The young man, who called himself Raïd, wasn’t doing well. He climbed into the backseat of the car, in pain, careful not to touch any corners. He was exhausted and dizzy. A large bandage looped around his stomach, caked with blood. Despite that, the 19-year-old Syrian wanted to tell his story.   Seven months ago, […]

St Therese Church in Qolayaat Between the 19th and 20th century, Cheikh Boutros Youhana el Khazen, from the house of Cheikh Abi Nassif Nawfal el Khazen from Qolayaat, built a church in his town to honor St. Therese and build a family cemetery. When his grandchild Cheikh Hanna Rayij el Khazen died in 1964 he […]

BEIRUT: Lebanese director Charbel Khalil told The Daily Star Sunday that he would not apologize for impersonating Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Prophet Jonah in an episode of his comedy show. “I will not apologize,” Khalil said. “We are continuing with our work, and this issue is behind us now.” After tuning in to […]

President Michel Suleiman kicked off on Monday his one-day official visit to Saudi Arabia. He started his visit by holding talks with Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, which was followed by a meeting with King Abdullah. The talks with the Saudi monarch in Riyadh were reportedly attended by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Sources […]

29 bullets. Hassan Ezzedine, a volunteer driver for the Islamic Medical Association, counted every bullet hole after being released from captivity and returning to the wreck of his former ambulance. First, they aimed at the tires. Then they shot directly at the car. The paramedic got hit by two bullets in the hip. The patient, […]

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s 2013 Beirut marathon kicked off Sunday morning under the slogan "Run for Lebanon," with a significant turnout amid tight security measures. More than 36,000 participants representing 104 countries took part in the 42.192-kilometere route. The marathon started at 6:30 a.m. at BIEL and the closing ceremony will take place at Martyrs’ Square in […]

BEIRUT: Standard & Poor’s downgrade of three leading Lebanese banks is unlikely to have an impact on the prices of bonds or interest rates, bankers said Thursday, but they called the decision a clear warning that Lebanon needed to get its act together and implement fiscal reforms. “I don’t think this downgrade of the credit […]

WASHINGTON – The United States Friday expressed "regret" at losing voting rights at UNESCO, two years after Washington and Israel stopped funding the UN cultural body over Palestinian admission. Congressional restrictions on US payment of UNESCO dues were triggered when the Palestinians gained membership to the Paris-based body as a state in 2011. "We regret […]