by annahar – TK Maloy — BEIRUT: The Byblos Bank Real Estate Index reported a sharp decline for the first quarter of 2018, according to a statement issued by the bank on Wednesday . The Index posted a monthly average of 33.2 points in the first quarter of 2018, constituting a decline of 26.1 percent […]

by middleeasteye.net  – Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir reaffirmed on Tuesday the kingdom’s willingness to deploy troops to Syria as part of US-led efforts to stabilise the conflict-torn country. Speaking at a press conference alongside UN chief Antonio Guterres, Al-Jubeir said that Riyadh had held previous discussions with America to deploy troops in Syria after […]

by Kenneth R. Rosen, Catholic News Service — BEIRUT — A North American delegation negotiated the steep incline to a clinic draped over the roadway, like an olive tree from a limestone bluff. “Yesterday we prayed,” said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who the day before attended a Mass with refugees. “Now we work.” Dolan, chairman of the […]

by Peter Speetjens —executive-magazine.com The Lebanese parliamentary elections on May 6 are bound to make history, as, for the first time ever, Lebanese residing abroad have been granted the right to vote. Their appetite to do so, however, has so far appeared to be rather humble. In total, 82,900 Lebanese abroad have registered to vote, according to the official Lebanese government website. Numbers quoted in The Monthly, a publication by Information International, a Beirut-based research and consultancy firm, cite 45,827 Christians and 38,329 Muslims registered (the discrepancy in the overall total is likely caused by the difference in those who registered versus those registrations that were accepted). Some 60 percent of registered Lebanese voters abroad live in Australia, Canada, the US, France, and Germany—in that order. Only 2,106 Lebanese, or 2.5 percent, registered in Brazil, which may come as a surprise, given the country’s status as the world’s “second Lebanon.” “Estimates vary slightly, but we reckon there are some 8 million Brazilians of Lebanese descent, about half of whom live in and around São Paulo,” says Sabah Khoury, Lebanon’s consul in São Paulo. “They live in every corner of the country. [Other] major concentrations are in Rio de Janeiro and Foz de Iguaçu in the south, where we plan to open another consulate.” One need not travel far to spot Lebanese and Arab traces in São Paulo. Situated on Paulista Avenue, the city’s most prestigious thoroughfare, the Lebanese consulate sits right across from “Club Homs,” a restaurant and event venue established by Syrian immigrants in 1920. Several skyscrapers along the avenue boast Arabic family names, while eateries on every corner sell kibbeh and sfiha, which have become staple foods in Brazil. Two of the city’s mayors since 1990 were of Lebanese descent, while a third was Syrian, and Hospital Sírio-Libanês is widely regarded as the city’s, if not the nation’s, best.

Historic ties

According to Khoury, the low number of registered voters in Brazil is arguably due to the complex registration procedure. “People could register online or at the consulate,” she says. “However, the Ministry of Interior in Beirut had to approve the application, which could take a month or more, while the registration period closed in November. I think people may have underestimated that. “On the other hand, although 8 million is a fair estimate, we should put the figure in perspective,” she added. “The first Lebanese immigrants arrived in Brazil in the late 19th century following the visit of Brazilian Emperor Pedro II to Lebanon. Their descendants often are only partly Lebanese.” Pedro II had a keen interest in the Orient and visited the region twice in the 1870s. Legend has it that in 1871 he halted his convoy on the way to Baalbek to talk to a group of peasants and encourage them to emigrate to Brazil, where plenty of fertile land and opportunities would await them. True or not, the first Lebanese immigrants arrived in South America’s promised land in 1871. Driven by economic malaise, hunger, or conflict, many more would follow in this first wave of emigration from Lebanon that roughly lasted till the end of the Second World War. Naturally, many of the early pioneers married other immigrants. As a result, there are numerous Brazilians who have a claim to Lebanese roots, but their link to the country of their great-grandmother or great-grandfather is cultural or nostalgic at best. To count potential voters among Brazil’s considerable Lebanese contingent, the focus should be on more recent arrivals.

“The army’s radars and the radars at Beirut’s airport did not detect any violation of the Lebanese airspace at dawn yesterday,” the sources told al-Hayat newspaper in remarks published Sunday. The narrowly targeted strike took aim at three alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria’s Damascus and Homs provinces and the sounds of explosions were heard […]

Dhahran – by Thaer Abbas –aawsat.com– The US-led strike against Syrian regime targets on the eve of the Arab summit has mounted additional burdens on Beirut as Lebanese officials attempt to find a middle ground between Arab consensus and stances related to Syria and “Hezbollah”. It appears that Lebanon achieved its goal in obtaining an […]

The Daily Star – BEIRUT: A Russian official said that Russia will support Lebanon in returning Syrian refugees to their country, during a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov said the pledge came “in light of the developments taking place,” […]

by Sonam Sheth and David Choi –businessinsider.com – President Donald Trump on Saturday praised the US military, the UK, and France for a series of military strikes on Syria that were carried out late Friday. “A perfectly executed strike last night,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their […]

BEIRUT, April 12 (Xinhua) — Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun condemned Thursday Israeli airstrikes in Syria, saying the country’s use of Lebanese airspace was an “attack on our sovereignty,” the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Aoun reiterated during a cabinet session an announcement made by the Foreign Ministry two days prior to that Lebanon was set […]