YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service changed the rating outlook on Lebanon's foreign currency government bond rating to negative from stable, citing the country's unstable political environment.

Six opposition ministers resigned earlier this month and the minister of industry was assassinated on Tuesday contributing to the deterioration of the political environment, Moody's said.

Gunmen on Tuesday assassinated Lebanese Christian cabinet minister Pierre Gemayal, an outspoken critic of Syria, plunging Lebanon deeper into a crisis over ties with its dominant neighbor. For more, see [ID:nL21814193]

Moody's currently rates Lebanon's foreign currency government bond at "B3," six levels below investment grade. The negative outlook indicates the rating could be lowered deeper into junk territory over the next 12 to 18 months.

U.S., Lebanon sign trade agreement seen as stepping stone to Mideast free trade pact

The Associated Press


The United States and Lebanon signed a trade agreement Thursday that the U.S. government said furthers President George W. Bush's initiative to negotiate a free trade agreement spanning the Middle East.

Called a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, the pact signed in Beirut, Lebanon, is part of the Bush administration's "effort to support the Lebanese government," said Shaun Donnelly, assistant U.S. Trade Representative.

"The TIFA signals the commitment of our two governments to work in a concrete and comprehensive manner to expand bilateral economic ties," Donnelly said in a statement issued by his office.

"It will be an important means through which the United States can further its efforts to help promote Lebanese economic development, create jobs and further integrate Lebanon into the global economy. Today's signing also demonstrates the continued progress being made under the president's Middle East Free Trade Area initiative."

That objective is to bring free trade throughout the Middle East and between the Middle East and the United States. Washington already had framework agreements with Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The United States exported to Lebanon goods worth $466 million (?353 million) in 2005, which included machinery, vehicles and electrical equipment. Agricultural exports were valued at $63 million (?47.7 million).
Lebanon's exports to the United States totaled $92 million (?69.7 million) and included precious stones, furniture and bedding and organic chemicals. The United States imported $17 million (?12.9 million) worth of agricultural products from Lebanon

Lebanese Photographer Wins Top Competition
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young Lebanese photographer was among 17 youths from the Mediterranean region to win a photography contest financed by the European Commission.
The international jury selected the winners from some 5,800 photographs submitted to the competition organizers during the "Crossing Glances" exhibition event in Rome.

The theme of the contest was relations between the countries of Europe and the Mediterranean. Juries paid particular attention to works that highlighted the principles of intercultural dialogue and tolerance.

Lebanon's Haytham Moussawi was among the winners who were invited to Rome. His winning photo is of a girl wearing red and white amid a sea of Lebanese flags.

The photo represents hope and a look to the future. It has appeared on front page magazines in Europe, An Nahar newspaper said Thursday.

It said the exhibition will stay in Rome until January 1, 2007 and will then travel to Mediterranean countries and finally make its way to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.



Beirut, 30 Nov 06, 11:31

Euro-fest rounds out Beirut's film season
Organizers try to focus attention on young directors

By Jim Quilty
Daily Star staff
Thursday, November 30, 2006


PREVIEW


BEIRUT: As Lebanon's film festival season - somewhat foreshortened by the July-August bombing campaign - draws to a close, Beirut's eyes are once again drawn hopefully toward Europe. The Delegation of the European Commission in Lebanon is responding with its 13th European Film Festival (EFF), being staged November 30 through December 10.

As in years past, the EFF endeavors to be a festival for filmmakers as well as audiences. Its 29-film program (with "family movies" included among more middle-brow fare) is augmented by a competition for short films by Lebanese students and a pitch session for feature films - a sort of mini-cinemarket that is being held in cooperation with the Lebanese Cinema Foundation.

Scheduled for December 8-9, the pitch session consists of public briefings where European producers and broadcasters explain their funding policies, then meet Lebanese directors and producers for a series of intense but informal one-on-one talks. Successful preliminary discussions could lead to a more formalized process in which treatments will be submitted to selection committees.

The Lebanese participants have been culled from a shortlist compiled after the organizers issued a call for projects. The European participants include Vincenzo Bugno from Germany's World Cinema Fund, Samuel Chauvin of France's Promenade Films, ZDF/ARTE's Meinolf Zurhorst and George Sluizer from Holland's GMS Films.

The EFF's 2006 prize for best short film will be decided from a field of 18 Lebanese student submissions. First prize is 1,500 euros, a nice chunk of change for a starving artist. Runners-up receive a jury prize of 500 euros.

Organizers stress that the thrust of this year's EFF - the pitch session, competition and program - is young directors. The lineup doesn't necessarily feature the most recent European productions, then, but it does include the early works of some of the continent's more promising directors, some of which have won prizes at one international festival or another. These are leavened with work from a few veteran filmmakers.

Scripted by Wolfgang Kohlhaase and directed by Andreas Dresen, the opening film, "Summer in Berlin," (2005) falls into the latter category. A low-intensity tragicomedy set during a heat wave, the film follows the apparently disintegrating relationship of Nike, a divorced single mother who feels frustrated in both her life and career, and Katrin, who has a history of bad relationships and works a job she doesn't care about.

The EFF will close with "Azur and Asmar," by Michel Ocelot - well-known among animated-film buffs for his "Kirikou" series. The latest effort by the French writer-director-animator is a fairy tale for the post-9/11 era about two young men - one French, one Arab - who, separated in adolescence, launch on parallel quests to find the fairy queen their wet nurse always told them about as children.

As in previous years, the troubled relationship between Europe and the Middle East seeps into some of the films in the 2006 program, though - unlike in past years - none of these is set in the Middle East or North Africa.

"Brothers," by Denmark's Susanne Bier, is a Dogme-style drama about the relationship between two brothers - one a physically and psychologically wounded veteran of Denmark's UN mission to Afghanistan who's been given up for dead, the other a good-for-nothing criminal - and the veteran's wife (played by Connie Nielsen).
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

"Before the Storm," by Iranian-born Swedish director Reza Parsa, contemplates two themes that are timely if someone out of proportion with each other. Leo is a frustrated adolescent whose school life is so tortured that he contemplates armed retribution against his tormentor. Ali is a retired militant from a Muslim country whose former colleagues are trying to blackmail him into assassinating a countryman in his host country. Somehow the two stories - oddly reminiscent of Joseph Fares' "Zozo" (2005) - come together in one film.

The 2006 EFF also makes a modest departure from tradition by screening a documentary. Kim Longinotto's "Sisters in Law" is a verite work focusing on the work of Vera Ngassa and Beatrice Ntuba, a prosecutor and a judge in Cameroon. The camera lingers over three court cases - one involving spousal abuse, the other two child abuse, one of them rape. The subject matter may be tragic, but the personalities and great wit make for a funny and remarkably upbeat work.

There are several directors whose return to Beirut's screens will please local film-goers.

Gypsy aficionado Tony Gatlif ("Gadjo Dilo," 1997) returns to Romania with "Transylvania" (2006) and this time he does so with Asia Argento in tow. Zingarina (Argento) is a pregnant Italian who's in Transylvania trying to find the Romany lover who abandoned her. After a bit of musically inflected picaresque, Zingarina disguises herself as a gypsy and meets Tchangalo (Birol Unel). A bit more musically inflected picaresque follows.

On the to-do list for Beirut's anglophile audiences are a pair of UK films from Stephen Frears and Neil Jordan - cinematic heavy-hitters whose reputations sometimes overshadow the quality of their individual films.

With "Breakfast on Pluto" (2005), Jordan ("The Crying Game," 1992) returns to transvestite territory with this tale of Patrick Braden. Abandoned as a baby by his Irish mother, Braden grows up in the 1960s and 1970s to realize he's a woman trapped in the body of a man. He re-names himself Kitten and travels to London in search of his mother, finding love and adventure in the process.

Frears' "Mrs. Henderson Presents" (2005) is a "based on true events" comedy about how a bored, 1930s blue-blood named Laura Henderson (Judi Dench) and her odd-couple stage manager (played by Bob Hoskins) transformed London's Victorian-era Windmill Theater into a venue for feminine nudity to be publicly yet tastefully displayed. The principals deliver their usual strong performances.

Beirut audiences will also have a chance to watch Philippe Akiki's "Le Royaume des Pauvres" (1967), Garry Garabedian's "Abou Salim in Africa" (1965) and Mohammad Salman's "The Black Jaguar" (1965). These three feature-length Lebanese films are all newly restored by the Lebanese Cinema Foundation with financial help from the EU. Based on past years, the screenings of these modernist pearls should be among the highlights of the festival.


The European Film Festival opens November 30 with "Summer in Berlin" at Unesco Palace in Verdun, and continues with daily screenings at Cinema Six Sofil in Achrafieh through December

10. For information on extra screenings in Tripoli and Zahle and the full program of films, please see www.dellbn.ec.europa.eu

Outlying malls might gain from crisis in Beirut
Many businesses are seeking new premises

http://www.dailystar.com.lb//admin/storage/articles/20061282236330.8-ABC.jpg

By Lysandra Ohrstrom
Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 09, 2006


BEIRUT: It has yet to be seen whether the opposition demonstrations will be the last straw for merchants in the Beirut Central District (BCD), but the capital's malls could emerge from the latest political impasse as the retail hubs of the city. Though no commercial sector will emerge unscathed from 2006 - during which Lebanon recorded its most sluggish economic performance in decades - Beirut's leading shopping centers have witnessed a spike in inquiries from prospective occupants over the past six months.

The operations manager at ABC Achrafieh attributed the rise in demand to the persistent closures in the BCD over the past two years.

"We have had a lot of people, especially from Downtown, making inquiries about new space, but we don't have much to offer them," Walid Khoury told The Daily Star in a telephone interview.

ABC, where 90 percent of retail space is currently occupied, has neither lost nor gained tenants over the past six months. Despite a potential upsurge in demand, rents have remained the same, said Khoury.

"We are in the same difficulty as everyone else in the capital," he said. "We are doing a little better than Downtown, but things are not as they should be during Christmas."

All sectors in ABC have been hit by a dip in consumer traffic. Nonetheless, the mall is going ahead with its usual holiday promotional schedule.

City Mall in Dora- also 90-percent full - has seen an increase in prospective occupants, said manager Michel Aoun. He received 12 applications for permanent space, and even more from retailers looking into short-term leases for the holidays, but the number of inquiries for temporary space is still below the usual rates for the season.

"The political situation Downtown has not affected the demand for locations in City Mall, Khoury said.

"But we do have common tenants between here and Downtown, and their business has increased at our location to compensate for losses [in the BCD]."

Applications are approved based on the industry and category, explained Khoury, with preference given to merchants from sectors that are relatively under-represented in the shopping center. Increasing the number of food outlets is a priority.

Khoury is relatively upbeat about the mall's performance, which picked up immediately after the July-August war with Israel and had been "going beautifully" until last week.

Dunes mall in Verdun, on the other hand, saw three tenants leave immediately following the summer hostilities, said marketing manager Nada Sharaia, though the losses were offset by the entry of four new clients.

Like City Mall, some of the more recent arrivals at Dunes - currently 95 percent occupied - have a presence in the BCD as well, she said. Those who decided to open a branch in Verdun for the most part did so during the first half of 2006.

"We're still close to full occupancy because we're getting new tenants, but it's not related to the war or Downtown," she said. "We are negotiating with one client now, and two new places will open in 2007. They are decorating as we speak."

Well this is of course good news, but we still need to revive our city center... thank God this mess downtown is almost over just in time for the holidays.

When will we be able to have a "NORMAL" Country ??

Second Edition of Samir Kassir Award Launched

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The European Commission in Lebanon has launched the second edition of the "Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press" in memory of An Nahar's slain columnist.
Head of the European Commission's delegation Ambassador Patrick Laurent announced the prize Friday in cooperation with the Samir Kassir Foundation at a news conference in the mission's headquarters in Beirut.

Laurent was flanked by Ghassan Tueni, An Nahar's pundit, and Walid Kassir, the slain journalist's brother. Kassir's widow Giselle Khoury also attended the news conference.

The prize is awarded to one journalist and one research student every year on June 2, the day the fiery anti-Syrian journalist was killed in a booby trapped car bombing in front of his house in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.

The commission said that award is dedicated to "perpetuate the commitment of journalist and writer Samir Kassir to the rule of law" and is bestowed to a journalist and a young researcher whose works should focus on the rule of law in the MEDA countries which include Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Territories, Israel, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

The winner of the journalism contest will receive a sum of euros 15,000 ($19,000) while the young researcher's award will be euros 10,000 ($13,000).

The jury will be composed of nine members from the media and civil society institutions and one observer member, representing the delegation of the EC.


Beirut, 16 Dec 06, 10:37

By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Thursday, December 21, 2006

BEIRUT: Lebanon's first agro-food vocational school should open next year in the Bekaa, thanks to a 5-million-euro ($6.5-million) grant from the European Union. Education Minister Khaled Qabbani signed the financing agreement Wednesday with Patrick Laurent, head of the European Commission's Lebanon delegation, and Nabil Jisr, president of the Council for Development and Reconstruction. The Education Ministry will also contribute $1.3 million.

The school, to be located in Qab Elias, will offer three-year baccalaureate degrees with agro-food specializations and short-term training courses for workers in the industry.

Despite employing 25 percent of Lebanon's private-sector wage-earners, the agro-food industry chronically suffers from a dearth of qualified labor, and the school is meant to rectify the shortage, Laurent told The Daily Star.

Lebanon's economy tips dramatically toward services, with more than 70 percent of the nation's GDP deriving from the service sector.

Laurent said he sees an opportunity "to widen the economic base of Lebanon."

"The economic base of Lebanon is unbalanced," he said. "The economic base of Lebanon is far too specialized in services," particularly tourism and banking and finance.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

As a result, Lebanon's industrial sector faces a "huge deficit" of employees, and the Bekaa school can serve as a template for how to supply labor to an area of potential economic growth, Laurent said.

Wajih al-Bisri, vice president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, said the agro-food industry has long needed an institute such as the school.

"I'm sure this project will be successful," he said.

"If we can have a school, this will be wonderful."

Qabbani said Lebanon has a wealth of human capital, and the school would provide important know-how to Lebanese youth and benefit the employment market at the same time.

The agro-food industry, represented by the Lebanese Syndicate of Food Industries, began the push for the school in 2000, when the syndicate signed an agreement with the ministry to create a technical facility specializing in the food industry.

The market for Lebanese food exports could be lucrative, because demand for Mediterranean products is growing in many countries, particularly in Western Europe, Bisri said.

"The agro-food industry can do a lot there," he said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=77851

^^ Gr8 news

Salameh: 2006 results positive despite tensions

Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 30, 2006


BEIRUT: Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh predicted on Friday that Lebanon's balance-of-payments surplus would exceed $2.5 billion at year end. Speaking to the Voice of Lebanon Radio, Salameh said the balance-of-payments surplus up to November of this year exceeded $2.9 billion.

"The results this year were relatively positive despite the political situation in the country," he added.

Salameh said the deposits of the banking sector grew by 7 percent to reach $63 billion.

"There has been a capital inflow into the country although some capital fled Lebanon in certain stages."

Salameh added that the Central Bank has sufficient gross foreign currency and gold reserves to weather any unforeseen problem.

According to the Central Bank, the gross foreign-currency reserves jumped to $13 billion this year from $12.5 billion in 2005.

Salameh said the Central Bank will maintain its monetary policy since it proved effective.

He also stressed the importance of the Paris III donor conference as it would inject badly needed cash into the country.

But he warned against further political division as it may hurt the economy, adding: "Any political consensus will surely reflect positively on the economy."

Salameh also expected interest rates worldwide to fall in 2007 and this will help the Lebanese economy. - The Daily Star

Tony Shalhoub working to revive the Arab image

Lebanese-American actor Tony Shalhoub, who helped establish an Arab-American filmmaker award, is now hard at work on an independent film about a Muslim and a Jew opening an L.A. restaurant.

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Before Tony Shalhoub broke through as the obsessive-compulsive detective Monk, the Lebanese-American actor had compiled a long list of supporting characters with widely diverse names: Haddad (The Siege), Kwan (Galaxy Quest), Scarpacci (Wings), Reyes (Primary Colors) and Riedenschneider (The Man Who Wasn't There).

This year, he has again been nominated for a Golden Globe, and he won his third Emmy for Monk, which will start Season 5 1/2 in January.

Lately, Shalhoub, 53, has been adding to his resume not only as an actor but also as a producer and advocate, reaching back to his Arab-American roots. One of his projects, an upcoming independent film titled American East, tells about ordinary Arab-Americans in Los Angeles whose everyday lives and plans have been altered by the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Spike Lee had his agenda and his vision. It's been done in the Hispanic-American community,'' Shalhoub said.

"If ever there was a time for it to be done for the Arab-American community, it's now,'' he said.

If he hadn't succeeded as Monk, an everyman character of indeterminate ethnicity, it might have been more difficult for him to be a successful advocate, said Hesham Issawi, director of American East.

"People don't even realize he has a Lebanese background. He has the money, the artistic power and the influence in Hollywood to make some change in the image. And he's not afraid of doing it.''

In "star math,'' the relationship of an actor's ego to his talent, Shalhoub comes out on top, said Jeff Wachtel, senior vice-president of original programming for Monk"s parent network, USA Network.

"Tony has the best ratio I've ever seen,'' Wachtel said. "It's so little about his ego and so much about the quality of the work and his fellow actors, it just makes people want to vote for him.''

Shalhoub said he's never considered himself a comedian. "The beauty of Monk for an actor is that it presents the ideal challenge, which is doing comedic stuff and dramatic stuff all together,'' he said. Monk's humour comes from his being a tragic clown along the lines of Charlie Chaplin, Shalhoub said.

In a modest neighbourhood near Hollywood and Vine, lights and cameras were trained on the star, standing nervously on a cracked sidewalk. Dressed in his detective's trademark buttoned-to-the-throat shirt, he squinted and blinked, his mouth struggling in vain to form words to defend himself from a barrage of verbal abuse from a fellow actor in character.

Beaten, he turned and shuffled off, a sad shadow of the usually sharp-eyed detective. It's the sort of physical performance that stage actors such as Shalhoub are trained to do and one reason Emmy voters like him.

This year, they surprised him with his third honour for comedic acting despite expectant buzz surrounding Steve Carell (The Office). Critics admire his ability to shift moods on a dime, a trait the show's writers like to exploit.

"Writing for Tony Shalhoub's voice is like writing for Bob Newhart,'' said co-creator and executive producer Andy Breckman. "It's all about pacing, timing, the pauses.''

He said the writers try to come up with situations just to see how the actor will handle them. "We throw different pitches at the plate to see if he can hit it. It's like a game for us. We did an episode where he went through all five stages of grief in 30 seconds.''

Sometimes, Shalhoub thinks viewers aren't sure why they're laughing or even if it's OK to laugh.

"Like Chaplin, too, he's kind of alone. He has his assistant and people he works with, but he doesn't have that soul mate that completes him. He feels incomplete.''

In recent years, Shalhoub branched out from acting to direct (Made-Up with his wife, Brooke Adams) and produce (as a creative force in casting, writing and editing on Monk). Still, he said, he can't quit acting. "I just love it,'' he said.

Because Monk, a 16-episode series, is broken up into two half-seasons, one airing in summer, the other in winter, Shalhoub is free for other ventures.

In 2003, he took a small part in a short satirical film, T for Terrorist, about a young actor who goes berserk after being cast one too many times as an Arab terrorist and turns the tables on the director.

In 2005, he helped establish the Arab-American Filmmaker Award Competition along with the Network of Arab-American Professionals, Zoom in Focus productions and Zahra Pictures. In the contest, established Arab-American filmmakers submit their screenplays; the winner gets his or her film produced.

"It's important,'' he said. "There are so many great stories that need to be told to offset the negative images in the media -- not just the news, but in other television and film.''

In American East, Shalhoub plays a Jewish-Egyptian-American who agrees to start a restaurant business with an Islamic-Egyptian-American -- to the consternation of their relatives.

"Tony always said let's shake the boat, show them things they've never seen before. Let's put Jews and Muslims in one movie and see what happens. Sort of like the Middle East in America,'' said Issawi, who co-wrote the film with Sayed Badreya.

The film also stars Kais Nashif (Paradise Now), Sarah Shahi (The L Word), Ray Wise (The West Wing, 24) and Badreya in his first lead role. Producer Ahman Zahra said, "We're hoping this could be the start of a new wave of expression, not just for Arab-Americans but other minorities . . . to give them a voice."

Shalhoub was No. 9 in a family of 10 children whose father emigrated from Lebanon at age 10, and whose mother was a second-generation Lebanese-American. Shalhoub was raised in Green Bay, Wis., where his father ran a sausage company from a truck.

"He wanted to expand that into a family-run company and mail-order business," Shalhoub said.

"He opened a little shop. His idea was that the company would sustain all of us and keep us close in the same area. Even though that didn't happen, we stayed close.''

Every summer, the family gathers in Wisconsin for a vacation.

Shalhoub was raised as a Christian; he doesn't speak Arabic.

According to Issawi, Shalhoub was not involved in Middle Eastern culture as a child. "It happens a lot. The first generation wants the child to be part of the melting pot. They're tired of the politics back home and don't want them to go through their own experience. Then the person grows up and wants to find their roots.

It happened to Tony later on in his life," after his father died, Issawi said. "He was lucky to have found the medium of film and cinema to help him explore.

"That's the beauty of it. He succeeded as an American, now as an Arab-American going back to reach into his own history. The Middle East is now very much a part of America. It's important for Americans to understand what the Middle East is about. He's one of the people building that bridge."

Source: The Record

Tony is really a great guy doing some great things, I wish him the best for all of our sakes.

Lebanese American launches first film 'Silent Scream'
Monday, 8 January, 2007 @ 2:41 PM

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Dearborn, Michigan - Lance K. R. Kawas, a Lebanese American screenwriter who struggled for years to get his award-winning scripts made into movies, finally realized his dream by releasing his first film.


Kawas wrote and co-directed "Silent Scream," a new horror film being distributed by Lionsgate Films.

"I don't usually write slasher movies," said Kawas.

He was asked to write the script by film producers who were familiar with his work, and he saw an opportunity for mass distribution and recognition, as well as an opportunity to direct.

The film is a teenage slasher movie shot in Northern Michigan in snow and freezing weather.

Kawas said he enjoyed shooting the film though he could barely handle the cold. "I hate snow … I'm from Africa."

Kawas, who is of Lebanese descent, grew up in Sierra Leone where his family owned video stores and theaters. He had access to countless movies from around the world and knew at a young age that he wanted to be involved in film.

He now spends late nights writing scripts for independent productions. He writes out of his home in Dearborn while staying in contact with production companies in London and Los Angeles.

"It keeps me down to earth," said Kawas about staying in Dearborn. He said he likes being amongst other Arabs and Muslims, in a smaller community, where he can focus and write.

Kawas left Africa at age 14 to attend a private school in England, then came to the U.S. when a revolution in Sierra Leone prevented him from returning after finishing high school.

Once here he enrolled at the University of Michigan and acquired a degree in finance.

"I did it to please my father," he said. "I hated banking."

Kawas worked for a short time in finance before deciding that "Life is short…I might as well do something fulfilling."

He quit his job and began writing full time. His family was not amused.

"It was a very painful time. I would get (discouraging) phone calls from uncles."

Kawas said the business-oriented part of Lebanese culture prevented his family from encouraging him in pursuing his literary work. He said that what motivated him to continue to write was the Qur'anic saying: "The ink of a scholar is more sacred than the blood of a martyr." He also used it to keep his family off of his back.

He taught himself to write screenplays and began around 1996. He's now written 31 scripts, an unusually high number.

Kawas wrote, submitted to competitions, and fought off his family for years until "all of a sudden I started winning.

"I started getting nominated, my dad started leaving me alone, and I started to think maybe there is a light at the end of tunnel," said Kawas.

He would eventually receive 19 different national film festival nominations and awards.

After the awards came he began submitting to production companies who, for another couple of years, would tell him his scripts were "good, but not what we're looking for."

"You can't give up on a dream," he said about his years of persistence in the face of rejection. "Men without dreams have empty souls."

In 2002 he leased the rights to his first script. "Then things started to roll," he said

He adapted a book for the screen. He wrote and directed commercials. He developed relationships with Purple Rose Films, American Cinema International, and other production companies in London and Hollywood.

