Opinions are my own!  1- Machine Learning made easy, available in every editor tool without the need of being data scientist to develop ML Models and deep Programming Skills. 2- Serverless in Platform as a Service (PaaS) will be the star, overtaking “containers” especially in the world of Data & AI. 3- For 2021 the […]

by ijf.org — Earlier this year the Embassy of Japan in Lebanon was pleased to announce that on 29th April the Government of Japan decided to award ‘The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays’ to Mr. Francois Saade, President of the Lebanese Judo Federation, for his outstanding contribution to promoting judo in Lebanon and strengthening friendly relations between Japan and Lebanon over many years. Eventually, after several months of waiting due to the global crisis, the Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon, Takeshi Okubo, presented the national order to Saade at the former’s home in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, during a symbolic, coronavirus-safe ceremony.

By Rim Zrein — the961.com —A hacker group called “SpiderZ” hacked into the servers and cameras of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, Hezbollah’s financial institution. It collected data and is beginning to leak them to the public and promising to publish additional details later. They exposed the names of senior depositors along with other details from the database. Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association was established by Hezbollah in the 1980s, and it is the right hand of the party. Licensed by the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior in 1987, the Hezbollah bank has 32 branches throughout Lebanon, and declares itself a charity association that provides financial assistance to the Shiite population in Lebanon.

However, even though Al-Qard Al-Hassan is registered as a charity in Lebanon, it appears to run as a financial institution in every possible aspect, providing various financial services to its clients, including loans. Information obtained from The Double Cheque quotes that the association’s annual loans are close to $500 million, its annual profits are close to $20 million, its deposit reserves are worth over $300 million, and it holds 15 tons of gold worth around $500 million. And 0 tax payment, contributing nil to the Lebanese economy.

The association confirmed to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Ahed website that the breach has in fact occurred. According to Al-Ahed website, Al-Qard Al-Hassan stressed that “this breach does not give the attackers the ability to act or move the accounts.” In the video posted by the “Spiderz” group on their website, the hackers explicitly state that they have successfully managed to get hold of all of Hezbollah’s bank information, and confirm that Al-Qard Al-Hassan is not a charity, but a covert financial shelter for Hezbollah.

by greekcitytimes.com — The fatal blast in Beirut on the 4th August left at least 150 people dead, 6,000 injured and 300,000 homeless. The large sum was collected, and forwarded to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to be added to their worldwide collection to help meet the great and pressing needs of the Orthodox brethren in Lebanon, as well as to ease their suffering. In his letter thanking all of the worthy donors, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America wrote: “It is my prayer that your loving offering will serve as a means of great assistance and fraternal solidarity to all those families in need during this Christmas season, and that their hearts and homes will be uplifted and filled with the newborn joy of our Lord’s Nativity.”

By ASSOCIATED PRESS — BEIRUT — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister said Tuesday he was shocked to learn he was being charged with negligence in the Aug. 4 port explosion, saying he did his utmost duty during his brief tenure, during which he learned about dangerous chemicals stored at the port. In an interview with the Associated Press, Hassan Diab described being singled out and charged while others knew more, calling it “diabolical.” He insisted the investigating judge must go through parliament to question him further, now that he has been charged. Lebanon’s prosecutor investigating last summer’s horrific explosion at the Beirut port filed charges against Diab and three former ministers earlier this month, accusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people. The charges caused a political storm in Lebanon and Diab and other ministers refused to appear before the judge for questioning as defendants, calling the charges politically motivated and selective.

Two of the former ministers challenged the authority of Judge Fadi Sawwan, calling on him to be recused from the investigation and a new judge named. The challenge prompted a pause in the probe that has cast doubt on the fate of the investigation into the blast that killed more than 200 people and destroyed parts of Beirut. “Questioning me is not an issue, he [the judge] is welcome to do it. But being charged is a whole different ball game,” Diab said. The catastrophic explosion was caused by the ignition of a large stockpile of ammonium nitrate that — it later transpired — had been stored at the port for six years with the knowledge of top security officials and politicians who did nothing about it. They include senior security officials, the army command, the president and former prime ministers. The blast killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands, devastating large parts of the capital Beirut.

