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    6 Mins Read

    25+ things that happened in Lebanon in 2017

    By Grace HovsepianDecember 31, 2017Updated:March 11, 2020
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    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

    Sahadi’s

    , 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

    won the lottery jackpot

    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

    first in the Arab region

    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 

    released a digital album

    which is called “Bebalee.”

    Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation and revoked it later 

    Saad Hariri took the world by surprise when he

    announced his resignation

    from his post as the Lebanese Prime Minister from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Many politicians believed that he was pressured to resign. This month, he 

    revoked his resignation

    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

    Mouhdi Kachakech

    ‘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

    proposed

    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 

    people

     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

    92,810people

     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 

    people 

    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

    doodle

    !

    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 

    qualified

     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

    Netflix

    ! 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 

    Maronite

     Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al Rai arrived to Saudi Arabia in November. It’s the first time that the kingdom invites a

    church leader

    .

    The shrine of Saint Charbel was installed in the largest catholic cathedral in the United States

    In October, the 

    Maronite

     Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rahi inaugurated 

    the shrine of Saint Charbel

    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

    sentenced to death

    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 

    pay tribute

     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 

    Tourism

     in Lebanon, Nurai Beirut, one of the best nightclubs in Lebanon, hosted a 

    56-hour long party

    , the longest party in the world.

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