Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi criticized on Sunday the political authorities in Lebanon for “neglecting their duties” and their attempts to create political vacuum in the country. He said during his Sunday sermon: “Officials should prepare conditions to elect a new president within the constitutional deadline.” He also demanded that a new and fair electoral law […]

(Catholic Online) – Crowned Miss World 2013 at the Miss World Pageant in Bali, Indonesia, Young told interviewers that the way to avoid unwanted sex is to "just say no." In an interview on the Filipino news show, ANC Headstart, host Karen Davila asked Young last week about a controversial reproductive health law currently in limbo in the courts in the Philippines and related topics. "When it comes to the RH law, are you pro- or anti-RH?" Davila asked.

"Well, I’m pro-life and if it means killing someone that’s already there, then I’m against that, of course. I’m against abortion," Young said. As to contraception, Young said, "I don’t engage in stuff like that as of now. I think that’s – uh, sex is for marriage. That’s my belief. So, when it comes to the RH bill, as long as my beliefs are no abortion; it should be with your partner for life. Then that’s my stand."

Queried about divorce, young said "Divorce. I’m actually against divorce, because I’ve seen, of course, that in my family. So I think that if you marry someone, that should be the person you should be with forever, through sickness and health, through good and bad, you should be with that person."

In a change of pace, Davila asked, "Now, a woman as gorgeous as yourself, how do you say no to sex?" "You just say no," Young replied. "If they try to push you, then you step away because you know that that person doesn’t value you, doesn’t value the relationship as much – and if the guy is willing, you know, to sacrifice that, then that means a lot."

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The four men in question were arrested last December while they celebrated at a house church. Converting from Islam to Christianity in Iran can be punishable by death.

According to a new U.N. report by Ahmed Shaheed, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, such persecution is common in spite of the new Iranian President Hasan Rouhani’s pledge for moderation.

"At least 20 Christians were in custody in July 2013," Shaheed wrote. "In addition, violations of the rights of Christians, particularly those belonging to evangelical Protestant groups, many of whom are converts, who proselytize to and serve Iranian Christians of Muslim background, continue to be reported." Halting the spread of Christianity is a cornerstone of Iran’s crackdown on religious freedom. There are estimated to be 370,000 Christians in Iran. According to the most recent U.S. State Department report, the clerical rulers see Christianity as a threat to Iran’s majority ultra-orthodox Shiite Islamic religion.

"Despite the recent Iranian charm offensive, Dr. Shaheed’s report reminds us of the true nature of the Iranian regime where the abuse of human rights continue," Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), chairman and founder of the Iran Dissident Awareness Program, says."Political prisoners like blogger Mohammad Reza Pourshajari are being denied adequate medical care,journalists and their families continue to be targets of the regime, Pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati are still languishing in prison and the Baha’i community faces increasing persecution. This is the true nature of the regime we’re dealing with during negotiations in Geneva."

UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen on Thursday warned that Lebanon was facing the most dangerous situation in its history since the end of the 1975-1990 Civil War. “Lebanon today is facing the most dangerous situation in its history after the end of the civil war,” the Kuwaiti KUNA news agency quoted the UN envoy for the […]

BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman pledged Friday to ensure a smooth transition of power and a timely handover at next year’s presidential elections for the first time in more than 40 years of Lebanon’s turbulent political history. “I will work sincerely and seriously to ensure the appropriate circumstances and conditions for holding the presidential elections on […]

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s budget deficit in the first eight months of 2013 soared to 28.96 percent of spending compared to 18.48 percent in the same period of 2012, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. According to the ministry, the deficit reached LL3.952 trillion ($2.63 billion) through August of this year compared to LL2.245 trillion in the same […]

President Michel Suleiman revealed on Thursday evening that he asked security forces and the army to deploy the necessary units to control the security situation in the northern city of Tripoli. Suleiman’s request came as Tripoli has been witnessing intense clashes between the city’s rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh. "It is not […]

Former deputy Prime Minister and ex-Minister Elias Murr has been appointed the head of the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World for a seven-year term. The appointment was made unanimously by INTERPOL’s Executive Committee ahead of the organization’s 82nd General Assembly held in Colombia. The Assembly, which opened in Colombia on Monday, is focusing on […]

 At least 48 percent of Lebanon’s privately-held wealth is concentrated in the hands of some 8,900 citizens — just 0.3 percent of the adult population — according to calculations based on a new report. The nation’s staggering wealth inequality is detailed in Credit Suisse’s Global Wealth Databook 2013, released last week. The distorted wealth figures […]

BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman vowed Monday to help secure the release of two bishops kidnapped in April by armed men near the Turkish border. A statement from his office said Sleiman’s remarks came during a meeting with senior security and military officers at the presidential palace in Baabda. The meeting addressed ways to improve the […]