Beirut is shaking off its war- torn past to recreate itself, writes Emma Levine. Beirut drivers have a dreadful reputation, even in the context of the Middle East. For every screech of wheels taking a corner too fast, there are a dozen cases of reckless lane swapping. Crossing the road is a visitor’s main challenge.

I am introduced to highway code, Lebanon-style, while squeezed in the back of a taxi with two large women. From the chic designer-boutique area of Verdun, we weave a few kilometers northeast along the Corniche, the Mediterranean promenade, to the central district known as downtown. The ride is a medley of contrasting sights: half-destroyed buildings, their walls peppered with huge bullet holes struggle to stay up; adjacent are their pristine neighbors, the sheen of newly built high-rise towers. Scattered around the area are numerous cranes and building sites. Palm trees fringe the roads in between.

Beirut as a holiday resort might not sound so appealing but this once- popular destination is desperately trying to shake off its war-battered image. A huge rebuilding project, one of the world’s largest, has been transforming the city center, but officials and locals don’t want tourists to have to wait the 20 years it’s likely to complete. The mood is buoyant, hefty investment by wealthy Lebanese expatriates indicates optimism for the future and the number of new hotels, shopping and dining areas is increasing. Beirut is definitely making a welcome return to the tourist map.

Despite deep economic and political crises, Lebanon is facing an unprecedented property boom, spurred by the appetite of developers, expatriates and Gulf Arabs.The boom started last year despite dramatic events that shook the country, and which turned on the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri, with property prices soaring an average of 50 per cent.

Beirut has witnessed a major face-lift with the new construction boom, mostly in the once war-ravaged downtown area being rebuilt by the private company Solidere, which runs properties valued at about $5 billion.Brand new residential high-rises financed by Lebanese and Gulf investors now tower over the marina near the seafront road where Hariri was killed in a massive car bombing in February 2005.

"Very often, when the first picks strike the ground at the construction sites, between 75 and 80pc of these projects are already sold to rich Lebanese or Arab nationals," Raja Makarem, manager of Ramco realty, said.Victor Najarian, director general of CARE realty, said "we are managing about 15 projects worth a total value of $1 billion and we hope to double that amount within a year."

by Henri Bou-Saab in Beirut for scoop.co.nz,  It is coming up to mid-summer in Lebanon. The coastal cities of Tripoli, Beirut and Sidon are very hot during the daytime and everyone looks forward to the evenings to enjoy social gatherings and their families without the pressure of the heat. For those interested in the development of our democracy and building a stronger society, there is plenty to talk about around the dinner table in the evening breeze.

One is what to do next about our antiquated electoral law. No one can say that citizens have been short-changed in their choice of candidates and political parties in the 79 years since our first parliamentary elections, back in 1927.One is what to do next about our antiquated electoral law. No one can say that citizens have been short-changed in their choice of candidates and political parties in the 79 years since our first parliamentary elections, back in 1927.

We have the oldest secret ballot parliamentary system in the Middle East and one of the common jokes here is that there are 130 parties in the 128-member parliament. Unlike the State of Israel, which forbids most of its people who are Moslem or Christian from voting or even living in their own country and instead leaves them stranded in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, the Republic of Lebanon