Kawas now has three movies in pre-production, including "The Violinist," based on his prize-winning script about a relationship between two American law students, one an Arab, the other a Jew.

He is also set to direct a film on the story of Detroit mobster "Tony Jack" Giacalone.

Kawas describes his past and ongoing struggle for recognition and financial backing as an "uphill climb," but said that he believes "As long as you're a hard worker, they'll give you opportunity."

He still expresses frustration over the lack of attention arts get from the Arab community.

"The media is a powerful instrument, but they don't realize it," he said.

He said there are so many Arab professionals and students in medicine and engineering, and so few recognizing the potential influence of Arabs in the media.

One prominent influence in Kawas' work is the Syrian comedian and actor Dored Laham, who is known for political satire.

He hopes to someday have the ability to create and distribute films using humor to expose and poke fun at social injustices and ignorance in the world, particularly in the Arab World.

Kawas said that his family has become proud of him as he achieves more and more success, but that there's still always a hint of sarcasm in their praise, as in "So… have you met Sylvester Stallone yet?"

Source: Arab American News

This is great! I hope the movie becomes a success!
:D

Nchalla :)

There are already plenty of Lebanese Americans in this industry such as Mario Kassar who did blockbuster movies

Beirut - Water specialists have warned that Lebanon will face a severe water shortage over the coming years unless an effective water management system is soon put in place.



Some say that there could be a serious deficit by 2010 to 2015," said Fadi Comeir, director-general of hydro-electrical equipment in Lebanon's Energy and Water Ministry. He added that the country might experience shortages even sooner than that.

While Lebanon actually has an abundance of rainfall and underground water, for years it has struggled to distribute this water and prevent it becoming contaminated in the earth.

According to Ahmed el-Dor, a water engineer in the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF), the main problem with the water system in Lebanon is the mismanagement of distribution.

"Add to that a lack of qualified manpower in the sector, and you begin to appreciate the seriousness of the gaps in the system," el-Dor said.

El-Dor said that severe damage to the water system incurred as a result of Israeli bombing during the recent war served only to exacerbate an already existing problem.

In a country where experts say water management is chronically poor, a shortage would not only mean that residents would have problems meeting their daily water needs, but also that the quality of the water would be adversely affected.

"As things stand, each household receives less than 50 litres of water per capita per day, which forces people to resort to supplementary sources," said May Jurdi, a professor of environmental health at the American University of Beirut. The World Health Organisation states that people need on average 70 litres of water per day for all their needs, including sanitation.

In the event of a shortage, the use of unregulated water resources would go up, Jurdi said, increasing the risk of diseases while imposing an additional economic burden on families having to buy water for drinking and household use.

For many years, households across Lebanon, in urban and rural areas, receive water from public water authorities a maximum of three times a week, for about eight to 12 hours a time. The rest of the time, groundwater is usually pumped into urban buildings, including hospitals and schools, using individually fitted pumps. This water is then stored in tanks.

"Groundwater [in Lebanon] is often contaminated with sewage and agricultural waste," Jurdi said. According to her, some of the health effects the population suffers as a result of using contaminated water include diarrhoea, hepatitis and cholera.

However, Jurdi said that data was unavailable on the number of people who fall ill each year as a result of using unsafe water, because Lebanon was lacking an adequate reporting and information system.

But many urban residents say they have no choice but to use groundwater.

"If we were to rely on the water pumped to our home, we would have no drinking water at all, nor would we have enough for cooking and our own hygiene," said Ahmed Ramadan, who lives and works in the under-serviced southern suburbs of Beirut, which also suffered heavy damage in the summer war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We have to buy water every week," said Ramadan.

For drinking water, while the more affluent may be able to afford branded, bottled water, the majority of urban residents buy water from water shops in their area, while people in the countryside use wells.

"Who monitors the quality of water in those shops? Who monitors the quality of water in the wells? Nobody," Jurdi said.

As for water for household use, in areas where insufficient water is pumped by the water authorities, many families buy a tank each week for the equivalent of about US $7 to supplement the water they pump from the ground, said Beirut resident Dunia Madhoun.

During the summer war between Israel and Hezbollah, areas that suffered the heaviest damage also incurred severe disruption to their water systems. This left towns across southern Lebanon reliant for weeks on bottled water and temporary tanks distributed by numerous NGOs and aid agencies.

However, water specialists say the pre-existing water distribution systems in those areas are no standard to go by in the country's ongoing post-war rehabilitation phase.

Israel causing water shortage in region

According to an Arab League report released on December 31, 2006, Israel controls water resources in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and seeks to take over water reserves in the Golan Heights and southern Lebanon.

The study, carried out by the Arab Water Studies and Water Security Center, concluded that Israel was the main cause of water problems in the Middle East.

It said the average amount of water used by Israel is estimated at about two billion cubic meters, of which 65% comes from the West Bank, Gaza, southern Lebanon and the Syrian Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967.

Israeli water comes from rivers, groundwater, and reservoirs, while Palestinian water comes from rain, wells and springs.

Despite the limited water resources in the Palestinian territories, Israel seized more than 80% of them, the report said.

Moreover, there are 850 million cubic meters of water available in the West Bank and Gaza Strip annually, but the Palestinians do not use more than 120 million cubic meters as the Israeli government divert their water.

The average individual in Israel consumes water seven times more than the Palestinians, the report said, stressing that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was linked to the water issue.

“Israel takes 500 million cubic meters annually from water reserves in the West Bank, which accounts for approximately one third of Israel's consumption”, the study said, adding that the West Bank separation barrier allowed Israel to seize more of Palestinian water resources, as they are now annexed to Israeli boundaries.

The Arab League report, which focused on Israel’s control and use of water in Palestine, Israel and Jordan, said that large Israeli water projects always rely on drawing water from Arab sources.

“Israel seeks to control most of the water resources in the Golan Heights and southern Lebanon, the last of which was only meters away from the cease-fire line between Syria and Israel.”

The study also said that water had always been one of Israel’s main motives for military operations.

“Israel adopted the scheme to loot a high volume of Arab water in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, and since the aggression of June-June 1967 Israel is exploiting water in the occupied territories. Water has always been one of the most important motives that drives the strategy of the Israeli military.”

Finally, the report called for consolidating Arab efforts to face increasing water challenges and to demand Israel to stop controlling Arab water resources if peace was to be achieved.

Source: IRIN, Reuters, Ya Libnan

Lebanon's ISF destroys 150,000 pirated discs

Violators exploit political crisis as security forces focus on preserving calm
By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Friday, January 19, 2007



BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces (ISF) destroyed 150,000 discs containing pirated films, music, software and games in Roumieh on Thursday as part of efforts to stem the rampant piracy in Lebanon that costs media companies tens of millions of dollars a year. Pirated material accounts for 75 percent of all software and music sales, while the film industry suffers from the pirate-DVD market and first-run films shown on illegal cable-television connections that comprise over 90 percent of all connections, said a report from the International Intellectual Property Alliance, the umbrella group founded to protect the interests of the firms that control copyrights.

The alliance said US copyright holders lost out on over $25 million in music and software sales in Lebanon in 2005, though a strong contingent of grassroots organizations questions industry estimates and challenges copyright protections as excessive and a drag on creativity. Pirates are also getting an indirect boost from the country's ongoing political tensions, because the ISF's anti-piracy unit is busy maintaining security instead of chasing pirates, said a member of the ISF's Cyber Crime and Intellectual-Property Bureau who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Many pirated goods used to come to Lebanon by air from Malaysia, but now Syria is the primary source for contraband, as the country's sixth factory for producing illicit material is now going up, said the police source.

For example, pirated DVDs and illegal cable television ensure that everyone in the country can see a new film before its cinema release.

"Who will come to the cinema later?" said Bassem Eid, product manager for Haddad Theaters, which runs the Empire cinema chain, one of Lebanon's two major chains. "There is nothing here. [Illegal cable] is the major problem for us. The police here are doing some raids, but there are too many regions we didn't cover."

The 33 officers of the ISF's anti-piracy unit, founded less than a year ago, have seized about 250,000 pirated discs in some 500 raids since its inception, the source said.

The unit's moves are guided almost totally by the complaints it receives from copyright holders, who are actively pursuing their rights. Walid Nasser, the Lebanese legal counsel for international anti-piracy lobbies of the music, film and software industries, helped draft Lebanon's copyright legislation in 1999 and its patent laws one year later, he said. Nasser's law firm has helped train the ISF anti-piracy unit, files complaints on copyright violations, accompanies ISF officers on raids and submits briefs to the courts on behalf of copyright holders, Nasser said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

The Economy Ministry also investigates complaints of rights violations and sends inspectors to suspected pirate establishments, said Salwa Faour, head of the ministry's Department of Intellectual Property Protection.

But attempts to crack down on piracy typically bog down in Lebanon's glacial judiciary, where cases take at least two years to come to trial and the usual fines of a couple thousand dollars fail to deter any potential pirates, Nasser said.

"The cost is so insignificant that it's like the cost of doing business," he said. "Litigation in Lebanon is slow. We need more aggressive enforcement, and we need faster, better court decisions handed down."

Nasser said he plans to bring French judges to educate their Lebanese colleagues.

He previously brought American judges, but they "didn't have an enthusiastic audience" because of suspicions that the intellectual-property battle is just a front for the pursuit of American hegemony in the cultural arena, he said.

The sharpening political divide in Lebanon is also derailing the fight against piracy. In addition to lacking manpower, the ISF also has to be sensitive in timing raids on areas of opposition support due to the political crisis, the police source said.

"We need much more peace in order to act freely," the ISF officer said. "After the war [pirates] took advantage because we couldn't act. Whenever you have any problem, we cannot act. All my officers are used for security. We cannot do raids."

source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=78743

English assumes greater importance in Lebanese linguistic universe

By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Friday, January 19, 2007



BEIRUT: The Lebanese have a much-touted turn of phrase to greet each other that mixes three languages within the same expression: "Hi. Keefak? Ca va?"

Lebanese Arabic contains many instances in which these three languages - English, Arabic and French - are mashed together in the same sentence. For example, Lebanese youth make plans for the night by asking, "Shou, rayhin clubbing ce soir?" (So, what, are we going clubbing tonight?), and mothers tuck their children in at night with a "yalla dodo, nighty night."

Switching between three languages has always been a characteristic of the Lebanese dialect. In fact, linguistic plurality has been an esteemed tradition throughout the country's history.

Lebanon's contact with the West is not a recent development; the tiny country's strategic position between East and West has contributed through the ages to its multicultural and multilingual nature.

In modern-day Lebanon, French is considered the language of culture and maintains a vital link with France and other francophone countries. English, on the other hand, is seen as the language of business, technology and communications with the non-Arab world.

"Lebanon's familiarity with Western-style education, since the bourgeoning of missionary schools in the 19th century, set the foundations for a tradition of bilingualism that has proven its viability over the years and become entrenched in the Lebanese psyche and the Lebanese educational system," said Kassim Shaaban, a linguistics professor at the American University of Beirut.

Nevertheless, English is increasingly gaining status within what had been thought to be a francophone fortress. However, unlike in Algeria and Morocco, the issue here is not one of primary language but rather that of the second language.

Recently, the English language section at Librarie Antoine, Lebanon's bookstore "par excellence," was moved to a more visible corner.

While the head of the Anglophone books section at Antoine, Hala Shaftari, denies that the section was moved to cater to a growing numbers of English readers, she admits that English book sales at the Hamra branch are on the rise.

"However, this does not mean the francophone bookshop will change its name to Anthony's Bookshop," she says.

Shaftari adds that the branch of the bookshop in Achrafieh is still entirely francophone.

The rising sales of English books at the Hamra branch are likely due to the fact the store is surrounded by English-language universities and schools, she says. "Therefore a lot of university students visit us looking for English sources and textbooks."

The government's policies concerning language and various reports on the subject suggest a shift from Arabic/French bilingualism to Arabic/French/English "trilingualism."

In fact, the Constitution says that "at the end of their intermediate education, students can take official examinations in mathematics and sciences in Arabic or in a foreign language (French or English)."

Mishka M. Mourani, senior vice president of the International College, says the number of students enrolled in French studies is the same as the number of those enrolled in English.

"Being an international school, we put a lot of emphasis on multilingualism," Mourani says, adding that the school has begun teaching second languages in its pre-school.

"This stems from our belief that the sooner students are exposed to a language the better they will be able to acquire it," she adds.

Mourani says the problems English-educated students face while learning French have to do with differences in the "essence" of both languages.

"While English is an easy language with which to communicate because it is an international language with many dialects, the French language's grammar, on the other hand, does not allow for flexibility in pronunciation or word usage," she explains. "Let me put it this way, it's true that English is gaining ground, but not at the expense of French."

A mother of four and a graduate student in linguistics, Nathalie Shehadeh says she chose to enroll her children in IC's French program because she wanted them to learn more than one language and thought French would provide a strong foundation for other languages, such as Spanish or Italian.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Shehadeh compares young learners to "sponges."

"I want my kids to learn both English and French with a local accent, but this wealth of linguistic information could only be absorbed if it is done at a younger age," she says.

However, Shehadeh agrees that the ability to learn a new language was affected by the first language learned.

"It's easier to acquire English when you are French-educated, and not vice versa," she says.

Shaaban says such beliefs are a common misconception.

"Lebanese students from English-medium backgrounds are much less likely to be motivated to learn French than their counterparts who have attended at French-medium schools because French lacks international status," he says.

Ray Abdel-Karim, who attended one of Lebanon's most prestigious French schools, says: "Nowadays English is more important than French, especially as my major, nutrition, requires me to be competent in English since nutrition majors are very well paid in the United States, as well as in the Arab Gulf."

But "I feel more comfortable speaking in French than in English since I've been in a French school for 15 years," she says.

Abdel-Karim's arguments for choosing to study at an English-medium university seem to have been heard by many traditionally French schools.

"As an economics major I think English as foreign language courses I took during my undergraduate years were indispensable," says Tarek Borgi, a graduate student at the Universite Saint Joseph (USJ).

Many French-medium universities, such as USJ and the Universite du Saint Esprit de Kaslik, have begun to see a need for English courses within their curriculum.

"It's inconceivable that an economist, an engineer or a film director would not master English," says Henri Awaiss, director of the Languages and Translation Center at USJ. "Additionally, it seems quite erroneous to claim that in USJ only French is spoken. We have long sought to be a multilingual institution. In fact, more than five languages are taught at USJ."

Awaiss notes that USJ has recently signed an agreement with the Confucius Institute, whereby Chinese-language courses will be offered in the spring since "nowadays English is losing ground to Chinese."

However, he denies claims that some of the university's most prominent deans are opposed to the incorporation of English courses in the curriculum. English is a must for students today, he says, if for no other reason than that the majority of international academic journals are written in English.

"They oppose English in the sense that they don't want administrative interactions to be conducted in English so as to preserve the francophone nature and ancestry of the institution," Awaiss explains.

While agreeing with Awaiss, Shaaban says the Lebanese have come to realize that in today's globalized world even knowing two languages is no longer enough.

Mourani says France has always been active in marketing its language in Lebanon.

The French Embassy and the French Cultural Center organize a series of events each year aimed at promoting French language and culture.

Francophone book fairs, television programs broadcast from Beirut and spelling contests are all held to promote French, and have come to be a yearly tradition.

A seeming "linguistic status quo" could therefore be the result of the global pre-eminence of English as "lingua franca," meshed with lasting effects and an enduring reverence for French culture.

"These two ideologies wrestle together in Lebanon and create a sort of a linguistic balance," Mourani says.

Shaaban sums up the discussion by saying the languages in use in the Lebanese context have specifically assigned functions.

Thus, Arabic is the official language of the state and the national culture, French is the language of communication, institution (and a specific culture), and English is the language of international business, communication and information.

"Foreign-language use in Lebanon, namely French and English, is strictly utilitarian; each language fits a certain category and serves a certain purpose in differing contexts," he adds.


source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=78746

Keep up the good work,ISF

FANTASTIC news!!! they need to do more of this ... we need better regulation of intellectual rights

they sould just go to Tripoli there are trillons there

Australia's First Muslim Lifeguards Hit Cronulla Beach

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/aded54e13d60e37bc225727800322730/Body/0.82?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg

Australia's first Muslim lifesavers hit Sydney's Cronulla beach on Sunday, symbolizing the changes seen since the worst race riots in the country's modern history erupted there just over a year ago.
In December 2005, mobs attacked Lebanese-Australians in a bid to "reclaim the beach," sparking a series of retaliatory attacks in which churches, shops and cars were trashed.
Today, 17 Muslim life-savers are qualified to patrol the beach -- a group which Lee Howell of Surf Life-Saving Australia says is a powerful symbol of the changes that have occurred, and the area's need to move forward.

"I think that it kind of shows that a lot of people regret what happened on the beaches of Cronulla," he told Agence France Presse.

"But I also think it was not a true indication of racial integration... I think racial integration is going quite strong. I think as a whole, the broader Australian community is quite integrated and quite multicultural."

Howell said as Surf Life-Saving Australia celebrates its centenary in 2007, it was important to remember that "the beach is there for all the share."

The riots, which forced police to lock down several Sydney beaches, was triggered by anger over an attack on two Cronulla lifeguards allegedly carried out by a group of men of Lebanese origin.

Violence erupted when thousands of whites thronged to the area to protest the attack and "reclaim the beach."

A government investigation into the violence released last year found that a combination of racism on the part of some local residents and the criminality of some Middle Eastern youths were to blame for the mayhem.

Newly trained Muslim lifeguard Mecca Laa Laa, who will wear a full body covering known as the 'burkini' when patrolling the waves, said she felt as entitled as any other Australian to enjoy the country's iconic beaches.

The 'burkini', a two-piece swimsuit incorporating a head covering, a loose-fitting chemise and leggings, was designed by a Lebanese-Australian to allow women and girls who wear traditional Islamic dress to go swimming.

"What I wear doesn't make me any different," Laa Laa said.

Another Muslim lifeguard, 18-year-old Malaak Mourab whose parents immigrated from Lebanon, said going to the beach was just part of growing up in Australia.

"I've always been at the beach. I love the beach," she said.

As thousands of Australians flocked to Cronulla and the adjoining beaches on a sparkling Sunday, there was little reminder of the 2005 racial unrest.

While several women sported bikinis featuring the Australia flag and kids bought ice drinks in the Australian sporting colors of green and gold, other women in Muslim headscarves watched their children in the water.

Nineteen-year-old lifeguard Melissa Miles, who was patrolling the beach Sunday, said the rioting was largely fuelled by uninhibited drinking on the alcohol-free beach and had cast an unfair light on the sandy strip.

"There were bad things that happened, but it wasn't as bad as it seemed," she told AFP. "People got scared to come down to Cronulla, and that's just ridiculous."(AFP-Naharnet)


Beirut, 04 Feb 07, 11:09

Technical difficulties ground 'I Love Life' flight over capital
By Theodore May
Special to The Daily Star
Friday, February 23, 2007



BEIRUT: Organizers of the "I Love Life" campaign delayed plans to fly an airplane with the group's slogan trailing behind it up the coast from Beirut. This latest chapter in the ongoing campaign had been in the works for months and was scheduled to take place on Thursday, but was delayed due to technical problems.

Organizers launched the "I Love Life" campaign in December in response to the opposition sit-in in downtown Beirut.

The group started by posting the red-and-white billboards around the country. Soon afterward, the campaign found support among the ranks of the March 14 coalition, and began to expand its scope by varying the slogans its billboards carried.

"The airplane banner is part of our ongoing campaign," said Hala Deeb, one of the campaign's coordinators. Deeb added that this was not the start of a new stage, but rather part of the continuing process of finding ways to get the message out.

Organizers decided to cancel Thursday's flight due to technical difficulties with the airplane.

While organizers declined to give further details on the cancellation, they stressed that the setback was temporary and had "nothing to do with political or organizational problems."

The organization has said that it will reschedule the flight as soon as the difficulties can be overcome and weather permits.

The plane that was supposed to carry the banner was a small Cessna that was expected to fly up to the Northern town of Adma before returning to Beirut. The owner of the plane is an advocate of the "I Love Life" campaign and approached its organizers about flying the banner.

Local software firms eye outsourcing to compete
By Lysandra Ohrstrom
Daily Star staff
Thursday, February 22, 2007



BEIRUT: With Western conglomerates increasingly looking to emerging markets to subcontract software development, local firms are hoping to break into increasingly competitive European markets by promoting Lebanon as an offshore outsourcing zone for global corporations.

Since demand in Lebanon and nearby Gulf markets is too limited to sustain the country's 50-odd software firms, the US and Europe are the key to growth, says Thies Witting, head of the software sector of the Euro-Lebanese Center for Industrial Modernization (ELCIM).

"For companies who want to remain small, the regional market is enough. But if they want to expand they have to break into European markets outside of France [where they are present] because of the historic relationship with Lebanon," he says.

"There are two ways they can do this, by outsourcing [their services] or by selling locally manufactured, standard products. With few exceptions, the only way to achieve success is by outsourcing since plenty of domestic firms already supply standard software to Western markets."

Indeed global companies have a wealth of software outsourcing companies to choose from, most of which compete with Lebanon at the level of cost, and to a lesser extent proximity. Romania and Bulgaria are emerging as popular outsourcing destinations for European nations, and US firms favor India and Pakistan. Lebanon's small IT firms need to group together into software clusters to challenge their dominance, argues Witting.

Association of Lebanese Software Industries president Joe Abi Aad agrees that outsourcing should be the priority of Lebanese firms since Western firms are becoming dependent on off-shore IT subcontractors. But creating software clusters is one of many possible routes.

"We are never going to be able to compete with places like India in terms of cost, so I don't think we should be focusing on competitively priced products," Abi Aad told The Daily Star.

"What we need to focus on is branding a whole Lebanon package and creating a niche as a near-shore outsourcing zone with multi-lingual designers with a grasp of Western culture."

Xenatus Global, a 12-man Lebanese software development firm under contract with two conglomerates in Canada and California, successfully marketed its own Smart Arc program in the West and continually works with US firms independently.

"Local work gives us exposure, but being subcontracted is certainly easier than dealing with fluctuations in local market," says Xenatus' business manager, Shakeeb al-Jabri.

Jabri says several Lebanese software firms have left Lebanon over the past two years due to lack of demand. Some have gone to regional software-exporting hubs, like Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, where Arabic-language computer programs are manufactured, while others have subcontracted in the Gulf.

While Xenatus cannot compete with India, Asia, or Eastern Europe in terms of cost, US firms continue to renew their contracts, which Jabri attributes to "ease of communication."

"We are bilingual, exposed to other cultures, it's easier for them to relay their ideas," he says. "Sure they get the credit for our programs, but we learn a lot from their expertise."

ELCIM director Raja al-Habre says Lebanese firms' linguistic advantage is key to their appeal to smaller firms looking for a specific program rather than mass-produced software.

"They are performing relatively well, but they still have demands for the government relating to IT infrastructure and broadband access," Habre said.

Naharnet Newsdesk
Beirut, 27 Feb 07, 16:21

Liquid Explosives Hunted Across the Atlantic Busted in Lebanon

Nearly six months after feverish search by U.S. and European intelligence agencies for lethal "liquid explosives" Lebanese police confiscated the first batch of such deadly weapons, sources told Naharnet Tuesday.
One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said each of the 31 confiscated explosive devices is made up of two tubes filled with blue liquid, fitted on a board and connected to a timer-detonator.

A police communiqué said a squad of its intelligence branch carried out a "swift operation during which it confiscated 31 explosive sets."

The communiqué said the confiscated sets included "sophisticated electro-chemical timers-detonators that can be timed to explode after as late as 124 days."

The sets were confiscated in an area "in the vicinity" of the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern port city of Sidon, 45 kilometers from Beirut, the communiqué said.

The sets were to be "smuggled and used in terrorist acts," the communiqué added.

The source, however, told Naharnet the sets were busted nearly 12 days ago in the Sikkeh district of ain el-Hilweh in a "daring, swift and clean raid."

The sets, according to the source, were "assembled and awaiting a squad to smuggle them to another location. Police, apparently, postponed issuing a communiqué on the bust in an effort to tail members of what is believed to be a major network of terrorists operating between various sectors of Lebanon".

He said material used in the sets is of an "eastern European origin." He refused to elaborate.

British, U.S. and European Union intelligence agencies have been searching since August for the lethal liquid explosives after London said in unveiled a scheme to blow up passenger aircraft on flights across the Atlantic.

