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Lebanese, Armenian women named world’s ‘sexiest’

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The results of a new U.S.-based survey gives Lebanese and Armenians yet another thing to brag about. The two proud nationalities can now boast the “sexiness” of their women, as the survey ranks them among the world’s “sexiest.”

According to the survey by MissTravel, a destination dating website, Armenian women are considered the number one “sexiest” nationality, followed by Lebanese in tenth place.

The travel site polled over 110,000 Americans to determine who they thought was best looking. Last year, Australian men and Brazilian women topped the sexy charts.

The change of heart gives well-deserved recognition to the grace and glamor of Lebanese women. But more importantly, it recognies the intelligence and ambition of Lebanese ladies that contribute to the country’s economy, intellect, and sex appeal.

Lebanese TV journalist Rima Karaki made national news when she shut down a London-based Sheikh when he told her to shut up. (MEMRI TV)
Lebanese TV journalist Rima Karaki made national news when she shut down a London-based Sheikh when he told her to shut up. (MEMRI TV)

And with curves like Kim Kardashian, who can question the bombshell beauty of Armenian ladies? The Armenian-American celebrity recently went on an eight-day tour of her homeland in mid-April.

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and North all visit the Geghard Monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia (Irish Mirror)
Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and North all visit the Geghard Monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia (Irish Mirror)

The survey also ranked sexy men, placing Irish, Australians, and Pakistani’s among the top.

The sexiest nationalities for women:
10. Lebanese
9. Bulgarian
8. Filipina
7. Brazilian
6. Australian
5. English
4. Colombian
3. American
2. Barbadian/Bajan
1. Armenian

The sexiest nationalities for men:
10. Spanish
9. Danish
8. Nigerian
7. Italian
6. Scottish
5. English
4. American
3. Pakistani
2. Australian
1. Irish

So, what do you think? Let us know on our Facebook page.

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Lebanese-Americans mark 10th anniversary of Cedar Revolution in DC

(WASHINGTON, DC) — A delegation of Lebanese political groups representing the March 14 alliance, hosted the 10th annual commemoration of Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution on Thursday in Washington, DC.

A ceremony was held in the Rayburn House Office building at the United States Congress to mark the anniversary of March 14, 2005, when an independence uprising took place in Lebanon following the withdrawal of Syrian forces.

U.S. representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Mark Meadows (R-NC), and Ed Royce (R-CA) joined Lebanese-American activists and political leaders during the ceremony.

“This year’s commemoration comes at a challenging time for the Middle East and in particular for Lebanon, which strives for sovereignty, stability, and prosperity in a region beset by turmoil,” said a statement by the Lebanese Information Center.

“We of the Lebanese Information Center and of similar Lebanese-American organizations continue to stand against the destabilizing actions of ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliates as well of Hezbollah, Iran, and the Syrian regime, which seek to transform Lebanon into their battlefield.”

The group adds that commemorating the Cedar Revolution sends a “powerful” message that Lebanese in the United States and the U.S. government hope to secure a “genuine democracy” in Lebanon.

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Rai: Christian exodus weakens moderate Islam

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The exodus of Christians from the Middle East will weaken moderate Islam “which, thanks to the Islamic-Christian conviviality, is so far the vast majority of Muslims in the Middle East,” said Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai.

Speaking at UNESCO in Paris on April 25, the cardinal said Christians were “irreplaceable peacemakers” and, without them, “Islam will fall into the hands of fundamentalists.” He called on Europe and the international community “to ensure that Christians remain in their countries.”

The first condition to save this presence, he said, is “the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

The speech at UNESCO was on the first day of a four-day visit to France, where the cardinal inaugurated the new Maronite Diocese in Meudon, near Paris. There are approximately 85,000 Maronite Catholics in France.

In his speech, the cardinal pleaded for an end to the ongoing conflicts, particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, “through political negotiations and dialogue between the conflicting parties.”

“Stop supporting the belligerents with arms and money,” he urged. Instead, he said, “It is essential to assist countries in the region to emerge from the bloody conflicts that consume them, peoples and civilisations.”

