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19-year-old AUB student killed in Lebanon ski accident

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — 19-year-old Melanie Freiha died in a tragic ski accident at the Kfardebian ski slopes on Sunday.

Freiha, a first-year civil engineering student at the American University of Beirut (AUB), died during surgery at Saint George Hospital in Ajaltoun.

LBCI reports that she suffered serious injuries to her ribs and spleen.

Her funeral service will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. at St. Nicolas Church in Achrafieh. She will be laid to rest in her hometown Makseh, in the eastern district of Zahle.

College Notre-Dame de Jamhour, Freiha’s high school, posted a statement on its website announcing that grade 12 students will be dismissed at 12:10 so they can participate in the funeral service.

AUB also announced it would host a memorial service at the Bechtel Engineering Building on Tuesday at noon.

Freiha was a member of her school’s running team and a leader of its scouts.

“She was full of life, joy and smiles,” wrote one of her friends on Facebook. “I am proud to have met her and known her.”

The Lebanese Forces released a statement mourning Freiha, who was a member of its student group at AUB and the niece of Milad Freiha, the party leader in Makseh.

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U.S. Census Bureau may count Arab Americans in 2020

(WASHINGTON, DC) — The U.S. Census Bureau will begin testing the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) classification for possible inclusion in the 2020 census.

Arab-Americans have previously been classified as ‘white’ by the U.S. government, who said they would consider adding the MENA category if enough positive feedback was sent during public comment.

Community activists say this would be a step forward for Arab-American rights, especially since census inclusion would give access to more political influence and public funding.

Hassan Jaber, Executive Director of the Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services (ACCESS), is leading the effort for inclusion.

“We know the challenges,” said Jaber in comments published by the Associated Press. “It really does take rethinking — who we are as a population and what our needs are, (but) there are specific needs for Arab-Americans that are not being recognized and not being met.”

Jaber serves on the U.S. Census’ National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations. He says although adding the MENA category may find criticism from Republican lawmakers, they are willing to work with all sides in fair and open dialogue.

“Frankly, being under MENA will also give us a chance for the first time for minorities within the Arab communities, such as Chaldeans, Berbers and Kurds, to self-identify,” Jaber said.

The Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey, which had a sample size of about 3 million addresses, estimated that 1.5 million people were of Arab ancestry. This doesn’t include citizens who fit the North Africa category.

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Dearborn man suspected of killing Irish soldiers deported to Lebanon

(DEARBORN, MI) — A Lebanese man from Dearborn, Mich., accused of kidnapping and killing two Irish United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon in 1980, was deported to Lebanon on Thursday for unrelated offenses.

Mahmoud Bazzi, 72, entered the United States in 1994 and later gave false information in immigration proceedings that led officials to grant him permanent residence status in the United States, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

Officials say Bazzi was sent on a commercial flight to Beirut under escort by immigration enforcement officers and turned over to Lebanese authorities.

Bazzi’s lawyer says his arrest in Lebanon has nothing to do with the UN peacekeepers case, but Irish officials say otherwise.

“I believe that this is a significant step in the pursuit of justice for Privates Thomas Barrett and Derek Smallhorne who lost their lives while on United Nations peacekeeping duty in Lebanon almost 35 years ago,” Irish Minister Simon Coveney said.

Derek Smallhorne Jr., the son of one of the Irish soldiers who was killed in 1980, said he’s delighted” to hear the news.

“It is now up to the Lebanon government to bring this man to justice and to show the world how they deal with cold-blooded murder,” he said.

But Bazzi’s attorney, Fred Ajluni, said his client is innocent and will likely be freed by Lebanese authorities.

American authorities did not specify whether Bazzi would be charged with war crimes, although his past history in Lebanon played a role in the deportation.

“This removal is the culmination of a sophisticated and meticulous investigation by several U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement components,” said Marlon Miller, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit.

The deportation order followed interviews with Steve Hindy, an American journalist who covered the civil war in southern Lebanon, and John O’Mahony, the Irish soldier who survived.

Both men identified Bazzi as the man who abducted them and five other members of a United Nations peacekeeping group in southern Lebanon.

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Lebanese woman dies after being turned away by three hospitals

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A Lebanese woman died on Saturday after she was denied admission by three hospitals, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

“Amira Al-Akoumi arrived deceased this evening to the As-Salam Hospital in al-Qoubaiyat” in the northern Akkar district, the ministry announced.

