Not that I agree with the decision yet to be taken by the authorities, but I wouldn’t mind not seeing Mr.Library’s (Maktabi) face on TV tonight.

Not sure if it’s only me, but I find this guy very annoying to watch.

As some 4,000 Lebanese take 3G for a test-drive this month, battles continue to rage between the Telecommunications Ministry and Cedarcom, an Internet Service Provider petitioning for the technology’s suspension.

Cedarcom has taken legal action against the ministry, alleging that the government had not taken the proper legal routes to release the new service. [DailyStar]

I don’t know who’s right or wrong in this case, but I hope both parties reach some sort of agreement on this matter as it is unacceptable that we keep connections as they are.

It would be nice to hear Cedarcom’s feedback since they read the blog before we hear Sehnaoui tonight.

Looks like the migration to 3G has been stopped. [Link]

Via @_Ant1_

What a terrible loss for the UAE national football team!

The Emirati winger Theyab Awana was involved in a fatal accident when his car crashed into a truck on Sunday after leaving the national team’s camp, while his brother remains in hospital. [Source]

For those of you who follow the blog, he’s the UAE football star who shot the penalty with his back heel in a friendly against Lebanon, causing a controversy. [Link]

The Internal Security Forces killed two accomplices of the alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping of seven Estonians during clashes in the area of al-Bireh in Rashaya at midnight, media reports said Tuesday. [Naharnet]

Better late than never.

Quite shocking to hear such news specially that Nour was very active and fighting for quite some time the unjust accusations by the Military Court against him. You can read more about this case [Here].

Nour Merheb is a Lebanese Human Rights and Strategic Nonviolent activist.

Nour left a message on his Facebook around 3:30 am showing he intended to take his own life and apparently left a video explaining why he wants to end his life. [DailyStar]

Honestly, I find suicide as the easy way out of life’s problems and can never understand it.

May he rest in peace and may God bless his soul.

I can’t believe the Lebanese police just found out about those theaters. I’ve been hearing about those for years.

Maybe one of the movies included the use of Chawarma Djej and offended them.

[Full Article]

I woke up to what sounded like a truck crashing into a wall. I wasn’t too far off; it was the sound of a truck breaking the concrete wall of our building, knocking over an electricity pole, crashing into the parking lot, totaling 1 car, damaging another one and bending the gate of the building.

The driver jumped out of the cabin Indiana Jones style right before the crash. Thankfully no one was hurt.

HSBC has embarked on a major global restructuring program that will include its operations in Lebanon, a banking source told The Daily Star Friday. “HSBC branches in Lebanon will eventually witness some restructuring as part of the plan set by the administration in London,” the source said. [Daily Star]

This piece of news came out two weeks ago and it seems they’ve already started closing down the Verdun branch.

Food For The Poor, Inc. is a Christian charity that provides food, health, social, economic, and emergency relief services in 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The nonprofit organization helps those most in need through feeding, housing, medical assistance, education, water projects, micro-enterprise programs, and emergency relief operations. Food for the Poor was co-founded by Ferdinand Mahfood and his brother, Robin Mahfood, in 1982, which are both of Lebanese descent.
[Full Article]

You can’t get a better name than that as CEO of “Food for the Poor” lol!

via eatliver

It is quite sad how setting stupid Guinness records gets more coverage in Lebanon than having for the first time ever a swimmer in the Olympic Games.

Lebanese swimmer Katya Bachrouche has secured a spot at the next Olympic Games in London in 2012 after setting a new record in the 400-meter freestyle event for Lebanon, a first in the country’s history. [Article]

Mabrouk for Katya and for Lebanon!

Knowing that she doesn’t live or study in Lebanon, you can read more about Katya [Here].

PS: I hope the government is financing her trip, not letting her go on her own expenses like they always do.

PS2: Chahe emailed me that the Olympics are in 2012, not 2011. It seems the Daily Star got the date wrong unless there’s some pre-Olympics qualifying round a year earlier.

Via The Lebaneseinnercircle

“I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders…Leezza, Leezza, Leezza. I love her very much. I admire her and I’m proud of her because she’s a black woman of African origin.” Gaddafi told al-Jazeera television in 2007.

He had a gorgeous Ukrainian nurse and had a thing for Condoleezza Rice? Talk about weird.

You can read more about it [Here].

Following Fiat S.p.A.’s acquisition of majority ownership of Chrysler Group LLC, a range of strategic organisational moves, all designed to create sustainable long-term success, have been announced.

The latest of these has seen Saad Chehab named as Chief Executive Officer for the Chrysler/Lancia brands and appointed as a member of a new Group Executive Council (GEC) that has been formed in-line with the objective of enhancing operational integration of the two companies.

You can read more about the new Lebanese-born CEO [Here].

[Picture taken yesterday]

Six months after having posted about plans for a new maritime sidewalk in Jounieh, the municipality has only managed to take out some old building on the verge of crumbling and turned the place into a parking lot.

Here’s a picture of how it looked six months ago.

Remember the story about the Lebanese couple that disappeared mysteriously a month ago ?

Well they were found dead this morning in a nearby bush outside their town. Crimes in Lebanon are just getting worse and worse.