TRIPOLI, Lebanon: A teenager from central Syria became the one millionth Syrian refugee to register in Lebanon on Thursday, a "devastating milestone" for the tiny Arab country with about 4.5 million people of its own, the U.N. refugee agency said.   Signing up for aid, 19-year-old Yahya recounted his long ordeal. After being trapped […]

  Claims that the Holy Grail has been found after sitting for 1,000 years in a Spanish church face a tough inquisition from doubtful historians. Visitors flocked to the museum of the San Isidro basilica in Leon after a new book said it contained the chalice from which Jesus Christ sipped at the Last Supper. Experts on […]

  The United Nations, Western governments, media, universities, and talking heads everywhere insist that Palestinians are suffering tremendous abuses from the state of Israel.   Conversely, the greatest human rights tragedy of our time—radical Muslim persecution of Christians, including in Palestinian controlled areas—is devotedly ignored.   The facts speak for themselves. Reliable estimates indicate that […]

  Mother Jones has obtained a tape of a closed door speech by Dick Cheney in which the former vice president rips President Obama over Middle East and National Security Agency surveillance policies.   "The bottom line is the United States’ position in [the Middle East] is worse than at any time in my lifetime," […]

  A senior U.S. official advised Lebanon not to drill in disputed waters off its coast until a deal on maritime boundaries is reached, adding that Washington was working on ways to resolve competing claims over the territory.   “I think the most advisable policy for choosing where to drill is to reach an agreement […]

  Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti was on Tuesday holding talks with Lebanese officials on the support to the Lebanese army and ways to improve its capabilities. “This is my first visit abroad since my appointment as defense minister,” the state-run National News Agency quoted her as saying. She said her visit had the objective to support […]

  President Michel Suleiman chaired on Monday a national dialogue session that stressed the importance of an agreement on a defense strategy given a rise in terrorist threats and amid a boycott by the majority of March 8 camp’s representatives and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea from the March 14 alliance.   Suleiman had invited […]

  Obamacare open enrollment is drawing to close, though that doesn’t mean the fervor over health care reform will subside anytime soon. Americans have until the end of Monday to sign up for health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges for 2014. However, those that start their applications but run into technical trouble that prevents them […]

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s appointment of Prince Muqrin as deputy crown prince is a first step towards addressing its biggest dynastic challenge for 50 years and forestalling a possible succession crisis in the world’s top oil exporter.

The ruling al-Saud family is fast approaching the moment when it must decide how to jump down a generation from a line of brothers born to the country’s founder King Abdulaziz to their sons and nephews, a process fraught with difficulty.

For a dynasty that now sees itself as governing a rare island of stability in a region aflame with conflict and political discord, and facing looming demographic challenges, that decision is growing increasingly urgent.

"There is no alternative. You have no choice. There should be clarity and there should be a correct approach to succession," said Khaled al-Maeena, editor at large of Saudi Gazette, an English-language daily.

Although any jostling for power among the 40-odd branches of King Abdulaziz’s descendents is kept carefully hidden behind the ornate doors of royal palaces, Saudis with royal connections say some members of the family worry about being sidelined.

  The Khazens and the Maronite Church The Khazen family have shown an unmatched affection like no other ever since they moved to Keserwan in the middle of the 16th century. They took charge of the spiritual, cultural and religious apostolic, and organizational affairs.   I- The Church Under The Patronage of the Khazens When […]