by english.aawsat.com – Lebanon’s Mustaqbal Movement, headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, condemned on Saturday the latest speech of “Hezbollah” chief Hassan Nasrallah during which he attacked Saudi Arabia. The Movement stressed in a statement that the “Lebanese people will not allow Lebanon to remain an Iranian platform to target Saudi Arabia and Arab countries.” […]

by daily star.com.lb BEIRUT: Mecca’s Friday Grand Mosque attack Saturday drew condemnations from political leaders and parties in Lebanon. Prime Minister Saad Hariri Saturday condemned Friday’s extremist plot against the Grand Mosque in Mecca. “The diabolical mind that has planned for this operation sets evident proof of an evil mob that has reached an point […]

by thenationonlineng.net

It is rather customary to say that a simple encounter can change the course of your life. Nothing holds more true for Zeina Saab. In 2009, the Lebanese-American took her first humanitarian journey with USAID to the isolated Lebanese village of Chmestar. There, in a maze of alleyways, she met Nadeen Ghosn. The unabashed 14-year-old spontaneously presented Zeina with a collection of her drawings.  What Saab saw were not clumsy children’s pictures, but a series of elaborate dress sketches that would easily be at home in a sewing atelier. Nadeen, however, had never even learned the basics of fashion design.

Zeina was blown away. Upon returning home, the young woman with an Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from MIT, had one idea in mind: to help Nadeen. “When I met her, I knew that she could one day become the next great fashion designer. Nadeen, however, had no support. Without means or resources, her talent would never be cultivated”, says Saab, now 33 years old. The idea continued to germinate in Zeina’s mind until 2012, when she founded “The Nawaya Project”, an innovative NGO that helps marginalised youth develop their talent so that they can integrate into the workforce.

During the three years following her initial meeting with Nadeen, Zeina took the necessary steps to launch the “Talent Program”, in which she and the 10 members of the Nawaya team connect youth from underprivileged backgrounds with mentors and professionals. There have been over 300 beneficiaries since the beginning of the project, their main  objective: to develop and cultivate their passions and talents in various fields, such as design, music, athletics, writing, performing arts and even coding and robotics. Though she is currently focused on Lebanon, Zeina Saab has her sights on growth. “We want to expand our platform to the entire Middle East. If it works, we will create a globally connected community engaged in the development and empowerment of disenfranchised youth around the world”, she says with conviction.

BEIRUT, June 23 (Xinhua) — China advocates more actions to curb the deterioration of a refugee crisis in the Middle East and find a solution as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday. Wang made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil in Beirut during an one-day visit to Lebanon. He noted that refugees are not migrants, and the international community should strive to create appropriate conditions, through seeking a more swift solution to hot-button issues, for the refugees to return to their homes. Bassil said Lebanon is under huge pressure in hosting refugees, mostly from Syria, adding that the world should understand and support Lebanon’s legal requests on the refugee problem.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Lebanon is currently hosting 1.03 million Syrian refugees who fled their war-torn country since the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad started in March 2011. Earlier in the day, the Chinese top diplomat held a meeting with Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, during which both expressed willingness to expand the bilateral cooperation. Aoun praised the Belt and Road Initiative by China, adding that Lebanon expects to see the revival of the ancient Silk Road. He said Lebanon is ready to actively participate in the initiative in a bid to boost economic and cultural exchanges. The president also hailed what China has done for the stability of Lebanon and the Middle East, and welcomed China, Lebanon’s largest trade partner, to invest more in the region. Wang said he believed all parties and religions in Lebanon would continue dialogue and negotiations to keep national unity and maintain security and stability, thus providing useful experiences in how different civilizations could coexist peacefully. Wang said, in light of the good momentum in Sino-Lebanese economic and trade relations, China is willing to enhance the bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

by catholicherald.co.uk The head of the Maronite Church is to consecrate Lebanon and the whole of the Middle East to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a pilgrimage to Fatima. The act of consecration by Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai will take place during a Eucharistic liturgy on Sunday, according to Fides news agency. It will […]

by naharnet – Political parties represented in the government convened in a consultative meeting on Thursday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda at the invitation of President Michel Aoun. A closing statement said the conferees agreed on “continuing the implementation of the Document of National Accord (Taef Accord), especially in terms of harmonizing between preserving our […]

by naharnet – Qatar on Thursday added Lebanon to its list of countries whose citizens are exempt from visa requirement to enter the Gulf country, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. A memo issued by Qatar’s Airport Passports Department said “the Lebanese nationality has been added to the list of nationalities that are granted instant tourist visas […]

BEIRUT (AP) – Lebanon’s state news agency says the military has detained a Lebanese national crossing into the country from Israel. The National News Agency says a 31-year-old Lebanese national crossed the militarized border on Thursday to return to Lebanon after leaving to Israel 17 years ago. Israel withdrew from its occupation of south Lebanon in 2000. The two countries are technically still at war. Hundreds of Lebanese nationals fled with the retreating Israeli forces, facing accusations of collaboration. The NNA says the Lebanese national left his family in Israel to return to his country of birth. He handed himself over to the military for questioning. The Israeli army confirms that a short while ago a suspect was identified crossing the border and forces are now searching the area.

