged by the prosecution is scheduled to last five days. A judgment will follow later.
The Lebanon tribunal was created by a 2007 UN Security Council resolution. Funded by voluntary contributions and by the Lebanese government, the court said in June it was at risk of closing due to funding problems.
It says it has now secured enough funding to see the appeal in the Hariri assassination case through, but is expected to wrap up soon after.
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
