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Two of LeBron James’ former teammates played in Lebanon

Over the years, NBA star LeBron James has had many players supporting during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

Two of his former Cleveland teammates, Lee Nailon and Ronald Murray, also played in the Lebanese Basketball League.

lee nailon lebanon

Nailon was a second round pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1999 NBA Draft. After a few years and a handful of other teams, he played on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2003-04 season alongside LeBron James.

The Cavaliers did not the qualify for the playoffs for the season, and afterwards Nailon did not remain with the team.

For the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Nailon played for the Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut Club, also known as Al Riyadi.

ronald murray lebanon

Meanwhile, Ronald Murray was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft.

He played for the Cavaliers for the 2005-06 season, alongside LeBron James who was averaging almost 31 points in the playoffs.

On April 11, 2014, he signed with Al Mouttahed Tripoli Club of Lebanon for the 2013–14 season.

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 News

Police: Baalbeck man kills wife after finding her having sex with two men

A Syrian national is accused of murdering his wife in Baalbeck after he allegedly caught her having sex with two men, according to Lebanese Internal Security Forces.

The 33-year-old man, identified only by his initials M.H., allegedly stabbed and strangled his wife after discovering the trio having sex inside their home.

The two men assisted the husband in burying her body in the Baalbeck town of Boudai, security forces added.

“It turns out that out of fear of being killed, they helped him dig a hole and place the body in it,” a statement said.

The husband and one of the men, 29, are in custody.

Security forces are searching for the third suspect.

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 News

Smugglers attempt to sneak ‘extremely rare’ monkeys into Lebanon

A pair of ‘extremely rare’ monkeys were recovered from smugglers at the Beirut airport, officials announced.

Lebanese authorities rescued the rare white-throated guenons and sent them to Monkey World, a rescue facility and monkey sanctuary in England.

The monkeys, named Benny and Nia, were smuggled into Lebanon through a passenger flight from Ghana, officials said.

Lebanese officials worked with the Animals Lebanon welfare group and Middle East Airlines to safely transport the animals to Monkey World in England.

“As tragic as their story is, Benny  and Nia are the lucky ones that have survived and made it to a safe home,” said Dr. Alison Cronin, director of Monkey World. “Most die during the hunt or when they are torn away from their families and forest homes to be smuggled across the globe.”

Lebanon is part of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, and has worked to crack down on illegal wildlife trade since May 2013.

White-throated guenons are known to live on trees of rainforests or tropical areas in areas of Nigeria and Benin.

Monkeys part of black market trade are often used for the illegal pet trade or entertainment industry. Adult monkeys are often shot and eaten as bushmeat.

“We cannot give them their natural lives back again, but I am pleased to see that they are enjoying their new home and enclosure,” Cronin added. “Their sad story will hopefully remind people about how important it is to protect endangered species and the habitats which they come from.”

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 Success Stories

Carla Haddad: From 14-year-old model to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ celeb

Lebanese television presenter Carla Haddad was 14-years-old when she recorded her first television advertisement. She fell in love with the camera, and has grown into one of the most popular entertainers in Lebanon.

The television star spoke exclusively with Lebanese Examiner about her rise to fame. She focused on being genuine and performing from the heart, she said.

“I am not a person who just reads the teleprompter,” Haddad said in an Arabic interview. “I consider myself more of an entertainer, who speaks off the cuff, than a presenter.”

Haddad was born in Beirut to a loving family originally from Jezzine in South Lebanon. Her parents recognized her bubbly personality and enrolled her in child modeling programs.

At just 14-years-old, Haddad was modeling for television commercials and print advertisements. Her career only grew from there.

“After that, great opportunities kept rolling,” she said. “I had the chance to be part of a stand-up comedy group, an actress, and even a show host in Los Angeles.”

Haddad’s shows, among the most popular in the Middle East, included Carlalala, Ya Leil Ya Ein, Comedy Night and Helwi El Hayat.

She most recently co-hosted the Arab world version of Dancing with the Stars on MTV with television personality Wissam Breidy.

“I have worked hard in my life on building great content and becoming more of an entertainer,” Haddad added. “It’s not just about your appearance on the outside, but how you can connect with people on the inside.”

Haddad is passionate about keeping her fans updated on social media, and connecting with her viewers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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 Food & Drink

VIDEO: People try Lebanese Arak for the first time!

Have you ever wondered how your white friends would react to drinking Arak?

The producers at Buzzfeed have answered that question with a YouTube video showing people trying Arak for the first time!

The reactions included:

“I’m feeling a buzz.”

“This can be dangerous.”

“The strongest drink I’ve ever had.”

“This is the prime drink you can sneak into a music festival. Just say it’s like fancy water.”

While the Arak was not poured into its traditional glass, most of the people who tried it, liked it!

“This right here is everything I want in a drink — it’s easy to go down, it’s alcoholic as hell and it’s refreshing,” one guy said.

