person:marwan bou haidar

On this land, there’s what’s worth crying over
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/land-theres-whats-worth-crying-over

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Lebanon’s Ain al-Hilweh #Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of the southern city of #Saida. Al-Akhbar/Marwan Bou Haidar #Lebanon's Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of the southern city of Saida. Al-Akhbar/Marwan Bou Haidar

As you return home, to your home, think of others Do not forget those who live in tents As you sleep and count the stars, think of others Those who have nowhere to sleep Think of Others – Mahmoud Darwish

May Khatib

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#Culture_&_Society #Ain_al-Hilweh_camp #Articles #Civis_Mundy #European_Union #Fatah #Palestine #UNRWA #Yasser_Arafat

#Lebanon’s failed state: What if it had been a high magnitude #earthquake?
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon%E2%80%99s-failed-state-what-if-it-had-been-high-magnitude

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4cols/leading_images/ABOU-HAIDAR.jpg

Members of the #National_Center_for_Geophysical_Research carry out tests with the limited equipment they have. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Members of the National Center for Geophysical Research carry out tests with the limited equipment they have. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

Lebanese government efforts to protect us from earthquakes are as fast as tectonic plates, which move from zero to 100 millimeters per year. Government performance, however, scores closer to zero, which could lead to terrible destruction.

Bassam Alkantar

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#Culture_&_Society #Articles #Charles_Achi #Chouf #Deir_al-Qamar #Edgar_Choueiri #Iqlim_al-Kharroub #Iqlim_al-Tuffah #Mount_Lebanon #NASA #Saida #United_Nations_Development_Programs #US_Geological_Survey

#Lebanon: Assir’s ghost hangs over the scene of the #Tayouneh bombing
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-assirs-ghost-hangs-over-scene-tayouneh-bombing

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4cols/leading_images/95206706380023.jpg

Lebanese security forces cordon off the site of a car bomb at the army checkpoint in the Tayouneh area of Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Lebanese security forces cordon off the site of a car bomb at the army checkpoint in the Tayouneh area of Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

Salafi cleric #Ahmed_al-Assir’s fingerprints have reappeared and the link between the #Abdullah_Azzam_Brigades and the fugitive sheikh’s group grows stronger day after day. Awaiting to determine the identity of the suicide bomber, investigators were able to identify the route used by the car in the bombing, its owner’s identity, and its possible targets.

Radwan Mortada

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#Al-Nusra_Front #al-Qaeda #Articles #Chiyah #Hezbollah #Iran #ISIS #Lebanon #syria

Life in #Sabra
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/photoblogs/life-sabra

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Here is Sabra, where both Lebanese and Palestinians live. Here is where the brutal massacre of Palestinians by Lebanese militias took place in 1982, a stain on Lebanese history. But life here continues and the days go by slowly. Through his photos, Marwan Bou Haidar captures daily life here. In Sabra’s markets you can find find anything, from perfume to clothes to watches. In this area where the state is absent, God alone takes care of the inhabitants.

(Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) (...)

#Lebanon #Palestine

Orchestrated arrests in Tripoli: Rifi’s “children" held by the army
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/orchestrated-arrests-tripoli-rifis-children-held-army

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One of Tripoli’s battle scarred neighborhoods. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) One of Tripoli’s battle scarred neighborhoods. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

All of a sudden, frontline commanders in Tripoli began to fall. One by one, they surrendered to the army intelligence. The deal, conducted in stages, was announced in a theatrical manner. But will they be released soon and will the blood of their victims have been shed in vain? read more

#Lebanon #Amid_Hammoud #Articles #Ashraf_Rifi #Bab_al-Tabbaneh #Future_Movement #Tripoli_clashes

Is Rai’s visit to occupied #Palestine a political coup?
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/rai%E2%80%99s-visit-occupied-palestine-political-coup

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Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, second from the right. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, second from the right. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

We watched the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Beshara Boutros al-Rai, with joyful hearts as he rebuilt the image of the #maronite_church in the Arab East, appealing to the Christians first. Those who are not aware should realize that the image of this Lebanese church - with all due reverence and respect - is confusing for the rest of the east.