By AFP –

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia`s King Salman ousted his nephew as crown prince on Wednesday and installed his son Mohammed bin Salman, capping a meteoric rise for the 31-year-old that puts him one step from the throne. The young prince already wielded huge power before he became heir, spearheading a sweeping economic and social reform programme for the ultraconservative kingdom. His rise comes at a crucial time for Saudi Arabia which is in a battle for regional influence with arch-rival Iran, bogged down in a controversial military intervention in neighbouring Yemen and at loggerheads with fellow US Gulf ally Qatar. Prince Mohammed is now “de factor ruler of the kingdom,” said Andreas Krieg of the Defence Studies Department at King`s College London. “The king needed to strengthen his son`s position amid the current turmoil in the region,” Krieg said. Mohammed`s youth is a novelty for a country that is used to ageing leaders — King Salman is 81 and his predecessor King Abdullah died in 2015 aged around 90.

His rapid ascent over the past two years has symbolised the hopes of the kingdom`s young population, more than half of which is under 25. Saudi television channels showed the bearded Mohammed bin Salman kissing the hand of his ousted cousin Mohammed bin Nayef and kneeling in front of the older prince, who patted his shoulder to congratulate him. “I am going to rest now. May God help you,” the former crown prince said, to which his replacement replied: “May God help you. I will never do without your advice.”The king called on governors and other princes to pledge allegiance to his new heir and ordered a ceremony — routine on such occasions — after night prayers on Wednesday at a royal palace in Mecca. Many ordinary citizens tweeted their allegiance, but support for Mohammed has not been unanimous. A royal order said his appointment was endorsed by 31 of 34 members on the Council of Allegiance, which decides on succession issues. The king accompanied his son`s elevation with measures to woo the many Saudis who work for the government, either as civilian or military personnel.

The enticements come as the kingdom`s war in Yemen drags on and citizens for the first time pay taxes, imposed after oil prices fell. Salman ordered the reinstatement of all civil service benefits cut in a controversial move as part of an austerity package late last year. He also extended the end-of-Ramadan Eid Al-Fitr holidays until July 9 for civil servants. As deputy crown prince, the new heir to the throne already held multiple posts. He is the main champion of the kingdom`s Vision 2030 reform plan to bring social and economic change to the oil-dependent economy of a country where women`s rights are among the most restricted in the world. One Saudi, Sultan al-Asimi, 33, said in Mecca that Mohammed`s appointment sends a message of “hope and trust about the future of the country”. The Saudi stock market seemed to agree. It closed 5.5 percent higher on news of Mohammed`s appointment as well as word that the exchange had moved closer to joining a major global index. Mohammed is also defence minister with overall responsibility for the kingdom`s military intervention in Yemen. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia leads a coalition supporting the Yemeni government against Shiite rebels who control the capital Sanaa. The coalition`s bombing campaign has drawn repeated criticism from human rights groups for the high number of civilian casualties.Saudi Arabia`s intervention in Yemen in March 2015 signalled a more aggressive foreign policy, emphasised again this month when the kingdom and its allies imposed an embargo on neighbouring Qatar. They accused Doha of supporting extremists, a charge it denies.

by daily star.com.lb

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri Wednesday congratulated Saudi Arabia’s King Salman for choosing Mohammed bin Salman as his new crown prince. Hariri congratulated the newly appointed crown prince in a telephone conversation, a statement issued by the premier’s office said. Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian also congratulated King Salman on his “supreme decision to appoint Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, which strengthens Saudi Arabia’s role in serving its people, Islam and the Muslims in the world.” He also sent a letter to the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, congratulating him and wishing him success in his new role. Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt also congratulated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman on his appointment as crown prince of Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his new duties and responsibilities.

King Salman on Wednesday appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him first-in-line to the throne and removing the country’s counter-terrorism czar and a figure well-known to Washington from the line of succession. The monarch stripped Prince Mohammed bin Nayef from his title as crown prince and from his powerful position as the country’s interior minister overseeing security. The announcements were made in a series of royal decrees carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Over the weekend, the king had issued a decree restructuring Saudi Arabia’s system for prosecutions that removed Mohammed bin Nayef’s oversight of criminal investigations, and instead ordered that a newly-named Office of Public Prosecution report directly to the monarch.