by arabnews.com — LONDON: While Lebanese politicians typically travel in multi-car motorcades, at least one European diplomat is beating the heavy Beirut traffic by getting on a bike. In a message posted on Twitter on Thursday, Hans Peter van der Woude, the Dutch ambassador to Lebanon, posted a photo of himself wearing a helmet and standing next to an e-bike as he prepared to set off for a meeting. The photo sparked an online debate about the country’s traffic problems, with many people praising him as an “example” for everyone to follow. “Setting a great example. Drive safely,” one user wrote.

Another asked the envoy whether he feels safe cycling around the busy streets of the capital. “I felt really comfortable on a bicycle in traffic,” van der Woude replied. “Just because drivers are not used to cyclists, they are more careful. One has to be vigilant though, like everyone in Lebanese traffic.” He added that he completes his journeys really quickly compared with people in cars, who often get stuck in traffic jams. Nasser Yassin, Lebanon’s environment minister, retweeted the envoy’s photo, thanked him and said the government backs the use of non-motorized transport options, also known as “soft mobility.” “We are supporting initiatives that will promote soft mobility in Beirut and other cities; but we need to work more with municipalities and others to create the right environment for soft mobility in our cities,” he wrote.

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مطالبةُ السيدِ حسن نصرالله، أمينِ عامّ حزبِ الله، برئيسٍ “يَحمي ظهرَ المقاومةِ الإسلاميّةِ” تُذَكّرنا بمطالبةِ الميليشياتِ المسلَّحةِ الدولةَ سنةَ 1992، إذ لَحظَ اتفاقُ الطائف جَمعَ سلاحِ الميليشيات عمومًا، لكنَّ الجمعَ أتى جُزئيًّا وانتِقائيًّا فاستثْنى كليًّا سلاحَ حزب الله. وما خلا الجانبَ المسيحيَّ، لم يَعترِض على ذلك أركانُ اتّفاقِ الطائف وواضِعوه والحَريصون عليه، لا بل غَطَّوا بقاءَ هذا السلاحِ وسَوَّقوه في العالـمَين العربيِّ والدوليّ، وفتحوا لحزبِ الله قنواتِ اتصالٍ متعدِّدةً وجعلوه شريكًا مضارِبًا في القرارِ والسلطةِ والمفاوضاتِ الديبلوماسيّة. لا يضيعُ خطأٌ في الزمان.

مع الميليشياتِ القديمةِ كنّا نَعرِفُ أين يَبدأُ صدرُها وأين يَنتهي ظَهرُها. لكن أين ظهرُ مقاومةِ حزبِ الله ليحميَه الرئيسُ الجديد؟ الحدودُ مفتوحةٌ. هل تَبدأُ مقاومتُه من البقاعِ والضاحيّةِ الجنوبيّة؟ مِن الحدودِ الجنوبيّةِ ومزارعِ شِبعا؟ من حقولِ الطاقةِ في البحرِ ومدى الـمُسيَّرات في الجوّ؟ وأين تنتهي؟ في إيران وسوريا والعراق واليَمن ودولِ الخليجِ وما بعدَ “بابِ الـمَندِب”؟ في الجليلِ وغَزّة والقُدس وحيفا وما بعدَ حيفا؟

