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 […]

  دعا رئيس الجمهورية ميشال سليمان الى تجنب الفراغ في موقع الرئاسة والى ارساء قيم الديمقراطية وان يكون الرئيس صناعة لبنانية ، معتبرا أن تعطيل النصاب عمل غير ديمقراطي. وطالب سليمان أمام أعضاء السلك الديبلوماسي في بعبدا سوريا بعد القبول بتدخل اي طرف لبناني على اراضيها وكذلك ايران ودول الخليج  ، كما دعا العالم الى عدم […]

    Mansour Labaki’s lawyer denied on Thursday that Vatican authorities ruled that the monsignor was innocent of the child abuse accusations against him. "The case is now in the hands of Pope Francis only, and we are sure of Labaki’s innocence according to the documents we have,” attorney Antoine Akl said in released statement. "And therefore, […]

The New York Herald Tribune, April, 30, 1964.

BEIRUT — Lebanon is as old as time and as new as tomorrow, and its face is constantly changing. This narrow strip of the eastern Mediterranean seaboard, which lies between Syria and Israel, has been an important trading center ever since the days when it was a stop on the spice route.

Beirut, its capital, is the seething communications hub of the Middle East, where planes from every point on the globe touch down, linking four continents. The city is an anachronism in which fast-paced sophistication, and slothful, time-worn customs are crazily juxtaposed.

In the old quarter men sit all day long in obscure cafes, playing cards and puffing at their water-pipes, and the bazaar teems with colors, smells, cries and milling throngs, as it has for centuries.

    Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi backs the candidacy of former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud for the presidency, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday. According to the daily, al-Rahi informed officials ahead of his trip to the Vatican last week that he adopts Baroud’s candidacy based on surveys carried out by Bkirki. A second round will be held […]

  Ahead of the 2014 presidential election, this is the 12th and last article in a series that has examined the circumstances and conditions that shaped the elections of Lebanon’s presidents since 1943.   BEIRUT: The election of Michel Sleiman to the presidency came as a result of the Qatari-brokered Doha Accord that ended days […]

  After years of dating actresses, models, cocktail waitresses and a former professional wrestler, we can’t say we’re surprised that the woman who convinced George Clooney to commit is a successful lawyer.   Yes, the perpetual bachelor is officially engaged to Amal Alamuddin. If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard her name before, it’s because […]

  Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi will travel to the Holly Land next month along with the delegation accompanying Pope Francis, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday. Bishop Boulos Sayyah, who will be accompanying al-Rahi in his trip, told the newspaper that the Patriarch will be within the delegation traveling with the Pontiff.   “There is a Maronite […]