Lebanese woman mocked on social media for appearing at feasts by rival candidates

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Social media users in Lebanon were critical of an elderly woman who apparently joined two separate feasts by rival candidates taking part in the parliamentary elections. (Screenshot)2
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Updated 06 May 2018
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Lebanese woman mocked on social media for appearing at feasts by rival candidates

BEIRUT: Social media users in Lebanon were critical of an elderly woman who apparently joined two separate feasts by rival candidates taking part in the parliamentary elections.
The woman from Tripoli was mocked for having lunch at a feast held in support of the Future Movement — headed by Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri — before having dinner at another one by rival candidates in the Azm List — led by former prime minister Najib Mikati.
Local reports said the elderly woman was laughed at on social media platforms for appearing at the venues of the rival electoral lists.


Out of frustration, she cried in an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV, while explaining how hurt she is by all the negative comments from people whom she said are not aware of her dire life situation.
“I’m the madame whose pictures were shared on Facebook...I don’t know what to say, people are cursing me,” the woman said as she cried in the video.


“I don’t care for either candidate, I just want the best for the country, I just want either candidate to serve our nation.
“I was only curious to know both candidates, nothing more,” she added.
Lebanon went to the polls Sunday to elect a parliament for the first time in nine years.


Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot

Updated 25 December 2025
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Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot

  • The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
  • The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said

ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.