Lebanese activists sink tanks in Mediterranean Sea to attract divers, create marine habitats

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by hindustantimes.com -- Lebanese environmentalists on Saturday sank 10 old tanks and armoured vehicles to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea in a novel attempt to attract divers and create new habitats for marine life. Three km off the coast of the city of Sidon, a huge crane on the back of a ship manoeuvred the military hardware into place over the water before dropping them down to the seabed one after the other. The initiative to create an “underwater park” is spearhead by a local group, Friends of the Coast of Sidon, which got the Lebanese army to hand over some of it old vehicles for the project. “This will be a paradise for divers and a place where we can develop underwater life,” said NGO representative Kamel Kozbar, who hopes seaweed will soon cover the vehicles. Lebanon boasts some 200 km of Mediterranean coast but beaches have not been spared from a waste and garbage crisis that has plagued Lebanon for years. In Sidon, a mountain of smelly trash has scarred the shoreline, despite the presence of a new waste management facility. In a region fraught with tensions the latest project also has some political undertones. The tanks have been placed with their turrets facing towards Lebanon’s southern foe Israel “out of solidarity for the Palestinian people”, Kozbar said.

Lebanese woman found dead in Dubai, former boyfriend arrested

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By Gulfnews  Ali Al ShoukStaff Reporter Bassam Za’za’Legal and Court Correspondent -- Dubai: The suspected killer of a Lebanese woman, whose body was found in her flat, was arrested by Dubai Police in less than 18 hours of the crime, Gulf News has learnt. The suspect, also Lebanese, is currently being interrogated by the Public Prosecution. The suspect, said to be her former boyfriend, was apprehended in a record time thanks to police’s alertness, police said. Lebanese media reports identified the victim as Dubai-based Arlette Obeid, who was found dead in her flat, noting that she had been reportedly killed over a controversial Facebook comment that she posted on her wall. The suspect was referred by police to the Public Prosecution for further investigation in a case reported to have happened over a personal dispute, according to a senior prosecutor who spoke to Gulf News on condition of anonymity. “Prosecutors are currently questioning the suspect and he remains in provisional detention pending investigation. The motives behind the murder are still being investigated as more witnesses are to be heard. However it’s believed to have happened due to personal disputes since the suspect knew the victim. No official charges have been pressed against the suspect pending further enquiries and forensic examination reports,” the senior prosecutor said. Lt-Colonel Faisal Al Qasim, head of the Dubai Police Media Department, confirmed the incident to Gulf News and said the suspect has admitted to killing the victim whom he described as his former girlfriend. “The incident happened on Thursday. The woman welcomed her friend, who is a resident in another emirate, into her flat in Dubai. A heated argument occurred between the two during which he punched her and broke her nose, causing internal bleeding that led to her death,” Lt-Col Al Qasim said. The suspect left the flat immediately. On Friday, her workmate went to check on her as she had not been answering phone calls. The workmate found the door open and the flat in a state of chaos and then she found the woman’s body. The workmate reported the matter to the police. “Within 18 hours, the suspect was arrested. He said that he was under the influence of alcohol and didn’t intend to kill her. He said that he couldn’t control himself and physically assaulted her without expecting her to die,” Lt-Col Al Qasim said.

In a televised documentary, Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV channel said the victim was alleged to have been murdered over the Facebook post in which she claimed to have been back-stabbed by a person close to her. According to the report, the incident was recorded as a murder based on crime scene investigation and forensic examination findings. Meanwhile, Lebanese Ambassador to the UAE Fouad Dandan was quoted as telling the channel that Obeid had been murdered and the suspect apprehended in less than 24 hours. Lt-Col Al Qasim said there has been a significant drop in worrying crimes like murders in Dubai. “Dubai Police officers have the ability to solve any crime in the city in a record time. We have recorded a massive drop in the number of murders but still some incidents like this case happen over personal disputes,” he added.

Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt attacks Syrian government over massacre

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - The main leader of the Druze sect in Lebanon on Friday attacked the Syrian government for failing to stop an Islamic State massacre of Druze in Syria, saying it should have noticed the militants gathering to attack. "No one can tell me that the squadrons of many American, Russian and foreign planes did not see this gathering which suddenly took the regime by surprise and raided Jebel al-Arab," said Walid Jumblatt. Islamic State's assault on the city of Sweida and nearby villages in the Jebel al-Arab area on Thursday killed more than 200 people, many of them civilians. Syrian state media said the army had intervened and battled the militants with both ground forces and air strikes. Jumblatt, who heads the largest Druze political party in Lebanon, is a strong critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Other Druze parties are pro-Damascus. He also accused Assad of wanting to send Druze from the Jebel al-Arab area including the city of Sweida to fight in a future offensive against rebels in Idlib province in northern Syria. Many community leaders and top Druze religious leaders have refused to sanction enlistment in the army during Syria's seven-year conflict. "They want to sacrifice the youths of Jebel al-Arab in Idlib," Jumblatt said. He asked Assad's main ally Russia to help prevent that. "We want its (Russia's) guarantee to the people of the Jebel that they will remain in the Jebel and not be used by Bashar as fodder, living or dead, for his personal ends." (Reporting By Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall, Editing by William Maclean)

