Since it’s the last day of 2017, we put up a list of more than 25 things that happened in Lebanon and the Diaspora this year!
The Lebanese Army won against ISIS
The Lebanese Army conducted a military operation called “Fajr Al Jurud” against ISIS to free the northern part of Lebanon. The operation ended with the army’s victory.
A Lebanese grocery store in Brooklyn was ranked the best in the United States
A Middle Eastern market in Brooklyn called
, whose owners are Lebanese, is one of the recipients of the 2017 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award. The recipients of this award have proven excellence in cuisine.
A Lebanese movie is shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film of the Academy Awards
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the Lebanese movie “The Insult” is
shortlisted for the Best Foreign Language Film award
for the 90th Academy Awards.
A Lebanese fisherman won the lottery jackpot
Ahmad Najib Dandach is a 60-year-old fisherman from Tripoli. Dandach lived in poverty for many years until he
which is LBP 2,616,449,930 (USD1,732,770). When he realized that he was the winner, he couldn’t believe it. Now, he’s happy because he can provide a great future for him and his kids. Dandach is planning to help many children with the money that he received.
AUB ranks first in MENA according to QS University Rankings
According to the
QS Arab Region University Rankings
, the American University of Beirut ranks
among one thousand universities.
Canada elected a Lebanese chief science researcher
On September 26, the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named the Lebanese cardiology researcher Mona Nemer
Canada’s new chief science researcher
.
Fairouz released a new album
In September, the legendary singer Fairouz
which is called “Bebalee.”
Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation and revoked it later
Saad Hariri took the world by surprise when he
from his post as the Lebanese Prime Minister from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Many politicians believed that he was pressured to resign. This month, he
and agreed to come back since the Lebanese Cabinet reinforced the policy of disassociation.
The Lebanese parliament abolished the “marry the rapist” law
The Parliament of Lebanon finally
abolished Article 522 of the penal code
, which allows rapists to marry their victims to avoid prison.
The Lebanese President signed the animal protection and welfare law
President Michel Aoun signed the
animal protection and welfare law
on August 29! So, it’s official: animal abuse is illegal in Lebanon!
Lebanese soldiers make a dream come true for a kid with cancer
The Lebanese Army made
‘s dream come true by welcoming him at the Ministry of National Defense just like any high ranking official. He wore the military uniform and headed towards the monument of the Lebanese martyrs where he disposed a wreath of flowers. Also, he got the unique opportunity to visit the military centers including the naval base where he met the commander of the Navy.
A marriage proposal took place on a flight from Beirut
A guy named Jack
to his girlfriend Sarin on a Middle East Airlines airplane. They were flying to Armenia to celebrate their second anniversary. He stood in the middle of the airplane and told
about their story and proposed to her. Of course, Sarin said yes! Also, Middle East Airlines offered the lovebirds two tickets to any destination of their choice to celebrate their honeymoon!
The Lebanese expats registered to vote online for the first time!
For the first time, Lebanese citizens that are living abroad were able to register to vote in the 2018 parliamentary election online. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gebran Bassil announced on Twitter that
registered. He thanked them for believing in Lebanon.
The Lebanese army thought he was hiding a suicide bomb – turns out to be shawarma
The world’s largest statue of Saint Charbel was installed in Faraya
The
world’s largest statue of Saint Charbel
was installed in Faraya on the 14th of September.
A Lebanese prank video went viral
The two Lebanese pranksters Alex Stifler and Jad Khawandi dressed up as mannequins in front of a store in Beirut! Each time a walker passed by, they moved, and the
reacted hilariously! The video was featured on 9GAG, UNILAD, and many world-renowned newspapers such as Daily Mail and The Independent!
Google paid homage to the Lebanese singer and actress Sabah with a doodle
November 10, 2017, would have marked the 90th birthday of the late legendary Lebanese singer and actress Sabah. Google paid homage to this music icon with a
!
Lebanon ranks 9th in the world rugby rankings
The Lebanese rugby team, the Cedars, ranks 9th in the world. During this year’s Rugby League World Cup, The Cedars showed a great spirit and a wonderful performance. Even though the team did not win, the players made the Lebanese community proud because it officially
for the Rugby League World Cup which will be held in 2021.
New license plates were issued in Lebanon
خلافاً للنموذج الذي تم تداوله عبر وسائل الإعلام وعلى مواقع التواصل الإجتماعي، تعلن هيئة إدارة السير والآليات والمركبات أن هذا هو النموذج الجديد الذي سوف يتم البدء بإصداره قبل نهاية هذا العام pic.twitter.com/Ajfi1VH923
— التحكم المروري (@tmclebanon) December 14, 2017
The Lebanese engineer Fouad Maksoud is the winner of Stars of Science
The Lebanese engineer
Fouad Maksoud won Stars of Science
! He amazed the judges with his one-of-a-kind invention which is a nano-shielding textile machine.
Adel Karam got his show on Netflix
The Lebanese actor Adel Karam is the host of the first Middle Eastern production of
! Called AK47, it’s a stand-up comedy show that will put the Lebanese comedy on the international map.
The Lebanese Maronite Patriarch went to Saudi Arabia
The Lebanese
Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al Rai arrived to Saudi Arabia in November. It’s the first time that the kingdom invites a
.
The shrine of Saint Charbel was installed in the largest catholic cathedral in the United States
In October, the
Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rahi inaugurated
in the largest Catholic Cathedral in the United States which is the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in New York. The current Chairman of Société Générale de Banque au Liban Antoun Sehnaoui is the brainchild of this idea.
The killers of President-Elect Bachir Gemayel were sentenced to death in absentia
On October 20, the killers of the President-Elect Bachir Gemayel were
and stripped of their civil rights in absentia. The killers are Habib Shartouni and Nabil Alam. The latter helped Shartouni to plan the attack.
The Spanish Army honored Lebanon during Spain’s National Day parade
Two Lebanese soldiers held the Lebanese and the Spanish flags during the Fajr Al Jurud military operation to
to the victims of the terror attack in Barcelona as well as to all the victims in the world. During Spain’s National Day parade, the Spanish Army held the Lebanese flag to honor the soldiers who raised the Spanish flag.
Lebanon broke a Guinness World Record for hosting the longest party in the world
In collaboration with the Ministry of
in Lebanon, Nurai Beirut, one of the best nightclubs in Lebanon, hosted a
, the longest party in the world.
