The Lebanese writer Rachid Al-Daif forcefully raped and manipulated his student in the Lebanese American University (LAU) in Beirut for four years, starting when he was 62 and she was 19. He locked her in his house and demanded sex from her at night, even raping her in her sleep. He threatened her in order to keep it a secret. This January, the rapist resigner before being shamefully fired from LAU when the university administration learned about his actions.

I’m not sure how true the story is, but something definitely doesn’t sound right to me, how exactly did he manage to lock her in his house for four years?

via Beirut Night Life

Update:

Professor Rachid El Daif posted the below reply on his Facebook page. It was never clear however what kind of affair was going between the two.

Alexandra Shreiteh’s False Rape Accusations

Alexandra has published her fabricated allegations against me on facebook and other sites on the internet. Kindly see below my response:

• Since I was certain of Alexandra’s academic and creative capabilities, I gave her a great deal of time and supervised three of her novels: 2 in Arabic and one in English. My motto was to work with talented beginners and help them produce their own works of fiction.
• I was the one who encouraged her to pursue her studies and I wrote her a letter of recommendation to Yale University which is still in my possession. I do not understand how one encourages a person to study abroad, and controls and confines this same person at the same time.
• She sent me the paper she had prepared for a conference in Switzerland (April 2012) and we discussed it at length on Skype.
• This woman used to call me every day over the period of 4 years, yes every single day to talk about her problems. I used to help her to the best of my abilities. She used to call me daily from America (and Germany) to ask questions or talk about her problems. This went on for four years, summer and winter, day and night. I always thought this was a passing phase related to growing up that will soon subside. I was sincerely happy to think that she would excel in her work and that I would be one of those who contributed to her success especially after she had written her three novels.
• She told me that she was having a relation with a woman and asked my opinion of this. My answer was: You are free to realize yourself the way you think fit.
• She told me several times on the phone after a few months of her relation that her companion is so possessive and is almost suffocating her and that she does not know how to free herself of her.
• She also used to tell me of her relations with men and women (I still remember the names and nationalities). She considered me as her confidante and her counselor.
• I wonder what has happened and why she is lying. Why is she falsifying the truth? Why has she showered all terms related to rape on me (she is Lebanon’s champion in Tai Boxing)? I have a documented answer to be published at the right time.
• I am sorry that it has come to this. Alexandra is in trouble, but her harassment has become unbearable. I have so far refrained from responding to her accusations because I am sorry for her parents and would have liked to spare them. I so much wanted to meet them but she refused to introduce me as she hated them to the death. She also alleged certain things about her father that is improper for me to mention now.
• I have asked a lawyer to raise a case against her for libel and defamation because certain innocent people may believe her allegations especially that she pretends to be a lamb in the claws of a wild animal.
• I still have all the electronic messages that she sent me over the four-year period and will publish them in due time whenever the need arises.
• Finally, there are a large number of documents, letters, photographs in my possession that can also be published if needed.

This banner draped over St. George Hotel must be pissing Solidere off so much. They now threaten legal actions against media people who publish photos showing “Stop Solidere” in them when covering some event at Zaitunay Bay!

Fadi Khoury, owner of St. George, is probably the only man who dared to stand against Solidere and their malpractices on the waterfront, who in their turn blocked the hotel’s access to the sea.

waiver form via Beirutiyat

Looks like Hamra is soon getting a new cinema, “Prime on Bliss”, facing AUB in Bliss street. The website and Facebook page have no further details such as the numbers of screens that will be available, except that they’re opening this month.

That’s another proof why Lebanese Football is a big fail.

Photos via Nejmeh Sporting Club’s page on Facebook.

Update:

Here’s a video of the fight posted by Al Jadeed.

via @TrellaLB

via Blog Baladi

I was luckily among the people who were selected for the trial phase of the 4G network, so I got my dongle from Alfa yesterday and below are some random tests I performed today after I got my connection activated.

As you can notice the speeds and ping delay are less than what one would expect on a 4G network but that might be due to my location since my reception meter was half full, so I’ll soon try to repeat the test from another place.

Note that Alfa 4G currently covers Beirut only and will slowly expand to other regions, same as what happened when 3G was launched.

Update:

I performed two additional tests near Tayouneh today and got the below speeds.

Make sure to read Habib Battah’s story on how he got physically assaulted yesterday for trying to take photos of the ruins at District S construction site in Beirut downtown.

My chest and wrists still hurt from the arms of the men who tackled me, twisted my hands behind my back, and tried to rip my phone out of my hands this afternoon.

They were enraged because I refused to delete a photo of ancient ruins I shot on their construction site.

“Lock the door,” one of the foreman said earlier today, and moments later the giant doors of the site were sealed. I was surrounded by 5 to 6 men looking at me menacingly–prepared it seemed–to do anything to shut me up.

Unfortunately he was told to just forget about it when he tried to report the incident to the police station, so I hope his post reaches some good people who can take action about it!