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Renowned Italian architect to design historical museum in Beirut

A well-known Italian architect will design a new historical museum in downtown Beirut, according to Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Architect Renzo Piano will begin working on the museum, which will cover about 12,000 square-meters, or 130,000 square-feet, reports CLADnews, a speciality architecture news outlet.

Piano has designed a seven-story glass building that will stretch from Martyrs Square to the coastline. He is best known for being part of world-famous designs such as the New York Times building, Kansai International Airport and Aurora Place in Sydney.

The project is funded by the the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development, and will work in collaboration with the Beirut Municipality, Solidere and the Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction, Hariri added.

The museum is expected to include archaeological artifacts discovered by United Nations excavations conducted between 1993 and 1997. It will feature artifacts that have passed through Beirut since the Bronze Age, Canaanite, Ottoman and Modern times, a development news outlet reports.

“As we build a modern city, we are keen to preserve the heritage, because preserving identity and history is a solid foundation for building the future,” Hariri added.

Hariri believes the museum is scheduled to take three years to build.

To learn more about the plans, click here.

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 News

Lebanese expat voter turnout reaches 59 percent, government says

The turnout rate for Lebanese expats who voted Sunday in the Lebanese parliamentary elections reached 59 percent, according to Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

In a Monday news conference, Bassil said the turnout was high and reflected the “enthusiasm and interest of the Lebanese community abroad.”

According to the state-run National News Agency, the total cost of the electoral process reached about $1.5 million. Elections were held in 39 countries.

“Elections were held under the administrative supervision of the Ministry of Interior; there was a lot of cooperation between the Foreign and Interior ministries,” Bassil said. “I think there has never been such a remarkable vote in Lebanon’s history, with such transparency.”

He announced the following voter turnout rates abroad:

  • 58% in Austrailia
  • 59.5% in Europe
  • 68% in Africa
  • 45% in Latin America
  • 55% in the United States
  • 69% in Arab countries.

Voting inside Lebanon will be held next Sunday.

READ MORE: Lebanese Americans vote in parliamentary elections

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 City Beat, News

Lebanese Americans vote in parliamentary elections

Lebanese Americans began voting Sunday in the first parliamentary elections held by Lebanon in nine years. The historic occasion marks the first time Lebanese citizens are allowed to vote abroad.

Sunday’s vote in 33 countries comes two days after Lebanese expatriates voted in six Arab countries.

According to the state-run Lebanese National News Agency, 82,970 Lebanese expatriates are registered to vote around the world. Australia has the largest number of registered voters with 11,826.

Canada has 11,438, followed by the United States with about 10,000, the news agency added.

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Metro Detroit, home to one of the largest populations of Lebanese Americans in the U.S., established three polling locations in Michigan for expatriates to vote. Registration was required in advance, officials said.

The Detroit Consulate, which handles consular duties for 13 other states, also established one polling location in Ohio, one location in Minnesota and one in Illinois.

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Voting inside Lebanon will be held next Sunday.

According to the Consulate, Lebanese citizens eligible to vote need to bring a Lebanese ID, a valid Lebanese passport or a recently renewed or issued temporary passport.

In South America, thousands of Lebanese citizens are also expected to cast their ballots Sunday. Leila Smidi, a mother of four living in Brazil, said she feels closer to her native land after voting.

“Today’s voting is very important because for the first time we will have a voice in Lebanese affairs,” Smidi, who has lived in Brazil for 11 years, told the Associated Press.

Lebanon’s current legislature has extended its own term several times, citing security threats in Syria.

WATCH: How Lebanese Expatriates Vote:

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 Entertainment

VIDEO: Lebanese voters enjoy hookah outside of Michigan polling station

Some Lebanese American voters are turning election day into a ‘Sunday Fun-day!’

The What’s Up digital media network spotted a group of guys smoking hookah outside a polling station Sunday in Dearborn.

WATCH HERE:

Thousands of Lebanese Americans are expected to cast their ballots in the Lebanese parliamentary elections. This is the first time Lebanese citizens are allowed to vote abroad.

About 10,000 Lebanese citizens are registered to vote in the United States, officials said.

READ MORE: Lebanese Americans vote in parliamentary elections.

To see more videos from the What’s Up team, visit their Facebook page.

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 News

Political ads on a Lebanese talk show can cost up to $240,000!

As Lebanon gears up for its first parliamentary elections in 9 years, candidates are spending big money on their last-minute push to garner recognition and get people out to vote.

According to the AFP news agency, advertising on a single Lebanese talk show episode can cost up to $240,000. This includes a full episode where a candidate can present their plans and ideas.

An on-air interview can cost about $6,000 per minute, the AFP added.

Laury Haytayan, a parliamentary candidate in the Beirut I district, believes the high-cost of advertising gives political power-players an unfair advantage.

“The people who can pay $200,000 for advertising are those who are already in power,” Haytayan said. “The traditional parties remain control.”

See also: Historic number of female candidates running in the Lebanese election.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, the parliamentary elections are already showing historic numbers. This will be the first time Lebanese citizens abroad will be eligible to vote.

The state-run agency said the number of registered voters is 82,970, with 12,609 living in the Middle East.

To see more on the AFP report on political advertising in Lebanon, click here.

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 News

Record number of women running in Lebanese parliamentary elections

A total of 111 women are running for office in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, according to the state-run Lebanese National News Agency. This is up from 12 from the last time nationwide elections were held back in 2009.

There are 976 total candidates running for 128 parliamentary seats.

Among the 111 female candidates are high-profile journalist Paula Yaacoubian, activist Nayla Geagea and lawyer Nadine Moussa.

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Many of the Lebanon’s youth hope that more female candidates and elected officials can ignite change in the Lebanese political system. Only three percent of Lebanon’s parliament is made up of women, NNA added.

