A Lebanese Valentines day

Five years ago on February 14 a bloody great bomb tossed chunks of Lebanon's then Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, all over downtown Beirut. Now each year a (steadily dwindling) sea of flags waving mark his passing, al la the 'Cedar Revolution' of March 14, which booted the Syrians out of Lebanon.
Sadly not everyone could enjoy the day happily and a few sorry souls were escorted home courtesy of the Red Cross, after finding themselves on the wrong end of a rapidly descending flag staff. Given the close confines and the surprise circa 30º temperatures perhaps a few scuffles were inevitable.

The occupation of Beirut

At 6.30am on Sunday 22nd it was as if an occupying force had taken over Gemmayzeh and much of south Beirut; barely a soul was to be seen on the streets, save for clusters of soldiers on almost every corner, checking credentials of passers by. With representatives from every conceivable branch of Lebanon's armed forces gearing up for a parade just 10 minutes away it was understandable that security was tight. Anyway, press cards are a wonderful thing, so here are some pics for everyone who a) couldn't be arsed to get up, and b) probably wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the action anyway.