Latest news with #HolySpiritUniversityofKaslik
Web Release
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Web Release
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik: A Tribute To Edmond Rizk For The Donation Of His National Archives
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) honored H.E. Edmond Rizk during a tribute ceremony in the John Paul II Amphitheater, at the invitation of Most Reverend Father Abbot Hady Mahfouz, superior general of the Lebanese Maronite Order (OLM) and chancellor of USEK, and Father Talal Hachem, president of USEK to mark the donation of Rizk's personal archive to the University library. The ceremony was held in the presence of Lebanese President, General Joseph Aoun, and First Lady Neemat Aoun represented by His Excellency the Minister of Information, Dr. Paul Morcos; Former President Michel Sleiman; the Prime Minister, Dr. Nawaf Salam, represented by his wife, Ambassador Sahar Baassiri Salam; the two former First Ladies, Solange Gemayel and Mouna Haraoui; the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, Elias Bou Saab; the former Prime Minister, Tammam Salam; the Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, represented by Archbishop Boulos al-Sayah; the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, represented by Sheikh Muhammad Assaf; the Sheikh Akl of the Druze Unitarian Community, Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, represented by Dr. Nazih Abu Shahin; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Rajji; representatives of former Prime Ministers; Mrs. Bahia Hariri, the leader of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, Sheikh Sami Gemayel; the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, the Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Muhammad Imam; in addition to a number of former ministers, current and former members of parliament, party leaders and their representatives, diplomatic, judicial, spiritual, union, party, military, security, political, municipal, and media figures and their representatives, the family of the honoree, and the people of his region, Jezzine… This unique event pays tribute to a man who has dedicated his life to speech, determination, and Lebanese sovereignty, and his donation of valuable archives to pass to future generations. Indeed, it is a tribute to a rich national and cultural journey of over six decades during which Edmond Rizk occupied various public positions, including Lebanese MP for over 24 years, and holding different portfolios in governments at various periods, and being a direct witness and player in crucial moments in Lebanon's recent history. Testimonials and Documentary The journalist Walid Abboud was the master of ceremony, presenting and moderating the event, which offered an array of testimonies from important national and intellectual personalities. In order of appearance: Fr. Professor Georges Hobeika, President of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), H.E. Mr. Rashid Derbas, Dr. Mona Fayad, H.E. Mr. Joseph Hachem, Mrs. Hayat Arslan, H.E. Dr. Adnan Al-Sayed Hussein, H.E. Mr. Abbas El Halabi, and Dr. Nizar Younis. The ceremony also included a documentary highlighting Rizk's rich career in the fields of journalism, legislation, politics, and national service, where he left his unique mark. Rizk At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Edmond Rizk, in a moving speech, recalled the different stations journey, putting forward crucial moments in his personal and public life. He said: 'I am the son of the Maronite Lebanese Order, the man of its monastery, the student of its school, and the teacher in its institute. I am proud of this belonging.' Rizk portrayed time, comparing it to a mirror that reflects clear vision and rooted conviction, emphasizing that his Lebanese Christian affiliation was never hermetic, but that it was lived as a deep faith in the Lebanese national partnership and respect for pluralism. He said, 'For 82 years, since my early teens, my constructive integration into my Lebanese Arab identity and Christian faith has been an entity based on the mutual recognition and responsible partnership.' Rizk also spoke of his long experience as a parliamentarian and his political background, emphasizing his attachment to the principles of the Constitution and the National Accord Document signed in Taef in 1989, as well as his refusal to participate in any power that violates constitutional rules or that is incompatible with the principles of jurisdiction and justice. He said, 'I was a member of Parliament for a quarter of a century and I did not vote on any law that was unconstitutional or unfair…. I have put everything into the rule of law, justice, and dignity.' Despite all his personal pain and suffering, he remained resilient, a witness to freedom, sovereignty, and independence for the country. At the end of his speech, he presented his personal archives, a repertoire of seventy years of experience in public affairs and intellectual output, reflecting various periods and key events, as a gift to the youth of Lebanon for easy access to serve for research and contemplation to document an eternal national memory, and praising the role of the Maronite Lebanese Order and the USEK in preserving and protecting the national memory. Archives It should be noted that the personal archives of Edmond Rizk, donated to the USEK Library, include a rich wide spectrum of documents, including over 80 hours of voice recordings, over 200 videos, and thousands of documents, articles, interviews, and other writings documenting the modern political, social, and cultural history of Lebanon. This archive has been carefully collected and grouped over the years by the Rizk family. USEK, thanks to its technical equipment and its specialized team at the Phoenix Center for Lebanese Studies (PCLS), will work on digitizing and classifying this archive for free access to the public.