Stringent security measures have been applied at almost all western airports, banning air passengers from carrying any liquids, even food for infants.

The Lebanese police operation was the first ever reported bust of liquid explosives in the world.

liquid explosives ... as in chlorine??? thats wat they're starting to use in Iraq nowadays ... this is F*CKING WONDERFUL!!!

Wonderful men ayya ne7ye ya3ne? ,ma fhemet :S

Well,Gr8 job leb. police,keep up the good work.

Its great that its made its way into leb (sarcasm)

:D i know,this is you,Funny Dyana :D

But,i find it so cool that lebanese police are doing their job :)

But,i find it so cool that lebanese police are doing their job :)

lol yea how WEIRD (sarcasm again) ... I expect this of them, about damn time we have a serious police force.

Does anyone know what happened to the security cameras that were supposed to be posted all over beirut?

I know nothing about that,But i guess they didn't install them yet.

Biggest Fish for Lebanon

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/706d85cc7e3f1340c2257292002f2865/Body/0.82?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg

A group of Lebanese men has caught the largest fish at a competition held in the Sultanate of Oman, An Nahar newspaper reported Friday.
It said the tuna fish caught at the "Sindibad" competition in Muscat weighed 89 kilograms. But the daily said the Lebanese team came in second place with 265 points after the Omani group gathered 300 points during the three-day contest.

An Nahar said the team, made up of Raed Dabbous, Abboudi Diab and Fadi Haydar, is hoping to reach better results at the region's most important competition next year with the backing of the Youth and Sports ministry and usage of more developed fishing equipment.(An Nahar photo shows Abboudi Diab holding the giant tuna)


Beirut, 02 Mar 07, 10:36

NDU pays tribute to poet-writer Amin Rihani
March 2, 2007

http://www.terra.net.lb/Media/Photo/M_2_3_2007_27715.jpg
Notre Dame University unveiled a statue of Amin Rihani on Thursday.

Notre Dame University unveiled a statue of Amin Rihani on Thursday, during a celebration to mark the late renowned Lebanese poet and writer' s 130th birthday, which coincided with the institute' s 20th anniversary.

The ceremony at the Zouk Mosbeh campus was attended by over 300 prominent writers, professors, journalists and students. NDU' s President Reverend Walid Moussa stressed Rihani' s role as " a prominent national and international thinker and role model for developing nations in the 21 century."

Talal Salman, the owner and editor in chief of As-Safir, paid tribute to Rihani, calling him " the Lebanese Arab contemporary thinker."

The ceremony ended with the unveiling of the Rihani bust at the main NDU entrance leading to the university library.

A pamphlet titled " The Great City" was distributed during the ceremony. It included excerpts of Rihani' s work.

" The future will give us justice when my dust rests in the valley of Al-Freik and calls yours into the sacred valley. Then from the pine that will shade my grave, the breeze will carry my fragrant kisses to your cave, which the cedar will forever shade," it said. - The Daily Star

HOLY MAMA! :eek2:

WAHT THE HELL IS THAT! SO DAMN HUGE! :eek:

looks like a tuna fish

yup yup ramzi, just, LOL beacause i post question doenst mean that i dont know the answer! i am posing rhetorical ones!

it syas in the article that its a Tuna

^^ :D i didn't read the article, i just looked at the pic hehe

:D;)
ok LOL

BEIRUT: Despite reported losses of nearly $1 million in Lebanon last year, Virgin Lebanon will open its first store in Saudi Arabia this year and manage the chain's new outpost in Damascus. Virgin's initial branch in Saudi Arabia should open in about two months in Jeddah, Virgin Lebanon CEO Jihad Murr told The Daily Star on Tuesday. Virgin Lebanon, in which Al Mawarid Bank executive Marwan Kheireddine holds a majority interest, is investing between $5-6 million in the project. The group will plow about $15 million overall into Saudi Arabia, with plans to launch a store in Riyadh next year and set up a second shop in Jeddah in 2009.

The group considers its investment in the Gulf as a separate entity from its Lebanon venture, and so the hardships of the last two years here did not figure into the strategy for Saudi Arabia.

"The budget and everything is not coming from Lebanon," Murr said. "It's a country that doesn't have problems like we do here."

The Saudi enterprise is projected to turn a profit in its second year, and Murr said he believes that with political stability, the Lebanon chain can return to the earnings it tallied in 2004, its best year with slightly less than $1 million in profits.

"If we have a normal year, [Virgin Lebanon] will be a profitable business," Murr said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Virgin will also expand to Syria, with its initial outlet to open in Damascus at the end of this year. Virgin Lebanon has a management agreement to run the firm for Samer Andar, the Syrian national who holds the franchise rights there.

The Virgin brand will also make its debuts in Amman and Doha, with flagship stores opening in two to three months. The franchises for the two countries belong to Lebanon's Daher family, which also controls the Virgin holdings in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The Daher group and Virgin Lebanon have a cooperation agreement for advertising, ticketing and Virgin magazine.

The two groups clearly see growth potential in the Virgin franchise - Murr said Virgin Lebanon is increasing its floor space for books and DVDs, which are leading company revenues ahead of music sales, which have been sinking worldwide since 2000 thanks to legal and illegal music downloads.

With the expansion into Saudi Arabia, Murr will soon step down from his post as CEO, because he does not want to spend the time required in the Gulf to manage operations there. Murr has nearly a dozen other business interests in Lebanon, most in the entertainment field, such as concert promotion, a recording studio and the radio stations Energy and Nostalgie.

Advocacy group kicks off campaign to spotlight plight of migrants
Ads ask Lebanese to 'treat foreign workers as you would like to be treated'
By Iman Azzi
Daily Star staff
Saturday, March 17, 2007

BEIRUT: The Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center, in partnership with Caritas Sweden and Catholic Relief Services, launched on Friday a media campaign aimed at raising awareness of migrant workers' rights throughout Lebanon. The trilingual advertising campaign, supported by the European Commission and the Lebanese Ministry of Health and General Security, will be unveiled next week in the press and on billboards, radio and TV.

"Treat foreign workers as you would like to be treated - regardless of race and status," the campaign slogan runs.

"Caritas Lebanon is launching this campaign ... in support of migrant worker's rights and their recognition as active person in the society," said Father Louis Samaha, president of Caritas Lebanon.

"Despite the current difficult situation of Lebanon, this country still attracts migrants to fulfill jobs in the fields that lack Lebanese labor force," said Kamal Sioufi, President of the Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center Board Committee.

Caritas Lebanon estimates that there are at least 100,000 migrant workers in Lebanon, but the number could well exceed that. The Sri Lankan Embassy estimates there are at least 80,000 Sri Lankan workers in Lebanon alone, while the Filipino Embassy estimates that 40,000 nationals work here.

"What we have experienced during 13 years of this center's existence is that a part of those foreigners live in difficult conditions. Some of them are well-treated; others have their fundamental human rights violated," said Sioufi, listing emotional, physical and sexual abuse as only some violations against migrant workers.

The advertising campaign complements a five-year project, co-funded by the EU, which was aimed at strengthening legal protection of migrant workers in Lebanon. According to a survey of 601 Lebanese residents who employ migrant workers, 75 believed they had the right to limit their employees' contact with other migrant workers, and 71 percent believed they had the power to limit their freedom of movement.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb


The Arabic survey was conducted between June 22 and July 11, 2005. Twenty-one percent of the respondents from Beirut and Mount Lebanon were male, while 79 percent were female.

Two percent said they had the right to beat their employee while 29 percent admitted to having committed some sort of physical abuse against employees at least once.

"Most migrant workers around the world are subject to exploitation and mistreatment, and that is a worldwide problem," said Colonel Wafaa Borji, representing the director of General Security, General Wafik Jezzini. "Despite the existence of abused and exploited cases that totally contradict with human rights, the majority of the Lebanese people respects these rights and deals with migrants as members of their family."

Bahige Arbid, representing resigned Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh, said foreign workers should receive equal treatment: "We are human and born free, regardless of race, culture, ethnicity and nationality. We are equal in humanity despite the fact that rich people get richer and poor people get poorer around the globe."

Over the last five years, Caritas Lebanon has established an emergency telephone line (03-092538), provided a psycho-social, social and judicial support for migrant workers and provided educational meetings to inform migrant workers of their rights under the law. Caritas Lebanon also created a documentary, "Maid in Lebanon."

"It is evident that these efforts will be in vain if the general Lebanese opinion does not follow them," said Patrick Laurent, chief ambassador of the European Commission to Lebanon.


________________________________________________________________
I think this will work if the government really backs it as much as they should... but i doubt it will work for syrian workers (too political, plus they're not often thought of as foreign workers for some reason)

I think this is a problem most Lebanese don't like to address. From what I've seen, the Lebanese are an extremely proud people and like to think of themselves as "civilized" even though what I've seen in Lebanon is really unimaginable and the police sit there and do nothing or even engage in the abuse themselves!!!

Forigners get abused physically and emotionally and I think that survey they made was quite inaccurate. There are SEVERAL migrant workers who are harrassed, robbed, and beaten every day because "They take our money and send it back home." What these Lebanese people don't stop to think about is that there are 20 million of them doing the same thing outside the country!!! I actually saw one maid in Verdun with about 80% of her face bruised!!! I've seen one dark skinned lady inappropriately touched by a guy on the bus as he was getting out and she could do nothing but give him a dirty look because she didn't seem to speak Arabic.

They can't call the police or anyone because
1)They don't know anyone or anything about this country
2) Nobody speaks their language or is in easy access to help if they can get away
3) If they actually go to a police station the police send them back to their embassy where they "teach" them to behave

There is very little oversight in this country! I've actually been attacked as well and when I called the police....click...they actually hung up on me!!!! Robberies and assults towards everyone has gotten so bad that I've heard the Nigerian community in Lebanon has its own lawyer even though the courts probably would brush it off like nothings the matter. So much for being "civilized" :ohno: I'm not saying this to put all Lebanese people down. The majority of people of all sects are great as long as you don't get into politics. Then it turns into a circus :nuts:

hope things will change towards a better future for all

Well,For a country been into so much troubles,,lebanon still in a good position among surrounding countries when it comes to dealing with foreign workers,,things are getting better day after day,let's hope they continue improving foreign workers situation in lebanon.

Gemmayzeh pub experiments with smoke-free night
By Matt Nash
Special to The Daily Star
Friday, March 30, 2007

http://www.dailystar.com.lb//admin/storage/articles/20073292311200.4-No%20Smoking.jpg

BEIRUT: Ashtrays scattered sat unused for the second Wednesday night in a row this week at Godot, a pub on Gemmayzeh's Gouraud Street. Catering to a niche market one might have assumed did not exist in Beirut, the pub's owners instituted a no-smoking night. And non-smokers love it.

"This is my dream," said patron Fabienne Ziade, who is allergic to cigarette smoke but loves going out.

For pub-going smokers, who were outnumbered by about seven to one at the night's busiest point, a metal tree with ashtrays for leaves waited outside.

Shady Malkoum, a regular and a smoker, said he thought no-smoking night was a good idea once a week. He did not, however, attempt quitting for the night, "and now I'm leaving because I can't smoke."

The idea for the weekly blast of fresh air came from co-owner Elio Panayot, an occasional smoker. He thought it up before the pub opened two years ago. However, he and co-owner Omar Sadek "didn't have the courage to take [this] step," right away, Sadek said. "Finally Godot has reached a stage, from a business point of view, where we can do this," he explained.

After consulting friends and regulars, the pair decided to take the risk, seeing demand for an escape from second-hand smoke and the lingering smell of a night on the town. Sadek said they also hoped any young people who come in on a Wednesday night might take the message that you do not have to smoke to be cool.

Sadek said he does not want a complete smoking ban in Lebanon, but that's exactly what several patrons said they'd like to see.

"Let's imitate Europe and America in good things," said non-smoker Rosey Christy.

There has been no formal advertising for no-smoking night, just a hand-drawn sign on the wall facing the street, word of mouth and a report aired Sunday by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Sadek said.

"It's my first five minutes in a non-smoking pub," said Rabih Nassar, a non-smoker who saw the sign two days ago and decided to come. "It's a good idea. The only problem is you might miss friends who are smokers who won't come, but, then again, you might make new friends who don't smoke."

Magdi Hamadeh's group of non-smoking friends convinced the smoker to come from Sidon because they have not seen each other in a while.

"Of course it's on non-smoking night," he joked. "This is a totally new experience for me - drinking without smoking."

Hamadeh made several trips to the ashtray tree.

On the other hand, Monica Karen, a smoker also caught unaware, said she would try not smoking for the evening. She's trying to quit in general, she said, and mostly smokes when she drinks.

"Now, if I'm not smoking when I'm drinking ...," she offered in a hopeful tone, saying she will definitely come back next week.

The night's theme blindsided Keith Wilson, who walked in with a lit cigarette in hand.

"That's crazy," he said to Charlie Ghantous, the manager, choosing to head outside rather than stamp out his half-finished cigarette.

"I admire them for trying," said Wilson, the owner of Bulldog, another pub in the neighborhood. But "there's no way it's going to work."

"A lot of people make fun of it," Panayot said. "We don't care. A lot of non-smokers want a place of their own."

Top Spanish peacekeeper gets to know Hasbaya
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Friday, March 30, 20


SIDON: The head of the Spanish contingent of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) paid a visit on Thursday to the qaimaqam of Hasbaya, Walid Ghafir. General Ramon Martin Ambrosio said he hoped his troops would be able to provide the "long distressed" area with the help it needed.

The Spanish contingent is waiting for the government in Madrid to grant the necessary funds "so that we can launch developmental projects planned for the area," he added.

Ghafir praised the contingent for its efforts in helping the people of South Lebanon.

"The goal of this visit is to get to know the area better and interact with its people," said Ambrosio, expressing his fondness for the landscape in Hasbaya, "which pretty much resembles that of Spain."

The Spanish general said his troops have carried out "extensive research and conducted various studies" in order to identify the problems and needs of South Lebanon to "better serve Southerners."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will visit UNIFIL troops in the South during a two-day trip to Lebanon on Friday and Saturday, "so as to get a clearer picture of the nature of our mission and the conditions we live in," he added.

"However, even though the secretary general will be visiting the Southern region, he will not visit the Shebaa Farms region because it still rests under Israeli occupation," the general said.

Ambrosio added that the divided town of Ghajar would be "thoroughly" discussed with both Lebanese and UNIFIL officials during Ban's visit.

Good news.. I hope other places follow suit

i hate the smell of ciggies, it just ruins my mood, my brother allways smokes in the house and its soo annoying lets hope other places will do the same
and help protect peoples health !

^^ AMEN

:cheers1:

:okay:

Here in Canada, after being banned in almost all public places (whether it be restaurants or nightclubs), the whole province of Ontario is considering the ban of smoking is condominiums and apartments all together!!! In other words, they want to ban smoking in houses. Lebanon has a LONG LONG way to go as far as smoking is concerned. People smoke in buses, schools and even is some hospitals (correct me if I am wrong)... Let's hope this pub will not be the only one to take that turn! Sorry to all the smokers out there, but even if the ban at home is somewhat an attempt to invade your privacy, I hope it passes!!!

^^ even at rio lento there life gurds even SMOKE !!!!!! talk about keeping healthy i saw three have ciggies while siting down and watching everyone.

baning smoking inside houses would be heven for me !!!!!!!! lol not sure how my brother will take it hahahaha

Judiciary Uncovers Corruption Scandal

A corruption scandal in the legal system – the base for desperately needed reforms after the decades' long status quo in Lebanon - has been uncovered.
Well-informed sources said the Lebanese judiciary has laid its hands on a "network" during written exams to select Notary Publics to fill the vacancies across Lebanon.

They said the mastermind of the network, which is backed by political as well as factional sides, operates from Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Horeik.

(More details soon..)
naharnet

^^ lets uncover them and then send their asses to jail!!! they better do something about this other than "report" it

Lebanese writer Elias Khoury inaugural winner of Cdn prize for Arab writers

Canadian Press
Dene Moore

Friday, April 27, 2007

http://www.lebaneselobby.org/picture/LW/Elias-Khoury.jpg

MONTREAL (CP) - When Elias Khoury began writing in the 1970s, Lebanon was embroiled in civil war.

Now nearing his 60s, Khoury finds his homeland once again in conflict, fresh from deadly bombings by Israel last summer and a rise in sectarian tensions. "Writing is a way of survival," says the author, fresh off a flight from New York to Montreal, where he is taking part in the annual Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival this week.

Although he is currently in the United States teaching at New York University, Khoury's homeland is always on his mind.

He decried the "Israeli occupation of Palestine," as well as the dictatorial regimes that rule some Arab nations.

Khoury also said that because of its oil, the region has become a battle field for the world's last remaining superpower.

"We are in a very complicated and complex situation," Khoury said. "But, nonetheless, even if you are in darkness, we can hope for peace and we can hope for justice. This is what writing is about."

Khoury is the inaugural winner of a new Canadian literary prize for Arab writers.

The Al Amajidi Ibn Dhaher prize will be awarded by the Blue Metropolis Foundation for lifetime literary achievement by an Arab writer attending the annual literary festival. He was to receive the award at a gala dinner Thursday evening.

The $2,000 prize is sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

Khoury says he's thrilled to get the prize.

"But the real reward for a writer is when his books are read and people identify with his characters," he said.

Khoury, 59, has penned twelve fiction novels and four books of literary and cultural criticism over the past three decades.

"His international reputation is remarkable, with most of his novels translated into many languages," the foundation noted in announcing the award.

Khoury's epic Gate of the Sun tackles his country's troubled modern history, from the inception of Israel and the expulsion of Palestinians to the murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.

"We write about life. We don't write about conflict," Khoury says. "But conflict is part of life. We write about our will to live."

The Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival runs through Sunday and features hundreds of events involving writers from all over the world.
© The Canadian Press 2007

woooo congrats
Lebs ROcK!!!

QADISHA VALLEY, Lebanon (Reuters) - For a Colombian hermit thousands of miles from home, Lebanon's Qadisha valley is a heaven on earth where he hopes to end his days.

Yet Father Dario Escobar may lose some of his solitude when hikers learn about a fledgling national trail that passes near his cliffside hermitage as it meanders nearly 400 km (250 miles) over Lebanon's mountain spine from the far north to the south.

The creators of the Lebanon Mountain Trail see the Qadisha valley, with its limestone crags, waterfalls, rich vegetation and ancient monasteries, as a showcase of what can attract Lebanese and foreigners willing to explore the country on foot.

Fortunately, Escobar does not seem to mind when hikers test-walking a section of the trail intrude on his privacy.

"Usually I speak to nobody, but I speak with you because someone knocked on my door," laughed the black-cowled monk as he emerged from his cave cell near a rock-cut chapel.

"This is paradise," the 72-year-old greybeard said, looking out at a verdant, steep-sided valley from the tiny 13th-century monastery of Our Lady of Hawka. "I am here for good."

The calm beauty of the spot where Escobar spends his time in prayer and contemplation is a far cry from Lebanon's image as a tinderbox for Middle Eastern conflict -- an image that the trail organizers say tells only part of the story.

"Despite all the trouble Lebanon is going through, this is a different universe," said Karim El-Jisr, the project's deputy manager. "Hopefully the Lebanon Mountain Trail will bring people together ... and appeal to people in Lebanon from all walks of life, religions, confessions and political affiliations."

SHADOW OF WAR

The project itself, funded by a $3.3 million grant from the United States, suffered a few delays due to last year's July-August war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

But ECODIT, a U.S.-based consultancy which has a two-year contract to set up the trail, hopes to have the route mapped, marked and ready to hand over to a non-governmental association by the end of the year. A guide book in English, maps and a website (www.lebanontrail.org) are also in the works.

"It's all about connecting dots, linking things up," said Jisr, explaining how the trail will take walkers to nature reserves, archaeological sites, holy places and villages at altitudes from 800 to 2,000 meters (2,600 to 6,500 feet).

The idea is also to promote ecotourism, a relatively new concept in Lebanon, where tourism has long relied on attractions such as the temples of Baalbek, the ancient port of Byblos and the Cedars, along with the shops and nightlife of Beirut.

Unlike wilderness routes popular in North America the Lebanon trail includes many villages, with money spent on guides and accommodation intended to stimulate the rural economy.

It uses centuries-old paths, some disfigured by litter -- careless dumping, hunting, tree-cutting and illegal building are among many threats to Lebanon's landscape and wildlife.

TRAMPING THE TRAIL

The 20-km (13-mile) stretch between the towns of Ehden and Bsherri via the Qadisha valley proves exhilarating, if strenuous.

The little stone church of Mart Moura on the outskirts of Ehden, where the walk begins, is an immediate plunge into the arcane but bloody Christian quarrels of the Byzantine era.

"It's one of a series of churches built by the Jacobites until they were pushed out of the area or killed by the (Maronite) people of Ehden in the 1400s because they were Monophysites," says Paul Khawaja, a climber and cave explorer who advises ECODIT's environmentalist team on mapping issues.

The feud was rooted in a theological conflict over the divine nature of Christ.

The narrow path leads past a ruined water mill to Ain Tourin village and then winds steeply down, crossing and recrossing a cascading stream. In the woods, botanist Nizar Hani points out clumps of thyme and other edible, medicinal or aromatic plants.

"People collect wild plants like oregano or cress and offer them to customers in restaurants. They are delicious," he says.

In the valley lies the St Anthony monastery of Qozhaya, dating to the 7th century or earlier, where visitors are welcomed with sweet wine in tiny glasses as bells toll.

The Maronite monastery houses a 17th-century printing press, one of the oldest in the Middle East.

After a steady climb to Hawka village comes a knee-punishing descent down hundreds of man-made steps to Escobar's eyrie.

The path then winds past more monasteries, chapels and caves to a river rushing through a gorge alongside Qannoubin, the only permanently inhabited village in Lebanon without road access.

Finally the trail ascends sharply from the Qadisha valley floor to the apple orchards on the edge of Bsherri, the birthplace of Lebanese-American poet Gibran Khalil Gibran.

By that time, weary hikers racing nightfall might need Gibran's exhortation: "March on. Do not tarry...March on and fear not the thorns or the sharp stones on life's path."

I would love to hike there.

^^ me too ,BADLY

One of the great things about Lebanon, the history and all the things to see/do and the variety of scenery per square inch of the country :) thx for the article :)

Paulo Coelho features Lebanon in latest book
Saturday, 12 May, 2007 @ 9:23 PM

By Angela Doland
Paris - Paulo Coelho hates seeing books neglected, gathering dust on his shelves. And so he leaves most of what he reads in parks, bus stations, his local Japanese restaurant, for random readers to find.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/05/12/Paulo%20Coelho%20Lebanon%202.jpg

"One day the shelves in my apartment collapsed, and I saw all my books on the floor, and I thought to myself, why do I have these books, to impress my friends?" the author of "The Alchemist" said, explaining how he lugs bags of books around to give them away. "I feel a book must travel."

And so the walls of Coelho's otherwise luxurious Paris apartment are lined with near-empty wooden bookcases, giving the place a strangely spare atmosphere despite the moldings, high ceilings and carefully arranged sofa cushions.

The Brazilian writer is full of contradictions.

With his gray beard, knowing eyes and talk of dreams and inspiration, he seems like a sage - then suddenly he's talking with glee about his global book sales. He's drawn to the ascetic life, following pilgrimage routes or wandering in the Mojave desert, yet he's an Internet addict who's in "withdrawal" without his computer. He's a talker - at ease in English and French as well as Portuguese - but every few months he goes into retreat in the countryside.

"My life is extremes, I am totally connected and totally disconnected, there are these moments of retreat, and that means to be really disconnected, with nothing, just silence," he said, sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor in front of his couch.

Like Coelho's past novels, his new book, "The Witch of Portobello," out May 15 in the United States, offers inspirational messages and spiritual musing wrapped up in the package of a novel.

Its blend of mysticism, signs, visions and visitations will enchant some readers and leave others confused - about where the novel is going, and about what it is exactly that makes Coelho one of the world's best-selling writers across borders. He has sold about 75 million books in 150 countries and 63 languages.

"The Witch of Portobello" traverses London, Transylvania, Dubai and Lebanon as it tells the story of Athena, the illegitimate daughter of a gypsy who is adopted into a rich Lebanese family. In London, where she lives as an adult, many people around her think she is a kind of priestess with special powers.

