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Abdulsalam Shalashtein

Five Noteworthy Stories You Might Have Missed This Week (8/30)

You’re busy, we get it. No sweat. Here’s the most noteworthy events you missed in the news this past week.

1. Tripoli Police Raid Fruit Vendor’s Cart


(Images via Facebook)

Vegetable and fruit carts are a regular part of Lebanese street life. Many people prefer waiting for these street vendors to pass by their street to purchase fresh produce rather than visit the supermarket. According to activists who posted the incident to Facebook on Thursday, a patrol in Tripoli made up of two police cars raided a grape wagon, took all the fruits, and left the owner crying. Activists say bystanders who witnessed the aggressive raid pitched in and collected about 100,000 LL for the cart’s owner in lieu of the stolen goods.

2. ISIS Says It Beheaded Lebanese Soldier

(Image via Daily Star)

Images appearing to show the beheading of Lebanese Army soldier Ali Sayyed were circulated on Twitter Thursday evening after being tweeted by Abou Misaab Hafid al-Baghdadi, along with the message: “Now you know who the lions of ISIS are.” Demonstrations broke out in Tripoli a short time later, with protesters expressing rage over the alleged incident.

3. Lebanese Mafia Services for Hire

(Image via MTV)

MTV News reports that a group of “mafia professionals” are putting up Facebook ads offering their services. These services include kidnapping, threatening, and beating people up for money. The ads have since been removed from the social media site, and the numbers originally listed are now out of service.

4. Horsh Beirut Park to Open for Three Hours on Saturday


Nahnoo, the NGO promoting shared public space in Lebanon, has received permission from the municipality to open Horsh Beirut – the capital’s largest park – to the public this Saturday from 6-9 p.m. Organizers are promoting the event as a picnic, but the public may spend time in Horsh however they like, according to Nahnoo director Mohammad Ayoub.

5. Photographer Beaten Up by Elissa’s Bodyguards

(Image via Fanoos)

A photographer that went to greet Lebanese artist Elissa at the Cairo International Airport was beaten up by her bodyguards. The singer’s PR team has not commented on the incident, though some members of the press are demanding an apology. Catch the whole story on Lebanon Debate.