By Bassem Mroue, AP

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Syria's conflict has caused hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee to Lebanon, putting a huge strain on the Lebanese economy and its already-crumbling infrastructure. But the five-year Syrian civil war has been a boon for at least one economic sector: the tobacco industry. At Lebanon's main tobacco factory, located southeast of the capital, Beirut, employees work round-the-clock but can barely cover the high demand for locally-made cigarettes.

"We are lucky that there are Syrians in Lebanon," said George Hobeika, a senior official with the state-owned factory, adding that consumption of some local brands in Lebanon has more than tripled in five years. Lebanon is hosting over a million registered Syrian refugees. Unofficially, the number of Syrians who have fled to Lebanon is estimated to be closer to two million. Many of them are unable to find work, and spend much of their day smoking in tented encampments or makeshift accommodation around the country.

In the months following the outbreak of war in March 2011, many of Syria's cigarette factories closed down. Others were not able to cover market demand after imports of tobacco stopped, leading to a sharp rise in demand for Lebanese cigarettes - particularly Cedars, a brand that is similar to Syria's widely-smoked Hamra cigarettes. Lebanon's state-owned cigarette company sales peaked at US$1 billion in 2012.

by J.D. Durkin Eight television anchors in Egypt have been suspended by their network until they lose weight, an incident that has …

By Al Bawaba

Lebanon and the Arab world have not forgotten about that famous feud between Emirati singer Ahlam and Lebanese TV host Adel Karam. The flamboyant singer boiled Lebanese people's blood when she referred to them as "nothing more than falafel vendors and beggars," while instructing them to "deal with their ongoing trash problem instead of talking about their "Queen Ahlam." Yep, this actualy happened!

Since then, the two haven't seen eye to eye (shocker) and several trending hashtags on Twitter urged Lebanon not to allow Ahlam on its soil. However, looks like their numerous attempts to keep the "Queen" out of Lebanon have gone down the drain. 

Miss Controversy is set to return to Beirut in the near future to resume filming the singing talent competition Arab Idol, where she sits (not quietly of course) on the judging panel next to Lebanese stars Nancy Ajram and Wael Kfoury, and Egyptian music producer Hassan el Shafei.