Five Noteworthy Stories You Might Have Missed in Lebanon This Week (4/25)

You’re busy, we get it. No sweat. Here’s some of the most important news stories you might have missed from the past week.

1. Parliament Fails to Elect President in First Round Vote
(Image via Al-Akhbar)

Parliamentarians voted on Wednesday in the first round of presidential elections, with the majority of votes split between Samir Geagea and blank ballots in protest of his candidacy from March 8 politicians. Seven votes nominating people who were allegedly killed by Geagea were declared void. The names included Dany and Tareq Chamoun and Jihane Frangieh. Geagea failed to obtain 86 votes, a quorum necessary to be elected in this session

2. Nadine Moussa Becomes First Female to Run for President


On Wednesday, Lawyer Nadine Moussa became the first female to officially run for president in Lebanon. Moussa, a lawyer who has worked to promote women’s rights for over a decade, has no governmental experience but has worked in civil activism as an active member of the Take Back Parliament Campaign.

4. Five-Year-Old Twin Boys Raped in Tripoli


According to a report this week by LBC TV, two 5-year-old twin boys were victims of rape in the northern city of Tripoli. The two kids were lured with candy and driven to an olive tree field by their 16-year-old neighbor. The parents, in shock, said that the rapist was kind to their children. The report stated that one of the kids confessed to his aunt who told the parents. The rapist was arrested and claimed that three of his classmates instigated him to commit the crime.

3. Lebanese Actress Layla Hakim Passes Away
(Image via LBC)

Lebanese actress Layla Hakim passed away on Friday. Hakim is known for her roles in several films, including: A Man of Honor (2012), Bahiya & Mahmoud (2011), Where Do We Go Now (2011), and From My Window, Without A Home (2006).

5. Karma Khayat, Ibrahim al-Amin Could Face Jail Time
(Image via The Daily Star)

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiki Hariri has summoned Al-Jadeed TV’s Karma al-Khayat and Al-Akhbar newspaper’s Ibrahim al-Amin to appear before the court on charges of “contempt and obstruction of justice.”

The charges date back to two articles published by Al-Akhbar on January 15 and 19 of 2013 containing information on 32 alleged witnesses in the case, and video reports by Al-Jadeed journalist Rami al-Amin in August of that same year that also contained alleged witness details.

If convicted, the two editors face a maximum of seven years in prison, a fine of 100,000 euros, or both.