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A Lebanese Blog

Tag: world

  • Lebanon Ranks 99th in World Press Freedom Index – 2nd Among Arab Countries

    Reporters without borders issued their yearly World Press Freedom Index and Lebanon came in the 99th place among 180 countries (dropping 1 spot since last year) and in the 2nd place among the Arab countries behind Tunsia.

    Here’s what they had to say about the state of press in Lebanon:

    Lebanon’s media are outspoken but also extremely politicized and polarized. Its newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels serve as the mouthpieces of political parties or businessmen. Lebanon’s criminal code regards defamation and the dissemination of false information as offenses. Journalists who are prosecuted and convicted by a “print media court” are usually fined, but a prison sentence is still legally possible. Bloggers and online journalists may receive summonses from the “bureau for combatting cyber-crimes” if something they have posted on a social network elicits a complaint from a private party.

    Morevoer, below is a list of some Arab countries compared to us:

    97 – Tunisia
    99 – Lebanon
    104 – Kuwait
    119 – UAE
    123 – Qatar
    126 – Oman
    138 – Jordan
    158 – Iraq
    161 – Egypt
    164 – Bahrain
    165 – Iran
    166 – Yemen
    168 – Saudi Arabia
    177 – Syria

    The country with the freest media turned to be Norway, followed by Sweden, Finland and Denmark, while North Korea came at the bottom of the ranking.

  • AUB Chosen Among the Most Beautiful Universities in the World

    american university of beirut

    The Most Beautiful Universities in the World” is a recently released book by photographer Guillaume de Laubier and French literature specialist Jean Serroy. The book features the most beautiful institutions from around the world and the American University of Beirut was unsurprisingly among the 23 chosen ones.

    University of Bologna was ranked first in the book and the list included the Sorbonne in France, Cambridge University in England, Yale University in the United States, Qatar University and several other architecturally significant universities.

    The American University of Beirut was established in 1866 which makes it one of the oldest academic institutions in Lebanon and is definitely one of Beirut’s landmarks. With more than 60 buildings and several libraries spread over an area of 250,000m2, the campus is well known for its extensive green space and for offering the neighbors in Bliss street and the surrounding areas an unimpeded view to the sea thanks to its low rise construction.

  • Beirut ranks 24th most expensive for office space

    Beirut

    According to a report by Cushman and Wakefield, office spaces in Beirut are the 24th most expensive in the world, and the third most expensive in the region behind Dubai and Doha, with the cost of 1 square meter being $694 per year.

    London was ranked the most expensive office space in the world at $2,915 per square meter, followed by Hong Kong and Moscow. On the other hand, our neighbors Limassol and Amman were among the least expensive cities at $246 per square meter.

    For the full ranking you can download the complete report here.

    via The Daily Star

  • Pierre and Friends among the world’s most awesome beach bars

    2_pierre-and-friends-batroun-lebanon

    All women stalk listed Pierre and Friends, which is one of the main attractions in Batroun, as one of the most awesome beach bars in the world.

    You know those times when you just want simplicity, no frills, just great drinks and great company in a great setting? Well, then it’s time for Pierre and Friends, one of the most unassuming beach bars in the world. It’s not flashy and it doesn’t rock with the latest tunes, nor do the beautiful and good gather here. But Pierre and Friends occupies a darling little strip of pebbly beach between Byblos and Batroun (closer to Batroun than Byblos). There’s no pretension here, so grab your favorite tipple and settle down to enjoy the company and the endless views of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

    You can check the full list here.

    via @LeSoupi

  • Haifa Wehbi among the top 30 worlds most beautiful women of 2013

    Haifa Wehbi

    When Rina Chibani fails to get us the Miss Universe title, leave it to Haifa Wehbi to put us again under the spotlights. She made it to the top 30 worlds most beautiful women of 2013 on Hollywood Buzz.

  • Beirut and plastic surgeries

    Marie Claire published yesterday yet another article on Lebanese women obsession with their look and how Beirut is becoming the new plastic surgery capital of the world…

    It’s not surprising anymore to see foreign magazines writing about this subject, but what really caught my attention is a comment made by Mr. Maher Mezher (Head of marketing at FNB, the bank that offers plastic surgery loans) on the matter:

    Maher Mezher of First National Bank says: ‘You cannot find a job in Lebanon if you are not good-looking. People will reject you socially.’

    Seriously?!

  • Happy New Year!

    That’s how the new year’s eve looked like in downtown Beirut, if you’re curious about the rest of the world you can check this nice collection here.

    Wishing you all the best of life in 2012!

  • Yet another Guinness world record: Longest bar in Jounieh

    This madness doesn’t seem like ending anytime soon, now we’re all set to break the Guinness record for the world’s longest bar. The event is happening on the 31st of August in Jounieh’s Old Souk, and tickets will be sold for 30$ including 2 drinks in all Jounieh pubs starting Thursday.

    Check here for more details.