Cardinal Rai also spoke on behalf of people uprooted from their homes in the region.

“I came to UNESCO to bring the voice of those who had it taken from them. I come here to vouch for the plight of millions of refugees, displaced people, children and seniors, women and men who lost loved ones, who had their country and property stolen, their future destroyed,” he said.

Lebanon is now hosting more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees. In April, Antonio Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees, said that would be the equivalent of 80 million refugees entering the United States.

Thousands of Christian Iraqi families have also come to Lebanon since the Islamic State’s takeover of Mosul and the Ninevah Plain last summer.

Prior to the influx of refugees, approximately 33 percent of Lebanon’s existing population of about four million was Christian. That sectarian equation has shifted, as most of the Syrian refugees are Muslim.

Cardinal Rai was scheduled to meet French President Francois Hollande on April 28. High on the agenda, in addition to the crisis of the Christian presence in the region, was Lebanon’s presidential vacuum. Under Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the post is reserved for a Maronite but has been vacant since May, when the term of Michel Sleiman ended without the election of a successor due to ongoing disputes between rival political parties over a compromise candidate.

Source: Catholic Herald

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Lebanese man imprisoned for lying about ties to Amal Movement

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — 45-year-old Lebanese-born Texas resident Wissam “Sam” Allouche was sentenced to five years in federal prison for knowingly lying to federal authorities on his U.S. citizenship petition about his relationship with the Amal militia.

U.S. District Judge Royce C.  Lamberth sentenced Allouche to five-year terms of imprisonment, to run concurrently, for making a false statement to a federal agent and for an unlawful attempt to procure and obtain naturalization and citizenship.

In a statement, the FBI said the judge found that there was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Allouche was a member of the Amal militia and had command authority over Hezbollah.

That announcement was made today by Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.

Testimony during trial revealed that Allouche, who migrated to the United States after marrying his wife, a U.S. Army soldier, failed to disclose in January 2009 to U.S. immigration authorities the fact that in the 1980s, he was a member of the Amal militia in order to remain in the United States.

In addition, while seeking a contract linguist position with the U.S. Department of Defense that required top security clearance, evidence revealed that Allouche failed to disclose that he was held as a prisoner of war by Israel.

Present and former relatives testified Allouche later made statements that he subsequently killed an Israeli pilot captured by Hezbollah in retaliation for his imprisonment.

Evidence presented during trial also showed that in 2009, Allouche unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship by claiming that he was living with his estranged wife when, in fact, they were in divorce proceedings.

On February 20, 2015, jurors convicted Allouche of both charges.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the San Antonio Joint Terrorism Task Force.

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Salma Hayek meets with Syrian refugees in Lebanon

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Actress and film director Salma Hayek helped launch CHIME for the Children of Syria, a fundraising appeal to support children and families affected by the Syria crisis, following a recent visit to meet with Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

CHIME FOR CHANGE is a global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls and women around the world focusing on the areas of education, health and justice.

Hayek visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon on April 25 to draw attention to the urgent humanitarian needs of children and families whose lives have been upended by the brutal conflict in Syria over the last four years.

Across the region, UNICEF estimates that 14 million children have been affected and are at risk of becoming a lost generation, including 2.6 million children who are no longer in school, and close to two million who are living as refugees in neighboring countries.

“Millions of children have been robbed of their childhood, their country and have lost their loved ones. As a result of the conflict in Syria, they are missing out on their education and are having to work to provide for their families,” said Hayek.

Hayek met with refugee children and observed a polio immunization campaign targeting high risk areas, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, UNICEF and local partner Beyond Association to protect nearly 190,000 children under the age of five from the crippling disease.

She also witnessed mobile medical clinics set up by UNICEF, the Ministry, and local partners to provide free primary healthcare, including access to vaccines, critically needed examinations, basic medicine and antenatal care to refugees in tented settlements across Lebanon.

