An alleged terrorist plot aimed at Bangkok that sparked urgent warnings of danger from the United States and Israel has been thwarted, Thai police said Saturday.
National Police Chief Gen. Priewpan Damapong said the alleged bombing scheme was called off by the alleged plotters — two Lebanese men said to be linked to Hizbullah. One man was in custody for questioning, and the other was at large.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in the southern coastal town of Naqoura aboard a helicopter on Saturday for talks with the leadership of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Ban was greeted by UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas and undertook a brief tour by helicopter over the Blue Line.

Two brothers from the Zoaiter family were killed on Saturday after another member of their clan opened fire on their vehicle in the area of Hadath Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.
It said the son of Ali Hussein Khalil Zoaiter opened fire on the Grand Cherokee of Ahmed Sobhi Zoaiter, 27, and his brother Hussein, 35, severely injuring them.

The body of a Lebanese teenager was found with a bullet wound in the stomach at an earth mound in the border area of Wadi Khaled in the northern district of Akkar, the National News Agency reported Saturday.
However, the circumstances of the death of Hassan Obeid near the earth mound that separates the northern Qarha town from Syria were not clear yet.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu discussed with Lebanese officials on Saturday bilateral ties and regional developments.
Davutoglu arrived at Beirut airport on Saturday morning and headed to Baabda palace for talks with President Michel Suleiman.

The pilot of an Ethiopian plane that crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Beirut in stormy weather two years ago made 15 mistakes in three minutes, An Nahar daily reported Saturday.
The newspaper quoted the official investigation report into the accident as saying that the pilot “moved from one mistake to another until the plane’s equipment were incapable of responding to his instructions.”

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is expected to criticize U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday after he expressed “deep concern” about the military prowess of the party.
Nasrallah is scheduled to make a televised speech on the occasion of Arbaeen, which marks the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary commemorating the killing of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed veteran British diplomat Derek Plumbly as U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, the world body announced Friday.
Plumbly will take over as Ban's special coordinator from another British official, Michael Williams, who had served in Lebanon from August 2008 until September 2011.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday stressed to visiting U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon the need that the United Nations demarcate Lebanon’s maritime borders and demanded compensations for the oil spill caused by Israel’s bombardment of storage tanks at the thermal power station in Jiyeh during the July 2006 war.
“To date, Israel has not accepted to turn the post-July war cessation of hostilities into a permanent ceasefire in order to justify its incessant overflights in Lebanese airspace and its naval and territorial violations,” Berri added during talks in Ain al-Tineh with the U.N. chief.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said he was "deeply concerned" about the military prowess of Hizbullah and noted that the frequent Israeli violations of Lebanon’s territory and airspace continue to undermine UNIFIL’s credibility and Lebanon’s sovereignty.
"I am deeply concerned about the military capacity of Hizbullah and also concerned about the lack of progress in disarmament," the U.N. chief told a news conference after holding talks with Lebanese leaders.
