What Pope Francis can teach us about Lebanon's garbage crisis

Published September 27th, 2015 - 04:15 GMT
As Lebanon's garbage piles grow higher, is there inspiration to be found in the Catholic world's trail-blazing Pope Francis?  (AFP/Filippo Monteforte)
As Lebanon's garbage piles grow higher, is there inspiration to be found in the Catholic world's trail-blazing Pope Francis? (AFP/Filippo Monteforte)

A new language needed to solve Lebanon's crisis  

Two days after my arrival in Lebanon in mid-July, and almost one month after the publication of Pope Francis’s most recent papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, collection of the nation’s rubbish reached a standstill. Activists and residents of environs surrounding the Naameh landfill, in mountains south-east of Beirut, refused to accept any more rubbish following a planned closure for the site scheduled for July 17th, which had already been postponed since January. When the government tried to continue to use the site, residents took matters into their own hands, and blocked the roads to the Naameh landfill. With nowhere to go, the rubbish could not be collected. Garbage piled up. People marched on the streets and threw eggs in protest at government inability both to respond to the situation, and to take the preventive measures that became necessary long ago. 

Continue reading on Your Middle East

 

Black labor: how a white elite uses black soldiers to enforce its will  

A new photo project focuses on the soldiers of Israel’s Border Police, the main military unit used to enforce the occupation of the Palestinians. Shot in various locations across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, ‘Black Labor’ looks at the points of impact where Israel’s elite pits black Jews against Palestinians.

Continue reading on +972 Mag

 

Ten things that won't happen to you this Eid because you've grown up  

No relatives are giving you money this year to spend on your childish desires. This used to happen when you were younger as a compliment to your parents, but now there are younger people in the family and your parent’s relationship with your family isn’t as good as it used to be. Also, you’re now at an age where people spend most of their money on shisha and playstation, and nobody wants to be funding these activities.  

 Continue reading on Mada Masr

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