As the book opens, Athena is proclaimed dead; the people who knew her recount her life in fragments, from their perspectives. A reporter becomes entranced with her, her Lebanese adoptive mother struggles to understand her, an actress views her with suspicion and bitterness.

Though Athena is the "witch" of the title, "she works in a bank," Coelho says. "She goes to sell real estate ... She's a real person."

Paulo%20Coelho%20Lebanon.jpgThe multiple viewpoints make it hard to pin Athena down - some readers will enjoy putting the puzzle together, while others will fail to get attached to the character. It's less accessible than "The Alchemist," which was a linear fable that found a wide range of readers, from former U.S. President Bill Clinton to Madonna to author Umberto Eco.

Coelho, 59, came to novel-writing after many twists and turns. When he was 18, his parents put him in a psychiatric hospital for shock treatments. "I was not the typical good student who wants to follow his father's career, so they thought I was crazy," he said. He has forgiven them, saying they were only trying to help him.

In the 1970s, Coelho founded an alternative magazine and wrote music lyrics. Considered subversive by Brazil's military government at the time, he briefly went to jail. From there, Coelho says, he was snatched by paramilitaries and tortured.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/05/12/Paulo%20Coelho%20Lebanon.jpg

In 1987, he hiked a pilgrimage route between France and Spain, inspiring his first book, "The Pilgrimage." A year later came "The Alchemist," a fable about a shepherd boy on a quest. Other best sellers, including "Veronika Decides to Die" and "Eleven Minutes," followed.

Coelho writes one novel every two years. In Rio de Janeiro, where he spends most of the year, he has an institute that cares for 430 poor children. He does something he calls "blitz signings" - dropping in to a city to do a signing with only a day's notice. And of course, he's on the Internet, where he has posted a third of "The Witch of Portobello" on his blog, http://paulocoelhoblog.com.

Coelho also posts random photographs from his life - one shows him shaving. His devoted readers use the blog to pour out their feelings on topics like marriage and grief.

Online, Coelho recently invited 10 readers to his annual party in Spain. People from all over the world sent him e-mails, and though he had to explain later that he wasn't paying for their plane tickets or hotels, the first 10 bidders came anyway, he says, from as far away as Venezuela and Japan.

When he's not on the Internet, he's traveling, waiting for inspiration to strike. He doesn't have an idea for his next book, so he's living life to the fullest - a process he compares to "making love, trying to get pregnant."

"I have to have this innocence, I have to have this excitement," he said. "I could be easily paralyzed by my success. Thank God, this is not the case."

Source: AP

Lebanese teen kills boy for refusing sex



June 24, 2007 - 6:19AM

A male Lebanese teenager stabbed to death a 10-year-old boy who refused to have sex with him for $US3.35 ($A3.96) and a couple of bags of chips, Lebanon's state news agency said.

The body of the boy, his throat cut and stabbed more than five times, was found on Saturday in a ditch near the town of Zahle in east Lebanon.

He had disappeared the night before in the area, the National News Agency reported.

It said police arrested a 16-year-old teenager who confessed to the crime. He re-enacted the murder and told police he had previously had sex with the boy, Jumaa Basheer, but was enraged when he turned him down this time even though he made the cash and food offer.

It did not name the confessed murderer.

:ohno:

^^Name of the Murderer is Hussein Basheer 'i guess' somehting like that,Mentioned on LBCI News,they r like cousins. :ohno:

WOW ..... well im sure the bastard will know exactly wat it felt like for that little boy once he's in jail!!!

that is sick !

i might just add that this artcle is from The Age NewsPaper

^^ I wonder what the families are thinking... not only do they have to deal with the shock that the boy killed his cousin, but also that they have been having sex. That is a very conservative part of Lebanon so this must be a total shock for the whole community...

and I know its wrong to laugh, but "cash and food offer" - it was 5,000 LL and a bag of chips!

Filming In Hamra for Lebanon army

Saturday, 23 June, 2007 @ 5:06 PM

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/06/23/hamra%20street%20cafe.jpg

Beirut- Troops on the streets of the troubled Lebanese capital are not an unusual sight, but it is not often that civilians salute them in the presence of cameras.


Traffic came to a standstill as Beirut's Hamra Street was sealed off on Friday, prompting security fears after a series of deadly bombings in and around Beirut and the continuing standoff with Fatah al-Islam militants in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.

But anxious bystanders relaxed when they saw the film crew. The shopping district was being used as a location to shoot a television commercial honoring the army.

"We wanted to honor our army and show that we love them," Nada Abi Saleh of advertising agency Leo Burnett told Agence France Presse.

"This is our way of paying our respects to all of the soldiers who have been killed in the battles against Fatah al-Islam. It is a simple initiative from all the Lebanese to tell the soldiers that we love them and we support them."

Many shoppers in Hamra Street gladly volunteered to act as extras in the commercial.

"For the Lebanese army we are prepared to do anything," Mohammed Itani said as he prepared to be directed by Tawfiq Trabulsi, the owner and executive producer of Independent Productions.

"For more than 30 years the army was totally absent. This is the first time we feel that the army is protecting us and the first time all Lebanese, Muslims and Christians, are united behind their military," Abi Saleh added.

The 45-second TV spot to be broadcast on most Lebanese television stations starting next week will show a real soldier walking down Hamra Street and being saluted by pedestrians.

"We joined forces with a leading advertising company and production house to film the commercial for free. The army even broke its own rules by allowing a real soldier to act in it," Abi Saleh said.

"The military wanted to give credibility to the commercial, which was why they agreed to allow a soldier to appear."

The pro-army advertising campaign is not restricted to television spots. Starting next week there will also be a billboard blitz across the country.


"Some 600 billboards will carry posters that are being printed and displayed for free to honor the army," Abi Saleh said. "The whole campaign will carry a simple slogan -- The Nation in Our Hearts."

Top picture: Beirut, Hamra street







http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/06/23/Lebanese%20salute%20army.jpg

Lebanese civilians salute an army soldier during the shooting of a TV commercial in Beirut's Hamra street. Troops on the streets of the troubled Lebanese capital are not an unusual sight. But it is not often that civilians make a point of saluting them. The victory of the army in north Lebanon agaisnt the terrorists of Fatah al Islam made the Lebanese proud . "For the Lebanese army we are prepared to do anything," Mohammed Itani said .

Sources: Naharnet, Ya Libnan

^^ OOOOO cant wait .... btw i have the kalam el nas tribute that lbc did if anyone wants it

Another reason to overthrow the current government ...

Syria's master plan to destroy Lebanon again
User Rating: / 4
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Written by By Olivier Guitta
Thursday, 21 June 2007
In fact, President Bashar Assad never hid his intentions that if Syria were to leave Lebanon, he would burn down the country. It has been now way over 2 years after the murder of Lebanese ex-prime Minister Rafik Hariri and Syria is still free to create havoc in Lebanon, killing left and right, supporting Fatah Al Islam's attacks on the Lebanese Army, propping up the FPLP-GC, Fatah Intifada, Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

All this happening under the nose of the international community, the UN, the UNIFIL forces and despite a united front against Syria at the UN with the French and the Americans leading the charge.

Regarding Syria's latest maneuvers, from The Croissant, comes this story:

"According to Syrian sources close to the regime, Syrian president Bashar Assad went berserk when his foreign minister Walid Al Moallem handed him his report on the Saturday Cairo meeting of Arab foreign ministers. In fact, Al Moallem explained that Saudi Arabia and Egypt had firmly denounced the Syrian interference in Lebanon and Syrian's support to Palestinian terror groups looking to destabilize Lebanon.

Assad allegedly said: “They will see how I am going to plow Lebanon”.

Also the Katushya rockets fired from Lebanon into Northern Israel on Sunday evening were only the sign that Assad was acting on his threats.

The FPLP-GC terrorists of Ahmed Jibril (based in Damascus) are behind the bombing of Israel and used rockets modified in Iran. The FPLP-GC has allegedly prepared more than 80 rockets of this type to bomb Israel and open a new front while the Lebanese army is on the verge of finishing off Fatah Al Islam in Nahr El Bared.

Last, the Syrian Army is on high alert at the Lebanese border as are the Palestinian groups (FPLP-GC and Fatah Intifada) in the same area. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s refusal to retaliate has set back the Syrian plan."
____________________

the army should declare marshall law for a period of 3-6 months, long enough to rewrite a constitution that doesn't involve religion or the taef agreement and hold election that clean the system up from the ground up ... if we don't do something, they will

Syria Blocks al-Mustaqbal Website

Syria has stepped up its muzzling of the Internet, blocking access to a string of websites critical of the regime, including the Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal, a human rights group has announced.

Sites blocked by firewalls within Syria include the Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat (The Middle East) and the Beirut newspaper Al-Mustaqbal (The Future) run by the family of slain Lebanese ex-premier Rafik Hariri, the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria said.

E-mail provider hotmail has also been blocked since July 17 last year, the watchdog added.

"Freedom of the Internet is regressing in Syria after the authorities blocked access to a string of independent websites," the group complained.

In November 2005, media watchdog Reporters without Borders named Syria as one of 15 enemies of the Internet around the world.(AFP-Naharnet)


Beirut, 08 Jul 07, 09:36

"Enemies of the INternet" Oh yea they dare compare Syria to Lebanon

Doesn't that show somehow that the people are sick of their regime ? otherwise they wouldn't block it if some people are not reading and believing the stuff the newspaper says?

LOL even hotmail is banned ! .....how sad

In Yalibnan website there are two articles now comparing Lebanon and Syrian internet...i was going to post them but didnt know if I should..check them out..

UN cartographer finds Shebaa Farms 'Lebanese'

11/07/2007 11:47:02 AM GMT

JERUSALEM (AFP) - A UN cartographer has determined for the first time that the Israeli-held Shebaa Farms -- long the centre of a territorial dispute -- belong to Lebanon, a senior Israeli official told AFP on Wednesday.

I opened a new thread about that topic, please post your comments in it. ( Beirut! and Nadini I hope that's "okay ":) )

and this is the ad of the thread ; http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=497428

That reporter who was fired from NBN for mocking Eido has been returned ... SHOCKING!!!!!!

^^Yes,shocking :S those guys are just a bunch of bastards i wish we had a march 8 supporter here,i wanna fight :bash:

SIDON: A Syrian ship has been held in detention since Tuesday in Sidon's harbor after it was suspected of smuggling explosive materials. The Syrian ship, Lady Azza, which docked in Sidon two days ago, was supposed to transport scrap metal from Sidon to an unknown destination in Syria.

However, employees at Sidon' s harbor said boxes containing engines and thermal mercury pressure meters were being smuggled outside of the ship using one of the trucks carrying scrap into Lady Azza.

The Syrian ship has not entered Lebanese territories to discharge any merchandise, but rather to load scrap.

Military experts who visited the ship said engines and pressure meters which were being unloaded were not used in any military operations but were rather for industrial use.

Two customs officers involved in the smuggling, in addition to the owners of the truck, which carried smuggled merchandise were arrested pending investigations.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Smuggled merchandise was being transported to a farm near Sidon, and military intelligence and the Internal Security Forces were able to track down the truck and identify both the driver and the owner.

Militray Intelligence were keen to specify the nature and usage of smuggled material, after several bombings rocked Beirut killing a number of politicians, and causing serious material damages.

Various political groups have accused Syria of plotting attacks against Lebanon by either exporting terrorist fighters or furnishing dormant terrorist nets with weapons to conduct attacks in Lebanon. The ship and its crew will not be allowed to leave Sidon's harbor while investigations are under way.

Unidentified assailants broke into a country house owned by ex-Premier Rafik Hariri in south Lebanon in the second such attack against property owned by anti-Syrian figures this year, police reported Saturday.

A Police report said unidentified assailants broke into the Hariri country house in the Zahrani's province village of Qaaqaaiet Snawbar Friday and damaged furniture, lights and other house holds.

Spots of blood were fond in the kitchen, the police report said.

An investigation was launched into the assault, the report added without further elaboration.

A country house in the nearby village of Kharayeb owned by Beirut mayor Abdul Monem al-Arais, a pro-Hairi official, also was attacked by unidentified assailants nearly three months ago.

The culprits remain unknown.

Hariri's son and political heir, MP Saad Hariri, said the attack on the country house is "a message directed to us and we will respond by determination on pursuing with the martyr's march and through democratic practices."

nahar net

^^ REAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY DONT CARE!!!! wouldnt b surprised if Jr has never even stepped foot in the house
GOD i hate saad!

^^ZAY MA HIYYE :rofl:

^^ I KNOW!!!!!! does it speak saudi? egyptian? I know thats not saida-talk because i lived in saida during the war, and i still break into that accent every once in a while ... i dont wat he is!

^^ I KNOW!!!!!! does it speak saudi? egyptian? I know thats not saida-talk because i lived in saida during the war, and i still break into that accent every once in a while ... i dont wat he is!

He has a lot of Palestinian friends in Saudi Arabia. ZAY or "Mitel" is a term used normally by Egyptians and Palestinians

Two decades after his abduction in Beirut, Brian Keenan makes good on his 'holidays' in Lebanon
Author of 'An Evil Cradling' reads from his book in Hamra, visits Byblos, Bekaa
By William Wheeler
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, August 20, 2007

BEIRUT: When Brian Keenan set out for Lebanon in 1985 he felt impervious to the violence of the country's Civil War, already a decade old at the time. After all, Keenan was a traveler not a tourist, and his Belfast upbringing had taught him that life goes on, even in places where newspaper headlines warn of imminent doom.

"I come from Belfast and I'm going to Beirut," he recalled thinking. "It's the same thing."

Keenan had intended to tour the country and the Palestinian refugee camps while teaching at the American University of Beirut. But just two months after he arrived, Keenan was abducted by members of the group Islamic Jihad. For nearly five years - the period he now euphemistically refers to as his "holidays" - he was subjected to torture and the anguish of a life confined to a tiny cell and the walls of his own mind.

Keenan returned to Lebanon for the first time this month to finally enjoy the holiday that was so violently cut short 22 years ago. Speaking at a cafe in Hamra last Sunday, Keenan read excerpts from his 1991 book about the experience, "An Evil Cradling," and reflected on his attempts to bury the past and experience a brighter view of the country.

"I'm going crazier by the day," he read aloud, his voice unsteady and his hands shaking before a documentarian's camera and a small crowd that had gathered to hear him speak at the cafe. "In the thick, sticky darkness, I lie naked on the mattress. The blanket reeks, full of filth. It's pointless to try and [rid] myself of the mosquitoes, drooling and humming their constant buzz buzz buzz buzz everywhere as if [they're] inside my ears, inside my head in the thick black invisibility. It's foolishness to hope to kill what you can't see."

Keenan's first reading portrayed a maddening existence during the first nine months, which he spent in isolation. His cell was sloped and so small that he could only stand at one end. Once a day, the door opened and he was led to a restroom and given food: bread with jam and a slice or two of processed cheese. Then he was led back to his cell. Once the door closed again, he was alone again until it opened the next day. He rehearsed children's rhymes and hoarded candles to maintain some sense of order and control over his bleak existence.

"I tell myself again and over again that this will pass ... that there will be another day," he continued reading, his voice growing firmer as he read. "I force myself to believe these doldrums will be followed by a few hours of euphoria in which the mind, tired of its own torment, drifts off to walk in some sunlit field and feel the soft pleasure of it." More often, he recalled, would be the grief of a world he feared might forget him as he threw his body against the wall and despaired of the cage's monotony.

The small respites came only in the minute changes, such as the "rapture" he felt at the sight of the color orange when he received a small bowl of fruit and the satisfaction of human engagement when he argued with the confused guard who later tried to discard the spoiling fruit.

The most interesting selections from the book described Keenan's relationship to his captors. One such passage recounted a time when Keenan and British journalist John McCarthy were imprisoned at a farmhouse and separated from their guards by only a head-high sheet strung across their cell. One of the leaders, Said - a "violent psychotic," said Keenan - was pacing and speaking in broken English to scare them. "You bastard. You bastard," said Keenan in a breathy, broken accent. "I kill you! You bastard. I kill you!" Then Said began to weep.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

"The whole room seemed to fill up with his anguish," continued Keenan. "I knew instinctively some of the pain and the loss and the loneliness that he found himself so overwhelmed by ... his tears now wrenched a great wellspring of compassion from me. I wanted to nurse and console him. I felt no anger and that defensive laughter ... was no longer in me."

That transformation is at the heart of the meaning Keenan tried to imbue into the story he conveyed to the audience in Beirut. "It's not a narrative about being locked up and chained to a wall because there's nothing in that," he said. "It doesn't tell me anything and it doesn't tell anybody anything else." Instead, he described his story as that of a man attempting to experience fearlessness and dignity in the midst of fear and squalor.

"Twenty-four hours a day I was chained to a wall but these guys were chained to their guns," he said. "Everybody was a prisoner there in a strange kind of way. And what happens is the rules change. The guards become afraid of you because you refuse to surrender ... I'm talking about finding something in yourself which is greater than whatever they think they believe in." Keenan was released in 1990. A few days later, he met physical therapist Audrey Doyle at the Dublin hospital where he was recovering. She remembers being struck with how intelligent, charismatic and "overwhelmingly normal" he was despite the harrowing experience. The two eventually married.

Keenan said he had fond memories of the Lebanon he knew before his captivity and had always wanted to return. He put off plans to take his wife and two children when last summer's war broke out.

This summer, friends here said he would be okay if Keenan returned.

"I went back for another holiday because I felt Lebanon owed me one," he explained. He and his family went not to act as a "psychoanalytic bounty hunter," he said, but rather to merely enjoy Byblos, the Bekaa Valley and the mountains.

"I have a sense - an almost unconscious sense - that I'm just dropping off these things that need to be left there because that's where they belong emotionally and intellectually," he said of the experience. "I'm not deliberately doing this. It's just a sense I have. That's been left there. That's been left there," he said gesturing in one direction and then another. "I didn't come here looking to find some peace with myself. That's not what I came here for. I came here just for a holiday. But that's what's happened ... I only occasionally have nightmares. The nightmares come from a place I can't control and it'll be interesting to see when I do get home if that will happen anymore. I don't think it will."

Lebanon asks Germany to supply military
Wednesday, 5 September, 2007 @ 6:08 PM

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/09/05/leb_germ_1.jpg

Beirut - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Wednesday he wanted Germany to help arm and train Lebanon's army so that it is able to protect the country from militant groups that threaten its stability.

leb_germ_1.jpgSpeaking to reporters in Berlin, Siniora said a key lesson to be learned from Lebanon's 15-week battle against al Qaeda-linked militants of Fatah al-Islam at a Palestinian refugee camp was that an effective Lebanese army was crucial.

"It is very important to support the Lebanese army with the necessary equipment, training, methods and ammunition so that it can ... be a deterrent force in the real sense of the word to any group that may think of playing with law and order in the country," he said after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Siniora reiterated that Lebanon was committed to rebuilding the refugee camp and asked donor countries, including Germany, for help in relief and reconstruction efforts.

Merkel did not specifically say Berlin would help supply the Lebanese military. However, she said it was necessary to rebuild the camp and promised German support.

German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul also met Siniora and promised him 4 million euros ($5.4 million) to ease the plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Syrian intelligence has been accused of backing the militants but Damascus and Fatah al-Islam reject the charge.

Neither Merkel nor Siniora mentioned this, although Merkel called on Syria not to undermine the Lebanese government.

"I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to Syria to recognise Lebanon and play a constructive role," she said. "Unfortunately that has not been the case so far."

Although the Lebanese army has traditionally stayed out of the Palestinian refugee camps, the recent battle at the Nahr al-Bared camp has changed that policy.

leb_germ_2.jpgSiniora said it was "important to rebuild the camp and get it under the authority of the Lebanese government."

Under a 1969 Arab agreement, the Lebanese army was banned from entering Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. While the agreement was later annulled, it remained largely in place until the Nahr al-Bared battle began.

The German government last month decided to extend for another year its participation in the German-led U.N. maritime task force in Lebanon, but cut the maximum number of personnel earmarked for the mission.

The United Nations peacekeeping force was sent to Lebanon last summer to monitor a ceasefire after a July war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

Source: Reuters

^^ we use them both in jordan and saudi arabia..................leb it ur wacko

^^ I KNOW!!!!!! does it speak saudi? egyptian? I know thats not saida-talk because i lived in saida during the war, and i still break into that accent every once in a while ... i dont wat he is!

You're being ridiculous lebgurl...

As if race/religion/language wasn't enough of a source for hatred in this world we live in and now accents and dialects are a source?

It's really sad how polarized some people become during times of crisis...

^^ we use them both in jordan and saudi arabia..................leb it ur wacko

what is your problem with me exactly, can you just say it and get it off your chest?? chrissssssst

You're being ridiculous lebgurl...

As if race/religion/language wasn't enough of a source for hatred in this world we live in and now accents and dialects are a source?

It's really sad how polarized some people become during times of crisis...

That's not really being ridiculous LC cause i know people who are from tripoli and Saida that are with 14 March and makes fun of how he talks And btw people always make fun of the accents and dialects

^^ REAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY DONT CARE!!!! wouldnt b surprised if Jr has never even stepped foot in the house
GOD i hate saad!

are u with 8 march? (just out of curiosity)

^^hehe lebgurl?? NO WAY

^^ lol thanks
no im not .. im 14 march

LC, I would hope u of all people could sense a joke from a racial attack.
I can take a joke when people laugh at me for speaking beiruti and its a known fact that saad's accent is not lebanese and EVERYONE (his supporters included) rip on him for that .... i HIGHLY doubt that making fun of "zay" is racial ... at the end there's no difference in race in question here if im not mistaken unless march 14 and 8th are now two different races

^^Sorry, I misinterpreted what you said.

For some reason I thought it was an attack of some sort rather than just making fun of. It reminded me of the days during the civil war when militias would pull people over at checkpoints and if they didn't like their accent, they'd shoot them on the spot.

This has happened in many conflicts around the world but Lebanon was quite famous for this (unfortunately).

Syria reopens 2 border crossings with northern Lebanon
Tuesday, 18 September, 2007 @ 12:16 PM

Beirut / Damascus - Syria on Monday reopened two border crossings with northern Lebanon that were closed in May over alleged security concerns, witnesses and Lebanon's state-run news agency said.

The Arida and Dabussiya border crossings near the northern port city of Tripoli were temporarily closed soon after fighting between al-Qaida-inspired militants and the Lebanese army erupted on May 20 at a nearby Palestinian refugee camp.

Syria said at the time that the closure was "to preserve the security" of Syrian and Lebanese citizens on both sides of the border.

Lebanon's anti-Syrian majority charged that the Fatah al-Islam militiamen who fought the army in a deadly showdown which cost almost 400 lives had links to Syrian intelligence, an allegation denied by Damascus.

The bloody, almost four-month siege at the Nahr el-Bared camp ended Sept. 2 with a ferocious gun-battle that left many of the militants dead or captured.

Witnesses and the state-run National News Agency said the border crossings were reopened Monday afternoon.

The reopening followed a visit by north Lebanese delegates to Damascus on Sunday. The delegates met with Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa to discuss the suffering of residents of north Lebanon as a result of the closure.

Syria's official news agency SANA said al-Sharaa informed members of the delegation that Syrian President Bashar Assad had given orders to reopen the borders.

Also Monday, the Lebanese military issued a statement announcing the death of a Lebanese soldier, saying he died Sunday of wounds sustained during fighting in Nahr el-Bared. His death brought to 170 the number of soldiers who have died in the conflict.

Syria always uses the borders to twist the arms of the Lebanese

This is not the first time that Lebanon - Syria borders becomes a major issue. The Syrians have always used the borders to twist the arms of the Lebanese and force them to beg for reopening the crossings. This is what Lebanese MP Wajih Baarani did when he met Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa.

In 2005 , following the assassination of Lebanon's prime minister Rafik Hariri, Syria closed the borders with Lebanon, because the Lebanese accused the Syrian regime of being responsible for his assassination

When the fighting between Fatah al-Islam militants and the Lebanese army erupted last May , Syria closed the borders in the north of Lebanon, because the Lebanese accused the Syrians of supporting the militants.

Many analysts in Lebanon have been calling for bypassing the Syrian borders altogether by using the sea as the mode of transportation of Lebanon's exports. These analysts think that Syria is not a reliable partner and therefore Lebanon cannot depend on it for exporting its agricultural products .

