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WASHINGTON: U.S. congressional leaders put anti-online piracy legislation on hold Friday following a wave of protests led by Google and Wikipedia denouncing the bills as a threat to Internet freedom. Senate majority leader Harry Reid said he was delaying next week’s vote on the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and House Judiciary Committee chairman Lamar Smith said he would “revisit” the …

NEW YORK: After receiving tepid reviews for his first book of fictional short stories, actor James Franco has sold his debut novel to Amazon Publishing, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The novel is titled “Actors Anonymous” and will be published in 2013. The spokeswoman for Amazon declined to say how much money the book deal was worth and whether the …

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Tuesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. Al-Mustaqbal Hezbollah accuses Arab League of serving American plans Government rejects implementation of Arab resolutions The government of Lebanon – more precisely, its foreign minister [Adnan Mansour] , who was hailed Monday by …

BEIRUT: Progressive Social Party MP Walid Jumblatt announced Sunday that he would only run as head of the party one last time. “My candidacy today will be the last one and we should consider the new council to be elected as a transitional, or temporary council, until we reach new elections which should not take more than one year,” Jumblatt …

BEIRUT: Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat on Tuesday held Hezbollah responsible for threats allegedly made against him by a Hezbollah lawmaker during a parliamentary committee meeting. “I hold Hezbollah responsible for anything that could happen to me,” Fatfat told local media Tuesday. A heated quarrel broke out between Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar and Fatfat during a meeting of the Human …

BEIRUT: Sources close to former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri dismissed reports that the Future Movement leader was expected to meet Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt in Paris, a local newspaper reported Sunday. The sources told An-Nahar newspaper that Hariri was currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and there were no plans for a meeting between the two. Jumblatt left Beirut for …

NEW YORK: World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall began her groundbreaking research into chimpanzees over 50 years ago in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, leaving an indelible imprint on the way humans view animals. On Tuesday this week, the 77 year-old animal researcher and United Nations Messenger of Peace, is featured in an unusual event in 500 movie U.S movie theaters. The one-night …

LOS ANGELES, California: “Mad Men” and “Modern Family” won television’s top drama and comedy prizes again on Sunday but elsewhere it was out with the old and in with the new at the Primetime Emmy Awards. On a night of surprises that brought a slew of newcomers to the Emmy podium, “Mad Men” won best drama series for a fourth …