Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer

Beirut: Lebanon boasts the highest rate of reading among Arab states and ranks an impressive 37th globally. But, despite its 95 per cent literacy rate, many believe that the pursuit of knowledge remains an elitist privilege in the country as many Lebanese cannot afford to buy books.

This is why public libraries have always been and continue to be an important resource for Lebanese.

Before the civil war (1975-1990), Lebanon boasted dozens of public libraries even in remote villages, which would each summer draw an influx of residents eager to benefit from such facilities.

During the period of reconstruction that followed the war, the priority was a clean-up campaign given the scale of destruction and the country’s intellectual needs took a backseat.

Halim Shebaya

Professor Amitai Etzioni is straightforward. He does not sugarcoat his language or his intention as he shares his thoughts in his now-infamous op-ed for Haaretz, "Should Israel Flatten Beirut to Destroy Hezbollah’s Missiles?"

The newspaper changed the title twice, as reported by Salon. But regardless of the words in the title, the intention is clear: how to justify Israel’s policy and military tactics during armed conflicts.

A reader unfamiliar with the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict might be impressed with the intentions behind the article. The problem that is identified is that "most of Hezbollah’s 100,000 missile arsenal are hidden in civilian areas." And the point of the op-ed is allegedly to push Israel to "examine now the ethical and logistical consequences of its first use of extreme conventional weapons against them."

By Jack Moore

Three female entrepreneurs have kickstarted a sexual harassment tracker in Beirut in the hope of combating crimes against women in the Lebanese capital.

A beta version of Harass Tracker—launched on Monday—will provide a three-month trial in the city after which, if successful, it will be expanded across the entire country.

The platform is essentially an online reporting tool where people who have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment can mark the location on a map of the city and provide information regarding the type of sexual harassment that they encountered, alongside a description of the event.

by Arab News

JEDDAH: Lebanese expats working in the Gulf remit around $5 billion annually, with Saudi Arabia leading the list of these countries, an official of that country has said.
“The Lebanese economy will adversely affected once the number of expats working in the Gulf begins to decrease,” Mohammad Shaheen, chairman of the Lebanese Council for Work and Investments in the Gulf, said.
Most of the Lebanese working in these countries occupy prestigious jobs and positions, such as doctors, managers and engineers, he was quoted as saying by local media on Thursday.
“More than 300,000 Lebanese expatriates send remittances to about 600,000 beneficiaries in Lebanon who are bound to experience hardships if immediate steps are not taken by that country to mend its ways,” he said.

Naharnet

Dozens of Lebanese employees have been fired from their jobs in Saudi Arabia, media reports said on Thursday, amid an unprecedented rift in the Saudi-Lebanese relations.

“Around 90 Lebanese citizens have been informed by their employers in Saudi Arabia that they have been laid off,” MTV reported in the afternoon.

The head of the Lebanese-Saudi Business Development Commission, Elie Rizk, confirmed the news to LBCI television.

“Nearly 90 Lebanese from all affiliations and sects have been sacked,” he said.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) also reported that around 90 Lebanese have been fired while noting that no decision has been taken to "deport" the laid off employees.

by Caline Malek

ABU DHABI // Emirati and Lebanese citizens in the UAE said they were saddened that conditions in the Levantine country had worsened to the point the UAE was compelled to impose a ban on travel to Lebanon. A previous travel warning was upgraded to a ban after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced it had cut the number of its diplomatic staff in Beirut.

Nevertheless, there were no disruptions on Wednesday to Beirut-bound flights from the UAE, according to FlyDubai, Etihad Airways and Emirates airline. “The travel advisory has been issued regarding travel to Lebanon for UAE nationals only,” said a FlyDubai spokesman. Passengers with existing bookings and scheduled to travel soon were urged by the airline to contact it.

Sara Al Nuaimi, a 33-year-old Emirati from Sharjah, said the ban would be difficult for people with Lebanese family members.

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) A river of stinking garbage bags snakes its way through the suburbs of Beirut, a surreal and unhygienic blight on Lebanon’s cosmopolitan capital.

This overflowing landfill, stretching for hundreds of meters through Jdeideh in the city’s suburbs, is the consequence of the city’s months-long garbage crisis — both a symbol and a byproduct of the country’s dysfunctional politics.

This used to be such a beautiful place, but look at it now. We can’t even walk by it," Jawanah, a local resident who didn’t want to give the rest of her name, told CNN.

Problems began when authorities shut the main landfill site for Beirut’s garbage in July, but failed to provide an alternative site for dumping refuse.

The trash started to mount up, choking the city’s streets and sparking violent protests that brought a deployment of the army.

Marwan Bishara

Lebanon is a diverse and industrious nation and that’s a cause for celebration. But the Lebanese are a divided people, and that is a major cause for trepidation.

Since its 14-year civil war ended with a peace accord signed in Saudi Arabia in November 1989, Lebanon has tried hard to maintain its plurality while at the same time "managing" its sectarian divisions.

But many Lebanese insist that they could only do so much against the regional odds; that their nation is a victim of conflicts instigated or manufactured by foreign powers that projected their differences on to this open and all-too-fragile nation.

They grumble about foreigners waging proxy wars on Lebanese soil. And there is some truth to that. Just as much truth as in the fact that they have been the local foot soldiers abetting, enacting and executing these wars and conflicts.

So much so that at times it’s not clear whether foreign powers exploited the Lebanese to advance their regional interests, or whether the Lebanese factions used foreign assistance to fight each other and expand their own narrow interests.

the national

daily star.com.lb

International correspondent banks and depositors will be the first to rejoice following an announcement by a financial watchdog that Lebanon is no longer under the surveillance, bankers said Monday. “Of course this is very good news for Lebanon and the banking sector. Our banks have shown commitment in complying with all international rules and requirements to combat money laundering and terrorism funding,” Markam Sader, the secretary general of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, told The Daily Star.