Lebanon's hotels likely to be fully occupied in festive season

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by Dana Halawi BEIRUT  (Xinhua) -- Pierre Ashkar, Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon, said that the country's hotels will witness full occupancy this festive season. "Occupancy in Beirut's hotels will surpass 90 percent while those in the mountains will be fully reserved this festive season," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. Ashkar said that the hotel sector will thrive this month despite the absence of a government in Lebanon and the latest Israeli threats following Israel's discovery of tunnels allegedly dug by Hezbollah into northern Israel. "The Lebanese people do not know very much the worth of their country. Lebanon is very much appreciated by tourists ... we have great nightlife, an attractive lifestyle and a natural beauty that have attracted tourists over the years," he said.

Caretaker Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian previously told Xinhua that the number of tourists from Europe hiked by 30 percent in 2018 compared with that of 2010, the year witnessing the tourist arrival peak in Lebanon at 2.17 million. He also noted that tourists from America and Latin America soared by 45 percent while those from Arab countries and the Gulf dropped by 40 percent compared with 2010. According to Ashkar, Arab tourists used to reserve Lebanon's hotels for at least 10 days during holidays while other nationalities came for only about three days. "This made a great difference in terms of spending," he said. "When Arabs come for 10 days, other touristic services such as restaurants and car rentals benefit more from their presence."

Last November, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait warned their citizens against traveling to Lebanon because of a Lebanese-Saudi crisis caused by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's controversial resignation in Riyadh which he rescinded soon after. According to Ashkar, compared with other nationalities, Gulf tourists spend the most money in Lebanon . He added that Gulf tourists will most probably return to Lebanon once the government is formed. "Many of these tourists have houses in Lebanon that are currently vacant and I am sure that they will be encouraged to come back once the government is formed," he said. Lebanon succeeded in holding the first parliamentary elections in nine years, but it still faces the challenge of overcoming all hurdles hindering cabinet formation. Ashkar said that while Lebanese hotels will be fully occupied in the few coming days, the hotels did not make much efforts in investing to host well-known artists for New Year festivities because they were worried about people's reaction amid the political instability. "Well-known Lebanese artists will throw their parties in Turkey, Egypt and Dubai," he said. Enditem \

Nissan's Carlos Ghosn re-arrested

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Nissan’s ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn has been re-arrested in Japan. Prosecutors claim Ghosn — who was initially detained last month for alleged financial misconduct — used Nissan funds to cover investment losses of 1.85 billion yen. The new arrest comes a day after a Tokyo court rejected a request from prosecutors to extend his detention. Ghosn can now be detained for up to 20 more days.

Retired Lebanese General: The Tunnels Exposed On Israeli Border Were Dug Before 2006; All The Sides Knew Of Their Existence Even Then

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by memri.org -- An article in the Lebanese Al-Nahar daily, known for its opposition to Hizbullah, claims that Israel's main objective in exposing Hizbullah's tunnels at this time is to broaden the mission and authorities of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and transform it into a force serving Israel. The article quotes retired Lebanese army general 'Abd Al-Rahman Chehaitli, who until 2013 served as the Lebanese army's representative to the regular meetings with UNIFIL and the IDF. He said that the tunnels Israel exposed recently had been dug before 2006 as part of defenses against Israel, and that Israel and UNIFIL were aware of their existence even then. It should be noted that, to date, no official Lebanese source has admitted the existence of the tunnels on the Lebanon-Israel border. The following are translated excerpts from the Al-Nahar article:[1]

"This is not the first time Israel has acted, with Western help, to redefine the mission of UNIFIL, the UN force in South Lebanon. [The exposure of] the tunnels is another attempt by Israel... to saddle Lebanon with the consequences of what it calls the exposure of 'attack' tunnels that cross the Blue Line.[2]But what is the truth regarding this matter, and did UNIFIL know about it? "Retired general 'Abd Al-Rahman Chehaitli told Al-Nahar that 'these tunnels are old, and UNIFIL knew about their existence.' He explained: '[Even] before [Israel's] aggression in July 2006, when the Lebanese security force[3] was deployed in South [Lebanon] after its liberation [i.e., Israel's withdrawal] in 2000, the commander of UNIFIL [at the time], Alain Pellegrini, raised the issue of the tunnels on the Israel-Lebanon border out of concern for [the safety of] the UNIFIL troops, and called to take measures [regarding them]. Bear in mind that the Lebanese army was not deployed [in the south] at that time, as it was after the July [2006] aggression.'

"Chehaitli, who represented Lebanon in the tripartite [Israel-Lebanon-UN] committee between 2005 and 2013, added: 'Israel never raised the issue [again], and neither did UNIFIL. Everyone knew there were some tunnels, but nobody discussed them, even though they were no secret.' "With regard to the nature of the tunnels, Chehaitli said: 'The tunnels are defensive fortifications, and the need for them arose due to Israel's ongoing threats and the enemy's declaration of its intent to set Lebanon back 20 years.' He added: 'Since the Lebanese army's deployment [in the south of the country] after the July aggression, and in the eight years I monitored the situation, not one tunnel was excavated at the border. The region is under the oversight of UNIFIL and the Lebanese army, and the [Israeli] enemy is conducting espionage activity and monitoring he same region. It is impossible for anyone to excavate in an area under such tight surveillance. UNIFIL is [even] preventing [Lebanese] fishermen from accessing certain spots, which means that it is capable of exposing excavation works at the border." "Lebanon can benefit from these circumstances, and can defend its position to the UN if Israel provides [the tunnels'] coordinates, which Lebanon has requested via UNIFIL. It can also show that the tunnels are old, are not being used from Lebanon, and do not constitute a violation of Resolution 1701 as the occupation army claims."