Nahed Hattar

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#Opinion #Arab_Christians #Articles #Israel #jerusalem #Lebanese_Forces #Lebanon #Maaloula #Michel_Suleiman #Orthodox_Church #phalange #syria

Corruption at the American University of Beirut: Irregularities and anomalies, Part I
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/corruption-american-university-beirut-irregularities-and-anomalie

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4cols/leading_images/bou-haidar.jpg

A student walks past posters calling on #AUB students to occupy College Hall as part of ongoing protests against proposed tuition hikes. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) A student walks past posters calling on AUB students to occupy College Hall as part of ongoing protests against proposed tuition hikes. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

Protests by American University of Beirut (AUB) students this year did not target only tuition fee hikes, but also voiced demands related to transparency, participation in running the university, and tackling corruption. Al-Akhbar is publishing a two-part report summarizing the contents of documents and reports that AUB students were able to obtain, backing their claim about rampant misappropriation (...)

#Economy #Adnan_Tahir #AUBMC #Features #Lebanon #Mohammed_Sayegh #Nabil_Shartouni

Lebanese pensions: Save them, don’t tax them
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanese-pensions-save-them-don%E2%80%99t-tax-them

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Teachers protest for higher wages in front of the Ministry of Education as part of the ongoing protests for higher wages for public sector employees. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Teachers protest for higher wages in front of the Ministry of Education as part of the ongoing protests for higher wages for public sector employees. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

The #pension_system is in danger. This is the sentiment prevailing among retirees in #Lebanon, with reports that the government intends to amend the system and tax pensions. On Friday, retirees will hold a meeting to coordinate their next steps, but they have yet to come up with a strategy to resist the government’s plans.

Faten Elhajj (...)

#Economy #Articles #Fouad_Siniora #Najib_Mikati #wage_scale

A genuine uprising to remedy the #Future_Movement’s woes
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/genuine-uprising-remedy-future-movement%E2%80%99s-woes

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Supporters of the Future Movement wave the party’s blue flags at a rally in downtown Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Supporters of the Future Movement wave the party’s blue flags at a rally in downtown Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

It is now our duty to reveal the discussions happening behind closed doors. To put matters simply, a few weeks ago, former Prime Minister #Saad_Hariri realized that he was obliged to engage in a course of action planned by the Saudis under US pressure, a plan Europe was compelled to implement gradually. Hariri’s new course of action is related to the position of takfiri Islamist organizations active in #syria, #Lebanon, and the Arab region. Hariri informed most of his aides that there is (...)

#Opinion #Articles #Ashraf_Rifi #Dar_al-Fatwa #Hezbollah #Saudi_Arabia

#Lebanon: #LGBT ruling only the first step
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-lgbt-ruling-only-first-step

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A man holds a sign saying “So what, I’m proud,” during a gay rights protest in Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) A man holds a sign saying “So what, I’m proud,” during a gay rights protest in Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

The recent acquittal of a transgender woman by a Lebanese court has been hailed by gay rights activists as a historic ruling, but only marks the beginning of a long process towards eradicating homophobic legislation in the country.

Chloé Benoist

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#Culture_&_Society #Articles #Georges_Azzi #Naji_al-Dahdah #Nizar_Saghieh

#Lebanon: #LGBT ruling only first step of the battle
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-lgbt-ruling-only-first-step-battle

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A man holds a sign saying “So what, I’m proud,” during a gay rights protest in Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) A man holds a sign saying “So what, I’m proud,” during a gay rights protest in Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

The recent acquittal of a transgender woman by a Lebanese court has been hailed by gay rights activists as a historic ruling, but only marks the beginning of a long process towards eradicating homophobic legislation in the country.

Chloé Benoist

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#Culture_&_Society #Articles #Georges_Azzi #Naji_al-Dahdah #Nizar_Saghieh

#Ashraf_Rifi takes on Al-Akhbar
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/ashraf-rifi-takes-al-akhbar

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Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi (R). (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi (R). (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

An opinion piece published by Al-Akhbar’s editor-in-chief #Ibrahim_al-Amin Monday chastising #Lebanon's president for standing against Hezbollah has triggered a row with Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi.

