Human Rights Watch slammed Lebanon Tuesday for deporting back to Syria about 40 Palestinians who according to Lebanon’s security agencies were attempting to flee the country using forged documents. The watchdog also criticized strict restrictions placed by Lebanese authorities on Palestinians crossing over the land borders from Syria.   “The Lebanese government should urgently rescind […]

  President Michel Sleiman refused Wednesday to sign a controversial new rent bill into law, arguing that it was unfair, prompting a brief protest by a group of landlords. Sleiman has said he will not sign any unjust law or one that does not further social justice. The president’s signature is necessary for the law, which was […]

  The Contempt Judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has ordered initial appearances on Tuesday, May 13 of the accused in the case against New TV S.A.L. and Karma Khayat, and of the Accused in the case against Akhbar Beirut S.A.L. and Ibrahim al-Amin, announced the STL in a statement on Wednesday. “The two journalists […]

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi announced on Tuesday that it is his duty to welcome Pope Francis in Jerusalem, asking those against his visit "not to come to Bkirki." "I am the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of regions expanding from Turkey to Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and to Iran,” al-Rahi stated upon his […]

  Crowds lined the streets of Beirut as a women’s marathon snaked its way through the city this week. Women from all walks of life – the handicapped, the young and the elderly – participated in the event aimed at empowering women through sports and geared towards reminding women that health is vital.   A number […]

  President Michel Suleiman chaired on Monday a largely-boycotted national dialogue session, which called for continued talks on the country’s defense strategy and stressed the importance of the implementation of the Taef accord. The meeting was the last before his term expires on May 25.   Several officials did not attend the all-party talks, including Free […]

  A symbol of Lebanon’s golden age, but also its brutal civil war, the empty shell of the Holiday Inn hotel in Beirut could now take on a new life. No one yet knows what it will become, but after decades as a chilling reminder of the 1975-1990 conflict, the building is set to be […]

Residents of the Sidon suburb of Abra protested Sunday against the presence of Syrian workers after police released a Syrian accused of attempting to kill a resident. The residents of the Christian-dominated town gathered outside the church at noon and called for keeping Syrian workers away from their town, an action that warns of possible similar […]

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi celebrated mass at the Roman Catholic pilgrimage site of Lourdes in France on Sunday on the occasion of the international pilgrimage of the Order of Malta. The Order of Malta’s members and volunteers from all over the world travel each year during the first weekend of May to Lourdes. They accompany the […]

 In almost every controversial matter, Maronite Patriarch Mar Bishara al-Rai plays a starring role. After a series of contradictory positions and his visit to Syria in February 2013, he decided to take a step that his predecessors refrained from, visiting occupied Palestine as part of a papal delegation.   During the civil war, the Maronite […]