by Joe Gorman – The guardian – Every rugby league season for the past few years, Chris Saab has worked long hours at his earthmoving business during the day, trained three nights a week, and given up weekends to play in Sydney’s Ron Massey Cup. At 35 years of age, he is physically and mentally ready to retire. In fact he was ready to call it a day back in 2015, after helping the Lebanese national team qualify for their second Rugby League World Cup. But the lure of playing with his best friend, Robbie Farah, convinced him otherwise. “He’s getting on in his career,” explains Farah. “I know at times he’s thought about giving the game away, but in the back of his mind has been wanting to be a part of this World Cup. It’s going to be one of the highlights of my career to play alongside him. I made my debut for Lebanon as an 18-year-old, as did he, and we’ve been best mates ever since. Our careers since then have gone down different paths, and we haven’t been able to play alongside each other since that first game.” While Farah went on to win a NRL premiership and play State of Origin for New South Wales, Saab lived out a journeyman career in Sydney’s lower grades. He gave up on his dream of playing in the NRL years ago. He only continued playing at all, he said, “because I want to play for Lebanon and I wanted to qualify for the World Cup”. Rugby league’s flexible eligibility rules have been a major talking point of the 2017 World Cup. The rules allow players such as Farah, who has previously represented Australia, to switch to a tier two nation such as Lebanon. Already Andrew Fifita has controversially defected to Tonga after being selected for the Kangaroos.

Opinion is divided between those who believe these rules turn the tournament into a gimmick, and those who believe they are essential to grow the game internationally. Many of the nations that have qualified for this year’s tournament are filled with Australians. When the Kangaroos play Lebanon in Sydney, for example, it will almost be like Australia “A” versus Australia “B” as NRL stars such as Farah, Mitchell Moses and Tim Mannah line up for the Cedars. “There’s a fair bit of pride in those players for their upbringing and their parents, and some of the hardships that their families went through in the early years when they migrated to this country,” said Tas Baitieri, a development officer for the Rugby League International Federation. “A lot do it out of respect. And you know, having a bit of respect isn’t a bad thing for young people today.”

The story of Saab is just one example. His father, Joe, migrated to Australia with just a couple of dollars in his pocket and a suitcase full of clothes. He never wanted his son to play rugby league. “I started playing footy when I was seven,” explains Saab. “I think it was an Under-10s or Under-12s game, my father came to watch and I got a massive cork in my leg. I was on the floor crying, and my dad jumped the fence. He was a massive guy – six foot seven – and he actually put me on his shoulder, pushed the trainer out of the way and carried me off the field. Since then he wasn’t real keen on the footy thing. Still, when Saab debuted for Lebanon in a Test match against France in 2002, his father travelled to Tripoli to watch him play. The Cedars won 36-6 and Joe was converted. “That was the first time he’d been back to see his sister and his family in 33 years,” says Saab.

BEIRUT  (Xinhua) — Lebanese citizen Assaad Bazzi and his family were standing on the barbed wired fence along the Lebanese-Israeli border at Adaisse, contemplating the numerous patrols of the Israeli army. “Israel’s recent threats come within the verbal escalation we got used to hear and it would not pass the barbed wire fence as war […]

Four people were arrested for allegedly trying to sell on the picture, known as Portrait of Mrs Reeves. Police confiscated it last Friday after an investigation in the Cola neighbourhood of the capital, Beirut. Art experts say the picture, if authentic, is a minor work from a series of high society portraits. The piece was […]

BEIRUT, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) — The Lebanese Parliament kicked off Tuesday a 3 day session to discuss the 2017 state budget, the first budget to be discussed since 12 years. At the beginning of the session, the parliament re-elected the current members and heads of parliamentary committees, replacing only MP Elie Aoun with MP Khaled […]

by arabianbusiness.com – Prominent Lebanese designer Elie Saab said he is not considering an Initial Public Offering (IPO) for his multi-million dollar fashion house. However, Saab said he would consider equity injection in order to fuel the group’s ongoing expansion plans. Speaking to Arabian Business, the designer said he has “a lot” of plans for […]

 The long-term presence of refugees is a particularly sensitive issue in Lebanon where some politicians say the influx of mainly Sunni Syrians might destabilize the delicate sectarian balance with Christians, Shi’ite Muslims and others. As the Syrian government regains more territory from rebels and militants, calls have increased in Lebanon for Syrians to return. A series of ceasefire deals has reduced fighting to some extent in parts of western Syria. But rights groups have warned against forcing people back to a country still at war, and refugees have often said they fear facing arrest or conscription into the army. The U.N. refugee agency does not yet consider Syria safe for refugee to return to. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has said there can be no forced returns. Aoun told the envoys there were parts of Syria not currently at war and territory where calm has returned, a spokesman said. “The return of displaced to stable and low-tension areas must be carried out without attaching it to reaching a political solution,” the president’s Twitter account said. Aoun said it was in the everyone’s interest to solve the refugee crisis so that political, economic and social problems in Lebanon do not get out of hand. Officials at the meeting thanked Lebanon for its generosity in hosting refugees. “They expressed their full understanding of the concerns that are being voiced,” a statement from the envoys said. “A return of refugees to their country of origin must take place in safety, dignity and voluntarily, in accordance with principles of international law,” it said. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Tom Perry; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Robin Pomeroy)

Pope Francis meets with Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri and his wife, Lara Bashir Al Azem by Hannah Brockhaus  Vatican City, Oct 13, 2017 / 11:21 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis and the prime minister of Lebanon, Saad Rafic Hariri, discussed Friday the current situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, which has received a […]

by catholicherald.co.uk/ Christians today face worse persecution than at any time in history, yet the UN and the international community are largely ignoring them, a new report says. ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’ by the UK office of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) says the persecution of Christians reached a new high between […]

By Christine Persaud  – digitaltrends.com Netflix will be launching its first original production in the Middle East, and it will be a stand-up special with Lebanese comedian and actor Adel Karam. The still-to-be-named comedy special will be produced by Creative Arab Talent and will see Karam deliver his comedy stylings, which cover everything from relationships […]