May 20 2012
Lebanese soldiers kill two anti-Assad activistsBEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese soldiers shot dead two members of an alliance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon on Sunday, security sources said, in the latest incident to raise fears Syria's turmoil was spilling over the border into its neighbor. Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid, a Sunni Muslim cleric, and Khaled Miraib, both members of the Lebanon-based March 14 political ...
Army kills Sunni cleric in LebanonArmy troops shot dead a Sunni cleric on Sunday when his convoy failed to stop at a checkpoint in north Lebanon, the scene of deadly clashes linked to the uprising in Syria, a security official said.
Shootings rise tensions in LebanonLebanese soldiers shot dead a Sunni cleric and a second member of a Lebanese political alliance against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon today, security sources said.
Lebanese soldiers kill two anti-Assad group membersTRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanese soldiers shot dead a Sunni cleric and a second member of a Lebanese political alliance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon on Sunday, security sources said. Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahid and Khaled Miraib, members of the March 14 alliance, were shot in their car as they sped through an army checkpoint without stopping, the sources said ...
Qatar, UAE urge citizens to leave Lebanon
Lebanon: Qatar and the UAE have called on their citizens to avoid travelling to Lebanon and for those who are there to leave due to tension and instability in the country, the Associated Press has reported. The call came days after clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in the northern city of Tripoli left eight people and dozens wounded. Lebanese foreign minister Adnan Mansour said that he hopes Qatar and the UAE will review their decision because the situation in Lebanon does not require such steps. [AMEInfo.com]
Ad income in Lebanon forecast to hit $145.1m in 2012
Lebanon: According to a report by Deloitte and Touche, advertising income in Lebanon is expected to reach $145.1m this year, representing around 3% of total advertising income in the Arab world, while advertising expense is also expected to increase by 1% during the year, The Daily Star has reported. TV advertising revenue is also set to jump by 37.8% of the sector's total income to $54.8m, followed by $40m in "out of home" advertising gains, the report said. Radio ads are projected to record $5.3m in income, amounting to 3.7% of total advertisement income. Newspaper advertising income is to rise 17.1% to $24.8m, and digital advertisement and magazine ads would reach $10.2m and $10.1m, respectively, or 7% of the total each, the firm said. [AMEInfo.com]
Lebanon's central bank assets up 12.3% from 2011
Lebanon: The central bank of Lebanon has said its total assets fell 0.9% by mid-May 2012 to $73.29bn, compared with the levels recorded a month earlier, but remained higher by 12.3% from the same period a year earlier, The Daily Star has reported. The decline was mostly influenced by a 5.8% monthly decline in the value of gold reserves to $14.38bn as the price of gold per ounce declined from $1,658 to $1,556 during the same period, the bank said. Foreign assets , excluding gold, and securities portfolio remained almost unchanged at $33bn and $12.9bn, respectively, it said. [AMEInfo.com]
Car sales rise in Lebanon
Lebanon: According to figures by Lebanon's Association of Car Importers, the number of new passenger and commercial vehicles registered in the country during the first four months of 2012 climbed 13.3% year-on-year to 10,931, The Daily Star has reported. Korean cars sales in the first four months of 2012 rose 22.17% with 4,656 units sold compared to the same period in 2011, grabbing a market share of 45.79%. Sales of Kia and Hyundai jumped by 27.63% and 13.89%, respectively, compared with the first four months of 2011, the data showed. [AMEInfo.com]
Beirut International Franchise Forum to take place in Beirut on 23-24 of May 2012
Lebanon: Organizing committees of Beirut International Franchise Forum BIFEX, the Lebanese Franchise Association (LFA) and Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group, held a press conference at Phoenicia Hotel announcing forum's proceedings to take place on the 23rd and 24th of May 2012 at the Phoenicia Hotel-Beirut, Lebanon. [AMEInfo.com]
May 19 2012
Gulf states issue Lebanon travel warningThe United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain on Saturday urged their citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon, where clashes linked to the conflict in neighbouring Syria have left 10 people dead.
Qatar, UAE urge citizens to stay away from LebanonDUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar and the United Arab Emirates urged their citizens to stay away from Lebanon, citing security concerns in a country where fighting prompted by sectarian tensions in neighboring Syria has unsettled areas near a northern port. The two Gulf states' Foreign Ministries urged all those already in Lebanon - a favorite destination for wealthy Gulf tourists - to leave because of ...
UAE urges citizens to stay away from LebanonDUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates urged its citizens to stay away from Lebanon on Saturday, citing security concerns in a country where fighting prompted by sectarian tensions in neighboring Syria has unsettled areas near a northern port. A UAE Foreign Ministry official urged all those already in Lebanon - a favorite destination for wealthy Gulf tourists - to leave because of the "tense ...
Shipping through Beirut Port increases 6.7%
Lebanon: Lebanon's Shipping Agents Association has said the number of containers imported through the Beirut Port climbed 6.7% in first four months of 2012 to 95,000, from 89,000 during same period last year, The Daily Star has reported. The increase marks a return to 2010 levels when the number of containers had reached 93,000, said the head of the association, Hasan Jaroudi. [AMEInfo.com]
Facebook use in Lebanon grows
Lebanon: According to web analytics firm socialbakers.com, users of social networking giant, Facebook, grew by more than 129,880 in the last six months to 1,419,060, The Daily Star has reported. "Our social networking statistics show that Facebook penetration in Lebanon is 34.4%, compared with the country's population and 141.9% in relation to number of [actual] internet users," the website said. [AMEInfo.com]
The Eighth Edition of the International Boat and Super Yacht Show launched
Lebanon: Representing H.E. the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Sleiman, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House, the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Fadi Abboud, launched the Eighth Edition of the International Boat and Super Yacht Show, Beirut Boat 2012, at La Marina Joseph Khoury, Dbayeh. [AMEInfo.com]
May 18 2012
May 17 2012
Beirut to receive kidnapping suspectsBEIRUT, Lebanon, May 17 (UPI) -- Syria is expected to hand over suspects tied to the kidnapping of seven Estonian bicyclists in Lebanon last year, a military official said.
