All the Beirut news.

This greets visitors at the approach to Tripoli, which only seems to make it in the news when there is street fighting. (El Mina is the town's port area.) 
Maybe the sign was intended for journalists. 

This banner draped over St. George Hotel must be pissing Solidere off so much. They now threaten legal actions against media people who publish photos showing “Stop Solidere” in them when covering some event at Zaitunay Bay!

As I previously wrote, MOT is implementing a new project that will put an end to illegally imported devices in Lebanon which will be officially starting on June 1st.Today, I have received a message from MOT stating the following:Dear subscriber, in case you own a mobile device that has not been used since 1/1/2011, insert your sim and turn the device on before 1/6/2013 so that you would be able to use it after this date. for more information call 111.

Looks like Hamra is soon getting a new cinema, “Prime on Bliss”, facing AUB in Bliss street. The website and Facebook page have no further details such as the numbers of screens that will be available, except that they’re opening this month.

A fight broke out today following the game between Nejmeh and Akhaa Aley in Bhamdoun. I’m talking a wild guess that politics must have something to do with it!

In addition to the possible Roman gate and road revealed in a previous post, the Landmark site dig (which could be replaced by a 5 star Jean Nouvel hotel) seems to be full of treasures.

Among them are what some archeologists believe could be the remnants of a 4th-5th century Byzantine  Basilica.

In the early 1960s, during the Cold War, and way before you could just type into a search engine “build rocket at home + launch into space,” a group of Lebanese university students started their own space program. This completely forgotten episode in Lebanese history is advocated with talent in the documentary “The Lebanese Rocket Society.” More about the Lebanese rocket.

Some civil society groups are up in arms over the government's failure to recognize what many deem to be legitimate victories of independent candidates.

Groups such as the Civil Campaign for Election Reform and Take Back Parliament held a sit-in in front of the Prime Minister's offices today in protest.

Plus consensuel que moi tu meurs

Hahah Loulou mish midtarra!!

via @TrellaLB

قال بابا روما فرنسيس البارحة ان “المشكلة ليست بأننا خطأة، وليست بأننا لا نتوب، بل بأننا لا نخجل بما فعلناه”. وأضاف صحيح ان المسيح سلّم قطيعه الى بطرس، الخاطئ السابق، ولكنه لم يسلمه الى فاسد. أما كيف سلمنا نحن مستقبلنا الوطني الى خاطئ وفاسد وبلا خجل فذلك أحجية شيطانية تحتاج الى تدخل الهي، وقريبا جدا. للمزيد هنا.

This is a panoramic shot of a dig that has been going on for several years in Riad Al Solh square in the heart of downtown Beirut. (Not to be confused with the Martyr's Square DistrictS site, where I was assaulted a few days ago and which is already gone)

It would be cool to see more people jumping from taller buildings!
via Blog Baladi

Recently the Phalangist MP Sami Gemayel has proposed to “amend the preamble of the constitution to stipulate Lebanon’s neutrality towards regional conflicts”.