“I’m deeply inspired by the courage of the Syrian refugee children and their families that I met in Lebanon who, against the odds, and despite the harm they have suffered or witnessed, are still determined to endure life and hope for a better future. I’m also moved by the generosity so many Lebanese people have shown toward those seeking refuge in their country,” said Hayek, whose paternal grandparents were Lebanese.

“I plead to everyone who is grateful for the peace and stability in their lives to show compassion for those who have lost it all and to help.”

Well-known for films such as Frida, Puss in Boots and most recently The Prophet, Hayek is also member of the CHIME FOR CHANGE Founding Committee supporting women and girls’ empowerment.

In 2008, Hayek travelled to Sierra Leone with UNICEF to witness firsthand the impact of maternal and neonatal tetanus on women and babies and observe UNICEF’s health and immunization programs.

The Gucci-UNICEF partnership was launched in 2005, and has benefitted more than 7.5 million children to date through UNICEF programs that focus on helping the most disadvantaged children have a brighter future through education.

SEE photos of Hayek’s visit:

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 City Beat, Detroit, News

Tayyar U.S. delegation conclude weekend workshop

(DETROIT, MI) — A U.S. delegation of Free Patriotic Movement leaders concluded a two-day political workshop in Birmingham, Mich. on Sunday, which included an evening dinner attended by Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan.

Kabalan voiced his future plans to invite opposing Lebanese political factions to unanimously gather for a meeting.

“We have plans to bridge the various Lebanese political chapters in Detroit,” said Kabalan, during brief comments in Arabic. “This is an important and democratic asset to Lebanon to have so many differing beliefs.”

The final day of the workshop hosted political supporters of the March 8 alliance, including guests of the March 14 alliance, for a dinner at The Community House in downtown Birmingham.

Suehaila Amen, coordinator of the two-day conference, said the purpose was to restructure the Lebanese American Council of Democracy (LACD), which is largely managed by Tayyar leaders.

“This is an opportunity to bring together leaders from around the nation to reshape the mission and vision of this organization,” Amen said. “It’s also to make the group more social than political.”

Salim Sessine, local Lebanese-American businessman who organized the conference, said workshop attendees agreed to structure independent statewide organizations of LACD.

“We want to create one national board,” Sessine said. “Then there will be independent statewide chapters which will remain as separate entities.”

Conference attendees discussed the security situation in Lebanon and the ongoing presidential vacuum, which they say threatens Christians in the Middle East.

“Christians are currently in a fragile role in the region,” said Tony Faddoul, who came from New York for the conference. “But that issue is a uniting factor among many of the Lebanese political groups.”

Faddoul said FPM’s political strategy desires to protect Christians and rally the Lebanese diaspora to maintain their roots in Lebanon.

“We’re from a generation used to all the climax,” he said. “We heard of flourishing moments from our parents, but we haven’t had the chance to experience them. We instead emigrated to other countries.”

Wedad Elhage, who immigrated to the United States in 1980, said she’s pleased to see diaspora communities remain involved in Lebanese politics.

“I’m so proud to see different factions of our community here,” Elhage said. “As emigrants we came to the United States to achieve our dreams and have hopes to return our country and live freely.”

MORE: Tayyar gather in Detroit for nationwide political workshop. Click here for video.

Lebanese-American businessman Salim Sessine introducing Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan during a two-day political workshop for a U.S. delegation of Free Patriotic Movement representatives in Birmingham, Mich. Photo: Charlie Kadado/Lebanese Examiner
Lebanese-American businessman Salim Sessine introduces Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan during a two-day political workshop for a U.S. delegation of Free Patriotic Movement representatives in Birmingham, Mich. Photo: Charlie Kadado/Lebanese Examiner
Chiropractor Laura Mourad and businessman Gaby Issa listen to remarks by Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan. Photo: Charlie Kadado/Lebanese Examiner
Chiropractor Laura Mourad and businessman Gaby Issa listen to remarks by Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan. Photo: Charlie Kadado/Lebanese Examiner
Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan speaks to members of the Lebanese diaspora as Free Patriotic Movement U.S. representative Saad Hannoush looks on. Photo: Charlie Kadado/Lebanese Examiner
Consul General of Lebanon Bilal Kabalan speaks to members of the Lebanese diaspora as Free Patriotic Movement U.S. representative Saad Hannoush looks on. Photo: Charlie Kadado/Lebanese Examiner
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 Entertainment, News

Salma Hayek visits Lebanon to launch “The Prophet”

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Actress and film director Salma Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon for the first time on Sunday to launch “The Prophet,” a new animated feature film she co-produced.

