BEIRUT, Lebanon — Yasser Arafat made it famous. Hipsters everywhere turned it into a fashion statement. Now, the Lebanese have helped set a record with the Palestinian keffiyeh — or rather with 6,500 of them. The keffiyeh — a woven check headdress traditionally worn by Arab men, and a symbol for Palestinians everywhere — recently helped its "rightful" wearers take home a Guinness World Record: for the largest chain of scarves.

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The bombing of Beirut’s southern suburbs by Israel in 2006 destroyed and damaged hundreds of buildings. Now, despite three years of political instability, the global financial crisis and United States sanctions, the Hezbollah-run organization tasked with reconstruction has nearly completed rebuilding, and the affected neighborhoods are once again buzzing with activity.

NABATIEH, Lebanon — The pock marks on the walls of 45-year-old Salima Barakat's house are not unusual for this part of southern Lebanon. Bullet and shrapnel marks of varying ages remind longtime residents of the many wars and occupations, notably the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.  Less visable are the scars on Salima's own body, which also tell a story — that of one of millions of cluster bombs dropped by Israel during the 2006 offensive. It landed in Salima's kitchen, exploded and left shrapnel lodged in various parts of her anatomy.