Examiner Staff

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 Entertainment

Barcelona football star Cesc Fàbregas marries Lebanese girlfriend

Barcelona football star Cesc Fàbregas married his Lebanese girlfriend Daniella Semaan during a picture-perfect wedding ceremony at the lavish Cliveden House in Berkshire.

The Cliveden House is the same venue where Meghan Markle will spend the night before marrying Prince Harry.

Fàbregas, 31, and his longtime girlfriend, 42, shared photos of the big day to social media.

The Lebanese-born Semaan posted, “Just married to this handsome man that I adore.”

Fàbregas and Semaan have three children together, 5-year-old Lia, 3-year-old Capri and 1-year-old Leonardo, who all attended the wedding.

Semaan has two other children from a previous marriage to Lebanese property tycoon Elie Taktouk.

The happy couple met in 2011 when Semaan asked him for an autograph at a Japanese restaurant in London.

Fàbregas plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Spain national team.

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 News

Lebanese group forced to shut down first gay pride week in Arab world

A Lebanese LGBTQ group was forced to cancel a major gay pride festival after authorities detained the organizer and forced him to sign a pledge abandoning the event, Reuters reported.

Beirut Pride is the first gay pride week in the Arab world. Last year the opening event was cancelled due to safety concerns for LGBTQ attendees.

The 2018 Beirut Pride week was set to run from May 12 to May 20.

In a statement, organizer Hadi Damien said he was taken into custody during a public reading of a theater play. He spent the night at a police station where he was questioned by censorship officials, he added.

“The conversation with the director at the censorship office did not go very far, and questions about Pride, its importance and program became paramount,” Damien wrote.

Lebanon is widely seen as more socially liberal than most other Middle Eastern countries, but LGBTQ communities say they face intense discrimination by society and government.

According to Lebanese law, “any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature” is punishable by up to one year in prison, according to The New York Times.

The Lebanese Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Damien said he signed a pledge ending Beirut Pride week under the advice of an attorney.

Ghenwa Samhat, executive director of LGBTQ rights organization Helem, told Reuters that Lebanese rights groups often face government pressure.

“These things are not new to us,” Samhat said. “People can still express themselves in public places, there are placers friendly to LGBTQ+, where they face no problems.”

It is not clear if the group plans to organize any other events, or if they plan to dispute the pledge.

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 News

Report: Homeless woman found dead in Beirut had $1M in bank account

A homeless woman found dead Tuesday in Beirut may have possessed more than $1 million in a Lebanese savings account, An-Nahar reported.

The Beirut-based newspaper said the 52-year-old woman, identified as Fatima Othman, was initially found with $3,000, or LBP 5,000,000.

A further investigation located a savings account in her name worth about $1.2 million, or LBP 1.7 billion.

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According to An-Nahar, the authenticity of the documents remains unknown.

The photos have created a social media firestorm, with many users asking how she had so much money.

Othman was found dead in Beirut’s southern Ouzai district, according to the Internal Security Forces. She died of natural causes.

Residents told Gulf News that Othman lived in the street for more than 20 years, and frequently rented a car from the neighborhood.

Her body was returned to her family in Akkar where she was buried, security officials said.

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 Food & Drink

Pippa Middleton’s favorite London restaurant is Lebanese

Pippa Middleton’s favorite restaurant is a Lebanese chain known for its home style dishes served in a souk-like setting, Women and Home reports.

Comptoir Libanais is a popular restaurant chain with multiple locations in greater London and Manchester.

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One of the restaurant locations is in South Kensington branch near Middleton’s home, Women and Home added.

The pregnant Pippa Middleton is the younger sister of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

In 2013, paparazzi spotted Middleton and her mother Carole Middleton having lunch at Comptoir Libanais. Prince William has also previously visited the restaurant.

It is not clear what they usually order.

comptoir libanais pippa middleton 1 leThe restaurant chain was started by Algerian-born chef Tony Kitous. The restaurateur said the business aims to have an authentic dining experience.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s food that’s affordable and easy to know – healthy, light and you can enjoy it every day of the week,” Kitous said on his website. “Comptoir Libanais means ‘Lebanese counter’ and that’s exactly what it is: somewhere you can eat casually, with no fuss. You don’t have to sacrifice comfort, style or authenticity of food just because the dining is casual.”

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 Lifestyle

Lebanese street artist decorates abandoned Murr Tower with sun clothes

Lebanese street artist Jad Khoury decorated the abandoned Murr Tower with sun clothes to transform a ‘memorial of internal conflicts’ into public art.

The famous building is a symbol of the Lebanese Civil War, which began construction in 1974 and remained unfinished. The war began in 1975.

The 40-story building, located in downtown Beirut, remains abandoned.

Khoury told the French lifestyle outlet L’Agenda Culturel that sun clothes added color to the building and provides a paradox to the memories of conflict.

The sun clothes are set to remain on the building until September, the outlet added.

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 News

Lebanese engineer wins $16.8M in lawsuit against Ford Motor Company

A Lebanese engineer and former Ford employee won $16.8 million in a employment discrimination lawsuit against the Big Three automaker.

Dr. Faisal Khalaf filed a lawsuit against Ford and two supervisors for allegedly creating a hostile work environment based on ethnic discrimination.

