Six Noteworthy Stories You Might Have Missed in Lebanon This Week

In case you missed it, we’re taking a look at six noteworthy news topics that went down in Lebanon this past week.

1. General Security Rebuffs Report, Says Lebanon’s Passport “Among Best” in World

(Photo via the Daily Star)

A widely shared Henley and Partners’ report released this week placed Lebanon at spot number 88 – tied with Kosovo, Sri Lanka and Sudan – when it comes to its citizens’ ability to travel freely around the world. General Security on Thursday released a statement saying the report was mistranslated and that actually this country’s passport “is among the best in the world.”

2. Lebanon Makes List of “World’s Most Dangerous Food Destinations.”

(Photo via USA today).

Lebanon is the fifth most dangerous food destination in the world, according to an article in USA Today. While the article compliments the Lebanese for their falafel and shawarma, it says the US State Department advises travelers not to visit the country, as the risk of “spontaneous upsurge in violence remains.”

3. Roula Yaacoub’s Body Exhumed following Repeated Claims of Domestic Violence

(Photo via Facebook)

According to Naharnet, authorities on Sunday exhumed the body of 33-year-old Roula Yaacoub for further investigation into the woman’s death. Yaacoub was allegedly beaten to death by her husband, Karam Bazi, on July 7. He remains in legal custody of the couple’s five children, who range in age from 10 months to 12-years-old.

4. Judge Assaulted at Army Checkpoint.

(Photo via the Daily Star)

According to the Daily Star newspaper, by order of a military court, three soldiers were questioned this week over the alleged beating of Judge Bilal Badr at an army checkpoint in Chiyah. Badr refused to pull over, telling the soldiers “I’m a judge.” After failing to provide proof of license for either his tinted car windows or the alleged firearm he was carrying, the soldiers locked Badr in an armored vehicle after physically assaulting him, the paper stated.

5. Policeman Arrested for Smuggling Chemical-Filled Sandwiches into Prison

(Photo via the Daily Star)

A Lebanese police officer working in Roumieh Prison was was arrested Thursday for trying to smuggle sandwiches filled with a chemical substance to a Fatah al-Islam prisoner in the detention center. The substance, calcium carbide, can be used to make explosives.

6. Twenty Six Lebanese Killed in Indonesia Boat Accident en Route to Australia


A boat carrying 80 immigrants, including approximately 68 Lebanese seeking to illegally enter Australia sank off the coast of Indonesia. The circumstances of the incident remain unclear. Residents of Tripoli (where the majority of the boat passengers were from) blame the accident on the Lebanese government’s inability to provide security, stability and proper living conditions to its people.