Lebanon News (Non-political only)

[Hassoun]

Keep up the good work,ISF

[lebgurl]

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

[Jayme]

they sould just go to Tripoli there are trillons there

[Hassoun]

Australia's First Muslim Lifeguards Hit Cronulla Beach



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

[Hassoun]

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.

[Hassoun]

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.

[nareg]

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.

[lebgurl]

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

[Hassoun]

Wonderful men ayya ne7ye ya3ne? ,ma fhemet :S

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

[lebgurl]

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

[Hassoun]

i know,this is you,Funny Dyana

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

[lebgurl]

Originally Posted by Hassoun

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?

[Hassoun]

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

[Hassoun]

Biggest Fish for Lebanon



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

[Hassoun]

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


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

[mahdial_x5]

HOLY MAMA!

WAHT THE HELL IS THAT! SO DAMN HUGE!

[Ramazzotti]

looks like a tuna fish

[mahdial_x5]

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

[Ramazzotti]

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

[mahdial_x5]

ok LOL