Khalaf, who was born in Lebanon, alleges that he was retaliated against and terminated due to his accent and Lebanese background. He was employed at Ford from 1999 until September 2015 when he was terminated.

“There was a high-level executive at Ford Motor Co. that my client reported to, that would berate him and criticize him week after week about his English,” said Carol Laughbaum, Khalaf’s attorney to the Detroit Free Press.

The attorney alleges his supervisors — Bennie Fowler and Jay Zhou — created a hostile workplace and subjected Khalaf to “regular and frequent criticism and hostility” over his ability to speak English.

Khalaf earned a “top achiever” performance rating six months before being moved under the supervision of Fowler, the lawsuit said.

Read the full lawsuit here.

Khalaf’s attorney also claims Zhou recommended he take a English as a Second Language class. Khalaf holds a PhD in industrial engineering.

A federal jury ruled in favor of Khalaf and awarded him $15 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million in retirement and pension losses and $100,000 in emotional distress.

In a statement, Ford officials said they did not agree with the verdict.

“We don’t believe that the facts in this case support the verdict,” Brad Carroll, corporate communications manager for Ford, said in a statement. “Ford is committed to creating an environment that promotes diversity and inclusion within our workforce and communities. The diverse backgrounds of our employees truly make us a stronger company and we are extremely proud of our policies and programs that support equality.”

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 Lifestyle

More Lebanese tourists expected to visit Greece, travel agencies say

Greece is expected to welcome more tourists from Lebanon in 2018, according to travel agencies that participated in the recent ‘Greek Tourism Workshop‘ held in Beirut.

Organizers believe the number of Lebanese tourists in Greece is expected to rise by at least 20 percent.

“Greek culture has a lot in common with the culture of the Lebanese people — who love Greece and consider the country an exceptional tourism destination that provides them with happy moments and memories,” said Katerina Mousbeh, general manager of Mideast Travel.

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Travel agents say Lebanese tourism in Athens and Central Macedonia is already gaining popularity. Charter flights to Crete and the South Aegean islands are set to increase this year.

The Greek Aegean Airlines is also planning to launch direct flights from Beirut to Heraklio on Crete, Rhodes and Mykonos this summer, according to the Greek Travel Pages.

The ‘Greek Tourism Workshop’ in Beirut was held by the Greek National Tourism Organization to attract more tourists from the Arab market. The workshop was also held in New Delhi, Kuwait, Riyadh and Dubai.

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 Entertainment

Shakira to perform in Lebanon during Cedars International Festival

Shakira is set to perform in Lebanon this summer during the 2018 Cedars International Festival, organizers announced.

The world-renowned Colombian-Lebanese singer added Lebanon as part of her “El Dorado World Tour.” She will perform at the Cedars International Festival on July 13.

In a statement, festival organizers said they invited Shakira to “send a message of peace from the cedars and from Lebanon to the world.”

Organizers expect about 14,000 people to attend the opening ceremony.

Music manager Wassim Slaiby, who directs the Anghami music distribution company, helped bring Shakira to Lebanon.

“We are confident that the concert will be exceptional,” Slaiby said. “We will continue to attract world stars through Anghami and allow them to enjoy Lebanon and the Middle East.”

The Cedars International Festival aims to honor Lebanon internationally through the beauty of the Lebanese cedars.

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 Lifestyle

AUB sets world record for Lebanese flag made of 60,000 notebooks!

The American University of Beirut set a Guinness World Record for the largest notebook mosaic of any flag in the world.

The project included 60,000 notebooks placed on the Green Field of the university campus in Beirut. The notebooks created a mosaic of the flag of Lebanon.

WATCH: Time-lapse video shows the record-setting flag: 

In a news release, AUB said the ‘Share the Flag’ project was created to raise awareness about the quality and accessibility of public schools in Lebanon.

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All notebooks used in creating the mosaic were donated to Lebanese public schools, the release added.

In a unveiling ceremony, Samer Khallouf from the Guinness World Records, said AUB set the record on their first attempt.

aub guinness world record lebanese flag

The last red notebook was placed by the son of Lebanese Army member Colonel Dany Harb, who was killed in 2014 during clashes in Arsal.

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 Success Stories

Sayegh becomes first Lebanese-American mayor in New Jersey town

Andre Sayegh was elected the first Lebanese-American mayor in Paterson, New Jersey during a Tuesday election, officials announced.

Sayegh, a Democrat, garnered 41 percent of the vote in a six-candidate field. His closest competitor Alex Mendez received 21 percent.

According to his online biography, Sayegh, 44, was a Paterson councilman and history teacher before he announced his bid for mayor. He ran on a ‘One Paterson’ platform, where he promised to promote diversity and connect with a cross-section of groups.

andre sayegh family

Sayegh, who speaks fluent Arabic, was born to a Lebanese father and Syrian mother, the Bergen Record reports. Many Lebanese and Syrian immigrants came to Paterson in the late 1800s to work in textile mills along the Passaic River.

Samer Khalaf, national president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said Sayegh’s victory meant a lot for the Paterson area, which has a large population of Arab Americans.

“Here you have an old Arab community that’s been around for over 100 years,” Khalaf told the Bergen Record. “We never had a councilman until Andre won his first term. Now we have a mayor.”

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