Watch the video from Buzzfeed below:

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 Business

Lebanon’s wind power industry attracts bids from 40+ companies

Lebanon is attracting international interest from 42 companies to develop up to 300 megawatts of wind power, according to Windpower Monthly magazine.

The country’s Ministry of Energy and Water has received expressions of interest from 42 companies in 20 countries, including Denmark, France and Germany.

According to Windpower Monthly, the wind power projects would be located in Akkar, the Bekaa Valley or Southern governorates.

Lebanon is expected to launch the main bidding process during the International Beirut Energy Forum in late September 2018.

Windpower Monthly reports the companies include Ramboll in Denmark, Dongfang Electric in China and ACWA Power in Saudi Arabia, among others.

Lebanon gave the go ahead for 200 megawatt projects in 2017, with a tender introduction to wind power starting in 2013.

The country is still in the early developmental procedures of wind power. Lebanon aims to source 12% of its electricity and heat from renewables by 2020.

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 Food & Drink

This machine at Beirut bakery can make 12,000 pita loaves per hour!

The ‘National Over Mediterranean’ bakery and equipment factory in Beirut uses an automatic machine to produce thousands of pita loaves per day!

The company’s high-powered machine is automatic, and can produce up to 12,000 loaves per hour, their website said. The loaves range from 15 to 40 centimeters.

NME uses the machine to make seven styles of traditional Lebanese bread.

The bread is sold to supermarkets, large restaurants and bakeries.

In a viral video posted by INSIDER, the automated process appears to start with a piece of dough flattened into circular flakes that travel through a conveyer belt.

The bread is baked at a perfect temperature and packed into bags for distribution.

According to the NME website, the company distributes bread to customers worldwide.

To learn more about their bread production and distribution, click here.

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 Entertainment

VIDEO: Pranksters in mannequin costumes scare Beirut shoppers

A group of Lebanese pranksters are scaring unsuspecting shoppers all over Beirut!

The ‘HowAboutBeirut’ YouTube channel posted an April 29 video showing two men dressed in mannequin costumes as they scare men and women passing by.

Their reactions (or no reactions) are priceless — ranging from abrupt screams to a casual glance.

WATCH: Pranksters scare Beirut shoppers

The ‘HowAboutBeirut’ channel has been open since March 2013. They have more than 32 million video views.

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 News

Convicted Lebanese cancer doctor Farid Fata seeks new trial

Convicted Lebanese cancer doctor Farid Fata claims he was pressured into pleading guilty to misdiagnosing people with cancer, new court documents show.

Fata was sentenced to 45 years in prison in 2014 for prescribing chemotherapy to patients who were perfectly healthy or whose conditions did not require the treatment.

The disgraced doctor is now asking a federal judge to throw out his 2014 conviction and grant him a new trial.

Fata claims his attorney convinced him to plead guilty for a possible lesser sentence. He alleges his attorney said he could get 20 years as opposed to life in prison if he entered the guilty plea.

“(My attorney) enforced the idea of pleading guilty by leading me to believe that I would receive leniency by entering guilty pleas,” Fata wrote. “From day one to the present, I have steadfastly maintained my innocence. And I maintain that I only agreed to plead guilty in this case due to (my attorney’s) false promises and misadvice.”

COURT DOCUMENTS: Fata seeks new trial

The new documents come four years after Fata stood before the court and sobbed in response to the sentencing.

“I stand before you ashamed of my actions. It all went wrong,” Fata said in court.” I cannot bring back the past.”

RELATED: Lebanese-American doctor Fata sentenced to 45 years in prison

Former patients referred to him as a ‘cowardly bastard’ as he sat expressionless for days watching victims take the stand during sentencing.

RELATED: Agent: Farid Fata planned to buy $3M castle in Adma, Lebanon

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not yet filed a response to Fata’s request.

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 News

Descendant of Lebanese, Korean immigrants runs for Congress

Dan Koh, the descendant of Lebanese and Korean immigrants, is running to represent Massachusetts in Congress.

The 32-year-old is the former chief of staff of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. He announced his campaign in October with a dramatic launch video.

Koh, a Democrat, is already gaining traction, but faces a crowded primary field to succeed retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas in the state’s 3rd congressional district.

According to a March profile in Boston Magazine, Koh’s mother’s grandparents emigrated from Lebanon to Lawrence, Massachusetts in the 1890s. His great-grandfather patented an invention for improving mill efficiency.

His Lebanese mother, Dr. Claudia Arrigg, helps run the Arrigg Eye & Ear Associates offices, which his grandfather founded.

Koh’s father, Dr. Howard Koh, is the former United States Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama.

Dan Koh is running for Congress in Massachusetts. (Campaign photo)
Dan Koh is running for Congress in Massachusetts. (Campaign photo)

According to his campaign website, Koh wants to bring a “new generation of leadership” to Congress, where he says he will make healthcare, the economy and education among his top priority issues.

Koh has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he met his wife Amy. Before working in Boston government, he was the former chief of staff to Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post.

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