وَرطةُ لبنان أنَّ كلًّا من مكوّناتِه الكبرى اخْتلقَ “معتَقدًا” لا يُمسُّ وتَحصّنَ وراءَه كمرجِعٍ يُعبّر عن معيارِ وجودِه في الفَلَكِ اللبنانيّ. الشيعةُ ابتكروا “المقاومةَ الإسلاميّةَ” وقد صارت مجازيّة. المسيحيّون طرحوا “حقوقَ المسيحيّين” وقد أضْحت أيضًا مَجازيّة. والسُنّةُ استَحْدثوا “اتّفاقَ الطائف” وقد أصبحَ كذلك مجازيًّا. جَعلت هذه المكوّناتُ أو فئاتٌ أساسيةٌ منها هذه “المعتقداتِ الفئويّةَ” محورَ انتمائِها وعلاقتِها بالدولةِ اللبنانيةِ المركزيّة، عِوضَ أن يكونَ الانتماءُ إلى الكيانِ اللبنانيِّ مُحرَّرًا من أيِّ قيدٍ أو شرط. للوهلةِ الأولى نَظُن أنّنا أمامَ مسارٍ وطنيٍّ إيجابيٍّ، إذ صارت الفئاتُ اللبنانيّةُ تَشترِطُ ولاءَها للبنانَ بتأمينِ مطالبِها الذاتيّة، بينما كانت تاريخيًّا تَرهَنُ ولاءَها للكيانِ اللبنانيّ بتأمينِ مصالحِ دولٍ عربيّةٍ وأجنبيّةٍ فيه. لكنْ ما إِن تَحُفُّ بورقةِ “المطالبِ الذاتيّةِ” حتى تَكتشِفَ أنّها غِلافٌ يُخبِّئ تحتَه مطالبَ الدولِ الخارجيّةِ نفسِها مع زيادةِ إيران إلى اللائحة.

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: A German judicial delegation stormed out of the Justice Palace in Beirut on Wednesday, disappointed that its requests had been turned down. The German delegation was the first to arrive in Beirut, followed by delegations from France and Luxembourg, to investigate alleged fraud by Riad Salameh, the governor of the Mediterranean country’s central bank, the Banque du Liban. Salameh’s name was mentioned in cases related to financial transfers from Lebanon to the banks of the aforementioned countries. The delegations will try to identify the sources of the funds and their connection to corruption, money laundering and financial crimes in European countries. Arab News learned that the German delegation met on Wednesday with the appellate public prosecutor in Beirut, Judge Raja Hamoush, who was assigned to facilitate the delegation’s work and to show them Salameh’s file, which the Lebanese public prosecutor’s Court of Cassation had investigated without charging anyone.

However, the German delegation included officials from the German police, so Hamoush asked them to leave the office, as the meeting was purely judicial, arguing that they had no capacity to be there or view any files. A judicial source told Arab News: “The German judges were equipped with advanced cameras. When the file was placed in front of them, and it was sealed with red wax, they asked if they could photograph its contents once opened as it includes hundreds of documents and papers. Hamoush refused and said that the judges should submit their request to the public prosecution’s Court of Cassation.” The source added: “They then asked to take a couple of snaps using their mobile phones, but Hamoush categorically turned down such requests. The delegation thus left Hamoush’s office and headed to that of Public Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat, and the file remained sealed with red wax.” The source noted that the delegation asked Oueidat to be allowed to photocopy the file, but he told them that he needed a written request and to know exactly what they wanted from the file. Following this, the German delegation stormed out of Oueidat’s office and left the Palace of Justice.

by indcatholicnews.com — Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and the head of the Maronite Church, gave an overview of the situation in Lebanon on Tuesday evening, explaining that the country needs help from the United Nations and called for a resolution to address the situation in Palestine. The Patriarch, who is visiting the UK on a trip organised by Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East, (FACE) said Lebanon in the past had been “exposed to greed” and was “a venue for wars, hostilities, occupation, assassinations and injustices.”

Patriarch al-Rahi told a press conference at Archbishops House, Westminster, that now his country is facing a “demographic problem and an economic problem” due to shocking inflation, and having to take in millions of refugees from Syria and Palestinian which has put a strain on the country.The Patriarch said: “In order to protect Lebanon, keep it secure, stable and united it ought to be removed from regional and international conflicts, while remaining committed to legitimate Arab just causes, particularly the Palestinian cause, and to the United Nations resolutions.” “We ask the United Nations to call for a Special International Conference on Lebanon,” he added.

