Stories from and

Lebanon's National Football Team Scandal

  28 December 2012

“If it’s true that there are many players involved in match-fixing, of which 9 players are in the National Team, then you can kiss Football goodbye in Lebanon.” This is how Blog Baladi summed up his response to reports about the match-fixing scandal that has been going on for years and...

Young Malagasy Maids Raped and Tortured in Lebanon

  14 December 2012

Marie, 14, was forced to move to Lebanon by her aunt to become a maid. Once there, she was regularly raped by her employer. When he realized she was pregnant, he threw her out the house. After giving birth alone, she threw her baby from the 8th floor of a...

Lebanon: France, Oil and Independence Day

  22 November 2012

Nadine Mazloum puts together a collection of Lebanese Twitter user reactions to Independence Day (Nov 22). She ends her article with a sarcastic comparison of the various occupiers of Lebanon in which France wins the first place. Thus, France is called upon to come back, especially now that oil was discovered in Lebanon.

Lebanon: Angelina Jolie supporting Syrian Refugees

  12 September 2012

American Actress and UN Ambassador, Angelina Jolie is in Lebanon today [September 12, 2012] as part of her tour to support Syrian Refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. Commenting the event, Ivy from Lebanon tweets: @ivysblog: Angelina Jolie's in Lebanon today visiting refugees – not only is she the world's...

Egypt: Are Tomatoes Christian?

  30 August 2012

Are tomatoes Christian? Check out Angie Nassar's blog post on Now Lebanon Blog, where she comments on news that a Salafist group in Egypt has posted reservations on tomatoes on Facebook.

Lebanon: At Odds with the Smoking Ban

  28 August 2012

As of September 3rd, smoking will be prohibited in public transportation, work places and closed public places, including coffee shops and restaurants. Mohammad Hijazi explains that the law is unrealistic and that its enforcement will;

Generate a drop of roughly $282 million in revenues, representing 7.1% of GDP in the hospitality sector and lead to a loss of about 2600 full-time jobs.

Lebanon: Awaiting the Pope's Visit in September

  23 August 2012

The head of the Catholic Church Benedict XVI is to visit Lebanon from September 14 to 16. Father Alex, from Germany, hopes the visit is not late for the region and asks: Which situation we will see in 1 month there? Let's hope and pray #Syria. For more details about...

Lebanon: Protesting Shalala's Honorary Degree

  24 June 2012

Rami reported and posted a video of demonstrators who disrupted the Master’s graduation ceremony at the American University of Beirut to protest against awarding an honorary degree to Donna Shalala. The demonstrators protested Shalala's support for engagement with Israel.

Lebanon: Protest to Re-Open Beirut's City Park

  17 June 2012

“Personally I do not understand how a park can be kept closed for the public, letting only the privileged few enter upon a permit,” wrote leelouz in a post about the protest held to raise awareness to the insignificant amount of public green space and to demand the re-opening of the city's park.

Lebanon: Beirut Most Expensive City in Middle East

  17 June 2012

Blog Baladi shares this advice: “Beirut has become so expensive that even expats no longer can afford it. Maybe we should stop building 1000 square meters apartments for Arabs to rent/buy and start building reasonable flats with rational prices for Lebanese and the average tourist.”

Lebanon: Picture An Arab Man

  15 March 2012

Rania Massoud repost on her personal blog [fr] her article published by Lebanese daily L'orient-Le jour about a photography project undertaken by Tamara Abdul Hadi. “Picture an Arab man” wishes to update the image of today's Arab men by photographing men from every Arab country in the nude.

Lebanon: Proposed Law to Regulate the Internet

  11 March 2012

“I’ve previously called bullshit on the claims that the government wants to protect us. Oops, I just wrote “bullshit” and broke clause #1 of the proposed law,” blogs Mustapha in his post  lambasting the Lebanese Ministry of  Information's plan to discuss a draft law which aims at “regulating websites and protecting their owners”.

Lebanon: Is Social Media Useful?

  11 March 2012

“I always ask myself whether the Lebanese online community is actually making things better by raising awareness or is just trying to reach out to more people?” writes Najib questioning  the usefulness of social media in inciting action rather than just being concerned with tweeting and blogging. His post was in reaction...