Lebanese agricultural products according to analysts are in big demand in the Middle East Gulf region due to heir quality, unique flavor and excellent taste, but Syria has always been the obstacle in trying to bring these products to the markets on timely basis.

Picture: Lebanon Fruit and vegetables . In this country where you can swim and ski within one hour, it is difficult to name a fruit or vegetable that does not grow here. Lebanon is also blessed with a very moderate Mediterranean climate with distinct 4 seasons and many rivers. The problem for Lebanon has always been the tough neighborhood, with Israel in the south and Syria in the north and east, Lebanon has a problem in exporting its unique produce. This is why some are calling for bypassing land transportation all together and using the Mediterranean sea instead, because they say Syria is not a reliable partner. Israel on the other hand has been stealing Lebanese water and has invaded Lebanon several times, the last time was the summer of 2006 when it destroyed the country's infrastructure and fired over 1 million cluster bombs. Many Lebanese farmers have since died for coming in contact with some of the unexploded cluster bombs.


Sources: AP, IHT, Ya Libnan

EDIT

From Ya Libnan

Beirut - A senior Lebanese authority warned that an earthquake might hit Lebanon, possibly as high as 7 on the Richter scale. The exact time remains a mystery.

A recent report by Discovery News channel revealed that "a new underwater survey has revealed that Lebanon lies dangerously close to a fault that could soon generate a catastrophic tsunami."

The report said that a fault lying just 6.5 kilometers off Lebanon's coast caused a tsunami-generating earthquake in 551 AD. According to a survey, the fault moves approximately every 1,500 years, meaning a disaster of the same magnitude as the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed coastal cities on July 9, 551, could be due any time.

"Studies have showed that an earthquake with a maximum 6.5 to 7 on the Richter scale is expected here," Samir Doumit, head of the Order of Engineers and Architects, said during a news conference held by the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR) on seismology and tectonics in Lebanon.

However, he said, "buildings designed with minimum resistibility to earthquakes" will escape much of the destruction.

"Earthquakes are [a] natural occurrence we can't prevent, but we can take adequate measures to lessen its damaging impact," he said.

^^ wasnt that published a while back ??

^^ wasnt that published a while back ??

Yes, August 31st, 2007.

Beirut asks Athens to hand over crime boss

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Friday, September 28, 2007



Lebanese authorities have lodged a surprise request with Greece to have crime boss Tony Mokbel extradited to Lebanon instead of Australia, Australian newspaper Melbourne Herald Sun reported on Thursday. Australia has no extradition treaty with Lebanon, which only rarely extradites its citizens.

According to the newspaper, the request, lodged with Greek police in recent days, says Lebanon's government wants Mokbel to face various criminal charges there.

Australian authorities have as yet been unable to establish what those charges were.

"The Lebanese request could delay, and possibly stop, attempts by the Australian government to ensure Mokbel is brought back to Victoria to face two counts of murder and 16 drug charges," the Herald Sun said.

Though Mokbel, 42, was born in Kuwait he holds Lebanese citizenship because his parents are Lebanese.

Australian authorities are hoping an existing order by a Greek court that Mokbel be returned to Australia will trump Lebanon's request.

But they fear the Lebanese move will at least delay Mokbel's return, even if it fails to stop it.

Mokbel is already delaying his return to Victoria by appealing against the Greek court's July 26 decision to grant Australia's extradition request. His appeal is due to be heard in Greece's Supreme Court on October 9.

Mokbel was caught in Greece after 15 months on the run.

He is accused of murdering underworld heavyweight Lewis Moran in 2004 and drug dealer Michael Marshall in 2003.

Mokbel will face 16 drug charges if he is extradited to Victoria and will also be charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He will also start the 12-year jail term he was sentenced to in absentia last year. Mokbel absconded just before he was convicted of smuggling 1.93 kilograms of pure cocaine into Victoria from Mexico. - Agencies

^^ I think he has the right qualifications to become Minister in the next government ;)

^^looooooooooool
w 2yya :D

Chaos in Lebanon bodes well for cannabis farmers
Thursday, 27 September, 2007 @ 4:12 AM


Bekaa Valley, Lebanon - For a poor Lebanese farmer, the cannabis plant sprouting from the fertile ground of the Bekaa Valley is a blessing from God. For his country, it symbolizes the dwindling authority of a state weakened by factional conflict.

Surveying a field of the spindly leafed plants, he explained how the government usually sends tractors to destroy the valuable but illegal crop. But this year, they never came, allowing him to reap his first harvest in years.

"Praise God -- he wanted to compensate us," he said, declining to give his name. "It's been 12 years -- farmers have been going backwards, debts have been mounting up."
With Lebanon's government paralyzed by political conflict and its army bogged down in a war with militants, farmers have made the most of a security vacuum to grow what locals describe as one of their best cannabis crops since the 1975-1990 civil war.

In the chaos of war in the 1980s, Lebanon emerged as the Middle East's main source of narcotics, producing up to 1,000 tonnes of cannabis resin annually and 30 to 50 tonnes of opium, from which heroin is made, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

For Bekaa Valley farmers, those were the good old days, said Ali Hamiyeh, mayor of the village of Tarayah.

"The financial situation was very good. People could do everything, there were no economic restrictions," he said.

"Now things are different."

The end of the civil war and reconstruction of the state spelled the end for large-scale farming of narcotics, which during the conflict had found their way by land and sea to the streets of Europe. The smaller quantities produced since the war are mainly consumed locally, farmers say.

Anything Goes

Lebanese and Syrian security forces eradicated the crops between 1991 and 1993, UNODC says. Unable to make a decent living from wheat or barley, farmers would plant limited areas with cannabis in the hope it would go unnoticed.

"They would farm a bit here, a bit there. This year they farmed a lot," Hamiyeh said.
The farmers were emboldened by a sense the government was losing its grip, weakened by conflict between anti-Syrian factions and others allied to Damascus. The army, meanwhile, was busy fighting Islamist militants in north Lebanon in a bloody battle that dragged on from May to September.

The control Damascus used to exercise over security in the country ended in 2005 when Syrian troops were forced to withdraw.

"Respect for the state has fallen across Lebanon. With the political conditions and divisions, anything goes," Hamiyeh said.

The cannabis crop is sold directly to local producers of hashish, the resin made from the plant which is usually smoked.

"They come, cut the crop and pay," explained the farmer. A cannabis field of 1,000 square meters is worth $1,000 to its owner, against $50 for the same area of wheat, he said.

Ignored by State

The farmer this year only planted a fraction of the cannabis he used to grow during in the civil war, but said he might sow more next season: "We'll monitor the situation and see.

"The great thing about cannabis is that it doesn't need anything. Two kilos of seed cost 10,000 Lebanese pounds ($7)," he said. The plant hardly requires water and can grow without fertilizers or pesticides which add to the cost of other crops.
Farmers have no choice other than to grow cannabis "so that we don't fall into debt and are forced to sell our land," he said. "The state has turned its back on farmers."

The Ministry of Agriculture admits it has few resources to subsidize cultivation of other crops.

"The budget of the agriculture ministry is very, very limited, meaning the ministry cannot offer anything to these people," said Samir el-Chami, director of planned resources at the ministry. Projects launched in the early 1990s and aimed at finding alternatives to cannabis farming have failed, he said.

Security forces were destroying cannabis crops this season, as in previous years, he said. But farmers would continue to farm the plant as long as it is profitable and there are few alternatives.

"People will keep the view that 'whenever I get the chance and I can escape the state, I will grow this crop."'

Source: Reuters

Beirut asks Athens to hand over crime boss

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Friday, September 28, 2007



Lebanese authorities have lodged a surprise request with Greece to have crime boss Tony Mokbel extradited to Lebanon instead of Australia, Australian newspaper Melbourne Herald Sun reported on Thursday. Australia has no extradition treaty with Lebanon, which only rarely extradites its citizens.

According to the newspaper, the request, lodged with Greek police in recent days, says Lebanon's government wants Mokbel to face various criminal charges there.

Australian authorities have as yet been unable to establish what those charges were.

"The Lebanese request could delay, and possibly stop, attempts by the Australian government to ensure Mokbel is brought back to Victoria to face two counts of murder and 16 drug charges," the Herald Sun said.

Though Mokbel, 42, was born in Kuwait he holds Lebanese citizenship because his parents are Lebanese.

Australian authorities are hoping an existing order by a Greek court that Mokbel be returned to Australia will trump Lebanon's request.

But they fear the Lebanese move will at least delay Mokbel's return, even if it fails to stop it.

Mokbel is already delaying his return to Victoria by appealing against the Greek court's July 26 decision to grant Australia's extradition request. His appeal is due to be heard in Greece's Supreme Court on October 9.

Mokbel was caught in Greece after 15 months on the run.

He is accused of murdering underworld heavyweight Lewis Moran in 2004 and drug dealer Michael Marshall in 2003.

Mokbel will face 16 drug charges if he is extradited to Victoria and will also be charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He will also start the 12-year jail term he was sentenced to in absentia last year. Mokbel absconded just before he was convicted of smuggling 1.93 kilograms of pure cocaine into Victoria from Mexico. - Agencies


LOL , TONY MOKBEL! it was soo funny when he got cought in Greece with is Wig so no one can tell it was him! the Police thought he was hiding in Lebanon for the 15 months or Mexico

Police have arrested 11 members of Gen. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement for using unlicensed rifles and firearms to practice target shooting, security sources said.
They said the men were seized on Sunday after a tip-off that shooting from "war guns" was heard on the outskirts of the town of Jaj near Jbeil north of Beirut.

A police patrol dispatched to the scene found a Kalashnikov automatic rifle, two guns and a shotgun in possession of the group, the sources added.

They said empty bullet shells littered what looked to be a "picnic site."

One of the detainees from the Abi Aad family told police he was shooting "for the sake of entertainment."

THE Solidere district of central Beirut was always meant to be symbolic.

Built on the ruins of the civil war "Green Line", this 200- hectare streetscape of upmarket stores, cafes and hotels was the place where Lebanon would claw itself free of the rubble, a multibillion-dollar miracle where business would triumph over politics and bloodshed.

Things haven't quite worked out to plan. This week, Lebanon's factional leaders, barricaded into the new parliament house in the centre of Solidere, wasted no time in reaching a deadlock over who will succeed President Emile Lahoud.

If it drags out much longer, the paralysis could lead once more to violent conflict between the various Muslim and Christian factions, armed by foreign powers such as the US, Syria, Iran and Israel.

Meanwhile, with heavy symbolism, bloodshed and politics are already killing Solidere.

"You see how things are now — terrible," said Pascale Nasr, 23, manager of a mobile phone store on Solidere's Weygand Street. "There are no customers, no new faces any more."

It is lunchtime, a peak hour in cosmopolitan Beirut even in the month of Ramadan, but nearby Maarad Street is almost deserted. On a quick count, 16 of the 41 shops, boutiques and cafes have shut down. Many others are running skeleton services.

One of Solidere's main problems is that large sections of the district are shut down for security reasons for days at a time. Some of these operations are designed to police demonstrations organised by Lebanon's rival political factions — the pro-Western, pro-business coalition of Sunni Muslim Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Syrian and Iranian-backed opposition dominated by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Other operations — such as the near-total lockdown imposed on Solidere for the opening of parliament this week — are designed to protect politicians from bomb and gun attacks which, over 31 months, have killed six MPs known for their opposition to Syrian influence in Lebanon.

The first of these victims was, not coincidentally, Solidere's creator, multibillionaire and former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, who was killed with 22 others when a car bomb targeted his motorcade in 2005. Hariri's supporters — and a subsequent UN investigation — pointed the finger at Syria and its Lebanese agents. The resulting mass protests combined with threats of foreign sanctions to force Damascus to withdraw the tens of thousands of troops it had stationed in Lebanon since the days of the civil war.

But this victory for the "March 14" anti-Syrian coalition — named after the date of its biggest mass rally in 2005 — threatened to shift the delicate and jealously guarded balance of power between Lebanon's rival Christian, Druze and Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities.

The Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah, fearful of losing its military supply lines to Syria, began to push for a veto in national politics, further raising the stakes.

The mysterious bombings continued and tension rose, but when the crunch came it was in an unexpected form. The Hezbollah border raid that snatched two Israeli soldiers on July 12 last year sparked a massive Israeli military operation that, by failing to wipe out Hezbollah, strengthened the militants while weakening the Western-backed Government.

The result for Solidere, as for the rest of the Lebanese economy, was devastating. The war broke out at the peak of the tourist season, when tens of thousands of wealthy visitors from the Gulf were expected to enjoy high-spending holidays in Lebanon. Instead, those in the country at the time found themselves paying hundreds of dollars for desperate taxi rides to safety in Damascus.

This year the "Gulfies", as the Lebanese call them, did not come back. Investment from the oil-rich Gulf states, which Hariri had banked on to jump-start the economy, has also largely dried up.

Hezbollah chose Solidere as the site for a mass tent protest that it launched last November to try to force Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to quit.

Mr Siniora and his backers — chiefly the slain Hariri's son, Saad, 37 — refused to give in, and the protest has since largely fizzled, but the tense security situation continues to throttle downtown Beirut.

Angry business leaders and Government politicians have accused Hezbollah and its main ally, breakaway Christian leader Michel Aoun, of camping out in Solidere to hold hostage Lebanon's hopes of economic revival.

But for Hezbollah and its puritanical leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Solidere is a symbol not of hope but of rampant corruption.

The Age Newspaper

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/dreams-of-prosperity-drain-from-bleeding-heart/2007/09/28/1190486569973.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Forest fires break out in Lebanon:ohno: :ohno:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44151000/gif/_44151630_lebanon_fires_203_0210.gif

Forest fires have broken out in several parts of Lebanon, destroying woodland and damaging houses.

Fifteen people have been injured in the blazes, an official in Deir al-Qamar, south-east of Beirut, said.

Fire-fighters backed by Lebanese Air Force helicopters have been deployed in the north of the country.

Fires are also raging in Qobeyat and Andaqt, emergency officials say. Some schools have been forced to close.

Candlelight Vigil to mourn victim of assassination in Beirut
Thursday, 4 October, 2007 @ 5:14 PM

By Andrew Lee Butters

Around three thousand mourners held a candlelight vigil in downtown Beirut last night in memory of one of the victims of last month's car bombing, which killed a member of parliament, along with five other people.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/04/candlelight%20vigil%204.jpg

The family of the murdered young man, 28-year-old bystander named Charles Shikhani, asked everyone to refrain from carrying sectarian or political symbols (I didn't even notice any Lebanese flags) and instead to wear white. The effect was a soothing change from the increasingly polarized and hysterical demonstrations that have taken place recently, and for a moment made Charles himself -- known personally to probably just a fraction of the marchers -- something of an Everyman. Could have been me, could have been you standing in the wrong pace that day. We could be next.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/04/candlelight%20vigil%203.jpg

Men and women, wearing white shirts and carrying a candle, marched silently Wednesday night in a procession led by Charles' father, Samir. The procession was mean to stop in the center of downtown, at the Place d'Etole in front of Parliament, but because of police barricades, the crowd circled back to where it started, and slowly dispersed, a sense of futility in the air.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/04/candlelight%20vigil%201.jpg

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/04/candlelight%20vigil%202.jpg

Source: Time Middle East Blog

^^la chaghlé w la 3amlé hal 3alam! Don't they have anything to do?! Until when are we going to stay like this?!

^^what's wrong with what they're doing? :s i think it's a nice gesture, respect to all those people dying because of this political nonsense

^^I know that there's nothing wrong but they've been doing it since 2005.
Khalass ba2a!! But I don't blame them, i blame the assassins of course

^^eh i see your point ,and u are right.
:( he was studying in france and he came to lebanon to spend a couple of days with his family , RIP:(

^^la chaghlé w la 3amlé hal 3alam! Don't they have anything to do?! Until when are we going to stay like this?!

well I would back u up if it was during the day, but its at night ... so no one is missing work or school to do this and they all took the time out of their schedules to be there ...

Italian peacekeepers help Southern village

Monday, October 08, 2007

The Italian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon inaugurated a new sidewalk in the village of Qassimiyeh, north of Tyre, on Sunday. The sidewalk links the village's main road to its public school. Street lights were also added to the village's roads. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Italian General Maurisio Fiorafanti and the imam of the village, Sheikh Diab Mahdawi, as well as other dignitaries. The Italian Battalion has also established a medical clinic in the village.

^^la chaghlé w la 3amlé hal 3alam! Don't they have anything to do?! Until when are we going to stay like this?!

Your comment should apply to the Hezbollah fans camping on Riad El-Solh sq for the last 22 months...Charles Chikhani could have been anyone of us visiting Lebanon and being killed while an M14 politician is being murdered.

^^I totalty agree with you...but imo i apply my com. to both sides
and plz everyone, can we move on to another subject?

Families of dead Lebanese troops protest refugee return
Friday, 12 October, 2007 @ 5:09 PM

Nahr al-Bared, Lebanon - Families of soldiers who died in fierce battles with Islamists at a refugee camp in Northern Lebanon Friday briefly prevented Palestinian refugees from returning to the camp.
Some 400 men, women, and children burned tires and placed stones at the northern entrance of Nahr Al Bared camp, forcing a bus filled with refugees to turn back.
Some of the protesters threw bricks, while others hurled abuse at the refugees, who, they claimed, were responsible for the death of soldiers during 15 weeks of battles with Fatah Al Islam militants.

The refugees were part of some-800 families who began returning to the seaside camp Wednesday.

A security official said no one was injured in the incident, which lasted for about an hour, after which some-28 people returned to the camp.

The fighting at Nahr Al Bared ended September 2, and left at least-400 people dead, including 168 troops. Many of the fallen troops were from the northern region of Akkar, which is located a few kilometers from Nahr Al Bared.

"We were informed, this morning, that residents of the Akkar region had gathered to prevent the refugees from returning to the camp," Samir Lubani, an official with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said.

"We contacted the army, which appealed for calm and asked us not to send any refugees back to the camp until the demonstrators dispersed."

He said Palestinian officials were well aware of the losses the families sustained, but appealed to them not to take out their pain on the refugees.

"We understand the feelings of these families who lost their sons in the battles, but we ask them not to incite hatred," he said.

Lubani added that the refugees who returned to the camp, this week, were celebrating Friday Eid Al Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

"Overnight, they lit candles inside the camp to mark Salat Al Eid," he said, referring to the special prayer offered to commemorate the end of Ramadan.

The battles at Nahr Al Bared marked the country's worst internal violence since the end of the 1975-to-1990 civil war.

Source: Middle East Times

^^ i dont blame them! while their kids were dying, the lebanese gov't said the refugees will never be allowed back in and if they were, the lebanese army would have complete and absolute power over the camp ... and it doesnt look like any of that will happen!

Syria Escalates Attacks on Lebanon's Government Prior to Beirut Visit by European Ministers

Syria accused the United States of interfering in Lebanon's affairs and launched a vehement attack on Premier Fouad Saniora's majority government, stressing that it would only accept to set up diplomatic relations with a "cordial Lebanese government."
Syria expressed its hard line stand on Lebanon in a letter to U.N. Secretary Genera Ban ki-Moon on the eve of a visit to Beirut by the foreign ministers of France, Spain and Italy to help guarantee the forthcoming election of a successor to Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the message accused "Lebanese officials of manipulating their recent visits to the United Nations to distort Syria's image and agitate the Security Council against it."

It said a memo recently sent by the Saniora Government to the U.N. Chief, which accused Syria of supporting Fatah al-Islam terrorists, was based on "a variety of misguiding claims."

The Syrian message echoed claims by Damascus allies that pro-government factions in Lebanon have been involved in financing Fatah al-Islam terrorists.

The Saniora memo was based on testimonies by Fatah al-Islam terrorists arrested during the 106-day confrontation with the Lebanese Army that came to an end on Sept. 2

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who would be one of the Lebanese leaders to hold talks with the visiting European foreign ministers stressed in a statement to an-Nahar daily that consensus on a presidential candidate would "certainly be achieved."

"Achieving consensus is a matter of time, we would certainly elect a president within the constitutional schedule."

An-Nahar said the European ministerial delegation might also hold talks with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

Sfeir said that in case the meeting was held he would ask the European ministers to step up interest in Lebanon's affairs.

Sfeir, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Catholic Patriarchs Congress at Ein Trez, warned that failure to elect a president "would affect the Christians' existence … We hope that things would proceed normally."

Sfeir Waned that vacuum in the presidential office would cause inter-factional disputes.


Beirut, 19 Oct 07, 09:33

:bash::bash::bash:

------------

^^He should go LIVE ON TV,talking to Christians that Lebanon is in Danger and presidential elections need to be done,ALL Christian PMs MUST attend the election session.

-------------

^^It will change a lot,Christians respect Him (people i mean) .that would make the MPs with no choice other than doing what the people want.

European FMs in Naqoura: Committed to Peace, Stability in Lebanon

The foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain on Saturday reiterated their commitment toward ending a long-running political crisis in Lebanon that is blocking the election of a president.
Speaking at the base of the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL in south Lebanon, France's Bernard Kouchner, Massimo D'Alema of Italy and Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters they would impress upon Lebanese leaders during their one-day visit the importance of breaking the political deadlock that marks the country's worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

"Today is an important and historical visit," Moratinos said at a brief press conference at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqura where the three ministers visited their countries' contingents.

"The three Euro-Mediterranean countries came together with the same purpose -- to help, assist and to commit themselves for peace and stability in Lebanon.

"It's a very strong sign that the three countries come at a very timely moment where Lebanon has to look forward for hope and peace in Lebanon and the region," he added.

The ministers were to meet in the afternoon with the Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a leading member of the opposition, which includes factions backed by Syria and Iran.

Their visit comes just days ahead of a special session in parliament on Tuesday to elect a president to replace the current pro-Syrian head of state Emile Lahoud, whose term ends on November 24.

A first parliamentary session in September was postponed due to disagreement between the ruling majority and Hizbullah-led opposition, and it is feared that Tuesday's session will also end in failure.

The three ministers said the international community was committed to helping Lebanon end its political crisis.

"This common endeavor is a sign of the strong political will for peace and stability," D'Alema said.

"This afternoon we are going to meet the main political leaders, of course not because we want to interfere in the Lebanese political life but because we want, as friends of Lebanon, to encourage the dialogue and the search of a national agreement in order to provide stability and strengthen the democracy in this country."

Italy, France and Spain contribute the largest number of soldiers to the UNIFIL force in south Lebanon that was bolstered after last year's devastating 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon counts about 13,500 troops along with 1,000 civilian employees, compared to only 2,000 before the July 12, 2006 outbreak of the war.

The three foreign ministers will later hold a series of meetings with Lebanese leaders to discuss the ongoing political crisis that threatens to scuttle Lebanon's presidential election.

They arrived in Beirut late on Friday in the latest international bid to end a standoff between Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government and the Hizbullah-led opposition

The three FMs laid wreaths at the tomb of MP Antoine Ghanem, who was killed along with five others by a car bomb last month, just days before parliament was to convene for a vote on the presidency.

Ghanem was the sixth lawmaker to be killed since 2005 in attacks blamed by the ruling coalition on Syria, which has denied involvement.

Kouchner said upon arrival in Beirut that he had come to try and ensure the election of a president who enjoys "backing from all communities."

But analysts and politicians in both camps say Tuesday's second special session to elect a president, who by tradition must be a Maronite Christian, is unlikely to take place because of continuing disagreement between the parties.

The three ministers in late afternoon were to meet at the French ambassador's residence for a round-table discussion with leaders from both camps.

Saniora's government has been paralyzed since opposition forces withdrew six ministers from the cabinet in November 2006 in a bid to gain more representation in government.

Fears are running high that the standoff over the presidency could lead to two rival governments, a grim reminder of the end of the 1975-1990 civil war when two competing administrations battled it out.

Many Lebanese also fear that another MP from the ruling coalition could be assassinated.

The leading An-Nahar newspaper in an editorial on Saturday termed the one-day visit by the troika of ministers "Mission Impossible."

"The more cooks, envoys, and people with ideas and advice the more fear among the Lebanese about the presidential vote and Lebanon's destiny," the daily said.

