By Francesco BONGARRÀ -- arabnews.com -- ROME: A Lebanese scientist who specializes in the preservation of his country’s environment has been honored with a knighthood by the Italian Republic. Nizar Hani, the general manager of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, the largest of Lebanon’s nature reserves, was awarded the Order of the Star of Italy by Italian Ambassador to Beirut Nicoletta Bombardiere during a ceremony at the ambassador’s residence in Naccache on Friday. This distinction, Italy’s second-highest civilian honor, is given by order of the Italian president to Italians or foreigners who have acquired special merit in the promotion of friendly relations and cooperation between the republic and other countries. The Shouf Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-recognized site that is blanketed with oak and juniper forests, stretches from Dahr Al-Baidar in the north to the mountains of Niha in the south. The reserve’s most famous attractions are its three magnificent cedar forests of Maasser Al-Shouf, Barouk and Ain Zhalta-Bmohary, which account for a quarter of the remaining cedar forests in Lebanon. Some of its trees are estimated to be 2,000 years old.

A popular destination for hiking and trekking, as well as bird-watching, mountain biking and snowshoeing, the reserve’s large size makes it a good location for the conservation of medium-sized mammals, such as the wolf and Lebanese jungle cat, as well as various species of plant. “By decorating Nizar Hany, we decorate the Shouf Biosphere Reserve and all those who have contributed to this success story,” said Bombardiere. “Today, the Shouf reserve is a living laboratory of integrated strategies that respond to the ultimate goal of protecting and promoting the territory, taking care of its fragility and exploiting at the same time its natural strengths and resilience, and engaging the local communities, whose involvement is critical for any lasting achievement. “With this decoration, Italy intends to encourage political leaders and civil society in Lebanon to raise their engagement in the environmental issues in the country as a matter of priority and to increase their joint efforts to reduce the environmental impact, in fields like solid waste, water treatment, air quality and energy production,” she added.

By Tessa Fox -- foreignpolicy.com -- For months, protesters in Lebanon remained on the streets after the spark of the uprising in October 2019, when tens of thousands came together to demonstrate against corruption and an economic downturn and call for accountability and social rights. Now, they have focused their energy not on barricades but on ballot boxes, hoping to at last topple Lebanon’s entrenched political elite in next year’s election. They face some big obstacles, starting with a corrupt, sectarian power-sharing system allergic to reform. They’re also up against a sub-state militia which all but controls the levers of power in Lebanon. Even so, a new generation of political activists is hoping to leverage the increase in political engagement in Lebanon over the last two years into a more democratic state. Formed during the 2019 uprising and bolstered after last summer’s explosion in the port of Beirut, Minteshreen is the largest of the new activist groups to emerge in Lebanon. The party’s name has two meanings in Arabic: “from October” and literally “spread out,” or coming from everywhere and different backgrounds, a nod to its determination to break down divisions that the political elite in Lebanon have instilled.

Mia Atoui, 34, is a clinical psychologist who co-founded the mental heath organization Embrace and established Lebanon’s only suicide prevention hotline. She joined Minteshreen after months on the street throughout the uprising. The turning point for Minteshreen came in the wake of the August 2020 Beirut explosion, when its protesters were attacked and shot at by police and security forces, galvanizing the group’s transformation into the liberal, progressive party that it is today. “We realized that the political class and the people in power are ready to do anything so that they stay in power,” said Atoui, who is running for parliamentary election, representing Minteshreen, in a Beirut district next March. But even if she and other new independent candidates win their elections, that won’t bring immediate change. The biggest problem is that Lebanon isn’t entirely a sovereign state. Real reform can’t advance as long as foreign interference in the country, particularly Iranian support for the terror and political group Hezbollah, is a constant. After the end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 2005, Hezbollah has only increased its grip on the state.

عام ٢٠١٢ عممت الدولة اللبنانية اعلان بعبدا الذي توافقت عليه كافة الاطراف على الدول الصديقة والمراجع والهيئات الدولية والتزم به معظمهم وتبناه …

by aawsat.com -- The United States has reopened the case of the American hostage crisis during the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). The Rewards for Justice program released a reminder of a reward of up to $5 million for information that brings to justice those responsible for these attacks. "Numerous kidnappings and murders were a part of the decade-long Lebanese hostage crisis undertaken by Hezbollah-related terrorists. The hostage crisis lasted from 1982 to 1992," it said on its website. "On March 16, 1984, terrorists kidnapped William Buckley, the CIA Station Chief in Beirut. Buckley was interrogated, tortured and held captive for 15 months before the estimated date of his death." "On December 3, 1984, American University of Beirut librarian Peter Kilburn was reported missing. Sixteen months later, he and two other captives were shot and killed, their bodies dumped in the mountains east of Beirut." "On February 17, 1988, terrorists kidnapped Col. William Higgins from his United Nations peacekeeping vehicle. As a hostage, Col. Higgins was interrogated and tortured before being killed. The exact date of his death is unknown."

Diplomatic sources in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was not the first time such a reward has been put up. American University of Beirut history professor Dr. Makram Rabah said that period of the civil was "very critical" because it witnessed the birth of Hezbollah. The kidnappings during the war were carried out by various parties, such as the "Islamic Jihad" and others, he continued. Hezbollah never declared its responsibility for kidnappings. Everyone was aware of Iran's role in the hostage-taking of foreigners, especially under the term of President Ronald Reagan, he added. He noted the "Irangate" affair, which was an attempt by Tehran to eliminate the US role in Lebanon, whether through bombing the Marine headquarters or by taking hostages. Rabah said it was significant that Washington is bringing up the hostage crisis again at a time when nuclear negotiations with Iran have resumed in Vienna.