Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Tuesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
As-Safir
As a result of neglect, greed and corruption,
the Ashrafieh disaster: increasing deaths as the State grows smaller
Many reasons were given, but the harsh reality of the old building that collapsed killing several tenants in Ashrafieh cannot be changed.
It is a social-humanitarian disaster, and the entire Lebanese state is responsible, starting from the president, the government, and Parliament, all the way to the municipality as well as security and local community services.
Yes, no one can evade responsibility – the responsibility for neglect, turning a blind eye, failure and willful ignorance ... And the inability to prevent such a catastrophe.

This social-humanitarian disaster revealed a scandal, or perhaps multiple scandals involving the government.
Unfortunately, the government feels the tragedy only after it happens and certain dealers make money by using their strong influence to secure cover-ups from political figures or municipality or security officials, taking advantage of a corrupt system in which bribery is a common practice and goes unchecked. It does not matter if a building collapsed on top of its occupants as a result of greed or the absence of minimum safety measures, as happened in Ashrafieh where the poor paid the price.
[There were no gaps between the collapsed building in Ashrafieh and a newly constructed building adjacent to it.]

Al-Anwar
Lebanese who lost her father and three brothers: officials neglected our complaints

The collapsed building disaster which the government is trying to cover up with money and by setting up probe committees, has uncovered the extent of the state’s negligence with regard to securing public safety in the absence of any inspection of the status of old buildings or the random excavations of new buildings that weaken the foundations of aging buildings.
The Cabinet did not mention negligence during its meeting Monday, but instead announced some compensation payments to survivors in addition to securing temporary housing.
However, the head of the Beirut municipality tried to justify the tragedy by saying that old buildings constructed between 1940 and 1960 are tantamount to time-bombs.
Engineers responded by saying that many buildings older than a hundred years have been renovated, including the government building.
A tenant who survived the collapsed building with minor injuries lost her father and three brothers under the rubble.
Gladis Farhat said construction work that began eight months ago next to their old building has put their building at risk.
“When we brought this up [with authorities], we found out that the owner [of the newly constructed building] is very influential,” Farhat told MTV channel.

Ad-Diyar
March 8 concerned about intentions to open Qlaiaat airport in north Lebanon

Significantly, the March 8 coalition raised concerns about intentions to open Rene Moawwad airport in Qlaiaat, north Lebanon. This prompted March 8 officials to make several telephone calls overnight in order to inquire about the government’s interest in opening the Qlaiaat airport and whether it was a security-related measure in the wake of regional unrest.

The decision raised a series of questions, since the north has become linked to the uprising in Syria, and is where some have even tried setting up a refugee camp. The northern border with Syria has also been an issue in debates between the opposition and the majority over ongoing border infiltration, with one political camp saying the infiltration is aimed at smuggling weapons and militants and the other camp considering it a humanitarian issue.
This atmosphere led March 8 to raise questions about the government’s enthusiasm in considering the opening of the airport. March 8 forces linked the decision to developments in the Arab world.