It noted that the visit by the European foreign ministers comes on the heels of similar failed initiatives by other countries, including Turkey, the Arab League, and Kouchner himself, whose trip is his third in three months.(AFP-Naharnet)


Beirut, 20 Oct 07, 14:46

Kouchner crashes wedding, dances dabke in Lebanon
Saturday, 20 October, 2007 @ 5:45 PM

Beirut - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner began his visit to Beirut at the weekend by crashing a wedding party and dancing the dabke, the traditional Lebanese dance, with the bridal couple.

Kouchner was dining at a fish restaurant in the Lebanese capital with friends and decided to pay a visit late Friday to the bridal party next door where he stayed for about 20 minutes.
He was pictured on the front-page of a Lebanese paper on Saturday clapping and smiling from ear-to-ear as the bride belly-danced before about 500 guests.

"He is a bon-vivant and he was very happy to spend a little time at the wedding," Kamel Mohanna, a close friend of Kouchner's who was dining with the minister and knew the bridal couple, said.

Kouchner on Saturday also raised eyebrows as he mused about birds during a press conference with his Italian and Spanish counterparts at the UN headquarters in Naqura, southern Lebanon.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/20/Bernard%20Kouchner%2021.jpg

"Well we were talking about the birds there, the birds looking for asylum, searching for asylum and we didn't know whether they were storks or pelicans or something else but it was a very good signal, sort of a very symbolic signal," he said.

The three ministers are in Lebanon on a brief trip to try and break a long-running political crisis that is blocking the election of a president.

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/20/france%20italy%20lebanon%20MI%20Lebanon%201.jpg

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/10/20/Bernard%20Kouchner%2022.jpg

Source: The Tocqueville Connection

haha thats so cute!!! i understand the urge completely
I cant wait for the pics of him in the wedding

^^ He will have to make all the Lebanese politicians dance the Dabkeh together to resume the national dialogue :lol:

I saw it on TV, the wedding was in Phoenicia Intercontinental, i'll try to find some pics...

Edit

BEIRUT (AFP) — Wanted: Angelina Jolie's luscious lips or Lebanese sex bomb Haifa Wehbe's nose or breasts. Clutching pictures of their idols, Arab women are flocking to Lebanon which has become a hub for plastic surgery in the Middle East.

"The boom in plastic surgery started in 2000 in Lebanon, which then became THE destination for 'plastic surgery tourism' in the Middle East," plastic surgeon Tony Nassar, who owns the Brazilian Esthetic Clinics in Beirut, told AFP.

Men and women from oil-rich Arab Gulf states have been coming in droves to fix their noses, lift buttocks and enlarge their breasts in Lebanon, attracted by the reputation of the country's surgeons, its low prices, good weather and buzzing night-life.

"Sixty percent of our clients are Lebanese and 40 percent from the Gulf," said Elias Shammas, owner of the Hazmieh International Medical Centre, which employs an army of no less than 50 plastic surgeons.

There are no official statistics, but industry experts say as many as 1.5 million plastic surgeries are performed annually in Lebanon in addition to 10 million non-surgical operations such as Botox and collagene fillings.

Lebanon's ambition to become the region's plastic surgery hub has however been dampened by a prolonged political crisis and a series of assassinations targeting figures from the ruling majority.

"After the (2005) assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, our revenues went down by 70 percent," Shammas said. "But we have been rebuilding our client base, and this last August we reached a record of 240 operations in one month."

The most sought after surgeries are nose jobs, liposuctions, face-lifts and breast implants.

"A nose job costs about 2,000 dollars in Lebanon, against 4,000 dollars in London and between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars in the United States," Shammas said.

Clients, ranging from 14 to 75, often ask for operations to make them look like their favourite stars.

"It is rare for a client not to show up with the picture of a star, asking for Angelina Jolie's lips or Haifa's nose and chest," Nassar said.

"For Lebanese woman, being beautiful is a national duty, not a luxury. Women compete with each others, and plastic surgery has ceased to be a taboo subject and become something to brag about," he said.

On Beirut's trendy shopping streets, women stroll along the sidewalks with band-aids covering their nose jobs and sleeveless shirts showing bandages covering recent breast implants.

"If at the age of 65, I can look 50 why deprive myself?" insisted Nadia, an elegantly-dressed Kuwaiti woman who did not wish to reveal her family name.

"A few weeks with a swollen face, and goodbye to wrinkles, bags and double-chins," added Nadia as she examined a computer-generated simulation of her future face.

Shammas said even mothers drag their daughters in to guarantee them a good catch.

"After I performed several operations on a young woman, she got engaged," he said. "Without the surgeries, she would have probably had to wait 30 years before finding a man."

He said winter is a busy time for nose jobs and face-lifts while summer is the hot season for breast enlargements, liposuctions and tummy-tucks.

Shammas said even men are entering the race and now represent three out of 10 clients.

"They mostly ask for hair implants, eye-lid liftings, removal of double-chins and liposuctions, in that order," he said.

In a country suffering an economic crisis, the plastic surgery craze has even prompted Lebanon's First National Bank to offer three-year loans, with a six percent interest rate, for such operations.

"Demand for these loans has increased by about 35 percent since they were launched in May 2007," said Georges Nasser, head of the bank's marketing department.

"The only requirements are for applicants to be over 17 years old, and with a minimum monthly salary of 600 dollars," Nasser said.

He brushed aside critics who say that the search for eternal youth ends up producing clones with similar lips and noses.

"All the women don't become identical," Shammas insisted. "These are allegations made by people who are against plastic surgery."

For 25-year-old Myrna, the choice is simple.

"I would rather we all look like Haifa, than be ugly," she said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hdNWJEW8V7jbjiv219cXxe7cEZsA

No Taxis in Lebanon on January 24?

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/aabbad98306ea88ec22573c6002c031b/Body/0.82?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg

Public transport drivers will go on strike on January 24 to protest high living costs and the government's reluctance to meet their demands, An Nahar daily reported Friday.

It quoted the organizers of the one-day strike as saying the drivers will also stage a demonstration to express their anger at the current situation.

The organizers criticized the government during a press conference Thursday for not raising the fees of public transport drivers.

They urged all drivers "to permanently stop working during the strike" to peacefully express their frustration.


Beirut, 04 Jan 08, 10:04

Lebanon trying to remain free of Israeli bird flu
Saturday, 5 January, 2008 @ 4:38 PM

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/01/05/israel-%20bird%20flu.jpg

Beirut - Lebanon on Saturday said it was increasing its vigilance after a case of H5N1 strain of bird flu that is dangerous to humans was detected in neighboring Israel.

In a statement published on Saturday, the ministry of agriculture called on farmers to remain vigilant and mobilized teams close to the country's southern border.

"The agriculture ministry's teams will continue to work on the ground to monitor any such cases that could come up and put an end to it in order to keep Lebanon free from this disease," it said.

"After bird flu cases were detected... in the region of Haifa... the ministry of agriculture calls on farmers and hunters... particularly in the southern area close to the border with occupied Palestine, to remain vigilant to birds passing over their regions, and to keep their own birds locked up to prevent them from mixing with them," the statement said.

So far there have been no such cases in Lebanon, it added.

On Thursday, the Israeli agriculture ministry announced that it had detected the H5N1 strain of bird flu near a kindergarten in the northern town of Binyamina on the Mediterranean coast.

It said 18 contaminated birds had been found dead in a pets' corner near the kindergarten and that tests had confirmed that the fowl died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.

The Israeli ministry ordered the culling of all fowl in a three-kilometer (two-mile) radius of the contaminated area as a precaution.

Love letter caused Bird Flu scare

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/01/05/postal%20carrier%20_pigeon%204.gif

Just over 2 years ago a courier pigeon with a love letter from a girl thanking her boyfriend for a "terrific night they spent together" flue across the border from Israel, triggering bird flue scare throughout southern Lebanon.
The love letter which was from a girl thanking her boyfriend for a "terrific night they spent together" has flown across the border from Israel and landed on the roof of Ahmed Kamel Zaytoun in south Lebanon's Kfar Tibnit township on Friday. He found the letter concealed in an iron ring with figures identifying the trained carrier.

According to local media, the letter was written in English and Hebrew. The girl from Israel's upper Galilee panhandle speaks fondly of the night she spent with her lover, thanking him and asking him to acknowledge receiving her message to her e-mail address.


Top picture: An Israeli health worker holds chickens that will be culled in Binyamina on the Mediterranean coast.

Sources: Naharnet

BEIRUT: An Australian firm with local ties will begin on January 10 cleaning the hundreds of tons of sand contaminated by oil on Beirut's Ramlet al-Baida beach, after the company agreed to the Environment Ministry's conditions on Friday, a company official said.

Recoverit International will need until February 10 to filter all the oil from the sand, which will then be returned to the beach, said Georges Farah, Recoverit's director and part-owner.

Environmental non-governmental organizations (NGO) have long warned of the hazard posed by the drums and bags of oily sand, which was collected after the oil spill caused by Israeli warplanes bombing the Jiyyeh power plant at the beginning of the 2006 summer war.

Bahr Loubnan, an NGO supported by the family of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, gathered most of the detritus stored on Ramlet al-Baida, and a Bahr Loubnan leader welcomed the news of the waste's imminent removal.

"Basically, I think it's a good idea," said Mohammad Sarji, who supervised most of Bahr Loubnan's clean-up efforts. "Recoverit is a company that's trying to do something good. We should give them a chance.

"Historically speaking, Lebanese have raped and pillaged our beaches and taken the sand from them. Whatever droplet of sand we can keep on the beaches is good for Lebanon."

Recoverit will not receive any money from the ministry, and Farah estimated that the project will cost about $300,000.

The company would clean the sand by mixing the contaminated material with a white granular product, also known as recoverit, Farah said. The polluted waste will be liquefied by mixing it with diesel oil, and then combined with an amount of recoverit equaling 10 percent of the weight of the mixture, he added.

The oil and fat from the sand cling to the recoverit granules, and then the resulting compound is boiled, after which the recoverit and oil can be skimmed from the top while the sand falls to the bottom of the water.


The recoverit product costs about $65,000 per ton, and the Farah's firm will spend about $100,000 for the recoverit necessary for 450-500 tons of waste at Ramlet al-Baida, Farah said.

The remaining $200,000 of the project's cost will cover operating expenses, and Farah said he believed he could find local sponsors to defray the cost, he said.

"I am confident that we can have local sponsors," Farah told The Daily Star on Friday.

After competing Ramlet al-Baida, Farah said he and partner Rami Ayoub also would like to clean the contaminated sand at beaches in Tripoli, Jbeil and Jiyyeh. Farah estimated that in Jbeil alone at least 1,800 tons of polluted sand remained.

Recoverit has also invited prospective clients from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai to observe the cleaning process at Ramlet al-Baida, as Gulf countries offer many lucrative decontamination projects, he added.

"We're doing this to prove that this is a system which works," Farah said. "The big decontamination business is there and not here."

The ministry has required that Recoverit's work be tested, and the Industrial Research Institute will make 10 visits and take 70 samples during Recoverit's month of work, said a letter from the institute.

In three previous rounds of testing of sand cleaned by Recoverit, the institute found that the sand was 99.4 percent-99.6 percent free of oil, Farah said.

The Environment Ministry has also mandated that Recoverit haul the pollutants to the Zahrani power plant in the South, although the ministry has not announced how it eventually dispose of the contaminants.

"Definitely we need to know exactly what the disposal method is," said Wael Hmaidan, executive director of NGO IndyAct. "It's very important to remove the oil residue that has been collected as soon as possible.

^^ That's Gr8 News :)

Huge Lebanon Radish!

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/7db4dec88b71915ac22573d400315e0e/Body/0.82?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg

As Safir photo shows an organic radish cultivated from a field in the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon. Dr. Mustafa Haidar from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at American University of Beirut said the root vegetable weighs seven kilograms and is three months old.


Beirut, 18 Jan 08, 11:02

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd61/beirutguy/ssctruc.jpg

^^This is the first time I hear about something like this..."Bèyt al diyafa"...weird...

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd61/beirutguy/ssctruc1.jpg

^^Yesterday, the Russian Cultural Center was opened in Tripoli.

Syria has imposed a blockade of food supplies on Lebanon, the daily An Nahar reported Tuesday.
The report, citing information received by Lebanese authorities, said Syrian customs authorities circulated to all border checkpoints their decision to prevent trucks and vehicles carrying food supplies from crossing Lebanon as of 6 p.m. Monday.

An Nahar said Lebanese authorities had no "explanation to Damascus' surprise decision," but hinted that the siege coincided with Monday nights' protests in Beirut.

Long convoys of cargo trucks queued at the Abboudieh-Dabbousieh northern border crossing between Lebanon and Syria on Jan. 11 after Syrian authorities launched strict inspection procedures.

The crisis worsened the following day with the number of stranded trucks reaching 200 as Syrian security and customs authorities kicked off a campaign of heavy inspection of cargo headed to Syria.

A source at the public works and transportation ministry said at the time that there was "no border crisis with Syria."

naharnet

^^ our country's beloved sister ladies and gentelmen

^^ "lebanese" march 8 supporters must be happy :ohno:

how wired that the closure of the border was in the exact time of road closures and protests by "march 8" jurks (near my house) and fire burning ...........
coincidence?

Gen. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement was said to have readied its supporters in the northern Batroun region to carry out a "deployment maneuver" to pave the way for a full-scale riot along with its Hizbullah-led opposition allies later this month.
FPM official, Maj. Gen. Issam Abu Jamra, however, denied the report published on Tuesday, saying the FPM has no "street action plans."

The report, carried by several Beirut dailies, said FPM partisans were instructed to carry out a "deployment maneuver starting 7 p.m. Tuesday in a bid to test the pulse of the Batroun residents" ahead of a full-size street action to be launched after Jan. 27.

A senior source with the March 8 coalition said Opposition factions were almost finished with their "draft agenda" regarding its broad action in the event that failure of an Arab plan was confirmed and pending outcome of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Damascus scheduled for Jan. 27.

The report followed late Monday demonstrations in protest against repeated power cuts.

Angry demonstrators blocked traffic with burning rubber tires in three districts of Beirut that are traditional strongholds of Hizbullah and Amal.

Three separate groups of about 50 people each blocked traffic for about 20 minutes in the seaside southern suburb of Ouzai and the Beirut districts of Zokak Blatt and Msaitbeh, but army patrols rushed and reopened both roads, a police source said.

No casualties were reported among the security forces that dispersed the protests.

A police source refused to answer questions as to whether any arrests have been made.

The developments did not last more than 20 minutes each, according to the source, but raised tension among the weary population.

Such a development has been frequent in pro-Hizbullah districts in the past 10 days. It started in the southern suburb of Ghobeiry and along the old airport road.

Lebanon has been suffering from power failures due to a chain of technical problems inflicted on its network

Do all these losers only know how to roit ? ..... cant they do other things or are they all mentenaly retardted

just about the blackout it only occured because of the heavy illegal electricity stealing (te3li2) protected by Hezbollah in dahye and other pro-hezb. in beirut
so basically they cause it and then protest against it, ,,,,,,,,,,
and no jayme there not mentally retarded they know what their doing ,they just dont want a soverin and flourishing lebanon .....................

^^ with Syria

^^ ...as their leader ..........

Violence Won't Stop Lebanese from Getting Married

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/1206fbd1c532e615c22573e90020b881/Body/0.82?OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg

Riots, assassinations and ominous warnings of impending civil war won't deter Yasmine Tohme from spending almost half a million dollars for a fairy-tale wedding in Lebanon this summer.
The 600-strong guest list has been drawn up, the wedding venue overlooking the Mediterranean Sea is booked and the 50,000-dollar (35,000-euro) wedding dress chosen.

"There will be an international as well as a local band and a Zaffe, or Arabic folklore dance group," Tohme, 30, told AFP. "I want it to be glamorous, to glitter."

Tohme and her fiancé are among thousands of starry-eyed couples who are pushing ahead with plans to tie the knot this summer in a country undergoing its worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

No car bombs, failed presidential elections or a worsening economy will stop them from going to the altar and organizing a reception they hope will be the talk of the town.

Hotels and reception halls are already almost fully booked for the summer season while wedding organizers are busy trying to fulfill the fantasies of clients whose demands can range from wanting to recreate the setting of a favored opera to a wedding on the farm.

These extravagant plans are in a country where the minimum monthly wage is just 300,000 Lebanese pounds (200 dollars, 134 euros) and where protests have multiplied in recent weeks over mounting prices.

"Our customers spend on average 200,000 dollars for a wedding of about 1,000 people," said Chayban Sakr, of Platinum Comet, an event planner. "For sure, this is a country where appearance is paramount and we are here to help our customers realize their dreams.

"Those getting married are not thinking about the bill since it's their wedding and, after all, this is Lebanon," he added. "Many ask for really odd themes such as a Louis XIV theme and we have to go out and find chairs and other items from that period."

One customer, for example, recently asked his company to organize a wedding where the 400 guests could feel as though they were on a farm.

"I rented goats, sheep, pigs, hens and cows from the Bekaa valley and the reception was an open-air event," he said. "The bride arrived on a donkey."

Another bride asked a different event planner for a Venetian setting complete with a canal built inside the reception hall and a gondola she boarded to arrive in style. All for a mere one million dollars.

At the luxury Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, the banquet rooms are already fully booked for July and August, with couples wishing to organize a wedding reception between Thursday and Sunday required to invite a minimum 450 guests at a starting price of 45 dollars a person, a spokesman said.

Many of the future grooms and brides work in Arab countries in the Gulf and return home for the big event before leaving again.

Karen Choueiri, spokeswoman for "Wedding Follies 2008", an annual event that gathers more than 200 exhibitors specializing in weddings, said the fair was gaining in popularity since it started five years ago.

"It has become a challenge to hold the event with bombs going off here and there and the political and economic situation being so uncertain," Choueiri said.

"But if there is one sector that is a sure value in Lebanon, it's the wedding sector."(AFP)


Beirut, 08 Feb 08, 08:01

^^It's about summer 2008, right?

^^ well, yeah (look at the date)

I find Phoenicia InterContinental the best place for a wedding!!! But I'm not so sure about the prices, I think 45$ is the minimum but with really nothing..usually it's arround 70$ per person...

^^ yeah ther's some thing wrong lts say 45$*500 guests =22500$
where's the half million budget??

^^LOL, I think this 45$ is only for the place, without the flowers, zaffé, food, singer...

^^ :nuts:

damn these people have ALOT of money on their hands lol

Is party over for Beirut's clubbers?


Beirut's legendary nightlife has survived wars, invasions and assassinations.
But the bars and clubs are slowly being strangled by the ongoing political crisis.

This city used to be the unambiguous "party capital of the Middle East".

Now a chorus of depression seems to be drowning out Beirut's famous hedonistic vibe.

Mohammed Chehab - a regular in Monot Street's once-teeming RAI club - said: "Before, it was very good. The nightlife was on fire!

"Now, because of the unstable situation in Lebanon, people are afraid to come out. They are scared of explosions."

'Nothing left'

Monot Street, a narrow avenue which snakes down to the centre of town, had an international reputation among clubbers in its heyday.


Kicking out time? Beirut has been crippled by political turmoil

At night, it was virtually impossible to drive through the crowds of party-goers and the rows of gleaming BMW and Mercedes cars.

There were about 100 bars and clubs in the area.

Now, locals say the number is down to about 50.

"Half of the business has gone," laments Mazin Moughrabi, a manager at one of the clubs.

"I will finish my studies and travel abroad. There is nothing left for me in Lebanon."

Economic hangover

He says the club used to be packed six nights a week.

In recent months, they have mainly been opening on Fridays and Saturdays but even at the weekend, business is just a fraction of what it was.

The boom time for nightlife in Beirut was just over three years ago.

Whatever happens, we will find a way to come out, relieve our stress and have fun

Hassan Beydoun
The assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005 led to massive political upheaval in Lebanon.

The 2006 war with Israel set the country's economy back several years.

But the bars and clubs quickly bounced back and carried on doing brisk business.

Until recently it seemed that, however bad things got in Lebanon, nothing could puncture the party mood in the capital.

In recent months, though, everything seems to have changed.

'Down and down'

A wave of political assassinations has shaken Lebanon.


Some fear the country is on an irrevocable downward spiral
The centre of Beirut has been crippled by an ongoing protest, with opposition tents erected in the centre of the city, besieging the prime minister's office and other government buildings.

There is currently no president and total political deadlock in this troubled and deeply divided country.


"We are not getting any international tourists now. They just don't want to come to Lebanon," said Hassan Beydoun, on the edge of an empty dance floor in one of the clubs.

But, as soon as the political roadblocks are lifted, he thinks the business will come flooding back.

He added: "Lebanese people like to party. Whatever happens, we will find a way to come out, relieve our stress and have fun. It's just who we are."

Stagnation

His girlfriend Randa is much less upbeat.

She said: "We are going down and down. It's a recession. It's very bad. The politicians are just too lame. It's very lame. I think in 10 years time, all Lebanese people will have left the country to the politicians. They can rule and fight each other."


Optimists say the Lebanese love of fun will save Beirut's clubland

Ronnie Zerbe has been running Cuba Libre, a nightspot in Monot, for seven years.

He said he has never been as gloomy as he is now.

"We have not made a profit in two years," he told me.

"Of course people are angry, and they should be angry. We have only 20% of the business we used to have."

Economic uncertainty has compounded the problems caused by political stagnation.

Many people simply do not have the money anymore to splurge on alcohol or club entrance fees.

Will it ever recover?

Samir Tabiat, the owner of Tapas Bar in the Gemmayze area, said: "Who knows? Anyone who tells you they know is just an astrologist or a liar.

"But I know that Lebanese people will always like to have fun. It's just in their character."

BBC news

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/bbc_logo.gif
Syria 'bomb kills militant chief'

Lebanese group Hezbollah says one of its leaders, Imad Mughniyeh, has been killed in a bombing in Damascus, and blamed Israel for assassinating him.

Mughniyeh is widely believed to be behind a wave of Western hostage-taking in Lebanon in the 1980s.
Correspondents say he had been in hiding for years and was high on US and Israeli wanted lists.
There has been not been any word about the incident from either the Syrian or Israeli governments.
Syrian police kept media and other onlookers well away from the scene of the blast in the well-to-do Kafar Soussa district.

"Scores of police and intelligence officers rushed to the site. People in the neighbourhood are shocked. We are not used to such things in Syria," said one resident quoted by Reuters news agency.

"We saw security officers hauling the body away," said one witnesses quoted by Reuters news agency.

Damascus has witnessed a number of bomb attacks in recent years, some blamed on Israel and others on Islamic militants.

Mughniyeh was among several suspects indicted in the US for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in which a US Navy diver was killed.

Hezbollah-owned Manar TV in Beirut announced the death saying: "With all pride we declare a great jihadist leader of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon joining the martyrs... the brother commander hajj Imad Mughniyeh".
Hours after the blast, Syrian state TV confirmed one person had been killed in a car bombing, but did not identify the victim.
Any confirmation from Lebanon (from media other than Manar)?

^^ we know that it is a car bomb,and one person was killed and YES it's Mughnieh

meh no big loss.

He's like one of the biggest terrorist wanted for plane-hijackings etc...finally someone actually BAD killed...wel kheir la eddem lol

^^ lol awal mara bisma3ak bit2ool shit mitil "wel kheir la 2ideme" ... btilba2lak

^^lol u think? merci

...

Major Minor Earthquake Felt in South Lebanon & Beirut

http://www.bloggingbeirut.com/images/feb08/quakeMap.jpg

From Bloggingbeirut.com

that earthquake was one hell of a shock ...i was in class and the whole building shook ......and uh leb-it please keep your political opinion to yourself ..no offence bas mabi7i2illak t2ool 3an ay insen meen ma kan ykoon inno theyre bad or watever ....Imad Moughniyye did hijack a plane and all he did with it was kill the moussad isreilies inside it and he let the rest go ........he also defended the country you call home from another isreili invasion and was maybe the reason the isreilies got out of lebanon in the first place......so plz next time im asking you look for the good in people and judge them for that .....w ma3le kill libnen 5osro wheather u did or not and he is a very heavy loss........

^^ hey, no offence really but maybe u should say ur opinion on that matter without insulting people who dont agree with u

everyone has an opionion no need to yell at each other.

Major Minor Earthquake Felt in South Lebanon & Beirut

http://www.bloggingbeirut.com/images/feb08/quakeMap.jpg

From Bloggingbeirut.com

ha! i guess i'm the only one in leb who didn't feel anything at all!