Mint
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Five years after he escaped in a crate, fugitive Carlos Ghosn is teaching business strategy
KASLIK, Lebanon—It's been five years since Carlos Ghosn escaped from Japan to Lebanon, accused of siphoning off millions of dollars from the car companies he ran, Nissan and Renault. He wakes up every morning at 5:30 a.m. His wife, Carole, wakes up later, and the two walk the beach with their golden retriever, Melqart—named for a Phoenician god who symbolized life and death—or exercise with a personal trainer in the $20 million pink mansion that Nissan claims is owned by the company. Other days, Ghosn takes out his 120-foot yacht, which Nissan also claims, though he never leaves Lebanese waters. With Lebanese, French and Brazilian passports, Ghosn once described himself as a citizen of the globe. But after fleeing from Japan by hiding in an audio-equipment box on a private jet, he remains an international fugitive and is stuck in Lebanon, hemmed in by arrest warrants issued by French and Japanese prosecutors. We met recently at a Lebanese university where Ghosn runs an executive-leadership program, and his aides handed out paper cups of espresso with the phrase, 'Coffee increases happiness," while his bodyguards kept watch outside. A university colleague had stressed the need to arrive 30 minutes early, as Ghosn is always punctual. Ever the corporate executive, he wore a blue suit, with a shirt and a sweater, his hair graying gracefully for a 71-year-old. 'The ladies are taking care of you?" Ghosn asked as we sat down, still accustomed to the personal-assistant trappings of an international CEO. No longer running a car empire, Ghosn explained that he has more time to read, and was currently halfway through the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'Trust," about a Wall Street titan who attempts to recast what he perceives to be a false narrative about his life. He's also an investor in a winery that produces red and white blends, with vineyards dotted across the mountains of Lebanon. Ghosn has worked, without a salary, for almost five years on the executive leadership programs for entrepreneurs at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, which is about 30 minutes north of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. For the first program, named 'Business Strategies and Performance with Carlos Ghosn," he roped in former associates from the business world to help provide lectures. These included Daimler's Dieter Zetsche and Thierry Bolloré, the former chief executive of both Renault and Jaguar Land Rover. The program initially cost $10,000 for Lebanese attendees and $20,000 for foreigners, with the proceeds going to the university. It was eventually perceived as too elitist, Ghosn said, and has since evolved into the less expensive, three-day 'Strategic and Crisis Management Bootcamp with Carlos Ghosn" for midlevel managers largely from Lebanon. About 64 people are signed up for next month's program. Some students recognized the international fugitive as he walked around campus. 'Carlos, you're the best," one called out as they crossed paths on the stairs. 'I feel good, because people consider that I'm a victim," Ghosn said. French and Japanese prosecutors accuse Ghosn of underreporting compensation and orchestrating a complex flow of money between Nissan, Renault and a Middle East car dealer to line his own pocket. Ghosn denies any wrongdoing, arguing a cadre of Nissan employees worked to oust him as he fought to keep alive an alliance between the carmaker and Renault. He has said he faced a drawn-out Japanese legal process and a near-perfect conviction rate, leaving him with no option but to flee Japan in December 2019. Japanese and French prosecutors issued warrants for Ghosn's arrest. But Lebanon—where Ghosn spent much of his childhood—doesn't extradite its citizens, and Ghosn was left safely beyond reach in the Mediterranean state. There was collateral damage, however. A former U.S. green beret, Michael Taylor, and his son, Peter Taylor, who helped Ghosn escape were extradited from the U.S., and both spent 20 months in Japanese prison for helping Ghosn escape. Ghosn's wife, an American citizen, can't leave Lebanon, facing an Interpol 'red notice" over allegations she gave false testimony in Japan related to his case. Ghosn said her only chance is that the Trump administration leans on Japan to rescind the notice, which he believes is inhumanely blocking his wife's travel over a misdemeanor offense. 'My wife is a prisoner for a very simple reason, because she's my wife," he said. The White House directed queries to the State Department, which declined to comment. Ghosn's cross-border legal troubles haven't clipped his enthusiasm for an interconnected world. Despite the recent volatility in markets, he was optimistic about the direction of the global economy. Trump's tariffs, in his view, are just an attempt to redress the lopsided trade balance between the U.S. and other countries, particularly China, but don't represent the end of globalization. 