(CNN) — A 10-nation group the Obama administration has gathered to fight ISIS could help, but more important will be the nations that surround the Islamist militant group’s self-declared “caliphate,” experts say. After meetings at last week’s NATO Summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke of a newly formed “core coalition.” President Barack Obama […]

  The Municipality of Borj el-Shamali in the southern district of Tyre gave Syrian refugees on Monday a 48 hours ultimatum to evacuate their tents and leave the town or they will have to bear the consequences. “The decision was taken to safeguard the Syrian workers and to maintain the security in the area,” head […]

  Early on Wednesday morning, the sonorous sound of Aramaic rose from the pews of Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Church here. More than a hundred worshipers had gathered well before the 10 a.m. Mass, and they were already chanting morning prayers in the language of their Lord.   Above the altar and crucifix, light […]

  Airport officials now urge passengers to arrive three hours before flights from Rafik Hariri International Airport. A statement issued by the airport Wednesday said the new guideline was aimed at avoiding congestion at the airport during the peak summer season. 

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on Sunday on politicians to set aside personal interests, urging them to fend off crises.   “We demand political leaders and Christian figures to put aside their personal interests,” al-Rahi said in his sermon during Sunday’s mass from Bkirki. He reiterated calls on Christian politicians to swiftly elect a new […]

  When artist Ania Dabrowska started working with Diab Alkarssifi, a homeless Lebanese man in London, she made a startling discovery. He was a compulsive photographer with a hoard of unseen pictures from his homeland. Check more pictures [Here].  

  Several pro-jihadist Twitter accounts on Saturday published gruesome pictures apparently showing Islamic State militants beheading another Lebanese army soldier, around ten days after the same group executed captive army sergeant Ali al-Sayyed.   “We executed another army soldier, Abbas Medlej, after he tried to escape,” Turkey’s Anatolia news agency quoted an unnamed IS leader […]

Naqsh-e Jahan Square is Isfahan, Iran, is the second largest public square in the world.

By: Ben Winsor – business insider

Since the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis of 1979, Iran has had antagonistic relations with the U.S. and other Western nations, with little official communication between heads of state, fierce rhetoric on opposing sides, and increasing sanctions.

Given this history, it’s not surprising that many Westerners fail to appreciate ways in which Iran is a relatively advanced and even liberal state.

I observed some of these incongruities myself when I travel to Iran myself in 2013 from my native Australia.

1) A Positive Opinion Of Westerners

If you’ve heard former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad describe the U.S. as the "Great Satan," then the warm feelings most Iranians have for Westerners may come as a surprise. In fact, opinion polls show the majority of Iranianans hold a favorable opinion of Americans, making Iran second only to Israel as the most supportive country in the Middle East.

  QAA, Lebanon –  Every day around sunset, dozens of residents of this small Lebanese Christian village on the border carry their automatic rifles and deploy on surrounding hills, taking up positions and laying ambushes in case Muslim extremists from neighboring Syria attack. "We all know that if they come, they will slit our throats […]

  BEIRUT: Beirut’s most beautiful people gathered at the Phonecia Hotel Wednesday evening to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon. The party, hosted by MTV’s Chantal Saliba, included a walk-in closet of 165 Georges Hobeika dresses that the internationally renowned designer donated. There was also a fur fashion show by G. Nasrallah, […]