This US resolution just passed with full support: S.Res.682 expresses the Senate’s affirmation that U.S. assistance should be delivered directly to the Lebanese people following the recent explosion in Beirut. Further, it calls on Lebanon to conduct a transparent investigation into the cause of, and responsibility for, the explosion and to prioritize policies and programs […]

Vatican City, (CNA).- Pope Francis issued a new law Monday reorganizing Vatican finances following a series of scandals. In a document issued Dec. 28, the pope formalized the transfer of financial responsibilities from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which functions as the Holy See’s treasury and sovereign wealth manager. He first announced the shake-up in an Aug. 25 letter to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin that was made public on Nov. 5 after the Secretariat of State was engulfed by accusations of financial mismanagement. The pope promulgated the new law in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio (“on his own impulse”). The text, entitled “A better organization,” also set out new regulations for the oversight of Peter’s Pence, an annual worldwide collection supporting the pope’s mission.

Vatican officials have been forced to deny that money raised for Peter’s Pence was used to cover losses on a controversial London property deal overseen by the Secretariat of State. The document, signed Dec. 26 and coming into force before the start of the Vatican’s new fiscal year, contains four articles. The first concerns the transfer of investments and liquidity from the Secretariat of State to APSA. The second regulates the management of papal funds. The third sets out “provisions on economic and financial monitoring and supervision” and the fourth addresses the functioning of the Secretariat of State’s administrative office. Under the new law, APSA will gain ownership of funds, bank accounts, and investments, including real estate, previously administered by the Secretariat of State from Jan. 1, 2021. APSA’s management of its new responsibilities will be subject to “ad hoc control” by the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, established in 2014 to oversee the financial activities of the Holy See and Vatican City State. The Secretariat for the Economy will in future also serve as the Papal Secretariat for Economic and Financial Matters.

By Kareem Chehayeb — middleeasteye.net — Lebanon’s Michel Aoun said on Monday he’d take the Covid-19 vaccine, hours after his spokesman told Middle East Eye the president had not decided whether to take it or not. The issue had become a hot topic in the country after al-Jumhurriah newspaper reported Aoun would refuse to take the vaccine and as healthcare officials attempt to tackle disinformation and conspiracy theories about the pandemic. “The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, will receive the vaccine against corona, in contrast to what was published today in the media and social media,” Aoun’s twitter account said on Monday. Earlier, his spokesman told MEE: “The president has not taken a decision yet,” noting that the vaccine was not going to be rolled out in Lebanon until February anyway.

Other political officials, including Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri, have not yet commented on the matter. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview on Al-Mayadeen television that he would refer to his doctors’ advice regarding the vaccine, but would “definitely not” take what he called “the American vaccine”. Dr Firass Abiad, who heads the government-run Rafic Hariri University Hospital, told MEE that public officials needed to step up, endorse the vaccine and counter disinformation about it. “We need people with moral, social, scientific, and even religious authority coming up and endorsing the vaccine, to start some kind of a wave of acceptance,” he said. “Unfortunately, up until now, we see that a lot of the people doing the talking are the sceptics with [only] some individual authorities fighting back.”

BY AMY-MAE TURNER — Mashable.com — We’re huge fans of Wikipedia. The nonprofit organization represents the largest collection of knowledge collaboratively accumulated in one place — ever. While the concept of a free, community-managed, online encyclopedia had been around for some time, Wikipedia, as we know it now, officially began with its first edit on Jan. 15, 2001, two days after the domain was registered by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Whether over the last 20 years you’ve used Wikipedia for study or for work, to satisfy random bursts of curiosity, to settle arguments, or to cheat at Zoom quiz nights, we’re all indebted to the amazing free service. In order to celebrate Wikipedia’s 20th anniversary, we’re sharing 20-plus facts about the free encyclopedia that you never knew you never knew…

1. Wikipedia’s stats are jaw-dropping. It currently has more than 55 million articles across more than 300 languages.

2. There are more than 280,000 editors who take time to contribute to Wikipedia every month.