By Ben Gilbert – GlobalPost,

YAMOUNI, Lebanon — Lebanese hashish farmers and dealers have had an easy go of it the past three years, growing the crop freely and in large quantity due to the Lebanese Army’s preoccupation with a war, sectarian violence and assassinations.

However, Lebanon’s security situation has calmed in the past year. As a result, the army has been available to help the lightly armed national police wipe out about six square miles, or an estimated 95 percent, of the Bekaa’s hashish crop. The bust and clear-out operation began in September, according to Gen. Michel Shakkour, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) officer in charge of the eradication.

In the fields between two hills on the backside of Yamouni, a town that sits at an altitude of 5,000 feet on the edge of what was once one of the breadbaskets of the Roman Empire, Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, only the barren fields remain, with a few scrawny hashish plants poking through the dry soil. It seems almost an affront to the history of this place, steeped as it is in hedonistic mythology. Yamouni is, after all, only a few miles from where the Romans chose to erect their temple to Bacchus, the god of wine, on the dry and arid flat land perfectly suited to growing grapes.

President urges judges to ensure institution’s independence
By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
 

By Bill Varner

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) — Lebanon’s election today to the United Nations Security Council for the first time in 57 years stems from its progress toward political stability and brings a moderate Arab voice to the panel, diplomats said.

“It is a symbol that Lebanon has overcome the civil war and is rebuilding its institutions and its presence abroad,” French Ambassador Gerard Araud said. “Lebanon has always been a bridge between the West and East, and I think that will be its role in the Security Council.”

Lebanon will replace Libya, whose leader last month urged that the Security Council be abolished and power shifted to the General Assembly as the representative of Arab nations in the body’s debates. Lebanon was last elected to the 15-nation body, the UN’s principle policy-making body, in 1952.

Issues likely to come before the council include how to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, allegations of war crimes by both sides during Israel’s military offensive against the Islamic group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and concern that weapons are being smuggled to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in violation of Security Council resolutions.

by Duncan Greenberg, Want to become a tech titan or hedge fund tycoon? Up your chances by dropping out of college or going to Harvard and working at Goldman Sachs.

Are billionaires born or made? What are the common attributes among the uber-wealthy? Are there any true secrets of the self-made?

We get these questions a lot, and decided it was time to go beyond the broad answers of smarts, ambition and luck by sorting through our database of wealthy individuals in search of bona fide trends. We analyzed everything from entrepreneurs’ parents’ professions to where they went to school, their track records in the early stages of their careers and other experiences that may have set them on the path to extreme wealth.

Our admittedly unscientific study of the self-made members of the Forbes 400 yielded some interesting results.

First, a significant percentage of them had parents with a high aptitude for math. The ability to crunch numbers is crucial to becoming a billionaire, and mathematical prowess is hereditary. Some of the most common professions among the parents of Forbes 400 members (for whom we could find the information) were engineer, accountant and small-business owner.

BEIRUT — Hassan Nasrallah, head of Lebanon’s opposition movement Hezbollah, and Walid Jumblatt from the Western-backed majority on Saturday urged the formation of a unity government "as soon as possible."

"Both sides agreed on the need to overcome as soon as possible the obstacles hindering the formation of a new government," they said in a joint statement after a rare meeting on Friday night.

The two leaders last met on June 19, their first encounter for three years.

BEIRUT AFP — Lebanese politicians from across the spectrum on Friday welcomed the rapprochement between Damascus and Riyadh but warned it was insufficient to guarantee the formation of a government in Lebanon.

"The Syrian-Saudi summit is not enough," acting Social Affairs Minister Mario Aoun told local radio on Friday.

"What we see around us does not lead to the hope that we will have a government in the near future as the United States still has not given the green light," said Aoun, a member of the opposition.

Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri has tried without success to form a national unity government since June, when his US- and Saudi-backed coalition clinched victory in a general election over a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.

Two Ss, and a W in Beirut
By Sami Moubayed

DAMASCUS – This year, Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, coined a phrase that has apparently entered the Lebanese political dictionary – the influence of "the two Ss", in reference to Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Lebanese politicians have now jokingly altering the phrase to "the two Ss-W" in reference to Washington. Political heavyweights in Beirut, however, are still uncertain how committed United States President Barack Obama is to Lebanon.

Beneath all the supportive rhetoric heard from Washington over the past nine months, they fear that Obama is too concerned with Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan to worry about the tiny Mediterranean country.

Lebanon plays host to the nine-day Francophone Games starting Sunday, an event that it is hoped will improve the country’s image abroad. Some 3,000 athletes from 42 countries will be taking part in six sports disciplines and seven cultural events.

AFP – Lebanon from Sunday plays host to the Francophone Games, a four-yearly event that organisers hope will shine a positive spotlight on a country long rocked by political unrest. Some 3,000 athletes and participants from 42 countries are expected for the September 27-October 6 extravaganza, which will be held under tight security. Mahaman Lawan Seriba, head of the international committee for the games, told AFP that the event will allow Lebanon to gain some long-needed positive international exposure. "The games will allow Lebanon to portray itself for what it is: a peaceful country, a creative country capable of hosting such an event, a country that is diverse and hospitable," Seriba said. The games will kick off with a lavish ceremony attended by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, the secretary general of the Francophonie organisation, Abdou Diouf, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, Prince Albert of Monaco and some 40 ministers from participating countries. World celebrities including Senegalese artist Youssou N’Dour, Lebanese singer Magida el-Roumi, Lebanese-born composer Gabriel Yared and 100 other musicians and dancers will take part in the opening ceremony being held at the capital’s Camille Chamoun sports stadium.

For Pictures of the event please click Read More

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