Where wealthiest are moving in US

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The widest wealth gap since records began in the ‘60s has fueled the growth of U.S. neighborhoods where households earn $200,000 and above — the top tier of the Census Bureau’s community survey. Together with calculations by Webster Pacific, Bloomberg has identified the fastest-growing 100 of these wealthiest communities. Some of the findings:

1- No. 1 is around , the Chicago area “the area’s concentration of $200,000-plus households has skyrocketed from zero to 39%,” per Bloomberg.

2- The Washington, D.C., commuter area holds four of the top 10 high-earner neighborhoods.

3- The New York metropolitan area took Nos. 9 and 10.

Lebanese and Israeli soldiers in altercation over border fence

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Lebanon's army announced on Monday a state of high alert after Lebanese soldiers were involved in an altercation with Israelis soldiers, preventing them from unrolling a barbed wire fence in the south of Lebanon, Lebanese media reported. A video distributed of the incident showed Lebanese and Israeli soldiers holding rifles and standing a couple of metres apart as they argue where the barbed wire is to be unrolled near the Lebanese village of Meiss Ej Jabal. Members of the UN peacekeeping forces, known as UNIFIL, were present and intervened to separate the two sides. A Lebanese officer appears in the video telling the UNIFIL forces to move the barbed the wire "behind the [olive] tree". The Lebanese soldiers refused to allow the Israeli soldiers to erect the fence without the expertise and presence of the Lebanese army's geography unit. Israeli soldiers ended up moving the fence behind the international blue line – the frontier since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 – to the Israeli side, Haaretz reported.

Catriona Gray Miss Philippines crowned Miss Universe 2018 - 2019

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The runner-up was Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green. The second runner-up was Miss Venezuela Isabella Rodríguez. Gray was officially crowned the Miss Universe title by last year's winner, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, at the end of Sunday's broadcast. The top-5 also included Miss Vietnam Tran Tieu Vy and Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega. Gray was chosen over a record-setting 94 contenders -- surpassing the previous record of 92 contestants set in 2017 -- which was narrowed down to three finalists on Sunday.Gray began participating in pageants at the age of 5, when she won the Little Miss Philippines beauty pageant, ABS-CBN News reported. The 24-year old was born in Queensland, Australia to an Australian father and Filipino mother. Gray moved to the Philippines at the age of 18 and used money earned from her modeling career to buy her plane ticket, according to the ABS-CBN.

by news.abs-cbn.com -- Joel Guinto, BANGKOK -- Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe here Monday, capping a two-year long journey from her heartbreaking loss at Miss World to her rise as visionary beauty queen and social media star. The 24-year-old Filipino-Australian won the Philippines' fourth Miss Universe crown, pulling all the stops from a giant lantern strapped to her back, a slow-motion twirl in a hot pink bikini, and a long gown in flame hues that symbolized a mythical Filipino bird. Fans screamed at the IMPACT Arena here as outgoing Miss Universe Demi Leigh Nel Peters from South Africa crowned her successor. Pia Wurtzbach last won the Miss Universe crown for the Philippines in 2015 and the succeeding edition was hosted in Manila. Tamaryn Green of South Africa was first runner-up followed by Miss Venezuela.

During the final question, Gray was asked "What is the most important lesson you've learned in your life and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?" She replied: "I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila and the life there is... it's poor and very sad. And I've always taught myself to look for the beauty of it, to look for beauty in the faces of the children and to be grateful. And I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe, to see situations with a silver lining, and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. If I could teach also people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces. Thank you."

FROM THE WORLD TO THE UNIVERSE

Only 2 years ago, Gray was widely tipped to win the Miss World crown, a campaign that ended in defeat to Puerto Rico's Stephanie del Valle. A photo of Gray weeping, clutching the Philippine flag close to her chest, made the rounds on social media platforms. Miss World Philippines head Cory Quirino stepped down after Gray's defeat and the Philippines struggled to make the winner's circle of the London-based pageant since then. Gray reemerged in January for the Binibining Pilipinas screenings, trading the high bun for long curls and the baby pink dress for a short red dress. In an Instagram post at that time, Gray said much of her transformation happened away from the public eye. The self-described "stubborn" and "visionary" beauty enlisted the help of a new team and went outside her old mentors' circle, which was largely behind the Philippines' hot streak at Miss Universe since Venus Ray broke the 10-year semifinals drought and finished in the top 5 in 2010. The Philippines has made at least Top 10 at Miss Universe since Raj's breakthrough performance in Las Vegas. This year, the country's Miss International bet, Ahtisa Manalo placed first runner while Celeste Cortesi finished top 8 in Miss Earth.

FOR THE PHILIPPINES Gray has 1 million followers on Instagram and her photo on the Miss Universe Facebook page was liked or loved by over 600,000 users, the most for any candidate. She made ear cuffs a conversation piece when she wore a gold and diamond "three stars and the sun" on her right ear during her Miss Universe-Philippines crowning. From there, her every move was rife with nationalist symbolism. Her national costume, while difficult to walk in, paid homage to the Philippines' 3 main islands. A government body praised Gray for highlighting Filipino civilization before the Spanish occupation with her 'pintados' body suit. Her fire orange and yellow gown stood out from a sea of sheer and gold tones, symbolizing both the Ibong Adarna, which can cure with song, and the rising phoenix from which the Miss Universe crown by Japanese jeweler Mikimoto was patterned after.