Khazen

Roumieh prisoner families say inmates beaten in raid

  BEIRUT: The families of Islamists in Roumieh Prison protested in Tripoli Friday over the alleged abuse of some prisoners during a police raid earlier this week, contradicting an official position that no one was harmed during the operation. The mother of one of the inmates told The Daily Star that she waited for five […]

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Report: Army Arrests Driver of Arsal Car Rigged with Explosives

  The Lebanese army has arrested the suicide bomber whose booby-trapped vehicle was seized in the northeastern border town of Arsal on Thursday, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported. The car, which was stolen, belongs to a man from al-Hujairi family who hails from Arsal, said VDL on Friday. The army said in a communique […]

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Man Injured in Clash with Army as Several Suspects Arrested

  The Lebanese army said a suspect was injured in a clash after attacking a patrol in the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday night as the military announced a series of arrests it has made. The army said in its communique that the patrol came under fire by Khaled Zakaria al-Khaled when it interfered […]

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Beauty, Blood Centers Shut as 4 Held in Expired Sugar Case

  Health Minister Wael Abou Faour on Thursday ordered the closure of a number of beauty centers and blood drawing labs, as the judiciary jailed four Tripoli Port employees on suspicion of their involvement in the expired sugar case. “Following an authorization from acting North Prosecutor Wael Hassan, the Tripoli judicial police department arrested four […]

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Lebanon Police warn of new virus hitting smart phones

  BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces warned Thursday about a new SMS-transmitted virus that has attacked more than 7,000 mobiles phones across Lebanon. The virus, according to an ISF statement, attacks Android OS smart phones and has compromised over 50,000 phones worldwide. The virus attacks the device once the user opens an SMS with a […]

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Army Says Foiled ‘Series of Suicide Attacks’ after Jabal Mohsen Blasts

  The army revealed Thursday that its Intelligence Directorate had thwarted a plot to carry out a “series of suicide attacks” in the wake of the deadly twin bombing that rocked Tripoli’s Jabal Mohsen. Military intelligence agents arrested “Bassam Hussam al-Naboush, Elie Tony al-Warraq, aka Abou Ali, and Syrian national Muhannad Ali Mohammed Abdul Qader, […]

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How Syria Can Achieve Relief for Those Seeking Refuge in Lebanon in Under 48 Hours

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Syrian Embassy, BEIRUT — On January 13, a minibus organized by Lebanese4Refugees (L4R) arrived through the snow-covered Bekaa Valley into Hamdanieh, a Syrian refugee camp in Al-Majr not far from the Syrian border. One volunteer gasped, “So this is how they live.”

Increasingly at odds with some of their political leaders, a growing number of Lebanese citizens are working to help Syrian refugees forced to seek temporary sanctuary in Lebanon. Mona Ayoub, social media coordinator for L4R explained that “These volunteers are not like those who say that we don’t want refugees in Lebanon. Most Lebanese people are caring, and they feel compassion about this issue.”

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Pope Francis Speaks Out on Charlie Hebdo: ‘One Cannot Make Fun of Faith’

Elizabeth Dias@elizabethjdias Pope Francis: ‘One Cannot Make Fun of Faith’ But “To kill in the name of God is an aberration” For Pope Francis, there are limits to free speech. The Holy Father spoke to journalists in a broad interview on the papal flight to the Philippines about the Charlie Hebdo massacre and the controversy about […]

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A tale of two critiques: US conservatives begin criticizing Pope Francis on politics, while Italians focus on matters of faith

By : Hilary White Follow Hilary

The two months between the closing of the Synod of Bishops on the family in Rome at the end of October and the New Year has seen a surprising shift in the approach of many US Catholic commentators on the pontificate of Pope Francis. After nearly two years of support, or at least muted criticism, strong words are being lobbed at the pope over his political involvement. This is contrasting with the growing critique of Pope Francis in Italy over his governance of the Church and his commitment to the defense of Catholic doctrine.

Some conservative political eyebrows raised in the US on December 17 with the announcement from the White House that the pope had been instrumental in helping the US cut a highly controversial deal with Cuba. This was followed by reports that the pope is preparing an encyclical on the environment, which media say will support the theory of man-made “climate change.” These appear to be something of a last straw for some US conservative Catholics who have until now remained largely neutral or cautiously supportive of Francis. The encyclical is reportedly due to be released in order to influence the UN’s next climate meeting in Paris.

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