Dania Hawat Rana Harbi

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#Articles #Court_of_Publications #Lebanon #Michel_Sleiman

#Lebanon : #AUB students protest tuition increase
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-aub-students-protest-tuition-increase

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4cols/leading_images/3177275059099004.jpg

AUB students protest against another proposed tuition increase. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) AUB students protest against another proposed tuition increase. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

“One University, One Word, One Hand,” was a slogan that summed up the student’s first action against the administration at the American University of #Beirut (AUB), in a show of unity that has not happened since 1994. Hundreds of students rallied outside College Hall across from the AUB main gate carrying signs and placards calling on the university administration to immediately repeal the decision to raise tuition by six percent before next Saturday, and threatening to escalate their actions if they do not heed their demands. (...)

#Culture_&_Society #Articles #student_protest

Barricades Are Back in Beirut
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/photoblogs/barricades-are-back-beirut

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/6cols/photoblogs/GI7B4276_0.jpg

Barricades have returned to Beirut, popping up especially in the southern suburbs. Al-Akhbar’s Marwan Bou Haidar snaped up shots of this resurfacing phenomenon, with heavy bags of sand elegantly aligned together. The scenes are reminiscent of a time decades ago when Lebanese were in the midst of a civil war. Today, however, the fear is different. Death looms along the streets, its cold grasp reaching those hidden within their shops.

(Photo: Marwan Bou Haydar). (Photo: Marwan Bou Haydar). (Photo: Marwan Bou Haydar). (Photo: Marwan Bou Haydar). (Photo: Marwan (...)

#Lebanon: Trash Piles Up as Eco-Activists Fight Toxic Landfill
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-trash-piles-eco-activists-fight-toxic-landfill

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A woman walks past a large pile of garbage bags in Beirut’s southern suburbs on January 19, 2014. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

Protesters gathered to demand the closure of a poorly-managed waste treatment facility for the third day in a row on Sunday, as trash continued to pile up in the streets of the Lebanese capital. Residents of the towns of Naameh and Ain Drafill blocked the road leading to the landfill used to dispose trash from Beirut and Mount Lebanon, as part of a protracted dispute with waste removal company #Averda.

Chloé Benoist

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#sukleen #Top_News

#Lebanon : Patients Hostage to Medicine Merchants
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-patients-hostage-medicine-merchants

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The #Lebanese_Health_Ministry also prohibits free offers on medications, though it is not strict in its enforcement. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) The Lebanese Health Ministry also prohibits free offers on medications, though it is not strict in its enforcement. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

A pharmacist’s job is to sell goods, like any other merchant. The pharmacy is a shop, and patients are customers. (...)

#Economy #Articles

Protests Mount Against #France to Free #Georges_Abdallah
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/protests-mount-against-france-free-georges-abdallah

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Several hundred French solidarity activists held a protest outside Lannemezan Prison where Abdallah is being held, with signs calling for the Lebanese prisoner’s freedom. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) Several hundred French solidarity activists held a protest outside Lannemezan Prison where Abdallah is being held, with signs calling for the Lebanese prisoner’s freedom. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

As Lebanese political prisoner (...)

#Lebanon #Articles

Lebanese #resistance Leader: The #Saraya Is Here to Stay
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanese-resistance-leader-saraya-here-stay

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In this context, the party decided to reactivate an old decision, rejecting the membership of any former members of the PNO in the Saraya and welcoming any decision by a Saraya member to switch to the PNO. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) In this context, the party decided to reactivate an old decision, rejecting the membership of any former members of the PNO in the Saraya and welcoming any decision by a Saraya member to switch to the PNO. (Photo: Marwan (...)

#Lebanon #Articles #Hezbollah #Saida

#Lebanon: Thousands of #Syrian_refugees in #Bekaa Face Merciless Winter
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-thousands-syrian-refugees-bekaa-face-merciless-winter

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In the Bekaa, Syrian refugees are living a real tragedy. Most are from Homs, Aleppo, and the Damascus countryside. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar) In the Bekaa, Syrian refugees are living a real tragedy. Most are from Homs, Aleppo, and the Damascus countryside. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)

The crisis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon worsens by the day. Two and a half years after war broke out in Syria, a large number of displaced (...)

#Culture_&_Society #Articles #Ersal #UNHCR