Image via Wikipedia, Center of Bint Jbail after 2006 War
Lebanon's army opened fire on an Israeli drone on Saturday afternoon, forcing it to leave Lebanese airspace. The aerial barrage comes amid rising tensions with Israel.
According to as yet unconfirmed reports, the drone had been flying above the southern village of Bint Jbail, which Israel Defense Forces attempted to obliterate during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
After troops directed anti-aircraft fire at the unmanned drone it ascended to a higher altitude and then crossed back into Israel.
The drone attack came shortly after Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji said he would heighten border security in fear of an Israeli attack.
"It may not be intentional racism on the part of the song writer, but it is still highly racist and offensive." - Motez Isaaq, Committee for Nubian Issues
Haifa Wehbe, one of the Arab world's biggest pop stars has provoked outrage after releasing a song that refers to black Egyptians as monkeys.
Wehbe, an award-winning Lebanese diva who has been on People Magazine's list of the world's 50 most beautiful people, and considered by many as the sexiest woman in the Arab world, is facing a lawsuit from Egyptian Nubians who say that the song has fuelled discrimination against them and made some Nubian children afraid to attend school.
The Nubians took issue with a verse in the song "Where is Daddy?" from her newly released album, "Baby Haifa". Wehbe croons: "Where is my teddy bear and my Nubian monkey?"
Nubian community organizers say the phrase "Nubian Monkey" infers that members of the black Egyptian minority are monkeys.
This week representaives of the Nubian community hit Wehbe, her record label and Wehbe's Egyptian song writer with lawsuits.
The controversy has cast fresh light on the position within Egyptian society of Nubians, who are descended from one of the world's most ancient civilisations but often face marginalisation.
The offending lyrics in Arabic and English:Tab fein dabdoub
Wel erd elnew W 3arousti elbarbie Wel ???? W Spider-Man
O.K. then where is my teddy bear and my new monkey and my Barbie doll And SpiderMan
Haifa Wehbe singing "I Will Survive" (Adra Ayeesh قادره أعيش) at the Concert for Tolerance in Agadir, Morocco on Oct. 17, 2009.
11 November 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to work with the new unity government in Lebanon in tackling the challenges facing the country. Mr. Ban spoke by phone today with President Michel Sleiman and separately with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, congratulating them on the appointment of a new Cabinet. “He expressed his hope that the new Lebanese Government will be committed to the full implementation of resolution 1701,” said UN spokesperson Marie Okabe, referring to the Security Council resolution that helped to end the August 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah. The resolution also called for respect for the so-called Blue Line separating the Israeli and Lebanese sides, disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling. Yesterday the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon said that all sides must do more to translate the cessation of hostilities into a permanent ceasefire, citing recent “worrying incidents” in southern Lebanon, including rocket launches and air violations. “While welcoming the parties’ stated commitment to resolution 1701, which is critical, we also stress the need for more tangible steps to facilitate forward movement in the direction of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution,” Michael Williams told the press after briefing the Council on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the implementation of resolution 1701." Source:UN
Lebanon's unity government has held its first meeting, one day after the formation of a government ended the country's five-month power vacuum.
The newly announced Cabinet ministers met with Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman at the presidential palace Tuesday.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced the new 30-member Cabinet Monday. It includes five ministers appointed by Mr. Suleiman, 15 ministers from Mr. Hariri's coalition and 10 from the opposition.
Hezbollah was given key positions in the new government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The international community has welcomed the formation of the unity government. Statements of congratulations came in from the European Union, the United States, the United Nations, Syria, Iran and elsewhere.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, called on all parties involved to ensure Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs Tuesday said the United States looks forward to working with the new government.
Iran's official news agency, IRNA, Tuesday quoted an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, as saying Tehran believes that a powerful Lebanese government that cooperates with regional countries could help Lebanon's development.
And Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a congratulatory note to Lebanese President Suleiman.
The report says Mr. Assad "expressed hope that this stage would be good" for Lebanon and its people.
Late Monday, United Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon welcomed the formation of the unity government and urged it to comply with a Security Council resolution to disarm Hezbollah's militia and end arms smuggling.
Mr. Hariri has been trying to form a government since the June general election, when his coalition defeated politicians allied with Hezbollah.
9 November 2009 – More than 750 policymakers from the world of information and communication technology (ICT) are meeting in Beirut at an event co-hosted by the United Nations telecom agency where they can share experiences and forge common approaches to navigating today’s complex ICT markets.
Hamadoun Touré, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said the theme of this year’s event, “Hands On or Hands Off: Stimulating Growth Through Effective Regulation,” is particularly relevant in the context of the current economic crisis, when many governments are looking to the ICT sector to re-energize debilitated national economies.
“In every field of human endeavour, and in every crisis we face, ICTs are part of the solution,” he told the opening of the Global Industry Leaders Forum.
“ICTs are playing a pivotal role in helping us emerge from the financial crisis and in fuelling economic recovery. And ICTs are directly responsible for job creation in the Knowledge Economy,” he added.