The election is set for May 6, but early voting is already happening around the world. Lebanese citizens living in the Middle East, United States, Australia and Europe are scheduled to vote from April 27 to April 29.

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 Food & Drink

Lebanese winemaker produces pioneering blue wine

A Lebanese winemaker has started the production of a unique blue-colored wine, made from a water-soluble pigment in the mountains of Lebanon.

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Piter Abi Unes owns Chateau Wadih in the Byblos mountains, about 1,300 meters above sea level. He makes the blue wine from a substance called anthocyanin, which is a compound that gives black grapes their dark color.

“If you add (anthocyanin) to the wine from white grapes, you get a blue wine,” Unes told Sputnik News in a April 24 interview. “I make dry blue and dessert wine. So you can choose according to your taste.”

blue wine 5

The wine is sold online for $16, and can be shipped to some parts of the world. The website describes the drink as an “eletric blue color wine, made by adding pigments to a white wine with the blue component of the grapes skin – a must try wine.”

Unes told Sputnik he is slated to start ramping up production this summer, and ship his first batch to Italy.

blue wine 1

He also plans to launch a non-alcoholic beer produced from apples.

To view more on Chateau Wadih, visit their Facebook page.

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 News

Trump: U.S. is proud of ‘close ties’ with Lebanese people

President Donald Trump praised countries who pledged to help Lebanon, and expressed ‘close ties’ between the U.S. and Lebanese people, according to a White House statement.

The statement was issued on the heels of the CEDRE conference in Paris, held earlier in April to support Lebanon’s development and reform efforts.

“I commend the government of Lebanon’s progress, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri, to address these pressing challenges,” the White House said in a statement. “The United States is proud of our close ties with the Lebanese people, and stands in support of Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen its legitimate state institutions.”

International donors pledged $11 billion in loans and grants to support Lebanon’s economy, officials said. Trump said he believes Lebanon has hope for a better future.

“Lebanon is a country facing countless challenges, including an unprecedented influx of refugees and the corrosive influence of Iran and Hezbollah,” the statement added. “But as we can see from the success of this conference, Lebanon is also a country with many friends and enormous potential.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT:

I send my greetings to those who participated in the April 6 “CEDRE” Investment Conference on Lebanon and the Lebanese people. Lebanon is a country facing countless challenges, including an unprecedented influx of refugees and the corrosive influence of Iran and Hizballah. But as we can see from the success of this conference, Lebanon is also a country with many friends and enormous potential.

I commend the government of Lebanon’s progress, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri, to address these pressing challenges. Lebanon has now passed a budget in two consecutive years, increased Lebanese Armed Forces deployments in the south, and defeated ISIS in Lebanon. And, it will soon hold historic parliamentary elections. These are all steps toward improved governance and a more secure Lebanon.

I also welcome and support Lebanon’s plans to strengthen its economy through its Capital Investment Plan and its commitment to implement necessary reforms, including combatting corruption, increasing transparency, and improving accountability and fiscal management. Undoubtedly, Lebanon’s ambitious set of infrastructure projects presents great opportunities to strengthen Lebanon’s economy and enhance economic prospects for the whole country. American companies will look forward to the new opportunities that the Capital Investment Plan will offer in Lebanon.

The United States is proud of our close ties with the Lebanese people, and stands in support of Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen its legitimate state institutions and develop an open, free economy that serves all Lebanese.

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 News

Lebanese Red Cross member killed by gunmen in Yemen

A Lebanese Red Cross worker was shot and killed by unknown gunmen on April 21 while working in Sana’a, Yemen.

Hanna Lahoud, 37, was in charge of the Red Cross detention program in Yemen. Officials said he was on his way to a prison when armed assailants attacked his vehicle.

He was transported the hospital, where he died of his injuries.

In a news release, the International Committee of the Red Cross said, “We condemn this brutal and apparently deliberate attack on a dedicated humanitarian worker.”

The ICRC is a humanitarian institution based in Geneva that was founded in 1863.

“We are all in shock. Hanna was a young man full of life and was widely known and liked,” said Robert Madini, the Red Cross Middle East director. “Nothing can justify Hanna’s murder and we are in deep mourning for our dear friend and colleague. Our hearts and thoughts are with Hanna’s loved ones and friends.”

The Red Cross has been delivering aid to Yemen since the start of the country’s civil war in 2015.

To read the full ICRC statement on the incident click here.

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 Entertainment

Audiences are not digging ‘Beirut’ movie, reviews show

Audiences don’t seem to be digging the new movie ‘Beirut,’ which hit the silver screen on April 11. The film has a rotten 56% score on movie review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Several movie buffs have complained the plot follows a stereotypical action sequence. One user wrote, “Pretty generic [movie], but at least Jon Hamm is easy on the eyes.”

The film follows the story of a former American diplomat who returns to service in Beirut in order to save a colleague from a group responsible for the death of his family.

John Hamm, Rosamund Pike, Dean Norris and Shea Whigham all star in the espionage thriller film.

Social media users have complained the film dehumanizes Arabs and Muslims and ignores the political complexities of the Lebanese Civil War.

In a New York Times article, culture reporter Sopan Deb called the film offensive and dehumanizing. He says there are no Lebanese actors featured in the film, and cites the hashtag #BoycottBeirutMovie as evidence of the trailer’s reception in Lebanon.

Critics also say the film wasn’t shot in Lebanon, and has no Lebanese actors, directors, or cast members.

Daniel Schindel of The Film Stage writes, “Beirut has zero character as a setting, reduced to a generic backdrop of rubble and sand.”

The movie was released on April 11, 2018 and is currently playing in theaters in the U.S. and around the world.

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