Such a conference, according to Patriarch al-Rahi, would support “devising a solution for the Palestinian problem; the facilitation and encouragement of Syrian repatriation and their assistance in their own country; the declaration of the positive neutrality of Lebanon through a Security Council Declaration.” Patriarch al-Rahi also had some warm words for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who visited Lebanon in 2012. Explaining how the speech of any pope “carries a lot of weight,” he said: “The pope made three main speeches, besides his sermon. He spoke about the importance of Lebanon and the identity. “If you read his speeches you will see a lot of his ideas being held [today]. The speeches of any pope in any country have a permanent impact.” Patriarch al-Rahi asked people in the UK to “invest in Lebanon”, advocate on the country’s behalf, and support a two-state solution in Palestine. He finished by saying: “I can assure you that the Maronites present throughout the world are carrying the cause of Lebanon with them.”

by indcatholicnews.com — On his first official visit to the UK, His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Maronite Church, has taken part in a series of meetings with church leaders, politicians and Lebanese delegations yesterday. He was welcomed to Lambeth Palace by Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop said: “We prayed together for Christians in the Middle East, especially Lebanon – a place close to my heart.” The Patriarch then went on to the Palace of Westminster, where he took part in a number of official meetings, most notably with Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East; Sarah Mackintosh, Deputy National Security Adviser, who has responsibility for the Middle East; and with Parliamentarians, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group to the Holy See.

The Patriarch was accompanied by Archbishop Paul Boulos El-Sayah; His Excellency Rami Mortada, Ambassador of Lebanon to the United Kingdom; and Mr Maran Francis, Counsellor at the Lebanese Embassy. In recent days, His Beatitude has also met with representatives of various Lebanese parties at the Maronite Parish in London, for which meeting he was accompanied by Abbot Hadi Mahfouz, General Superior of the Lebanese Maronite Order, and Father Fadi Kmeid, Maronite parish priest in London.

Story by Marquise Francis — AFP — India is expected to surpass China and become the world’s most populous nation within the next three months, according to a recent report by the United Nations’ population division, marking a seismic shift on the global stage in a trend with significant social and economic impact for both countries. “Most people think India’s economy is still a fraction of what it could be in the future, which means there’s so much promise,” Dr. Audrey Truschke, an associate professor of South Asian History at Rutgers University, told Yahoo News, adding that much of the potential is due in large part to India being “such a young country.”

Of the rapidly growing 1.41 billion people in India, about 1 in 4 are under the age of 15 and nearly half are under 25. By comparison, China’s population is about 1.45 billion, but those under 25 make up only a quarter of the population. “The Indian subcontinent has always supported a robust human population,” Truschke said. “India has also long been compared to China, and they have for a long time traded with one another. So as much changes over the course of human history, that’s something that recurs — both the dense population of the subcontinent, as well as the comparison with China.” Since 1950, India and China have accounted for an estimated 35% of the world’s population growth, with China emerging as a global industrial power. Combined, the two population epicenters are a significant slice of the world’s roughly 8 billion people.

By Brad Kallet, Editor at LinkedIn News – Your Instagram navigation bar is going to look a bit different in February. Beginning next month, the Meta-owned social media giant is going to put the Compose button (the + sign) back in the center of the navigation bar, and the Reels button will be moved to […]

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group on Tuesday condemned the cartoons published recently by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that mocked Iran’s ruling clerics and urged France to punish the publication. The Iran-backed Hezbollah said the offensive caricatures were an “ugly act by the magazine” that targeted Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, […]

By Alessandra Riemer, Editor at LinkedIn News, Record-high inflation doesn’t seem to be driving away buyers in the luxury auto market, especially in the U.S. British carmaker Rolls-Royce made about 35% of its sales across the pond last year, at an average $534,000 a pop. The BMW-owned company also sold the most vehicles in its […]

(ANSAmed) – BEIRUT, JANUARY 9 – The number of people who attempted last year to reach Europe from Lebanon irregularly increased by 176%, according to figures just released by the Beirut office of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR. UNHCR spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled was quoted as saying by French-language Lebanese daily L’Orient-Le Jour that from […]