^^ i didn't too :D
but i felt the one 2 days ago (@ 2 after midnight)

Another Snow Storm Hitting Lebanon starting Sunday for 48 Hours .

that earthquake was one hell of a shock ...i was in class and the whole building shook ......and uh leb-it please keep your political opinion to yourself ..no offence bas mabi7i2illak t2ool 3an ay insen meen ma kan ykoon inno theyre bad or watever ....Imad Moughniyye did hijack a plane and all he did with it was kill the moussad isreilies inside it and he let the rest go ........he also defended the country you call home from another isreili invasion and was maybe the reason the isreilies got out of lebanon in the first place......so plz next time im asking you look for the good in people and judge them for that .....w ma3le kill libnen 5osro wheather u did or not and he is a very heavy loss........

metl ma enta elak 7a2 ta3ti ra2yak metl ma 3melt bi hal post, ana kamen eli 7a2 a3ti ra2yi, mesh aktar wala a2al,
cheers :)

I didn't feel a thing. I was in Hamra at the time and i did notice the power was out for a few minutes but i don't know if that was a normal blackout or caused by the quake. I'm really impressed by buildings here. they're pretty well built to be able to withstand a 5.0. Granted its not a huge earthquake but it can still do a lot of damage to buildings that are poorly built and near the epicenter. were there any aftershocks?

^^Yes,but nothing really important,no aftershocks since today morning.

lsn walla ma ken azde shee bas inno u no how fkd up politics can get in this country i meant no offence watsoever :) sorry

Syrian guards shoot and kill Lebanese farmer on border

Feb 19, 2008 19:53
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIRUT, Lebanon

Syrian border guards shot and killed a Lebanese farmer on the Lebanese-Syrian frontier Tuesday, Lebanese police announced in a statement.

Abbas Abbas, 15, was returning home on a donkey after working in his land on the Lebanese-Syrian frontier when a Syrian border patrol opened fire on him, killing him instantly, according to an official police statement.

It was not immediately known why the Syrian patrol opened fire and there was no comment from Syria.

Another earlier incident

Syria invades Lebanon, shoots and wounds a Lebanese
Monday, 18 February, 2008 @ 2:04 PM

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/02/18/lebanon%20map%20-%20bekaa%20area.gif

Beirut - The Syrian intelligence forces and Syrian border guards invaded Lebanon yesterday and stormed the house of Hussein Ali Aldedda and fired three bullets at him wounding him in his hand, elbow and hip,before withdrawing back to the Syrian territory according to the Arabic daily Al-Nahar

Aldedda ( 41) lives in the Bekaa region , inside the Lebanese territory near the Syrian border .

No explanations were given for the Syrian actions .

Aldedda was taken to the al Rayyan hospital in Baalbeck area for treatment . Aldedda is reportedly in a stable condition .

Aldedda’s relatives were shocked about this "Mafia" type action by the Syrians

Lebanon has been trying to demarcate the borders but Syria has refused . The Syrians do not even recognize Lebanon as an independent , and sovereign state . Syria treats Lebanon as its own farm.

It is expected that the government of prime minister Fouad Siniora will immediately complain to the United Nations security council about this outrageous violation of Lebanese sovereignty and urge the UN to put an end to Syrian incursions.

The Syrian troops withdrew under international pressure from Lebanon in April 2005 , after 29 years of military rule following the assassination of Lebanon's former PM Rafik Hariri . Syria was blamed for his murder but it denied any involvement . Syria continues to exercise influence in Lebanon through its Hezbollah-led allies

WTF??? a 15 year old boy??? Syria taking lessons from Israel?


What's hizbulla response to it's constituents being murdered?

well it's clear syria and israel 2 faces of one coin
it's been two days and neither syria or hz responded
................hey where's my "what the fuck" post????

Environmental Disaster in Saida - garbage collapses into sea

Tuesday, February 19. 2008
In the southern port city of Sidon, the storm caused a landslide at a huge garbage dump known as the "rubbish mountain," sending an estimated 150 tons of garbage into the sea, according to a statement issued by the Sidon municipality.

The statement, carried by the state-run National News Agency, blamed the snowstorm as well as a magnitude 5 quake in Lebanon last week for causing "cracks" in the mountain of garbage and leading to the collapse.

"The Sidon municipality has announced a state of environmental emergency and is taking necessary measures to limit sea pollution," it said.

Environmental experts have long warned of public health hazards associated with the Sidon dump. The mountain of waste has partially collapsed into the Mediterranean on at least two occasions in the past.

^^ that happens every single storm :ohno:

Lebanese investigators complete EU evidence course

2/23/2008 (Daily Star)

BEIRUT: Three European crime-investigation experts finished on Friday giving Lebanese security personnel a weeklong training course focused on the investigation and preservation of crime scenes, a project sponsored by the European Union (EU) because of the low level of crime-scene management among Lebanese law enforcement officials.

"Until now, it's a weak point," General Ashraf Rifi, head of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), told The Daily Star. The training represented "a beginning," Rifi said, adding that improving Lebanese capabilities at crime scenes would be "a long process, but we have to begin."

The course aimed to prepare security forces to isolate the scene of a crime, collect and store evidence and then perform forensic testing, said Patrick Laurent, head of the European Commission delegation in Beirut. Lebanon has suffered 12 assassinations or attempted killings of political figures since October 2004, as well as numerous street clashes and explosions, but no perpetrators have yet come to trial. This week Lebanese authorities indicted Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Abssi and others in the twin bus bombings in Ain Alaq in February 2007, and a UN investigation commission is continuing its probe into many of the other major incidents.

"We are trying to give the basics in the investigation at the scene of a crime," Laurent said. "They don't know how to isolate a crime scene. Everything needs to be done."

"All these things which are the elements of an investigation in a penal process have got to be developed," Laurent added. "The level is very low. They do not have the basics. There's a long way to go."

Two Spanish officials and a British officer from the counterterrorism branch of Scotland Yard presented the course to 120 members of Lebanon's various security forces: 35 ISF officers, 35 senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces, 15 members of the Civil Defense corps, 15 members of the Lebanese Red Cross, 10 magistrates and 10 members of the Beirut Fire Department, said a statement released on Friday by the EU.

In many European Union member states, law enforcement personnel know their roles and have practiced them before ever arriving at the scene of a crime, Laurent added.

As part of its $3.41-million project to improve criminal investigations here, the EU will oversee the construction of a simulation center south of Beirut where security personnel can practice the management of crime scenes, Laurent said. The center will provide for the simulation of outdoor crime scenes, such as car bombings, as well as indoor crime scenes, such as bank robberies, he added.

The center will probably open next year, as the EU needs to organize the necessary tenders to construct the various simulation areas, Laurent said.

The 18-month project began at the end of last year, and training courses in Europe will also be given to Lebanese law enforcement officials, the EU statement said.

Lebanese authorities requested the project, in which Italian and French experts are also training Lebanese security forces, the statement added.

If Lebanese law enforcement and judicial organs can enhance their investigation abilities and produce results, that would generate some public confidence in the institutions, Laurent added.

This is depressing!!! I was watching Tv and Nichan said that he might leave Lebanon and shot his show in Dubai coz when he ask Saudi or Egyptians or Kuwaitis... to come to Lebanon so he can interview them in his show, they say Lebanon isn't secured and they don't want to come :ohno: :ohno:

^^ enno ya latif, li byesma3on bi2oul kelna 2e3din ta7t l t5out w lebsin taset 3a rousayna every thing's normal here people, iza ma baddon yejo balech

^^ ma yejo ok, ma fi meshekle, bass enno iza ma ejo, men wein badda tejé el siyé7a w el eéstithmarat w kil hal masaré yallé bi kébbouhon el khalijiyyé bi Lébnèn??? Enno more than 50% of tourist in Lebanon come from the Gulf, iza ma éjo, ma ra7 yéjé ma7allon???

^^ i donnu actually but what can we do ???..........i was just saying that it's not that bad of a situation .......

Guys I live in Egypt and Since the Hariri killing and especially since July 2006 war,Number of Gulf tourists increased 200% Minimum.I heard the same thing about Jordan.Masa2eb Qoumon 3end qoumin fwa2edo :S

^^ dont forget about syria

^^Yes,i know but most wealthy Gulf Tourists don't go to Syria.they prefer Egypt and Jordan Over Syria.That's why i didn't mention it.

BEIRUT: When Hamza Shahrour had a heart attack in June last year, the 24-year-old Shiite might have hoped to survive it, given that he was just a few blocks away from Rafik Hariri Governmental Hospital, named after the slain former five-time Sunni prime minister. But because Hamza's family had no health insurance and could not afford to pay the thousands of dollars in deposit demanded, the doctors refused to treat him.

Worse was to come. In Lebanon's current political standoff between a Sunni-led government and the Shiite-led opposition, his mother says, Hamza was discriminated against by the doctors because of his sect.

Hamza was transferred to the Rasoul al-Azam (Mighty Prophet) Hospital, owned and controlled by Hizbullah, in Beirut's southern suburbs, where his mother said the family receive free medical care, despite their lack of insurance. But Hamza died as a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance drove him across town.

"I wish my son had been a Sunni," Hamza's mother, Raheja Shahrour, told IRIN. "Maybe he would be sitting next to me now instead of dying, having been turned away from the Hariri Hospital."

Hamza's case is far from unique, say doctors and analysts, in a healthcare system grounded in politics and sectarianism since the 1975-1990 Civil War, lacking funds, and privatized to the point at which most citizens are priced out of basic treatment.

Over the past 20 years the Ministry of Public Health has founded 27 state hospitals, but half of these have closed due to poor management and finance, according to MP Ismael Sukarieh, a member of a parliamentary committee which worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the "Right to Healthcare" report, released in Arabic in December 2007.

According to that research, of a total of over 1,500 beds in state hospitals, just 300 are functioning. By comparison, Lebanon has 175 private hospitals with around 14,500 functioning beds. They are generally considered to have more modern facilities and provide a higher standard of care. In 2006, total government health spending was just $400 million, while total costs in the sector amounted to $686 million, according to the WHO report.

"The Ministry of Health is encouraging the privatization of healthcare by transferring more and more patients from state hospitals to private hospitals," said Sukarieh. "In 1971, 14 private hospitals had contracts with the ministry to treat patients under public healthcare. In 2000, the figure had risen to 134."

When a patient is treated at a private hospital under such a "transfer" arrangement, the Health Ministry is supposed to pay 90 percent of their bill.

However, the government has become increasingly unable to pay its bills, said Sukarieh, leaving private hospitals massively out of pocket and meaning that since 2006 no private hospitals have accepted such public to private transfers.

The failure of government to pay for public healthcare bills means Lebanese are required to hold expensive private healthcare insurance. Only 27 percent of residents are able to do so, according to the report. Poor migrant workers or asylum-seekers are particularly vulnerable to Lebanon's expensive healthcare system.


Figures from the WHO report reveal the extent of the healthcare problem. Out of 2,700 patients needing treatment for kidney disease, 1,200 were state employees with government health insurance, 100 had their bills paid by the army, 400 had private health insurance, and 1,000 had to pay their bills without support.

Some doctors blame the ruinous 15-year Civil War for stunting the development of its healthcare system and fragmenting it along numerous religious and ethnic lines.

"Before the Civil War began in 1975, Lebanon had the best hospitals and doctors in the region," said physician Ibrahim al-Haber, who also contributed to last December's report.

"But while Lebanon went through bad times, countries in the region improved their health systems," he explained.

"After the Civil War, Lebanon's healthcare system was built on sectarian standards. Each sect now has its own hospitals and clinics which provide their own people with free treatment."

In interviews with IRIN, doctors from the Hariri Clinic, run and controlled by the Sunni Future Movement, and Rasoul al-Azem both stressed their services were open to anybody in need. However, said physician Ali Shahrour of Rasoul al-Azem, while the hospital "provides healthcare to everyone, with no exceptions," Hizbullah fighters and their families are given "top priority" as part of the hospital's strategy.

"While serving your country you expect someone to look after the health of your family," said Shahrour. "We consider the resistance fighters and anyone who lives in Dahiyeh [Beirut's southern suburbs, a hotbed of support for the party] as our people."

Likewise, physician Khaled Bsat of the Hariri Clinic in the Sunni-majority Beirut neighborhood of Tarik al-Jdeideh said his staff "give free medicine to everyone, not according to sect but because healthcare is for everyone."

However, were a patient to be a member of the Future Movement, their treatment at the Hariri Clinic would certainly be a priority.

"Lebanon is a sectarian country, but even if we open clinics in Sunni areas we also give medicine to everyone," said Bsat. "But as Sunnis we must take care of Sunnis before any other sect."

Sukarieh believes reform of the health system requires both public and private hospitals to be put under independent management to root out corruption and waste.

"There is no clear health policy and no one has oversight on the financial figures," he said. "We need independent committees to take over the management of hospitals. We must end the business of making profits through healthcare." - IRIN

Saudi Arabia and Koweit asked all their citizens to leave lebanon IMMEDIATELY :ohno:

^^Yes :S This Is Weird :S

The Exact Statement:

Saudi Arabia adviced its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country "if possible" due to growing political unrest, a Lebanese government source said Saturday

^^Kuwait Denied the Call ,Saudi Ambassador said it was a response to what happened to a saudi family last night,nsabo b rsas tayesh ba3d el interview taba3 nabihhh berri.3anjad moudou3 el te2wees ba3d kel interview sar OVER.

We seem to be about to be getting into deep dodo or a showdwn. US ships off coast..advising citizens not to travel to and leave Lebanon...UN fortifying there bases in the south...Israel staioning troops at teh border..and HZ members leaving there work and homes in Beirut and back in the South....NOt promising!!!!!!!!

when u look at it like that u will see it non promising but it's not that bad
uss COLE is 50 mils out of the lebanese coast.and it's just a play nothing on the ground 7seba ya5et amerkene
advising citizens to leave is just cowardish enno rsas tayish it's a big problem i know but it was an accident people ........
and there's no upcoming war Nasrallah said the war decision is in the hand of Israel so israel does nothing he does nothing and he will not do the mistakes twice

the situation is critical but there's no way but "agreement" no one wants a civil war and they both know it .......

^^But because of these statements made by KSA and this us COLE, people are leaving Lebanon..believe me..I know at least 15 persons from family, friends, friends of friends that are going to Qatar, Dubai, Koweit, Paris...and these decisions to leave Lebanon were made after KSA adviced its citizens to leave Lebanon,,,:ohno:

I heard from Hizb supporters that they are expecting a new civil war in Lebanon. Have you seen this video taken two weeks ago?
2jFmPrXD_QE

has any of you heard about the rumor of the Saudi shipment of arms to Lebanon last week?

I think it was published on a Syrian news paper... this is really alarming!

I heard from Hizb supporters that they are expecting a new civil war in Lebanon. Have you seen this video taken two weeks ago?
2jFmPrXD_QE

omg... what bloody idoits, where did he get a Bazooka !

has any of you heard about the rumor of the Saudi shipment of arms to Lebanon last week?

I think it was published on a Syrian news paper... this is really alarming!

hehe nice one "Syrian news paper" ?? come on man

I heard from Hizb supporters that they are expecting a new civil war in Lebanon. Have you seen this video taken two weeks ago?
2jFmPrXD_QE

that's serius shit i dont know y no one heard about it on the news (i mean the B7 shooting ) .................... civil war is just a joke

I heard from Hizb supporters that they are expecting a new civil war in Lebanon. Have you seen this video taken two weeks ago?
2jFmPrXD_QE

we live with BAJAM, uncivilized, violent, stupid things who call themselves people

^^LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Come on...don't you think "bajam" is.......................not powerful enough? :lol:

j/k

This is exagerated...they ARE people, like you and me, and you don't have the right to call them whatever you want...What would you do if Israel had...let's say 500 armenians in its jail and doesn't want to return them to Lebanon?

what the hell are u talking about? They're celebrating a tv appearance by one of their idiots, and besides Armenians never did anything to end up in jail in the first place...it doesn't make sense ;)

^^I know what they did on that video is extremely bad, but 5 guys don't represent all the Hzeb. Supporters!

^^wlak who said anything about the hezb?? shu bek lol...i'm talking about those ppl in the vid

^^okay, tab who r the poeple in the video and who's their idiot?

Tab lek, ok, bala ma na3mél mashkal halla2... :P

^^besides...since when are u a hezb supporter?

I was chatting some day with a Hizbullah supporter and he said i don't care if Lebanon Vanishes or not,we wanna fight Israel no matter what,It is what our Religion says,i was like:Come on,i belong to the same religion you r talking about,where from did u get this information?:S Those guys just Follow what Hizbullah leaders say,and mainly koz they r not well educated or at least they don't read much.

Guy:It's about the International Tribunal I SWEAR,the Syrian Regime don't want it and it's using its puppets in Lebanon,Sadly some people are betraying their Home land for some stupid reason.

^^besides...since when are u a hezb supporter?

I never said I support those guys :S
Bass I don't hate them as much as most of you here..

^^and it's for some good reasons ;)

I was chatting some day with a Hizbullah supporter and he said i don't care if Lebanon Vanishes or not,we wanna fight Israel no matter what,It is what our Religion says,i was like:Come on,i belong to the same religion you r talking about,where from did u get this information?:S Those guys just Follow what Hizbullah leaders say,and mainly koz they r not well educated or at least they don't read much.



umm can i have this smarta$$' email??

^^ lol , i guess it begins with gr8 something @hotmail.com :S i blocked and deleted him abviously :D

^^ahhh dommage

hehe nice one "Syrian news paper" ?? come on man

I know their media obviously have agenda and might make up stories but everything is possible..

http://www.syriahr.com/20-2-2008-syrian%20observatory4.htm

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:38:14

http://www.presstv.com/photo/20080307/taabbodi20080307182530968.jpg

Israeli warplanes have flown over Beirut, a day after an attack by a Palestinian killed eight Jewish seminary students in al-Quds.

"Two Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace and flew over Beirut'' on Friday, a senior Lebanese security official said on condition of anonymity.

He added that the Israeli planes flew at a 'medium altitude'.

The official failed to give further details and the Israeli army denied any activities in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Israeli warplanes frequently fly over south Lebanon which is the stronghold of Hezbollah movement. Israel describes the flights as 'reconnaissance missions'.

Hezbollah television said the deadly attack on a Jewish religious college in al-Quds Thursday was carried out by the previously unknown Groups of the Martyr Imad Mughnieh and Martyrs of Gaza."

The incident has raised tension in the already volatile region.

Earlier in the week, Lebanon's army chief Michel Suleiman ordered army to be on high alert to prevent any Israeli attack on the country.

"The army backed by the people and the resistance (Hezbollah) is determined to confront any new Israeli aggression with all available means and capabilities," Lebanon's commander-in-chief said Monday.

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?i...onid=351020203

What about 1701??? The have the right to violate Beirut airspace right??

^^Israelis need to understand that what they do is not giving them the peace they Claim they want.And they are blaming Hamas for provoking israel by firing Rockets.Hypocrisy Anyone???

Arab Human Rights group launches in Lebanon
Friday, 7 March, 2008 @ 11:41 PM

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/12/14/human%20rights%20lebanon.jpg

Beirut, Lebanon - An Arab human rights fund was launched in Beirut Friday with the aim of supporting rights groups and activists in the region, the independent group announced in a statement.

human rights lebanon.jpgThe Arab Human Rights Fund, or AHRF, will be headquartered in the Lebanese capital, it said. AHRF boasts an entirely Arab board and staff.

It aims to provide financial resources and technical assistance to organizations and individuals active in the promotion of all human rights in the Arab region in line with local and regional needs,» the statement said.

The Ford Foundation, an independent nonprofit agency, provided startup funds to AHRF, the statement said. It did not say how much money the U.S.-based group gave, but added that future sources of funding will come from donors in the Arab world as well as international foundations.

AHRF called on organizations and individuals involved in human rights issues to apply for grants.

The idea of establishing AHRF was prompted by the desire to increase resources for human rights protection in a focused manner, to reduce dependence on foreign funding and to encourage social justice philanthropy in the Arab region,» said Fateh Azzam, Chairman of the AHRF Board.

Source: AP

BEIRUT: Overshadowed by Monnot and Gemmaizeh for several years, Hamra is fast catching up. Several new cafes, restaurants, and pubs have opened in the past two years, and more are said to be on the horizon. If the pace continues, Hamra could soon regain the title of "the place to be" which it held from the early 1960s until the early 1970s.

Two trend-setting establishments are De Prague and T-Marbouta, cafes/restaurants that become pubs at night. They are a couple of minutes walk apart from each other, very close to Hamra Street. "The social life in Hamra," says De Prague's Hani Sadek, "is picking up again after being dead."

Before Lebanon's 1975-90 Civil-War, Hamra was the social center of Beirut. The area was home to big cinemas, crowded cafes and restaurants - it was the center of culture and politics. The war brought an end to socializing in Hamra, especially with the closure of almost all the cinemas. Many landmark cafes were taken over by foreign chains. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, there was a chance of recovery for Hamra, which was put back by former Prime Minister Hariri's assassination in February 2005. This led to Monnot and Gemmaizeh becoming Beirut's social centers.

The desire to "compensate for what used to be in Hamra and to revive it" is what drove owners Bilal al-Amine, 42 and Abed al-Rahman Zahzah, 31, to establish the cafe/restaurant T-Marbouta, named after a special character "t" in the Arabic language that designates the feminine gender.

The thoroughly Arabic name, says Amine, was meant to mark a departure from "the blind-copying trend of Western names." T-Marbouta is "a modern place, with roots in the area," he says. T-Marbouta's planned opening in July 2006 was postponed to September because of the war, during which the venue served as a relief center for refugees, providing 1,000 meals per day, mattresses, and hygiene. Amine says the original idea was to "open a place for cultural events and for activists to get together. But it expanded!"

De Prague, with a name obviously inspired by Europe, if not the West, opened in March 2005, almost a month after Hariri's assassination.

Raed Habib, 47, a partner in the company with "no real owner," says this was a "realistic" time to establish De Prague because tourism was on the decline, Hamra was neglected, and there was no such place around.

"Hamra is the hippy neighborhood and heart of Beirut," says Habib, who thought of the name for the cafe on Rebeiz Street during a trip to the Czech capital. The people of Prague, says Habib, "have made cafes to play the role of a cafe, a bar, and a restaurant at the same time. Our intention was to minimize the stress of making decisions about where to go out, which is a problem in Lebanon."

De Prague has taken the place of an English-style pub, the Rose and Crown, that was very successful during Hamra's heydey, serving university students, but closed down after several years of operations following the Civil War. T-Marbouta has replaced what used to be a restaurant for the Pavillion Hotel off Hamra Street.

Customers of both cafes include people of all ages, and specifically students, journalists, art/film directors, artists, foreigners. Sima Ajlyakin, an AUB student, likes T-Marbouta's friendly atmosphere: "You never feel uncomfortable there, even if you are on your own. On the contrary, you become friends with everyone."

T-Marbouta's co-owner, Amine, is aware of its reputation as a leftist outlet because "the original idea for T-Marbouta attracted the leftist crowd," but he says the customers are generally of "different political colors."

Nayla Aramouni, 25, has been a regular at De Prague since it opened. She says it used to be a place for "artsy-intellectuals, and to an extent it still is. But now the customers have become a mesh of different types of people."

Mohammad Yashi, 27, likes De Prague because it's affordable and comfortable: "There are no rules or regulations, so if you mess up it's fine." Diana and Mony, students and regulars, feel that they can go there "any time to relax."

De Prague was designed by Maya Nasrallah, Pascale Fakhry, and Raed Habib. The cafe/restaurant changes the colors of their furniture and walls according to the seasons, light colors in spring and summer (such as salmon) and darker colors (such as burgundy) in winter and autumn. Some items, including several doors and tables, an old radio and clock, and the fireplace used to belong to the Rose and Crown, whose old sign that extended across the outside wall has been transformed into the side of De Prague's bar. The lights are dimmed at 8 p.m.


"Every time I go there," says Sara Ajlyakin, 19, and Sima's sister, "it absolutely captures me, no matter how dark or bright it is."

Customers love the monthly art exhibitions at both cafes, with the works of local artists on sale. "It gives a chance to whoever has talent and displays it on their walls, from photography to abstract art to paintings of all kinds," says Sara Ajlyakin, who bought a painting herself from De Prague in October 2006.

