Gulfnews; Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer

Beirut: Two Lebanese figures announced their candidacies for the key post of head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), although the nomination process proved — once again — to be interminable challenges.Former Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh announced his bid for the leadership of the Paris-based organisation last week, even if local media reports claimed that the move was not coordinated with Lebanese authorities, which must vet and endorse all such submissions. The other candidate, Vera Al Khoury-Lacoeuilhe, apparently lobbied in Beirut and, according to her testimony, secured support from Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Jibran Bassil, and Culture Minister Rony Araiji.

According to media reports, Al Khoury-Lacoeuilhe visited Bkerke on March 20 to seek the support of Maronite Patriarch Mar Besharah Al Ra‘i. Salameh, a son of Kfardebian and a professor of international relations at Sciences Po university (Paris), was minister of culture during 2000-2003. He served as special adviser to the UN secretary-general and as the political adviser to the UN mission in Iraq. Well known in academic circles for several serious tomes, Salameh also served as the co-chairman of the board of the International Crisis Group and is the founding chairman of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

Things don't seem to be going too well for Emirati singer Ahlam, who has once again landed herself in boiling hot water.

After Lebanese comedian Adel Karam made fun of the self-loving diva on his light-hearted talk show "Haida Haki" last week, she made it her business to not only hit back at him, but the entire Lebanese nation, as well. 

While Adel joked about the self-proclaimed "Queen's" reality show "The Queen" - which was cancelled by popular demand after just one episode - and made fun of the origin of the nickname given to her fans (Halloomeyeen), Ahlam turned the tables on him, and everyone in Lebanon!

The opinionated singer took to Twitter, where she thought it was OK to call all Lebanese people "Falal-eaters and beggars," while instructing them to "deal with their trash problem instead of talking about their "Queen Ahlam."

reuters

The head of the World Bank expressed frustration at Lebanon's political paralysis on Friday during a joint visit with the U.N. Secretary-General, warning that good governance now was essential to prevent future conflict.

Hampered by sectarian tensions, Lebanon has not passed a budget since 2005 and has been without a president for almost two years, preventing vital legislation from being passed.

"A country with no clear priorities and no governance is in trouble and they need to move as quickly as possible," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said, urging more decisive policy-making to stop the chaos in Syria, now in its sixth year, spreading into Lebanon.

Pamela Engel

Pamela Engel

Al Qaeda is employing a strategy that might help the terrorist group outlast ISIS in Syria, and it's revealing its true jihadist endgame in the process.

As a different terrorist group, ISIS — aka the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh — claims responsibility for a terrorist attack in Belgium, Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front (also known as Jabhat al-Nusra) is flying under the radar, hoping to continue gaining influence in Syria.

And experts think that it could be a bigger threat to the US than ISIS in the long term.

While ISIS has taken over territory in the Middle East with force and uses violence to repress the populations it controls, the Nusra Front has been working toward winning popular support in the country, hoping that its strategy will help it outlast other jihadist groups.