by AFP — Lebanon’s army said it had arrested eight people after a dispute led a group of Lebanese nationals to set fire to an informal refugee settlement in the country’s north. The army said on Sunday it “arrested two Lebanese nationals and six Syrians over a personal dispute … between a number of Lebanese men and Syrian workers,” according to a statement. “The Lebanese men fired bullets in the air and torched the tents of Syrian refugees,” it added, without elaborating on the cause of the altercation. The fire on Saturday night tore through the tented shelters of some 75 families near the town of Bhanine in the north Lebanon Miniyeh region, leaving only a charred wasteland. The camp’s more than 370 residents were forced to flee, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), and at least four people were taken to hospital for injuries The National News Agency (NNA) reported that the fire followed an “altercation” between a member of a Lebanese family and “Syrian workers”. Other youths from the Lebanese family then “set fire to some of the refugees’ tents”, the NNA added. The Lebanese Civil Defence worked to control the blaze while the army and police were deployed to restore calm, according to the report. A security source told AFP shots were heard, saying the fight in the Bhanine area was set off when Syrian workers demanded a wage which their employers refused to pay.

by pinkvilla.com — Let us find out what 2021 – 2022 has in store for Astrology, Horoscopes and your zodiac sign.

Aries: You are going to make an impact on the environment in 2021 as you know and are aware of human’s disastrous effect on the planet. You are going to lose some old friends and make new friends that might spark up a romance in your life. If you are already in a relationship, you might think of this as a good time to introduce your partner to your friends and connect on a deeper level. Aries, this year is all about establishing a deeper connection with friends, lovers and the planet.

Taurus: Things that were put on hold this year will finally come into action in 2021. This year is going to be massive for you with lots of beginnings in your career, love life and health. You will be working on projects, you will expand your reach professionally, so, taking calculative risks is wise. Stay open to experimenting when it comes to your life as you might end up in an unexpected relationship that will blossom into something fruitful next year.

To view all horoscopes click read more 

The gift card — what you get someone when you typically can’t think of what to buy — has suddenly become one of the hottest holiday gifts as people look to circumvent stores and shipping delays amid the pandemic. Bloomberg reports Americans are slated to buy more gift cards than ever this holiday season, increasing […]

by TAREK ALI AHMAD — arabnews.com — LONDON: In 2005 and at the young age of 23, Nayla Tueini’s whole world virtually turned on its head. The young journalist was catapulted from undergoing a month-long training program at French newspaper Le Figaro, to being prepped to take over and lead one of the biggest Lebanese dailies, Annahar, after her father — renowned editor and publisher Gebran Tueini — was killed in a car bombing in the Mkalles suburb of Beirut. “It was a big challenge because I was a young woman starting. I was in the middle of people with 30, 40, 50 years’ experience, and they were saying, ‘Who is she? She doesn’t know anything. She’s just a young girl … trying to have fun’,” Nayla told Arab News. Fifteen years later, at 38, she has been chosen as Media Personality of the Year at the 2020 Arab Media Forum, held virtually from Dubai, for her strong and steady leadership of Annahar through what has been described as Lebanon’s worst year ever.

In 2020, the country experienced an unprecedented financial crisis, devaluation of the local currency, the coronavirus pandemic, the Aug. 4 blast at the Port of Beirut and ongoing political corruption. The blast shattered the newspaper’s glass-facade headquarters, which stands not 700 meters from the port. “Having 30 injured people, blood around you, all the glass, everything … it was worse than the war,” Nayla said. “It was a difficult year.”

by catholicweekly.com.au — The Maronite Eparchy of Australia and Caritas Lebanon have launched a “Lebanese Family Appeal” to address massive poverty and social dislocation in the nation in the aftermath of August’s tragic explosion in the Port of Beirut. A monthly contribution of $50 for twelve months or a once-off $600 payment can provide basic food necessities for a small family in Lebanon for one year, a statement by Bishop Tarabay said. Lebanon’s situation is dire. The 4 August explosion magnified the devastation of the implosion of the Lebanese economy and government earlier in the year and has led to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese now counted as homeless. Meanwhile, the 6.8-million strong nation is host to an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, 75 per cent of whom have no legal status. On a per capita basis, Lebanon hosts more refugees than any other nation on earth.

