President Michel Sleiman (R) welcomes Spanish King Juan Carlos I at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Monday afternoon. (NOW Lebanon)
Lebanese customs officials take apart a carpet, which was to be posted to Australia, after it was discovered to contain cocaine woven in. (EPA/Lucy Paraseghian)
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The recent assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai was another episode in the ongoing shadow war between Israel and Islamist groups. But it also shed light on another destabilizing factor in the Middle East: Iran’s quest for regional hegemony and its arms smuggling operations.
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This year’s commemoration of former PM Rafik Hariri’s assassination is different. After the formation of the national unity government, March 14 supporters became disillusioned with the movement. To avoid further alienation, the movement’s leaders need to outline a clear set of goals and start thinking of a strategy to fulfill their promises.
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Just one week before the fifth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination, some people aligned with the March 14 movement are still deciding whether or not to attend the commemoration. Secular supporters are questioning what exactly the rally and the movement stand for.
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A debate on banning smoking in public places has been heating up lately, and the number of proponents is growing. Still, in Lebanon’s tobacco-friendly culture, the commonly-held belief that such a ban will hurt businesses is slowing down a move to institute the measure.
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Talking to ski resort director Christian Rizk
If next year is witness to another snowless December, Lebanon’s winter sports industry will face the consequences. Christian Rizk, the Director of Tourism and Winter Sports at the Mzaar ski resort, talks to NOW about how this season’s delayed snowfall affected Lebanon’s ski business.
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Talking to aviation expert Raymond Farhat
In the wake of Monday’s crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, NOW talks to aviation expert and lawyer Raymond Farhat about who legally conducts the investigation into the accident and claims fault, as well as how much compensation the families of the victims will receive.
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