Meet Mazen Hajjar, frothing brewer from Beirut

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by goodfood.com.au

Former war photographer and airline chief executive isn't the usual career trajectory for an emerging craft beer brewer. But that's the path Beirut-born Mazen Hajjar trod before building his company, Hawkers Beer. Although the Reservoir brewery was founded just 2½ years ago, it put down roots much earlier. According to Hajjar, he started the Middle East's first craft brewery, 961 (the country code for Lebanon), during the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. After a trip to Australia to sell his beer, he decided to start a brewery here.

Chef Joseph Abboud (right) has collaborated with Lebanese craft brewer Mazen Hajjar for Hawkers Beer in Reservoir.   When the business opened, initially in partnership with Joseph Abboud (owner of Melbourne restaurants Rumi and the Moor's Head), it was able to produce 600,000 litres of beer a year. Six upgrades later it has capacity for 6.5 million litres a year. Hajjar and his team are committed to sustainable brewing practices. The beer's ingredients don't include chemicals, with brewing techniques inspired by tradition as well as experimentation. The brewery is home to one of Australia's most high-tech brewing systems and can package 6000 bottles an hour. It also has the largest solar rooftop energy system on a brewery in metropolitan Melbourne. It is a nose bleed to manage such growth.

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How Berlin's Lebanese mafia clans work

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The Canadian gold coin is now thought to be in tiny pieces

How Berlin's Lebanese mafia clans work - by dw.com

A Lebanese organized crime family is said to be behind the spectacular theft of a giant Canadian gold coin - "the Big Maple Leaf" - from a museum in Berlin. But who are the "family R?" German police arrest criminals in Berlin (picture-alliance/dpa/P. Zinken) Berlin police arrested only three men, aged 18, 19, and 20, in connection with the theft in March of the "Big Maple Leaf" from Berlin's Bode Museum, but the police operation that went with it was far wider. Some 300 officers were out at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, searching 14 different properties in Berlin for clues to the theft of the 100-kilogram (221 pound) solid gold coin, whose material value is estimated at 3.75 million euros ($4.3 million). There is no trace of the coin itself, and police believe it has long since been cut to pieces and sold on. The brief police statement on the three arrests (a fourth man was arrested later) added that the ongoing searches had confiscated four firearms, "a low six-figure sum" in cash, clothing, shoes and five vehicles - all of which are now being examined for traces of gold. But while the theft itself was fairly lo-fi - the tools the police presented included an aluminum ladder, an axe handle, a wheel-barrow and a green rope with spring hooks - state prosecutor Martina Lamb told reporters that the conspiracy was sophisticated and far-reaching, and that the 13 suspects in total were "out of the circle of Arab clans." They were all "brothers, cousins and sons" of the "R." family (German law stipulates that the surnames of suspects aren't made public).

The Lebanese mafia The German media often revels in speculation about the organized crime networks of what are often called the "Arab clans" in Berlin. There is even a new TV drama "4 Blocks," about the scene. It is unclear exactly how many people belong to the 10 families thought to "run" various areas of the Neukölln district of Berlin (the arrests made this week also happened in this area), with estimates ranging from a few hundred to 8,000 or even 10,000 relatives spread across Germany. Nevertheless, Tom Schreiber, a Social Democrat representative in the Berlin state parliament, who published a 40-point plan to combat organized crime in the city last year, was keen to underline that only a small handful of the members of these families are actually criminals - "2 or 3 percent," he said. While the networks specialize in drug dealing and prostitution, they are not above the occasional spectacular robbery. In 2009, for instance, thieves broke into Germany's most famous department store - the KaDeWe in western Berlin - and got away with some 7 million euros worth of jewelry, which has never been recovered. "Up until now, they almost never found the loot, and they won't find the gold this time," said Ralph Ghadban, a Lebanese social worker turned author who has researched Berlin's organized crime networks. "And if the people end up in prison for a few years - if they get 3.7 million euros - it'll have been worth it."

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Jumblatt contacts Hariri, voices opposition to Bassil's diplomatic appointments

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What Is It About Direct Flights To Beirut That Scares Trudeau?

