Hezbollah-run television joined Lebanese and foreign networks in a live broadcast yesterday of Pope John Paul II's funeral from the Vatican.
The al-Manar television station, run by the pro-Iranian Shiite Hezbollah movement, conducted a live show with a Catholic priest talking about Christianity and Islam and the late Pope's call for co-existence among religions.
"We are a television which addresses all religious sects and Pope John II is a high-ranking religious figure and it is our duty to broadcast it live in memory of this great man of peace," Ali Haj, al-Manar's news editor told reporters.
"This is an event that involves millions of Christians around the world. We will be airing special programs on the pope's journey and how the elections of his successor will take place," Haj added.
Meanwhile, Beirut's Christian churches were full yesterday with worshippers who came to pay tribute to the late pope and light candles.
In the nearby mosques, Moslem preachers also paid tribute to the late Pope during Friday prayers, describing him as a "great man of peace and co-existence."
Koranic versus echoed throughout Beirut as the Pope was laid to rest, while both Moslem and Christian schools across Lebanon closed for the day.
In eastern Beirut a group of Christian and Moslem students gathered to observe a minute's silence near a Christian church.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
RSS