Hayek, joined by Sethrida Geagea, visited the mountain village of Bcharre in northern Lebanon to pay tribute to Khalil Gibran, the Bcharre-born poet who wrote “The Prophet,” which the film is based on.

“Let us have a private moment in this place that we dreamt so long to be a part of,” Hayek said before entering the Gibran Museum.

“The Prophet,” written in 1923, has inspired generations of artists. The book, a series of poems about love, joy, sorrow, work and spirituality, has been translated into at least 40 languages.

Gibran also was a sculptor and a painter influenced by the English Romantics. He migrated to the United States in the late 1890s, dying there in 1931.

Hayek posed with one of Gibran’s towering sculptures outside the museum and dipped her feet in nearby mountain spring waters before visiting his tomb and viewing his work.

“The Prophet” director Roger Allers, who also directed Disney’s “The Lion King,” accompanied Hayek on the trip.

“I have been living with the spirit of Gibran for the last three years and it has been a very intimate experience and now to come to his home is very moving,” Allers said.

The film tells the story of a friendship between a young girl and an imprisoned poet. Quoting from Gibran’s book, Allers said: “‘Work is love made visible.’ And I really feel that about this movie.”

The film premieres April 30 in Lebanon. Distributor Mohammed Fadallah said it will be showing in 20 theaters here before going to the Gulf region and North Africa.

Hayek arrived Friday in Lebanon. The Mexican-American actress’ paternal grandfather was Lebanese and immigrated to Mexico.

A poster outside the museum bearing one of Gibran’s poems also welcomed her: “The children of my Lebanon, those who migrate with nothing but courage in their hearts and strength in their arms but who return with wealth in their hands and a wreath of glory upon their heads.”

Source: Associated Press

Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek, center, Lebanese legislator Setrida Geagea, left, and film director Roger Allers, right, stand for the Lebanese and Mexican national anthems during her visit at the museum of the famed Lebanese-born poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek, center, Lebanese legislator Setrida Geagea, left, and film director Roger Allers, right, stand for the Lebanese and Mexican national anthems during her visit at the museum of the famed Lebanese-born poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film “The Prophet,” a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American Salma Hayek sits in front of a statue of Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran during her visit to his museum in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by the famed Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American Salma Hayek sits in front of a statue of Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran during her visit to his museum in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film “The Prophet,” a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by the famed Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek signs the museum guest book during her visit at the museum of the famed Lebanese-born poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek signs the museum guest book during her visit at the museum of the famed Lebanese-born poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film “The Prophet,” a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek, second left, speaks with Lebanese legislator Setrida Geagea, second right, during her visit to Khalil Gibran's museum in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by the famed Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek, second left, speaks with Lebanese legislator Setrida Geagea, second right, during her visit to Khalil Gibran’s museum in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film “The Prophet,” a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by the famed Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Gibran. Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP
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Tayyar gather in Detroit for nationwide political workshop

(DETROIT, MI) — A nationwide delegation of Free Patriotic Movement leaders gathered in Detroit on Friday to begin a two-day political workshop and strategy conference to designate additional Tayyar representatives in underrepresented states.

The workshop is organized by local businessman Salim Sessine to shed light on minority Christians in the Middle East and connect with American political leaders and government representatives, including Paul Abbate, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division, who will address the group on Saturday.

“One of our long-term goals is to defend the presence of Christians in the Middle East, and try to educate our American friends and colleagues,” Sessine said. “We want to make sure we have presence throughout the United States.”