The impact of the August explosion in the Port of Beirut has and will continue to exacerbate the grim economic and food security situation in Lebanon,” Bishop Tarabay said. “Prior to the explosion, the country had already been going through the worst economic crisis in its history, whilst having to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, leaving more families vulnerable and unable to meet their daily needs. “This amount of $50 per month will help a small family provide necessities. “We aim to sponsor 500 families unable to meet their daily needs, profiles of whom have been provided by Caritas Lebanon.” Bishop Tarabay said donors can choose to select a specific family profile or contribute to a family randomly selected based on its urgent need. Contributions can be made via the designated envelopes and forms, available through Maronite Parishes and or via the Eparchy’s website.

by AFP — BEIRUT: Israeli missile strikes on Syria killed at least six Iran-backed fighters on Friday, a war monitor said. The dead were all foreign paramilitaries fighting alongside Bashar Assad’s forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Right said. The missiles, which were fired from Lebanese airspace, hit positions held by Iran-backed militias in the […]

(Bloomberg) — French investigators will arrive in Beirut on Jan. 18 to speak with Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA, as part of a probe into expenses, according to an official in the Lebanese judiciary and a person close to the former auto executive. The French team will be […]

Christine Douglass-Williams — weeklyblitz.net — Turkey, which has been bullying Greece for some time, recently threatened the EU that it shouldn’t “dare” to impose sanctions over Turkish aggression toward Greece and Cyprus. For the past few months, Greece has been bolstering its military, amid Turkey’s ongoing “provocative statements” and “near-daily” threats of war. Particularly worrying with the latest spy news development is Lebanese involvement. Turkey is feared to be expanding its influence in Lebanon and shipping weapons there. Turkey has also been working with Qatar to shape Libyan politics. The two countries were reportedly setting up a military training camp to train Muslim Brotherhood troops in Libya. Both Libya and Lebanon are marked by instability, which Turkey has demonstrated its eagerness to settle. Given its aggressive expansionary ambitions, its opportunism is expected. Days ago, Greek police “detained a Turkish consular official on suspicion of spying… in a case likely to further strain troubled relations between the two NATO allies.”

By Linda Bordoni — vaticannews — In a letter addressed to the head of the Church in Lebanon, Pope Francis makes an urgent appeal to political and religious leaders and to the international community to help the nation surmount the grave crisis in which it finds itself and resume a normal existence. Writing on Christmas Eve to His Beatitude Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites and President of the Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon, the Pope says his words are for the “Lebanese people, without distinction of community or religion.” They are words, he says, “of comfort and encouragement as we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.”

Sharing his concern and sorrow to see the suffering and anguish that has engulfed Lebanon undermining its resilience and resourcefulness, the Pope says, “It is even more painful to see you deprived of your precious aspirations to live in peace and to continue being, for our time and our world, a message of freedom and a witness to harmonious coexistence.” In particular, Pope Francis expresses his sorrow for the many young people of Lebanon “robbed of any hope for a better future.”

Reuters — caretaker finance minister said it would contact a consulting firm to resume a forensic audit of the central bank, a key condition for foreign aid that has hit a roadblock. Parliament agreed this week to lift banking secrecy for one year, after the restructuring consultancy Alvarez & Marsal pulled out of the audit, saying it had not been given information it needed. “It was decided based on the law from parliament and government decisions to contact the firm A&M to resume the forensic audit,” caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni’s office cited him as saying after meeting with the president. A presidency statement later quoted Wazni as saying the firm had recently sent a letter to the central bank that showed its willingness to resume work with the Lebanese government. Such an audit is on list of reforms donors have demanded before helping Lebanon out of its financial crisis, rooted in decades of state waste and graft. Central Bank governor Riad Salameh said last month that he favoured an audit but that disclosing the accounts of local banks would require a change in legislation. Some Lebanese officials have accused Salameh of using bank secrecy laws to justify withholding information.