Another De Prague regular, Ali, says that the best part is the decor "but the art isn't always good." The cafes don't always know how many of the paintings are sold since the buyers consult the artists. Amine says that sometimes the art is too pricey for the customers to afford.

T-Marbouta was designed by Maya Issa, a professor of architecture in AUB and wife of co-owner Zahzah. Amine says the place was a wreck when they took it over, and for the layout, they "had to go by what was already here."

De Prague opens every day from 9 a.m. until 2-3 a.m. Its menus are hand-written papers held together by metal covers. The cuisine is international but the menu is changed regularly to keep customers interested. It can seat up to 150 people .

De Prague has books about arts and music that are updated regularly. The cafe has five DJs and plays jazz, blues, classical, and soft rock music; it has a collection of around 2,000 CDs. It airs films every night, which are divided weekly into themes.

"You can see people having a conversation while they watch the film," says Dana Ghandour, a hostess and waitress at De Prague.

T-Marbouta opens daily from noon until 1-2 a.m. The menu is oriental cuisine, also offering a plat du jour along with a few platters which were added later to the menu because of the large student customer base. T-Marbouta can seat 80 to 90 people, excluding the library, where cultural and social events take place such as AUB's sociology cafe, book signings, and meetings for activists and NGOs. People can borrow books for two weeks free of charge. The books and magazines are mostly donated and are about music, art and politics. T-Marbouta mainly plays traditional and modern Arabic music, and some Jazz. Both cafes update their newspapers daily and free wireless Internet is available.

Most of De Prague's and T-Marbouta's customers are regulars. The employees and customers of both places say they have made good friends with each other because of the sociable atmosphere. Customers are satisfied with the service, yet the waiters and waitresses sometimes group together to chat. Nadia Itawi, T-Marbouta's floor-manager, says they share the same customers as De Prague, and that "you can find a wide range of people who come here which is great because it breaks the routine."

Pascale Farra, 25, one of De Prague's managers, says the atmosphere at night is totally different from the daytime. "During the day people come to study, use the Internet, and have a coffee or a bite to eat. But at night De Prague is more about drinks and dinner."

Sima Ajlyakin, an AUB student, prefers T-Marbouta in this sense because "you can study at anytime in T-Marbouta, even at night."

T-Marbouta's Amine says that there is more competition from new openings: "We have had unpredictable highs and lows in terms of business because of the economic and political situation."

De Prague's Habib says "business has been good given the number of students and employees of the American University of Beirut."

Amine says there are about six to seven new places in the process of opening, apart from those new restaurants that have already opened. Habib adds that the increasing number of cafes, restaurants, and pubs is encouraging: "On a Beiruti scale, Hamra is flying now!"

Dailystar.

^^ Hamra is a classic!
May not be the coolest place to be, but it still has a special standing... glad to see it get better!
my school was across from horse shoe in hamra and this summer I noticed that the horseshoe is looooooong gone :(

I love T-Marbouta's name...

Btw, I've been reading many articles about what's happening in Hamra...Napoletana (like the one in ABC Achrafieh) opened there too, a lebanese restaurant called "La Tabkha" :lol: And so many more...I'm happy to see that Hamra is back, but this is still sad to DT...

^^ ROFLMAO!!!! That is too funny!

Web site allows Lebanese to network worldwide


BEIRUT: Newly launched Web site Lebconnection.com is one of the few Web 2.0 services that cater directly to the specific needs of the Lebanese. "This is not Facebook. Lebconnect specifically addresses needs in everyday life, finding jobs, providing structure for promoting people and projects in the Lebanese community and finding housing" co-founder Patrick Sayegh told The Daily Star.

The central premise of the Web site is tailored to what Sayegh describes as the Lebanese tradition of networking.

"It is meant for allowing the Lebanese to help each other, with a strong business orientation," he said. "The Lebanese are international. They're all over the world. And the common traits they have is they look for contacts, whether they are traders, engineers, doctors, etc. It's a cultural reflex to go through that network."

The project started a year and a half ago while Sayegh had been staying in Paris and various parts of France. It was there that he discovered the difficulties many Lebanese had in getting hired by French companies that did not bother to provide paperwork for the Lebanese even if they were qualified.

"The Lebanese community is educated, cultured, artistically able, but many lack a promotional reach," he said. "Just as within Lebanon, the prospects of opportunities rested on who you knew, not what you knew."

What the founders of Lebconnection wanted as a particular function of the Web site was to identify and provide connections beyond the circle of friends each member had.


"For example," Sayegh said, "if you wanted to find a contact at Company X, all you would have to do is type the words 'Company X' and 'Lebanese.' If you were looking for contacts in Dubai, you would simply set up alerts, saying you were looking for contacts in Dubai. All you have to do is set up an environment to look for the experts and then look where all the experts were listed. We have members from all around the world, so there are no restrictions."

The site is also in French and English with the possibility of Spanish as its next language.

"We made a home page that is personalized and dynamic, focused on simplicity and based on value marketing. The Web site focuses on the easy use of form. You don't have to type a lot and we minimized the number of clicks to access information," Sayegh said.

Information can be accessed in many ways. Contacts can be imported from other accounts into Lebconnection and invitations can be easily sent. The search engines have broad or narrow searches or look for people or job according to specific criteria.

"Today I have the possibility of facilitating the process for a lot of people experiencing the same obstacles," Sayegh enthused, "helping to match offers and demands and doing something for the good of the members of the Lebanese community wherever they may be."

Mughniyeh Lover Grounds French Jetliner

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A Beirut-to-Paris flight was grounded on Tuesday after a passenger who had left her boyfriend behind said she feared he might have put a bomb in her luggage to keep her from leaving, a security official said.
The girl, Katia Salha, a Shiite Muslim for south Beirut, "was either in love with this guy called Hussein Mughniyeh, or they were engaged, and as the plane was taxiing to the runway she got an anonymous message on her phone telling her that he wished her bon voyage," the official said.

"She got scared and she alerted a hostess that she feared her boyfriend might have left a bomb in her luggage."

An airport official told AFP the pilot of the Air France flight taxied back to the gate for the plane to be searched.

Nothing was found in the baggage of the woman who holds Lebanese and French nationalities, and she was forced off the flight, the official said.

The flight, which had been due to leave at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) was delayed for three hours.(AFP-Naharnet)


Beirut, 25 Mar 08, 19:36

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Welcome to the dark age of cencorship:

It's official: 'Persepolis' won't screen in Lebanon

Daily Star staff
Thursday, March 27, 2008

It's official: 'Persepolis' won't screen in Lebanon

BEIRUT: Officials with the Lebanese Interior Ministry's General Security department have confirmed that the film "Persepolis" has indeed been banned in this country. Speaking to AFP on Wednesday, the general security official would not say why the French animated film - which has annoyed authorities in Iran for its critical portrayal of the Islamic revolution - would not be shown in Lebanon. The daily news service of the entertainment magazine Variety broke the story that Lebanese authorities had banned the film on March 11.

Another Lebanese official, speaking under customary conditions of anonymity, said the film had displeased the head of security services, who he claimed is close to the militant Shiite Muslim group Hizbullah, which is backed by Iran.

"It is clear," the source told AFP, "that ... General Wafiq Jizzini is close to Hizbullah and he doesn't want to allow such a movie, which he believes gives an image of Iran as being worse off than it was before the shah."

Jizzini could not be reached for comment.

Bassam Eid, production manager at Circuit Empire, the company that was to distribute the film, blasted the ban as ridiculous and unwarranted.

"The decision is even more ridiculous when you consider that you can buy for $2 pirated copies of the film in Hizbullah's stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut," Eid told AFP. "I purchased two copies of the film from the suburbs and from the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camp and handed one over to Culture Minister Tarek Mitri."

Directed by Iranian-French emigre Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, and based on Satrapi's comic strips, the film shows its young heroine's brushes with the authorities in the early days of the Islamic revolution in the 1980s. "Persepolis" was screened in Iran last month, though state authorities there officially banned by in February 2007. The film is not expected to receive a general release in the Islamic Republic.

Satrapi's film was joint winner of the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival Sundance-Buying-Frenzy and was later nominated for an Oscar for best animated film. Despite its success in the US and France, "Persepolis" has been condemned by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government as Islamophobic and anti-Iranian.

It shows repression under the shah but also portrays the social crackdown, arrests and executions that followed the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. The heroine's rebellious nature and conflicts with the authorities force her to leave Iran temporarily for Austria and then for France - this time never to return.

Maria Chakhtoura, culture editor at the pro-government French-language newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour, said she feared the ban of might be a sign of worse to come. "Does this mean that Lebanon has become a small suburb of Tehran" she asked in a commentary piece on Wednesday.

"This is part of an effort to eat away at people's liberties in order to plunge the country into darkness, to isolate it and to impose on it a culture it rejects." - The Daily Star, with AFP

^^UPDATE: The movie has been allowed in Lebanon...those were just rumors apparently :)

^^YES
Thank God,We still have the minimum requirements for being a free country.

Crusaders sowed seeds of modern Beirut

The Times
March 28, 2008

The genetic legacy of the Crusades can be seen today in the chromosomes of Lebanese Christian men, according to new research that shows many have a European ancestry.
A disproportionate number of the Middle Eastern country’s Christian men carry a Y chromosome that is clearly of Western European origin, which scientists believe was carried to the region by Crusaders and pilgrims between the 11th and 13th centuries.

This genetic signature is more often seen among Christians, and more rarely in Lebanon’s Muslim or Druze communities. The Y chromosomes of many Muslim men trace their ancestry to earlier migrations from the Arabian Peninsula, as Islam spread during the 7th and 8th centuries.

The findings, from a study of 926 Lebanese men, show how human movements that are known from historical records can be detected in modern DNA. They suggest that both Christian and Muslim communities in Lebanon owe their origins, at least in part, to different founding events, which may have influenced the development of different religious traditions. All three of the main Lebanese ethnic groups, however, still share many more genetic similarities than they have differences, the study found.
Pierre Zalloua, of the Lebanese American University in Beirut, who led the study with Chris Tyler-Smith, of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge, said: “This is the most careful and comprehensive study of these populations ever undertaken, and it’s revealed new insights into the complex history of my country.”

The research, which is published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, focused on the male Y chromosome, which can be used to chart patrilineal descent. While women have two X chromosomes, men have one X and one Y, and the Y is always inherited from their fathers. As it is never paired with a partner, it escapes a process called recombination that shuffles the code of every other chromosome in each new individual. Like a surname, it is thus usually transmitted intact in the male line from generation to generation, altered only by rare spontaneous mutations.

These mutations can be used to identify categories of Y chromosome, known as haplogroups. Men from the same haplogroup must have shared a common male ancestor in the past.

The study, funded by the National Geographic Society’s Genographic Project , found that 10 per cent of Lebanese Christian men belong to a Y haplogroup known as R1b, which is of Western European origin. Just 6 per cent of nonChristians had this kind of Y chromosome.

This indicates that more Christians than non-Christians have at least one male ancestor from Western Europe, and fits with the region’s history. More than 250,000 men from England, France, and what are now Germany and Italy travelled to the Levant during the four Crusades between 1095 and 1204, and thousands stayed to build and to garrison castles.

A more detailed look at Christians from the R1b haplogroup narrowed down the geographical origins of their Crusader ancestors. One in five had a sub-type known as WES, which is specific to Western Europe – particularly Germany, the Low Countries and Burgundy, northern Italy, Spain and the British Isles. These regions also provided the bulk of the Crusader armies.

A different Y chromosome haplogroup, J*, was found to be present in 25 per cent of Muslim men, compared with 15 per cent of Christians and Druze. This haplogroup is of Arabian origin, and probably reached Lebanon during the Islamic expansions of the 7th and 8th centuries.

The scientists found the Druze have a higher number of men belonging to haplogroup E3b, which is of Middle Eastern and North African origin.

http://www.bloggingbeirut.com/docs/crusade1.gif

^^ O I can hear it now! the muslim sunnis on the shores are Phoenicians and the christians are european!

^^ it said 10% of Christians has the gene and besides u cant just believe everything ...... so many Lebanese changed faith over centuries ........ i dunno i just hate these religiously distinguishing studies

Gemmayzeh residents protest hijacking of quiet nights, parking spots

Monday, March 31, 2008

BEIRUT: More than a hundred residents of Gemmayzeh blocked the main street Saturday evening to protest against the noise caused by loud music coming from pubs until the early hours of the morning, as well as congestion caused by valet parking in the area. Wearing night gowns and pajamas, women and children blocked the road for about an hour and a half, carrying pillows and placards that read "enough, we need to sleep" in three languages.

The protest that brought the street to standstill attracted wide media coverage and was orderly and without any incidents under the eyes of the security forces and the Lebanese Army, who kept the order and diverted the heavy traffic, which is normal for a Saturday.

Gemmayzeh Street is known to be one of the most famous night attractions in the Lebanese capital, and several thousand clients visit the more than 70 outlets in the area on a daily basis.

The grievances of people living in the same buildings where pubs and bars are operating have been voiced before without any results. Among other complaints, residents say valet parking has hijacked their parking spaces, forcing them to park their cars hundreds of meters away, even under the rain.

The protest meanwhile, has prompted the owners of the watering houses to call for a meeting with representatives of the Gemmayzeh residents and associations to reach an amicable solution to the problem.

Should the problem escalate, residents have told The Daily Star they are ready to keep on protesting until their complaints are addressed. In the meantime, residents are meeting to plan their next moves, which might include filing an official complaint with the Lebanese judiciary, and holding meetings to carry out their ordeal with the tourism minister, the acting governor of Beirut and top religious officials. - The Daily Star

Just In: The Ministry of Tourism is shutting down 20 pubs and restaurants in Gemmayze! (from Blogging Beirut)

Earthquakes Uncover New Ruins in Saida
وليد زهر الدين - يكشف المؤرخ الدكتور يوسف حوراني عن العثور على آثــار تاريخية لبقايا مــــدن فـــي اعـــمـــاق الــبــحــر لشاطئ صيدا ــ الزهراني في الجنوب، منها تمثال برونزي لوجه امرأة، وبقايا من تمثال "عشتار"، اضافة الى معالم لجدران وابنية تعود الى التاريخ البعيد.
الــهــزات الارضــيــة التي شهدتها منطقة الجنوب بشكل خــاص، خلال الاشهر القليلة الماضية اسهمت في اكتشاف المزيد من الآثار في اعماق البحر الصيداوي وجــواره من الرميلة شمالاً الــى المقربة من صــور جنوباً

Lebanese Author on IMPAC Award Shortlist

Lebanese author Rawi Hage was among eight short-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which is one of the world's most valuable prizes for a single work of fiction in English.
If Hage wins for his "De Niro's Game," he will receive 100,000 euros.

The eight novels are among 137 nominated by 162 public library systems in 122 cities worldwide.

"The themes of the 2008 short-listed titles are international and include war, love, terrorism, politics, religion, family and murder," said Deirdre Ellis King, Dublin City Librarian on Wednesday.

Last year, Norway's Per Petterson and his translator Anne Born won the prize for the novel "Out Stealing Horses."

A judging panel of five will select the 2008 winner whose name will be announced by Dublin's Lord Mayor on June 12.

The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is managed by Dublin City Libraries, on behalf of Dublin City Council. It is sponsored by IMPAC, an international management productivity company with its European headquarters in Dublin.

The prize is presented annually with the objective of promoting excellence in world literature. It is open to novels written in any language and by authors of any nationality, provided the work has been published in English.


Beirut, 03 Apr 08, 03:51

Source : Naharnet

56-year-old describes 'miracle' of newborn twins
Daily Star staff
Saturday, April 12, 2008

http://www.dailystar.com.lb//admin/storage/articles/2008411214750.4-lede.jpg

BEIRUT: "After 35 years of marriage, our dream came true and I became the father of beautiful twin baby boys," Qassem Sukkarieh, 59, told The Daily Star on Friday.

"I thank God for granting me a family after 35 years of waiting for such a miracle," said a tearful Sukkarieh.

Qassem's wife Fattoum, 56, had the twins last month on Mother's Day. "This year's gift on the occasion of Mother's Day was great, it was even the best gift I have ever had," she said.

According to Fattoum, her pregnancy was described by gynecologists as "exceptional in the history of Lebanon," and "a weird phenomenon."

"I left my work in a Beirut school in July after I underwent a fertilization process," she explained. "We have sold a plot of land in the Bekaa region of Baalbek to pay for that process."

Fattoum said no one had offered them help since she gave birth to her two sons.

"My sisters help me take care of the children and my neighbors always ask me if I need any assistance," she said.

As for Qassem, who works as a coffee seller, he said: "I have to work now more than anytime to fulfill the needs of our new life."

"When I get into the house, tired or even exhausted, and hear one of the babies crying, I forget all my fatigue and smile," Qassem said. "I am having a very joyful life. I have waited for these moments for years." - The Daily Star

^^ AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW That is too cute! congrats ....
normally I would worry that the kids will grow up having to take care of the parents and never really have a childhood or adolescence, but I do wish them the best and I hope they get some help to raise the babies!

Anti-War Activities
http://editions.albaladonline.com/1504/gallery/images/05124444.jpeg
http://editions.albaladonline.com/1504/gallery/images/05124451.jpeg
[ شباب لبنان «تجمّد» في ذكرى الحرب

http://www.tayyar.org/img/Bisous_LB.jpg

انتشرت رسائل «الحشد المندفع»، FLASH MOB انتشار النار في الهشيم خلال الأسبوع الماضي على الشبكة الإلكترونية تمهيداً للحدث الذي شهده مجمّع «سيتي مول» في بيروت أمس. إذ لبّى الدعوة حوالى مئتي شاب تسلّموا في نقطة اللقاء في مارينا ضبية، قبل الحدث بساعتين، رسائل مطبوعة تحوي معلومات عن مكان التجمع. بدأ شباب تتراوح أعمارهم بين الخامسة عشرة والخامسة والعشرين باتخاذ مواقعهم في المكان المحدد منذ الساعة الرابعة من بعد الظهر. وعند الخامسة، أعلن بوق مدوّ عن توقف الزمان والمكان «فرييز» Freez: زوجان أراداها رسالة حب وسلام فأوقفا الزمن عند قبلة طويلة، إحداهن أوقفته عند نظرة ذهول ووقفة استهجان، وأخرى وهي تطبق يدها على فمها وكأنها ممنوعة من الكلام، بينما أمسك بعض الأصدقاء بأيادي بعضهم البعض، وجسّد بعضهم حركة يومية كالأكل أو التحدث في الهاتف النقّال. التزم الجميع ونفّذوا الحدث بجدية، فكانت النتيجة تجمهر الكثيرين من المتسوّقين حولهم واندهاش جميع المارّين من قربهم بالصدفة، وأسئلتهم التي تعاقبت في الهواء: «شو في؟ شو مهضومين. بس شو عم يعملوا؟».

أما بعد أن انتهت الدقائق الخمس وانفضّ الجمع، «تصيّد» الجمع أحد المشاركين ليسألوه فيم كان يشارك؟ فما كان منه إلا أن احترم تعليمات منظّمي الحدث وأجابهم باستهجان وكأنه لا يعرف عمّا يسألون!
لأول مرة في لبنان، يتم تنظيم حدث من هذا النوع. المنظّم، الذي يلقّب نفسه بـ«أخوت شانيه» يرفض التصريح عن اسمه الحقيقي خلال مكالمة هاتفية مع جريدة «الأخبار»، ويقول إنه استوحى الفكرة من إحدى فعاليات حركة «تحسّن في كل مكان»، التي تجمّد خلالها أكثر من مئتي شخص في محطة القطار المركزية في نيويورك. اختار «أخوت شانيه» فكرة «التجمّد» لتمرير رسالة رغم أن هذا النوع من التظاهرات لا يرتبط عموماً برسالة محددة.

إلا أننا في لبنان، وفي الثالث عشر من نيسان، هنا تفرض الرسالة نفسها، وتفرضها كوقفة «تجمّد» الزمن عند لحظة تأمل، للبحث في سؤال بسيط وبديهي: «ماذا نفعل؟ ماذا نريد بالضبط كأفراد عموماً وكلبنانيين بالأخص؟».

تنطوي آلية الدعوة لهذا الحدث على قدر كبير من التجريبية حسب ما شرح «أخوت شانيه» إذ إنه حاول أن يختبر قدرة العالم الافتراضي على بث رسالة تحافظ على سرية هوية صاحبها وتعمل على حشد أشخاص لا يعرف بعضهم بعضاً، لكن تجمعهم قضية واحدة. الهدف الأول من الحدث هو «أن نتسلى. ليس أن ننفض عنا ذكرى الحرب، لكن أن نتذكرها ونحن خارجها ونبحث عن مستقبل جديد. أن نعطي الإعلام فرصة الالتفات إلى شباب يرغبون حقاً بالتغيير».

سبق الحدث جو من الغموض والسرية يتناسبان مع طبيعته المفاجئة ومع تراثه العالمي. فهذا النوع من التظاهرات دخيل على ثقافة الشارع اللبناني، لكن له امتداداته الثقافية وتعريفه الموحّد عالمياً: «هي تظاهرات تقوم بها مجموعة واسعة من الناس يتجمعون فجأة في مكان عام، يؤدّون حركة غير اعتيادية لوقت وجيز، ثم يتفرّقون بسرعة».

^^Cool Idea
Tenzakar ta ma ten3ad

Tenzakar w ma ten3ad..

Here's a photo taken in 1989
http://i29.tinypic.com/25z59qc.jpg

^^ oh mama I remember very well that day when they bombed an oil tanker or something, horribleeee day I was soo little 4-5 :nuts:

My Mum was telling me about how she and her left Lebanon
When the Village was attacked ... that night when they went to Cyrpus and lived there for a few months.

Beirut Lebanon Freeze - Flash mob in City Mall

4gVDuzwErWo

^^haha! cool chou ma****k

http://bloggingbeirut.com/Vids/april08/mob.jpg

http://bloggingbeirut.com/images/april08/flashmobkiss.jpg
a couple in a 5 minute embrace

An anonymous message went out to a network of hundreds of Lebanese operatives last week. In ones and twos and small groups, this shadowy horde arrived on Sunday at the Dbayeh marina northeast of Beirut to receive their last-minute secret instructions. At exactly 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, with watches synchronized, they swarmed City Mall and froze. For exactly five minutes, more than 200 Lebanese – young and old – stood stock still in various poses around Dunkin Donuts.

One group stood mid-wave at some imaginary pal in the distance, two friends gave each other bunny ears and one couple remained locked in a quiet kiss. At 5:05, a horn sounded and the erstwhile statues swirled away into the busy crowds of shoppers.

“This was just to have fun and to have positive vibes. Lebanon needs more positive vibes,” said the organizer. The organizer insisted on maintaining anonymity, going only by the pseudonym “Akhwat Shanay.”

The “Flash Mob,” as Sunday’s event is known, is a phenomenon that began in New York City in 2003. Participants are recruited and given preliminary instructions over the internet. Likewise, Sunday’s event began with a message on Facebook and further emails once interest had been generated. “We had 800 people sign up, though we expected around 200, maybe as many as 500 would participate,” Shanay said.

The first flash mob was organized by Harper’s Magazine senior editor Bill Waslik but was aborted after the target, a retail store in Manhattan, learned of the impending mob. Waslik organized the second flash mob in two steps, only letting the participants in on the final details at the very last second. The “Leb Mobbers,” as the Lebanon group calls itself, decided to run things the same way, giving would-be participants a map to where they would receive their final instructions mere hours before the event was to take place.

After the performance, the flash mobbers were quite pleased with the results, congratulating each other and comparing videos and pictures taken by their friends. Mall security seemed only somewhat flustered, insisting that the videos were not authorized and demanding that they be handed over.

Flash mobs have become something of a global phenomenon, with groups staging impromptu pillow fights, freezes, and other stunts from San Francisco to Lausanne to Beijing. Sunday was Lebanon’s first (of scale), but we can expect more in the future. Shanay said, “We want to do all kinds of events. Like, perhaps for Leonardo Da Vinci's birthday to have people walking around with Mona Lisa masks. --Benjamin Ryan

http://bloggingbeirut.com/archives/1317-Lebanon-Flash-Mob-City-Mall-Beirut.html#extended

^^ I'm surprised Lebanese are capable of pulling something like this off...

^^more is yet to come..;)