Lebanon deploys forces to northern cityBEIRUT, Lebanon, May 17 (UPI) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati ordered the military to set up check points and arrest people carrying weapons in public as clashes continued in Tripoli.
Sniper fire erupts in Lebanese cityBEIRUT, Lebanon, May 17 (UPI) -- Sporadic sniper and rocket fire erupted in northern Lebanon Thursday killing a 13-year-old boy and injuring at least three other people, the military said.
Lebanon remains on U.S. Watch list for piracy
Lebanon: The US Trade Representative (USTR) has maintained Lebanon on the Watch List for piracy of intellectual property, along with 25 other countries and jurisdictions, The Daily Star has reported. The USTR placed Lebanon on the Watch List in 1999 and then moved it to the more critical Priority Watch List in 2001, where it remained until 2007. The country was then upgraded to the Watch List in 2008. Countries from the Middle East and Africa on this year's Watch List are Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon and Turkey, while Algeria and Israel remained on the more critical Priority Watch List. [AMEInfo.com]
Lebanon students to gain 15,000 PC tablets with Central Bank program
Lebanon: The Lebanese government plans to provide soon public school students with 15,000 reduced-cost tablet PCs soon, in a move aimed at enhancing the quality of education and boost a knowledge-based economy, The Daily Star has reported. "The central bank said it will offer interest free loans to help reduce the costs for the devices, allowing students to pay in instalments over two years. There will be no guarantees required for the loan," said telecoms minister Nicolas Sehnaoui. The pilot project would involve providing free tablets devices to 10th and 11th grade classes in 15 public high schools across the country. The tablets would include the educational curriculum of the two classes. [AMEInfo.com]
North Lebanon fighting kills 1; ninth in five daysTRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - A civilian died in fighting in Lebanon's port city of Tripoli on Wednesday night, security sources said, bringing the death toll to nine in five days of clashes in a city where sectarian tension has been growing over the revolt in neighbouring Syria.
North Lebanon fighting kills one; ninth in five daysTRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - A civilian died in fighting in Lebanon's port city of Tripoli on Wednesday night, security sources said, bringing the death toll to nine in five days of clashes in a city where sectarian tension has been growing over the revolt in neighboring Syria. The fighting in Tripoli, 70 km (43 miles) north of Beirut, highlights how violence in Syria can spill into Lebanon ...
American University in Beirut inks deals for industrial research
Lebanon: The American University in Beirut (AUB) has signed a cooperation agreement on industrial research with the country's industrial sector, The Daily Star has reported. The agreement, which aims to keep the university's academic programmes relevant to the needs of the industrial sector, would focus on linking companies to master and doctorate students conducting industrial research relevant to their businesses. [AMEInfo.com]
Bank Audi agrees majority stake sale to Saham
Lebanon: Lebanese lender, Bank Audi has agreed to sell most of its stake in LIA Insurance Co to a major Moroccan financial firm, The Daily Star has reported. Saham Finances Co will acquire 81% of LIA Insurance, the bank said. Financial details have not been disclosed. [AMEInfo.com]
Troubled by warfare, Lebanese director puts her views on filmLebanese director Nadine Labaki had an especially fertile imagination while working on her most recent project. I learned I was pregnant with my first child when I was doing this movie, she says. I found you really want to share your point of view as a mother. I imagined my son at 18 or 19. What if he was tempted to take weapons? Tha's the topic of Where Do We Go Now?, opening Friday at ...
May 16 2012
Lebanese living in U.S. asked to participate in electionThe Embassy of Lebanon in the United States and the affiliated Consulates General in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York are calling on Lebanese citizens (holders of Lebanese citizenship) living in the U.S. to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections taking place in spring 2013, by registering at the closest Lebanese Diplomatic Mission €Embassy in Washington D.C. or any Consulate ...
Several wounded in renewed Lebanon clashesAt least six people were wounded on Wednesday in Lebanon's northern city Tripoli in fresh clashes between two rival districts linked to the unrest in neighbouring Syria, a security official said.
Lebanon uneasy over Syrian conflictBEIRUT, Lebanon, May 16 (UPI) -- The opposition March 14 bloc in the Lebanese government said it blames Syria for deadly clashes in the country that left at least seven dead this week.
Lebanese army deploys troops to TripoliTRIPOLI, Lebanon, May 16 (UPI) -- The Lebanese army has deployed to the northern Lebanon city of Tripoli after three days of clashes between backers and foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Clashes rock Lebanon's Tripoli, 6 woundedTRIPOLI (Reuters) - Heavy fighting rocked Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli for a fourth day on Wednesday, wounding at least six people in a city where sectarian tensions have been growing over the revolt in neighboring Syria, security sources said. The fighting in Tripoli, 70 km (43 miles) from Beirut, has highlighted how violence in Syria can spill into Lebanon, a country that was garrisoned ...
Syria tensions light fuse in north LebanonTRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - As armored vehicles rumble past bullet-scarred streets, Lebanese men heckle soldiers they have now added to their list of enemies: "There go the traitors!" In Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, the army may have halted three days of bloody clashes kindled by unrest in Syria next door, but anger is still festering. Subdued street fighters hardly disguise their rage ...
MEBAA embarks on series of regional forums beginning with Beirut
Lebanon: The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) has announced it will host the first of its 2013 regional forums in Beirut. The forums are part of its vision to bridge communication channels between local operators, suppliers, regulators and government. [AMEInfo.com]