Tayyar representatives from New York, Florida, California, and Alabama gathered at the Community House in Birmingham, Mich. on Friday to kick-off political strategy dialogue, which will continue throughout the weekend.

“The purpose of this convention is to stay connected and organize ourselves,” said Norma Haddad, who came from New York to examine predicaments facing Lebanese Christians and potential lobbying solutions in Washington, DC. “We’re united on all political sides to do something for the Christians in Lebanon.”

Millions of Middle Eastern Christians fled the region since WWI, including a high influx of Lebanese Maronites, who left during the Lebanese Civil War.

WATCH Tayyar representatives discuss day one of the political workshop:

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American Task Force for Lebanon hosts annual gala in DC

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(WASHINGTON, DC) — The American Task Force for Lebanon hosted their 17th annual fundraising gala at the Fairmont Washington Hotel in Washington, DC on Apr. 16, which honored renowned geneticist Dr. Huda Zoghbi and journalist Sara Ganim.

The event drew hundreds of guests, including members of Congress and such dignitaries as General George Joulwan, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and Dr. Charles Elachi, director of the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The first honor was presented to Dr. Zoghbi, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and founding director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital. She is also a trustee at the American University of Beirut and Rice University.

Sara Ganim, CNN correspondent based in New York, was also presented an award during the gala. Ganim covers investigative news for the news network, including Jerry Sandusky’s child sex abuse scandal, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012.

The American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) is a nonprofit organization comprised of Americans of Lebanese heritage who lobby U.S. officials to provide aid to Lebanon and promote the accomplishments and nationwide contributions of Lebanese Americans.

The organization features an array of Lebanese-American leaders, including former U.S. senator Spencer Abraham, chairman of ATFL, and U.S. congressman Darrell Issa, who serves on its Board of Directors.

ATFL says it works to promote national unity and sovereignty in Lebanon and to enlist greater support from the U.S. public to “assist Lebanon achieve its potential as a beacon of coexistence, tolerance, freedom of expression, democracy, and free enterprise in the Middle East.”

VIEW photos of the gala below:

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Obama will not call 1915 Armenian killings a ‘genocide’

(WASHINGTON, DC) — U.S. officials announced on Wednesday that President Barack Obama will not call the 1915 massacre of Armenians a genocide, prompting anger from those who have been pushing him to make the announcement on the 100th anniversary of the killings.

Top administration officials met with Armenian-American leaders on Tuesday before publicly announcing their decision. Media reports say Obama officials were advised not to call the killings a genocide from some at the State Department and the Pentagon.

“The president and other senior administration officials have repeatedly acknowledged the historical fact that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred and marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Wednesday. “As we have said in previous years, a full frank and just acknowledgment of the facts is in all of our interests, including Turkey’s, Armenia’s and America’s.”

As a presidential candidate, Obama formerly described the killings a “genocide” and said the U.S. government had a “responsibility” to recognize them as such. In January 2008, he pledged to recognize the genocide if elected president.

But Obama has never used that description since becoming president, out of obedience to Turkey, a key U.S. partner and ally, which is frantically opposed to the “genocide” label.

The U.S. announcement added that Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will attend a ceremony in Armenia on Friday to mark the anniversary.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks, which has been widely recognized by scholars as genocide. Turkey, however, denies the claim and says the death toll has been inflated.

Intense negative reaction to the announcement came from members of the Armenian-American community and members of Congress who have been rallying the president to clarify the label.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he was “deeply disappointed” by the president’s decision.

“The United States has long prided itself for being a beacon of human rights, for speaking out against atrocity, for confronting painful chapters of its own past and that of others,” said Schiff. “This cannot be squared with a policy of complicity in genocide denial by the president or Congress.”

Armenian officials say they feel betrayed by the president.

“President Obama’s surrender to Turkey represents a national disgrace,” said Ken Hachikian, the chairman of the Armenian National Council of America. “It is, very simply, a betrayal of truth, a betrayal of trust.”

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