'Thinking today that this is the end of globalization, frankly, is a joke," Ghosn said, a day after the Trump White House had introduced a new tariff regime that was roiling markets. 'On the contrary, people want to know what's going on everywhere," Ghosn said. 'They are influenced by different cultures." The irony of that message isn't lost on Ghosn, who acknowledges he isn't seeing much of the world himself. Born in Brazil, Ghosn moved to Lebanon when he was a young child and was largely raised by his mother, after his father was jailed in connection with the murder of a priest. He excelled at school before moving to study in Paris. After graduating, he went to work at Michelin and then Renault, developing a reputation for turning around operations. As an executive at Renault, he helped shape an alliance with Nissan in 1999, pioneering trans-contentinental partnership and led both companies for more than a decade. He says the carmakers' divergence since his departure has contributed to Nissan's growing financial difficulties. Nissan 'is begging for some financial help," Ghosn said, 'and Renault is back to what it was before 1999, it's a small European company." Renault declined to comment and Nissan didn't respond to requests for comment. French prosecutors are preparing to put Ghosn on trial. While Japan does not allow trials in absentia, France does—though Ghosn has not ruled out the possibility of attending in person. Ghosn said that he'd previously asked to travel to Brazil to see his mother, who he said has Alzheimer's disease, but Lebanese authorities denied his request because of the international arrest warrants under his name. 'If you spend your next 10 years only fighting these battles and raging about it, you've lost 10 years of your life," he said. Write to Rory Jones at
National News
18-04-2025
- Politics
- National News
President Aoun attends Good Friday Mass in USEK
NNA - Christian communities commemorated Good Friday, and the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) held a veneration of the Cross this morning. The ceremony was presided over by Abbot Hadi Mahfouz, Superior General of the Maronite Order, with the participation of President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Nemat Aoun. In his sermon, Abbot Mahfouz addressed President Aoun, saying: "We have no doubt that, with your determination and wisdom, you will lead Lebanon in the best possible way, calmly and wisely, toward the logic of a democratic state." He added: "For our part, as a society, we must respond positively, aware of the great responsibility placed on all of us, to rise together and establish transparent and effective laws and mechanisms that strengthen citizenship and enable every citizen to access necessary and dignified services, without any favoritism or interference."
MTV Lebanon
26-02-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
President Aoun: Lebanon's true wealth is its human capital
President of the Republic Joseph Aoun afternoon received at Baabda Palace, a delegation from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), led by its President Reverend Father Talal Hachem. The delegation congratulated President Aoun on his election as president of the republic, placing "all the university's capabilities at his disposal in a bid to advance the country's educational sector." Father Hashem pointed out 'the role played by the Lebanese monastic orders in spreading education in Lebanon since the seventeenth century, out of their belief in the importance of learning and education.' President Aoun hailed the efforts undertaken by the 'Holy Spirit University and other universities in Lebanon to continue to advance their mission amidst all the difficult circumstances that the country has gone through.'
National News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- National News
President Joseph Aoun receives Holy Spirit University delegation, hails efforts to advance educational mission despite challenges
NNA - President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, on Wednesday afternoon received at Baabda Palace, a delegation from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), led by its President Reverend Father Talal Hachem. The delegation congratulated President Aoun on his election as president of the republic, placing "all the university's capabilities at his disposal in a bid to advance the country's educational sector." Father Hashem pointed out 'the role played by the Lebanese monastic orders in spreading education in Lebanon since the seventeenth century, out of their belief in the importance of learning and education.' President Aoun hailed the efforts undertaken by the 'Holy Spirit University and other universities in Lebanon to continue to advance their mission amidst all the difficult circumstances that the country has gone through.' ============== L.Y