Al-Akoumi reportedly visited Al-Youssef, Rahal, and government-run Abdullah Al-Rassi hospitals where she was denied treatment.

“The ministry acted immediately and summoned the owners of the four hospitals for an interrogation at the ministry’s building on Monday morning,” the ministry said. “They were asked to submit reports on how they dealt with Akoumi.”

Health Minister Wael Abu Faour called her death “inappropriate” and ordered an urgent investigation.

This comes after Abu Faour launched an investigation into the death of Louisette Mansour, who also died after being denied admission by several hospitals.

“I am committed to securing the right of all citizens to hospitalization while preserving their dignity, without them having to wait for their fate at the doors of the hospitals,” he said.

Abu Faour says hospitals who deny admission based on financial situations will face consequences by the Health Ministry.

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VIDEO: Lebanese TV reporter throws stone at Israeli border

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese television reporter Nancy Saba of Al-Jadeed TV picked up a stone and threw it at the Israeli border during a stand-up report for the Lebanese network this week.

“From this place, the Israeli enemy had the audacity to fire tear gas at our Lebanese army. From here, I retaliate against the Israeli army,” she said.

Saba was reporting on Hezbollah’s retaliation against Israel for a Jan. 18 Israeli airstrike in southern Syria that killed six Hezbollah members and an Iranian general.

WATCH Saba throw the stone:

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Hezbollah retaliates; kills 2 Israeli soldiers

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Hezbollah retaliated against Israel on Wednesday for a Jan. 18 Israeli airstrike in southern Syria that killed six Hezbollah members and an Iranian general.

The group fired a missile at an Israeli army vehicle killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding several others, in what was widely considered the biggest escalation since the 2006 war.

A member of a United Nations peacekeeping force from Spain was killed by Israeli strikes following the retaliation.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah lashed out against Israel for reportedly killing several of its members, describing Israel as “a cancerous growth” and a “bacterium of corruption.”

“Our brothers in Quneitra were killed in a clear assassination, in a decision taken by Israel,” Nasrallah said. “Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for the airstrike believing that Hezbollah is weak and would disregard the attack.”

Nasrallah said Hezbollah is prepared to fight Israel, despite committing resources in Syria and Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

“If Israel is thinking that we fear war, then I tell it that we do not fear war and we will not hesitate to take it if it is imposed on us,” Nasrallah said.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Lebanon remained committed to U.N. Resolution 1701, arguing that Hezbollah’s attack did not amount to a violation of the 2006 deal since it targeted an Israeli military convoy inside the Shebaa Farms, which is occupied Lebanese territory.

Former President Michel Sleiman called on political forces to stand behind the Lebanese government, cautioning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to take advantage of Lebanon to serve his election interests.

“Israel should not be allowed to take advantage of Lebanese divisions,” Sleiman said.

LISTEN to Nasrallah’s remarks from January 30, 2015:

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Lebanese anchorwomen are too sexy for Egypt

(CAIRO, EGYPT) — Lebanese anchorwomen may be a little much for Egyptian television viewers to handle these days.

Asharq Al-Awsat reports that Lebanese women are sparking controversy among conservative Egyptian TV executives because they’re considered “exotic” by the Egyptian general public.

It adds that Lebanese anchorwomen are more “relaxed” and “outgoing,” which threatens the jobs of homegrown journalists, who are generally more tense and impartial.

But the Lebanese style of broadcasting has boosted ratings and saved money for Egyptian TV channels, according to a TV executive speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“A satellite channel is essentially a business enterprise and Lebanese anchorwomen accept lower pay compared to others,” a senior executive at a private Egyptian TV channel told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“They are ready to work at any time, and are willing to go out in the field and present from the ground. As for Egyptian presenters, time is a major problem since they follow strict working hours.”

The analyst added, however, that Lebanese women have a “special appeal” for the Egyptian public.

Egyptian journalist Faten Abdul-Ma’boud, who works for Egypt’s state-owned TV channel, says it only becomes a problem when “Egyptians start copying their style of dress and presenting.”

Abdul-Ma’boud warns that Egyptian anchorwomen may feel compelled to change their fashion choices to resemble the Lebanese newbies.

“The way Lebanese anchorwomen dress is incompatible with the conventional dress code the Egyptian viewer is used to seeing,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat. “Many Egyptian households may not accept the ‘Lebanese style’ which they are not used to seeing on Egyptian screens.”

