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Massive turnout as Lebanon remembers Hariri
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Beirut, 14 Feb. (AKI) – The son of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri on Tuesday led a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people who turned out to commemorate the first anniversary of his father’s assassination. But the event in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square was also used by Saad Hariri and other political leaders as a platform for emotional speeches condemning Syria’s meddling in Lebanese affairs. "Lebanon will not deal with those who want to supress it. Long live Lebanon. Long live Rafiq Hariri, Long live the Lebanese people," shouted Saad Hariri who stood behind a bullet-proof glass screen while people waved red-and-white Lebanese flags.

The government gave schools the day off and businesses shuttered to give way for people to participate. Thousands began gathering in the morning under in crisp cool winter weather under sunny skies, carrying Lebanese flags and pictures of Hariri. The demonstration, described as a "gathering of loyalty and national unity" on the central Martyrs’ Square next to his grave, climaxes shortly after midday, the time when a huge truck bomb exploded on a downtown seaside street on Feb. 14, 2005, as Hariri’s motorcade drove by, killing him and 20 others. To view pictures pls cleak "READ MORE"

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Massive turnout as Lebanon remembers Hariri
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BEIRUT (AFP)–  The Lebanese capital was transformed into a massive sea of red and white flags as the country marked the first anniversary of former premier Rafiq Hariri’s assassination, still struggling to unite in the shadow of its former powerbroker Syria.

The government gave schools the day off and businesses shuttered to give way for people to participate. Thousands began gathering in the morning under in crisp cool winter weather under sunny skies, carrying Lebanese flags and pictures of Hariri. The demonstration, described as a "gathering of loyalty and national unity" on the central Martyrs’ Square next to his grave, climaxes shortly after midday, the time when a huge truck bomb exploded on a downtown seaside street on Feb. 14, 2005, as Hariri’s motorcade drove by, killing him and 20 others.

Thousands of people packed into central Beirut, waving red and white flags and pictures of the slain billionaire premier who was credited with rebuilding their country after the devastating civil war.
Hariri’s son Saad returned home at the weekend after six months in exile to issue an appeal for a massive turnout on the anniversary of an event that plunged Lebanon into turmoil and changed its political landscape.

"It will be a day of a renewal of faith in the unity of Lebanon," said Hariri, now the head of the anti-Syrian majority in parliament. Candlelit rallies and concerts are planned to mark the massive Beirut seafront bombing that killed Hariri and 20 other people on Valentine’s Day 2005.

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Junblat doubts Lebanese maps for Shabaa farms
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The Lebanese Druze Leader Walid Junblat doubted the accuracy of maps confirming the Lebanese identity on Shebaa Farms, an area which was confiscated by Israel in 1967 during its occupation of the Syrian Golan heights.

The Lebanese parliamentarian who is among the majority standing against Damascus presented in the parliament Lebanese official maps that he said dats back to the year 1962, in which the Shebaa Farms are located outside the borders of the country, and compared it to another map which he said is false and he had received in 2001, in which this area is included as part of the Lebanese lands.

Junblat said that Lebanese former officials for general security lt. gen. Jamil al-Sayyed handed him the "false" map in 2001. AL-Sayyed and three of his assistants of the Lebanese security are currently held in custody over suspicion of being involved in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

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Beautiful Beirut Rises From Its Past Violence
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By RAY HANANIA, When you get your first glimpse of Beirut flying over the Mediterranean Sea minutes past the small island of , the Lebanese city glistens like a rainbow of colors.
The deep blue CyprusMediterranean sea is followed by the brown sand of the coast, the light green palm trees that reach out around the red-roofed buildings, the teal mountain brush and white snow covered mountains.

At one time, Beirut was the sparkling jewel of the Middle East, a robust tourist center that brought mingled tourists seeking oriental adventure with the wealthy whose enthusiasm for enjoyment on the city

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Hariri’s son returns to Beirut from Paris
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Beirut – Saad Hariri, son of late Lebanese former prime minister Rafik Hariri and head of the majority bloc in Lebanon’s parliament, returned Sunday to Beirut and urged a big, peaceful demonstration on Tuesday’s anniversary of his father’s assassination. ‘I call on you all (Lebanese) Christian and Moslems to participate in the peaceful march next Tuesday,’ he said at a press conference at his family’s house in Beirut’s Quratem district.

He returned from Paris, where he has been living for the past six months along with his family for fear of also being the target of an assassination attempt. ‘My priority is unity among Lebanese…and for no interference from outside the border,’ he added, in a clear reference to Syria. ‘We have to stop those terrorists that are killing the good free men of this country.’ Asked about future relations with Syria, Hariri said: ‘We are not against ties with Syria, but they should be based on mutual respect.’ Hariri vowed that his father’s assassins would be punished no matter how high-ranking they were.

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Muslims protest over cartoons in Beirut
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BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims in Lebanon turned a religious ceremony on Thursday into a peaceful protest against a series of cartoons in the Western media lampooning the Prophet Mohammad. The European Union sought to calm tension, calling for a voluntary media code of conduct to avoid inflaming religious sensibilities, while the United States accused Iran and Syria of deliberately stoking Muslim rage.

The leader of Lebanon’s Hizbollah  group pledged no compromise until there was a full apology from Denmark, where the cartoons first appeared, and European countries passed laws prohibiting insults to the Prophet."Today, we are defending the dignity of our Prophet with a word, a demonstration but let (U.S. President) George Bush and the arrogant world know that if we have to … we will defend our prophet with our blood, not our voices," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbollah, told the crowd.

The annual Shi’ite mourning ceremonies mark the death of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Hussein, killed in Kerbala in Iraq 1,300 years ago. Security sources put the turnout in Beirut at 400,000 and similar processions are due throughout the day in other Shi’ite centres; notably in Iraq and Iran.

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Lebanese Flatbread Steeped in Tradition
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Zahie LaHood makes Lebanese flatbread so rich in tradition it can reduce a man to tears and swell his heart with gratitude. In the middle of summer, when days are hot and humid, LaHood starts baking in her basement kitchen at midnight. In the fall and winter, she might not heat up her Roper gas oven until 3 a.m. 

Before dawn on chilly autumn mornings, her house in Peoria, Ill., feels warm and snug, filled with the comforting aroma of yeasty baked bread. Though LaHood, 80, sold her bread in Chicago markets when she first came to Peoria from Lebanon, she now bakes only for family and friends.Her flatbread is family tradition for all six of her children. Each family will get six dozen "loaves" of the 15-inch circles of pliable bread – the traditional bread of Lebanon. An ancient dance of hands and feet starts after the bread dough rises the first time, and LaHood shapes it into small balls. Once the dough begins to rise again, her hands pick up speed. She pats balls into a pancake shape and blankets them with kitchen towels, allowing the pieces to rest as she works through the batch.When she’s ready to bake, she takes each piece of dough and throws it – shaping, pinching, tossing and twisting from hand to hand. Her movements are so fast, even daughters who have observed this ritual for 50 years can’t duplicate the motions or confidently describe the choreography.

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