Sami Al Basheer, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, said he was proud the Bureau can offer this platform for the main actors of the ICT industry to “imagine, design, build and administrate the markets, networks and services that our citizens, businesses and governments require for their further development.
“Today every country, no matter what its level of development, relies on ICTs for its economic and social development,” he noted. “The environment that enables new technologies to be used and shared by all can only be created through regulatory reform.”
Delegates from more than 110 countries are attending the event, which also includes a three-day Global Symposium for Regulators, which begins tomorrow.
Kamal Shehadi, Chairman and CEO of Lebanon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and chair of this year’s Global Symposium for Regulators, praised ITU as a role model for effective public-private partnership.
The Geneva-based agency’s membership comprises not only 191 Member States, but over 700 private sector members, who play an active role in ITU’s technical standardization, spectrum management and development work.
Lebanon's prime minister-designate is preparing to announce a new government after securing the opposition's support five months after winning the country's election.
Parliamentarians from both sides said Saturday that Saad Hariri reached a deal late Friday with the opposition, including the militant group Hezbollah. They say a new Cabinet could be formed within the next two days.
Officials say the new 30-minister Cabinet will include 15 ministers from Mr. Hariri's coalition, 10 from the opposition, and five to be appointed by President Michel Suleiman.
Mr. Hariri has been trying to form a government since the June general election, when his coalition defeated politicians allied with Hezbollah.
Across much of the Arab world, women married to foreigners are typically barred from passing their nationality to their children. In Lebanon, however, one woman has taken her fight to court and won. But her landmark case is now being challenged because it sets a precedent which could alter the make-up of the Lebanese population
"Hammoudi" shows us the life of Mohammad, a courageous boy who rises above grievous injuries suffered during Israel's 2006 war against Lebanon with wit, humor and the support of his best friend. The film won the Jury Award at the 8th Annual Media That Matters Film Festival.
"Hammoudi is Mohammad's story. It is time spent with him in his environment, with his family and friends, and the new life he is trying to learn and cope with. It is also a story that reflects the fate of many innocent victims of war, especially the most vulnerable; the children. We believe the innocent civilians — especially children — have to stop paying the highest price in armed conflict. Their individual voices and stories need to be heard, so they don’t remain mere statistics" - Anwar Saab, Director
It's a novelty that has caught on fast in Lebanon's image-conscious capital: beauty parlours that have opened their doors to children. With recipes for success like chocolate facials, pink robes, and pastel manicures, the salons are getting the young hooked early on Beirut's beauty craze.
Salah Ezzedine, a Shia from the South who has been dubbed the "Bernard Madoff" of Lebanon, was arrested when he filed for bankruptcy. The Lebanese businessman accused of defrauding investors in a Madoff-style Ponzi scheme is under investigation after turning himself in to authorities. Reports surfaced that he had lost more than $1.5 billion of his clients' money, offerring interest rates as high as 55 per cent and that part of his clientele was from the oil-rich Gulf region. This is the story of Mohammad Shour, one of Ezzedine's clients who decided to invest his family's savings but lost everything.
Kenneth W. Harl, professor of history at Tulane University, Paul A. Rahe, professor of history at Hillsdale College, and Fred S. Naiden, history professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, narrow in on the history of Middle Eastern coinage and currency, particularly the contributions of Lebanon, to determine the impact money has had on the region.
The dramatic children's television series, Kilna Bil Hayy ("All of Us in the Neighbourhood"), follows the adventures of six Lebanese children from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds who are accidental neighbours in an apartment building with a conscience – personified by a wise "woman" named Lina. Although their parents cannot hear Lina's sage advice, she inspires the children to break free of their prejudices so they can become friends. Created by Search for Common Ground, this series airs on Saturdays at 5:15 pm (Lebanon time) on LBC beginning 23 May.
Zena El Khalil, a Beirut-based artist, with her playful juxtaposition of images of popstars, politicians, saints and resistance fighters, is striving to reflect the unique and complex fabric of Lebanese society.
When washed-up crooner Bruno Caprice is plucked from his dead-end job behind a hotel reception desk to fly to Lebanon and perform at the birthday party of his only fan, he jumps at the chance. Spoilt millionaire Mme Randa Harfouche (played by Julia Kassar) remembers well how his one hit comforted her as the bombs dropped during his Beirut concert in 1976. Or does she? Our jaded hero has no recollection of visiting Lebanon, and had no idea his twee little number, which peaked at number 32 for one week, had such a profound effect on, as it turns out, several Lebanese. But the chance to sing again and take his mind off a newly broken heart proves an irresistible lure. Cue a kitsch, often hilarious caper to the soundtrack of several truly awful French “hits” and the backdrop of Beirut, as witnessed by the bemused one-hit wonder, played by French actor Patrick Chesnais. Melodrama Habibi’s subtext is Lebanon’s post-war struggle with its own history, symbolized by the phantom memory that has sustained Randa Harfouche for decades.
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