Among the new Lebanese faces on Egypt’s TV screes are Raghda Shalhoub, a new addition to Al-Hayat TV, and Liliane Daoud, who was recently hired by ONTV.

Farouk Abu Zeid, head of the media department at Egypt’s Misr University for Science and Technology, said the job threat for homegrown Egyptian journalists is an “over-exaggeration.”

“There is no problem; the number of Lebanese TV presenters working in Egypt currently stands at just between 20 and 30,” he said.

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Texas parents upset over name of ‘Lebanon High School’

(FRISCO, TX) — Some Texas parents are angry over the name of a new high school set to share its name with Lebanon, saying it doesn’t fit their community, which historically shared the same name.

“The present-tense name of a country that was in the news all the time with reference of war and battleground was always what was on my mind when I would say the name ‘Lebanon,” parent Liffey Skender told the Frisco school board last month, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Skender alleges receiving more than two dozen phone calls and 100 emails from concerned parents who object to the name, “Lebanon High School.” She urged the board to consider “Freedom High School” instead.

“The word ‘Lebanon’ still reminds me of all the sad and turmoil that goes on in the Middle East,” she said.

But the school district says the name will honor the town’s history, which was called Lebanon a half a century before the city of Frisco was established.

“Memories of Lebanon may be found throughout Frisco,” the school district said. There’s a road and a Baptist church that still bear the name, and there even used to be a Lebanon school, although it closed in 1947, according to BBC News.

School district Spokesman Shana Wortham told the Dallas Morning News that the school board may add another word to Lebanon, such as “community,” to avoid confusion.

There are 16 cities in the United States named “Lebanon.”

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Israel on “high alert” for possible Hezbollah retaliation

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Israel is on “high alert” for possible retaliation attacks following an Israeli airstrike in Syria that killed six members of Hezbollah and an Iranian general.

Israeli defense officials say they increased security measures on Wednesday, beefing up its air defenses and closing a number of roads after receiving reports of “suspected infiltration by a number of militants,” according to Beirut-based newspaper, An-Nahar.

Al-Arabiya Television reports the five suspected infiltrators “vanished” when the Israeli army arrived near the area.

According to Israel’s Jerusalem Post, suspicious activity was no longer reported and most roadways had been reopened.

Israel was already on high alert over possible retaliation by Hezbollah, after the unprecedented Israeli airstrike killed senior commander Mohammed Issa and Jihad Mughniyeh, a son of Hezbollah’s top military commander Imad Mughniyeh who was killed in a 2008 assassination in Damascus.

Top Iranian general Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was also among the victims of the Quneitra strike on Sunday.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group reserves the right to retaliate for attacks provoked by Israel. He also says the group may retaliate at any time for the assassination of Mughniyeh.

On Tuesday, thousands of Hezbollah supporters swarmed the coffin of the highest-ranking commander killed among the group. Media reports say around 10,000 supporters took part in his funeral in the southern Lebanese village of Arabsalim.

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VIDEO: Syrian lawyers attack Lebanese lawyer at conference

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A commission of Lebanese lawyers representing the Beirut Bar Association were violently attacked by a group of pro-regime Syrian lawyers on Sunday at an Arab Lawyers Union conference in Cairo, Egypt.

The violent assault came after Fadi Saad, a lawyer affiliated with the March 14 Future Movement, spoke about the Syrian army.

“The Egyptian army defended its people twice in 2011 and 2013, while the Syrian army is killing their people,” he said.

Cell phone footage broadcasted on LBC Television show a group of lawyers leaping from their seats and attacking Saad.

One Syrian lawyer can be seen throwing his shoe at Saad.

Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi denounced the attack, according to Beirut-based newspaper, The Daily Star.

“The assault against the Lebanese lawyer’s delegation at a conference of the Arab Lawyers Union in Cairo indicates the nature of the Syrian regime,” he said. “(The lawyers’) practices are replicas of the system they belong too.”

The Future Movement also released a statement, claiming assault on two other Lebanese delegation members as well.

“As the lawyer Saad was delivering his speech, he was interrupted several times by Assad’s representatives, before they assaulted him and Lebanese delegation members Jabil Qambris and Munir al-Husseini,” the Future Movement said.

The Arab Lawyers Union describes itself as a “pan-Arab confederation of bar associations and law societies.” The group did not respond to requests for comment.

WATCH the attack:

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