{"id":35420,"date":"2014-08-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/?p=35420"},"modified":"2023-08-14T10:59:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T10:59:34","slug":"seven-noteworthy-stories-you-might-have-missed-in-lebanon-this-week-8-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/35420\/seven-noteworthy-stories-you-might-have-missed-in-lebanon-this-week-8-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Noteworthy Stories You Might Have Missed in Lebanon This Week (8\/23)"},"content":{"rendered":"You’re busy, we get it. No sweat. Here’s a look at the past week’s most noteworthy happenings, so you don’t have to look like a juicebox when you get back to work on Monday.

1. Jumblatt Hosts Top Models<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via The Daily Star<\/a>)

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt took a step back from politics this week to host contestants from the World Next Top Model 2014 competition.

According to The Daily Star<\/a>, the models sipped on Turkish coffee during the visit, which lasted just 30 minutes and ended with a group photo.

2. Activists Tweet #NoToExtension Protest<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via The Daily Star<\/a>)

Activists, in addition to some political figures such as former ministers Nicolas Sehnaoui and Gibran Bassil, started using the hashtag #NoToExtension on Twitter this week to demonstrate against an additional extension of Parliament’s term.

If Parliament extends its mandate, it will be the second time in two years. Originally set for June 2013, parliamentary elections were delayed for 17 months in May of last year. Parliament\u2019s current term will expire in November. Activists are calling for a protest on August 28<\/a> in front of the Parliament.

3. Future, Jamaa al-Islamiya Join Forces to Back Army<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via The Daily Star<\/a>)

The Future Movement and Al Jamaa al-Islamiya haven’t exactly been the best of friends, but the two groups have joined forces in an effort to back up Lebanon’s Armed Forces against religious extremism.

\u201cThe participants affirmed adherence to the state project and the building it institutions, voiced support for the security forces and the Army, and rejected any form of extremism by any party,\u201d the groups said in a joint statement<\/a>.

4. Elissa Bikini Pic Sparks Instagram Controversy<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via Alarabiya<\/a>)

Lebanon pop star Elissa recently uploaded a back shot of her in a bikini to her Instagram account, forcing her fans to split into factions as a never-ending debate of body ethics is discussed.

\u201cPlease delete it Elissa,\u201d one Instagram user, Ali al Jaber, wrote. \u201cIt is weird, it is the first time she publishes such a picture. It seems that she wants to sell more,\u201d Arwaal3seeri said.

Read the full article on Al-Arabiya<\/a>.

5. Islamists Push for a Prisoner Swap<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via NOW!<\/a>)

Lebanese army soldiers were kidnapped earlier this month amid clashes between the army and Sunni militants belonging to both the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda\u2019s branch in Syria, and the Islamic State. The extremists are now hoping to negotiate a prisoner swap to release some of the Islamist detainees in Lebanon\u2019s Roumieh prison.

\u201cThe abductors request that every kidnapped [soldier] be swapped with a Roumieh detainee,\u201d said Sheikh Adnan Amameh, a spokesperson for the Association of Muslim Scholars, who is trying to mediate the exchange<\/a>.

6. Cabinet to Waive Residency Fees for Syrian Refugees<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via NOW!<\/a>)

The Cabinet on Thursday agreed to waive residency fees for Syrian refugees to encourage them to go back to Syria.

The United Nations announced in July that Syrian refugees would constitute more than a third of Lebanon’s population by the end of 2014, and warned of an increasingly unsustainable burden to Lebanon\u2019s economy.

Lebanon currently hosts over 1.1 million Syrian refugees.

The Ice Bucket Challenge Hits Lebanon<\/b><\/big><\/big>