Stories about Lebanon from August, 2011
Lebanon: Public Transportation Do's and Don'ts
Lebanese blogger Racha at Lebanese Voices posts a list of Do's and Don'ts for tourists for taking taxis in Lebanon.
Lebanon: New Internet Prices
A new decree has finally passed by the Lebanese cabinet to create new internet packages and lower prices. Here's how Ontornet saw it in their latest post.
Lebanon: Smoking Banned
“The Lebanese Parliament endorsed a law that bans smoking in public or closed spaces. The law also bans any sort of tobacco advertising and promotions….” reports Moudz, who added that “Non-smokers have been overjoyed today with the news filling up the social timelines with their expressions of approval.”
Lebanon: Special Tribunal Unseals Indictment
“The first question that comes to mind is: is this it? After nearly six years of investigation, does the case truly rest solely on telecommunications data? What about witness testimony? Forensics? DNA analysis? Magnifying glasses and trench coats?” asks Qifa Nabki while summarizing the indictment and posting his first reaction...
Lebanon: Thousands of Old Photos of Lebanon
Lebanese blogger Rami at +961 posts about his new finding: Thousands of old photos of Lebanon and the Middle East.
Lebanon: Racism in Banks
The Terrorist Donkey posted a new story[Ar] about racism in Lebanon. This time it happened in a very well known bank where they refused to open an account for a man from Nepal.
Lebanon: New Migrant Center Opening in Beirut
Lebanese blogger and Nasawiya activist Nadine shares some exciting news for the migrant communities in Lebanon: their Migrant Center is in the final stages of opening and it needs your help. Read all about the details in her post.
Lebanon: Tips for Tourists
“We still have seriously no clue how our country is still going, while we're still sure it's a great place, to be in,” writes Toom Extrain a humorous post of sarcastic tips for tourists visiting Lebanon. Toom Extra (Ar) translates to Extra Garlic.
Lebanon: Checkpoint Detention
Danielle at This is Beirut writes about her experience during the detention and release of her friend (for a couple of hours) at a security checkpoint, as they were returning to Beirut after a day at a winery in the Bekaa Valley.
Lebanon: On Mahmoud Abbas’ Upcoming Visit
Bissan writes (Ar) that because she believes in, among other things, the Palestinian Right to Return and that Palestine belongs to the Arab nation, she therefore opposes the upcoming visit of Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon as well as the prospective Palestinian state intended to be voted upon at the UN.
Lebanon: 3G Internet Not Before 2012
Najib posts that the long anticipated internet connection speed upgrade in Lebanon will not take place in the next few weeks as was previously reported. He mentions that Lebanon will not be getting 3G technology before 2012 and after passing through three stages which he lists.
Syria: World Cities Rally Against and For Bashar
Events in Syria are being echoed around the world. Syrians in the diaspora rallied in the majority of the cities in the world, either asking to overthrow Bashar Al Assad and his regime or chanting their love to their leader. Check out this video round up for footage from demonstrations worldwide.
Lebanon: Cellphone Cameras for Crowd-Sourcing
A crowd-sourcing campaign was launched in Lebanon titled: “Cheyif 7alak” [Arabic for “Do you see yourself”]. It calls on people to use their cellphone cameras (or any others) to shoot any wrong doings they encounter everyday, posts the Lebanese Inner Circle.
Lebanon: Royal Air Force Uses Beirut Scene to Recruit
“It's a recruitment video to get young British men and women to join the Royal Air Force.” But the UK Royal Air Force uses exaggerated scenes of Beirut with none of the images taken in Beirut, writes Jad Aoun here.
Lebanon: Protest Against Syrian Regime Attacked by Loyalists
A small protest in the front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon ended in violence on Tuesday, 2 August 2011, when pro-regime loyalists stormed the gathering. Syria has always had a polarising effect on its smaller neighbour Lebanon, and Lebanese politics is often divided between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian camps.
Lebanon: Abolition of Reduced Sentences for Honor Crimes
Lebanese Tweeps and bloggers are congratulating themselves for the abolition of reduced sentence on crimes of honor on August 4th, 2011. Roy Tohme, tweets: ” Finally, we're catching up with humanity” while Tarekhs can't help but wonder why did a certain parliamentary bloc oppose the ban and says: ”Good Thing...