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by Thomas Woodley President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

 For years, Lebanese Canadians flying to Beirut have had to endure exhausting layovers in Europe. But recent hopes that the Trudeau government would approve direct flights to Beirut were dashed with a tweet from an Air Canada executive early Monday. Duncan Bureau, VP Global Sales for Air Canada tweeted that the government had rejected their application, commenting, "Huge disappointment for us and [the] Lebanese community here." Bureau's comments were echoed by the Lebanese community on social media. Comments to a post about the refusal on Facebook were both skeptical and critical. One individual wrote, "Trudeau will not be re elected in the next election. [...] Pathetic decision Justin." On Twitter another wrote, "Shame on @JustinTrudeau & @liberal_party for discriminating against the Lebanese-Canadian community." Others were incredulous, and insisted on awaiting the official government response to an ePetition on the topic. That petition, sponsored by Liberal Lebanese-Canadian MP Eva Nassif, was launched last December and called for an end to Canada's flight ban to Beirut. The petition garnered over 4000 signatures, and was presented to Parliament in mid-May. But the Trudeau government failed to respond to the petition within the standard 45-day window, and is under no obligation to actually provide an explanation.

It's unclear why Canada should balk at approving the route, whether for security or other reasons. Indeed, it is a big disappointment -- and a paradox -- for Canadians wishing easier travel to Beirut. In a follow-up tweet, Bureau indicated that the Trudeau government had cited "security reasons" for the refusal. But as many have pointed out, British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and many other airlines fly direct to Beirut, so it's unclear why Canada should balk at approving the route, whether for security or other reasons. In fact, Canadians have good reason to question the government's "security" justification for the refusal. In addition to the fact that many other airlines have provided direct service to Beirut for years without incident, direct flights from Canada to other "risky" destinations are commonplace. Air Egypt, for example, runs direct flights between Cairo and Toronto, even though a Russian plane departing Cairo was brought down in a suspected act of terror in late 2015. Likewise, Canada's government allows direct service to Istanbul despite a terror attack at that city's airport just last summer. Israel repeatedly trumpets the dangers of Hamas rockets -- even comparing them to the Nazi blitz on London during the Second World War -- yet six non-stop flights run daily between Canada and Tel Aviv. In discussions that I had on the matter with Global Affairs Canada officials last year, the security concerns of "close allies" -- that is, the United States -- were cited as the ongoing consideration. Reference was also made to the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight by Hezbollah militants during a phase of the Lebanese civil war when Shia militias controlled the Beirut airport. The hijacking was indeed horrific and created a nerve-racking three-day international crisis. But things have changed in 32 years: the Lebanese civil war ended in 1989, and airport security measures have been vastly improved. As Michel Leblanc, president of the Montreal Metro Chamber of Commerce pointed out, "Security issues can be managed, you see this with European cities."

Renewed enthusiasm for direct flights to Beirut developed after the election of the Liberals in late 2015. Air Canada is not the only airline wishing to offer direct service from Canada to Beirut, but the carrier no doubt wanted to lead the pack. Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu recently admitted that a direct flight to Beirut was "at the top of the list" of priorities for the airline. Had the Trudeau government acquiesced to Air Canada's application, it would surely have received applications from Middle East Airlines and other carriers. Canada's Lebanese community has good reason to be frustrated with the government's decision -- it is surely Canada's largest ethnic community not served by a direct flight. Some claim that there are as many as 660,000 Lebanese Canadians who could make use of such a flight. Hopes were running high for a resumption of direct flights as recently as just weeks ago. And apart from the tourists who would benefit, the business community also sees the flight as key. "A direct flight is essential for the development of economic and commercial relations [between Canada and Lebanon]," argues Mohamed Badreddine of the Canada-Lebanon Chamber of Commerce. Leblanc predicts that such a flight could help establish Montreal as a North American economic hub to the Middle East. But with the most recent decision, it seems increasingly clear that Canada under Trudeau will remain under the U.S.' shadow when it comes to foreign policy and security. The Trudeau government's failure to justify its position makes the decision even less palatable. Lebanese Canadians who are obliged to take direct flights from Paris, London and Frankfort to Beirut are expected to trust Transport Minister Marc Garneau when he says that such a decision is for "the security of Canadian passengers," but that "for security reasons [he's] not able to elaborate more." Foreign policy, it seems, is one more area where the Liberals' promise of "real change" continues to ring hollow.