Lebanon, Russia ink deal to boost trade, investment cooperation

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BEIRUT, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Lebanon signed Friday a cooperation agreement to boost collaboration in trade and investment between the two countries, according to a statement issued by Lebanon's Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture and Industry. "The agreement aims at facilitating cooperation between Russia and Lebanon in trade, investment, technology and industry, in addition to creating partnerships between businessmen in the two countries," said the statement. The agreement was signed between Mohamad Lamaa, vice president of Lebanon's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, and Julia Rostovicova representing the Russian Chamber of Commerce based in Novorossiysk. Lamaa hailed Russian-Lebanese relations over the years, saying there have been mutual visits between the two countries aiming at boosting economic ties. "There are multiple ways to create solid cooperation between the two countries. This is why we have to meet regularly to specify new areas of collaboration," he said. Meanwhile, Rostovicova said Novorossiysk hosts the most important port in Russia, where most of the import and export activities take place. "Novorossiysk has a very strategic location and is considered a very important business hub," she said. "We are willing to offer all necessary help for Lebanese businessmen willing to establish businesses in our area," she said, emphasizing Russia's great interest in dealing with Lebanon in agriculture and food industries.

Lebanese Leaders Inch Closer Towards Cabinet; Next 48 Hours Critical

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by daily star.com.lb -- More high-level talks on the government’s formation are scheduled for the next 48 hours, political sources said Thursday, following recent marked progress on the issue raised hopes that a new Cabinet could be announced before the end of the month. While no new details were announced Thursday, the country’s three top leaders discussed the latest developments in Cabinet formation negotiations, now in their third month, in a joint meeting at Baabda Palace. The meeting among President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri took place after they had held talks with a Russian delegation on a Russian proposal on the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon. A source close to Berri said that the speaker had stressed translating the prevailing positive atmosphere into forming a government as soon as possible, noting its necessity in preventing Lebanon’s economic crisis from being further exacerbated. The three leaders were in agreement on the need to accelerate the government’s formation and agreed that Hariri intensify his meetings during the next 48 hours to that end, a statement from Aoun’s office said. Cabinet formation had been discussed in light of communications made by Hariri following his meeting with Aoun Wednesday. Berri later withdrew from the meeting, leaving Aoun and Hariri alone.

Adding to the positive atmosphere, caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, Berri’s key aide, said before heading into a joint session of parliamentary committees that a government was “closer than ever.” The major remaining knot is the bitter row between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces over the ministerial share each party will have in the next Cabinet. Speaking about that disagreement in comments published Thursday, LF chief Samir Geagea said that his party maintained its right to appoint at least five ministers, and that the FPM, along with the president’s share of ministers, should have eight. Geagea told local daily Al-Joumhouria that the LF had secured 36 percent of the Christian vote in May’s elections, which he said translates into a third of the 15 ministries allocated to Christians. “In all cases, we are entitled to six ministries, according to the Maarab Understanding,” he added, referring to a landmark 2016 agreement between the LF and the FPM that detailed the division of the Christian share of political power in the country between the two parties.

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Actress Shannon Elizabeth: I’m proud of the Lebanese side of my life

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by lebaneseexaminer.com -- As a young girl growing up, actress Shannon Elizabeth always maintained close ties to Lebanese culture. After all, her parents belonged to a local Lebanese-Syrian club in Waco, Texas, and building a strong community bond was central to the family. “I was really proud of that side of my life,” Elizabeth told Lebanese Examiner. “To be able to experience the food and the culture for me was something I felt a lot of people were missing out on.” The actress – best known for her iconic roles in American Pie, Scary Movie and American Reunion – was born to a Lebanese/Syrian father and mother of English, Irish and German descent. She says she was always closest to the Lebanese side of the family. “I remember going to my grandparents’ house quite a bit and it was always about cooking and Lebanese food,” she said. Elizabeth now maintains a non-profit animal rescue organization in Cape Town, South Africa called Animal Avengers. She started the organization in 2001 to help in the global effort in saving animals from going extinct. Ironically, one of her favorite foods growing up was kibbeh nayyeh, or minced raw lamb or beef mixed with fine bulgur and spices. Now, her favorite Lebanese dishes are limited to vegetarian options like grape leaves and falafel. “My relatives don’t understand it,” she joked. “There are a lot of great things that don’t have meat; it’s just about exploring it.”

Elizabeth initially started her organization as a dog and cat rescue, but expanded to South Africa after learning of the global poaching crisis. Through crowdfunding, she raised $30,000 – and the rest is history. “I loved the people (of South Africa), I loved the culture and I felt like I was closer to the issues here,” she added. “I felt like there was more that I could be doing with my platform.” Although she is still active in the film industry, Elizabeth said she is dedicated to her organization, which could soon start work in the Middle East. In fact, she already helped sponsor a lion from Lebanon. There is a Lion that was rescued that I was told was originally from the Middle East,” she said. “I did a lifetime sponsorship for him to help pay for his expenses.” She said she still has many connections in Hollywood, and hopes to someday build connections in Beirut. “I would love to go to Beirut because that’s where our ancestors are from,” she added. “I’m waiting for the right opportunity, but it is very high on my list to get out there very soon"