Syrian Christians feel vulnerable as country burns

By BASSEM MROUE — Associated Press

BEIRUT — Inside the besieged Syrian city of Homs, where hundreds of civilians are caught up in a fierce battle between rebels and government troops, a small group of Christians is making its own desperate pleas for safety.

Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria’s population, say they are particularly vulnerable to the violence sweeping the country of 22 million people. They are fearful that Syria will become another Iraq, with Christians caught in the crossfire between rival Islamic groups.

"What is happening in these neighborhoods pains our hearts," said Maximos al-Jamal, a Greek Orthodox priest who is still in Homs. He says about 90 of the civilians in two besieged Homs neighborhoods are Christians, down from thousands who lived in the area before the uprising began.

"Before we were staying here to guard our homes but now the situation is unbearable," one Homs resident told The Associated Press by telephone, asking that his name not be used for fear of reprisals by both sides of the conflict.

“النهار”: الرئيس سليمان إلى باريس للقاء هولاند مطلع تموز

adminJune 21, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

علمت صحيفة "النهار" ان اتصالات تجري بين بيروت وباريس تمهيداً لزيارة يقوم بها الرئيس سليمان للعاصمة الفرنسية في نهاية حزيران الجاري أو مطلع تموز المقبل، مع العلم أن تحديد الموعد رهن بأجندة الرئيس الفرنسي فرنسوا هولاند المرتبط بمواعيد دولية وبزيارة سيقوم بها للجزائر في الأسبوع الأول من تموز. وأفادت المعلومات المتوافرة أن زيارة سليمان […]

The Catholic Vote Swings

adminJune 21, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

The new wisdom is that Catholics vote just like everybody else. That purported wisdom isn’t wise. The Catholic vote differs in four decisive ways from the Protestant, Jewish, and secular votes. (1) The Catholic vote is concentrated mainly in the largest states in the Electoral College: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, […]

Demonstrators Storm Jeb Jennine Power Plant

adminJune 21, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Residents of the Bekaa region Jeb Jennine stormed on Monday the local power plant demanding more hours of electricity, said Electricite du Liban in a statement. It said that residents gathered outside the station at 8:00 a.m. and demanded that they be granted entry to the plant’s main control room. The worker on shift refused […]

“الانباء”: لائحة الاغتيالات قديمة وجديدها اسم السنيورة

adminJune 19, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

كشفت صحيفة "الانباء" الكويتية انه تستمر التحضيرات لجولة الحوار الثانية في القصر الجمهوري الاثنين المقبل، والتي يفترض ان تجري تقييما لمقررات الجولة الأولى والدخول في البند المتعلق بالاستراتيجية الدفاعية وسلاح المقاومة. وبانتظار الاثنين، يبقى الترقب لما يجري على المستوى الاقليمي والسوري خصوصا، مع ترجيح كفة الحوار، مهما كانت الظروف، لأنه الملجأ الأكثر امانا في […]

Stay Out of Syria

adminJune 19, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Like all long-suffering fans of the New York Mets, I am on Cloud Nine courtesy of Johan Santana, whose recent no-hitter — in the team’s 8,020th game, during its 51st season — was the first in Mets history. My enthusiasm did not ebb, not by a fraction of a quark, when Hugo Chávez […]

EDL General Manager Blames Contract Workers for Electricity Blackout

adminJune 19, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Electricite du Liban’s general manager Kamal al-Hayek held the company’s contract workers responsible for the blackout that plunged Lebanon into darkness on Monday. The factories are not undergoing any “maintenance or repair as there are no decisions being taken, and no meetings held but only problems moving from a floor to another” at the […]

Syrians in Lebanon under threat

adminJune 17, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Hassan is a Syrian living in Dahiyeh who runs a retail shop. Ever since the kidnapping of a busload of Lebanese pilgrims in Syria on May 22, Hassan says he is being threatened and intimidated into paying extortion money to men he described as “the thugs of Dahiyeh” in retribution for the pilgrims’ disappearance […]

الراعي: لبنان أرض مقدسة تأبى اعمال القتل والارهاب

adminJune 17, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

بعد الانجيل المقدس، ألقى البطريرك الراعي عظة بعنوان "طوبى للعيون التي تنظر ما انتم تنظرون"، قال فيها: "طوب الرب يسوع ويطوب كل من يرى جمالات الله متجلية في الانسان والعائلة والمجتمع والطبيعة، ويراها عندما يرتفع في الصلاة بعقله وقلبه الى الله. ذلك أن الصلاة مشاهدة تزرع السلام والفرح في باطن الانسان. هذا ما اختبرته […]

Lebanese Olive Oil: Farmers Pitted Against Government

adminJune 17, 2012UncategorisedComments are off for this post

A program launched by the government has so far completely failed to improve conditions for farmers. Earlier this year, the government launched the national program for the collection of Lebanese olive oil, which aims to purchase oil produce for the Lebanese army from willing farmers. The initiative, which was adopted under the supervision of the Agriculture […]