Algorithm: From Ancient Math to AI
Sana Richa Choucair 31/08 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
From Babylonian clay tablets to TikTok feeds and ChatGPT, algorithms have shaped human thought for millennia. Born from a Persian mathematician’s name, the word traveled through languages, sciences and machines, becoming one of the most powerful concepts of our digital age. Rooted in Ancient Persia The English word algorithm has a surprisingly ...
Lebanon Says ‘I Don’t’: Weddings Plunge to Historic Low in 2025
Liliane Mokbel 30/08 16:00 - Reading : less than a minute
The 2025 wedding season in Lebanon has seen an unprecedented decline, confirming the continued downturn of a sector already weakened in recent years. According to industry professionals, the number of weddings has dropped to just 35% of pre-2019 levels, compared to 50% in 2023 and 40% in 2024, resulting in a total decline of 65% over two ...
Sanction: A Word with Two Faces
Sana Richa Choucair 24/08 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the word sanctions dominated headlines for months. Western governments imposed sweeping economic sanctions targeting banks, state companies, oligarchs and energy sectors – efforts meant to isolate Moscow diplomatically and financially. In parallel, targeted sanctions have also become common ...
Brain Rot: The Word That Defines Our Digital Decay
Sana Richa Choucair 17/08 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Have you ever tried to swipe a printed page like it’s a touchscreen? Then you may have had your first brain rot moment. The phrase exploded across social media in 2023 and 2024, describing what happens when online habits spill into everyday life. Whether it’s quoting TikTok slang in real conversations, interpreting real-world images like ...
Tourism: A Core Driver of Lebanon’s Economy
Liliane Mokbel 16/08 15:00 - Reading : less than a minute
In 2024, the travel and tourism sector contributed 19.8% of Lebanon’s GDP, more than double its share in 2023 (8.4%), according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). This marks a significant rebound from 2019, when the sector represented 18.9% of GDP, before Lebanon faced a series of overlapping crises. In terms of revenue, the sector ...
Tehran’s Unease About the Zanguezur Corridor
Mario Chartouni 12/08 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Tehran Banks Europe European Union Gulf
The peace agreement signed on August 8 between Armenia and Azerbaijan could mark a turning point for the South Caucasus. However, for Tehran, one of its most significant elements – the creation of the Zanguezur Corridor, linking Azerbaijan directly to its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia – poses a serious strategic ...
Netanyahu’s Gaza Strategy: Ambiguity, Internal Divisions and Looming Chaos
Élie-Joe Kamel 12/08 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Hamas Israel United Nations
As the war in Gaza enters its 22nd month, political and on the ground uncertainties continue to grow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements highlight this growing strategic confusion. He says he wants to “take control of Gaza,” while specifying that Israel has “no intention of governing” the territory. This ...
Tariff: A Price on Everything?
Sana Richa Choucair 10/08 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump United Kingdom White House
Since his return to the White House in January 2025, Donald Trump has revived the rhetoric of trade wars, invoking the word “tariff” at every turn. Whether announcing new import taxes on European goods or boasting of protecting American jobs, he treats tariffs not just as economic levers but as symbols of strength. Yet beneath this hardline ...
From Boom to Bust: Lebanon’s Solar Market Collapses
Liliane Mokbel 09/08 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
In just a few months, the sun has set on Lebanon’s booming solar panel market. According to customs data, imports dropped by 72% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The total value fell to $21 million, down from $75 million in 2024, with volumes shrinking from 34,000 tons to 11,000 tons. The contrast is even ...
Micro-influencer: Trust Over Fame
Sana Richa Choucair 03/08 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, a new type of influencer has emerged: not the celebrity with millions of followers, but the relatable figure with a smaller, more engaged audience: the “micro-influencer.” The rise of this term says a lot about how influence is being redefined in the digital age. What Does “Micro-influencer” ...
Beirut Port Scans 60 Containers per Hour with AI-Powered Technology
Liliane Mokbel 02/08 15:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Banks Beirut Port European Union
The Ministry of Finance is accelerating its efforts to modernize Lebanon’s customs operations. With a clear goal of enhancing public revenue collection, a large-scale digital transformation is underway, impacting both the Directorate of Revenues and the Customs Directorate. Key initiatives include the gradual rollout of electronic payment ...
'Crisis:' A Word for Everything?
Sana Richa Choucair 27/07 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Debt crisis, economic crisis, crisis of confidence in currencies: these expressions now dominate official discourse. Crises seem to multiply endlessly, from climate to democracy, from housing to public health. “Crisis” has become the keyword of our times. But what are we really saying? If everything is a crisis, does anything truly stand ...
Qaraoun Water Crisis Triggers Hydropower Collapse in Lebanon
Liliane Mokbel 26/07 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
What began as an environmental emergency is now fueling a national energy crisis. The severe drop in water levels at Lake Qaraoun is crippling Lebanon’s hydroelectric output and threatening power security across the country. In June 2025, hydroelectric production decreased by 76 percent compared to the same month in the previous year. Only 12 ...
Slop: The Digital Waste Flooding Our Feeds
Sana Richa Choucair 20/07 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
As generative artificial intelligence (AI) surges, a new term is gaining traction: slop. No longer just a word for literal mud or lukewarm food, in digital lingo it now refers to a rising wave of unwanted, AI-generated content, vacantly produced, algorithmically amplified, and clogging up social media. From Messy Mud to Messy Media In ...
Lebanese Arak Makes a Strong Comeback on Global Markets
Liliane Mokbel 19/07 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
The Lebanese arak industry is enjoying a remarkable revival. In 2024, exports of this iconic spirit reached 980,000 bottles, up from 700,000 in 2016. This represents a nearly 40 percent increase over eight years. In terms of value, the growth is even more impressive, rising from $3.7 million to $6.2 million, an increase of more than 67 ...
'Peace:' A Word of War?
Sana Richa Choucair 13/07 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump Middle East Peace
Since returning to power in January 2025, President Donald Trump has multiplied his promises of peace: an end to the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” a global deal in the Middle East, including Gaza. But when Trump speaks of peace, he taps into a long rhetorical tradition where peace often rhymes with order, or even submission. Behind this ...
2024: A Year of War and Financial Solidarity
Liliane Mokbel 12/07 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Amid ongoing conflict and persistent economic instability, remittances from Lebanese abroad continue to play a vital role in Lebanon’s financial survival. Since 2006, when remittance flows hit a low of $5.72 billion, the volume of money sent back to Lebanon has fluctuated in response to both domestic and global conditions. The highest level ...
The Rise of Lebanese Wine
Liliane Mokbel 05/07 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon produces 12 million bottles of wine each year — an impressive figure for a small country, with nearly half exported to around 30 countries worldwide. This vibrant industry generates over $20 million in annual revenue, according to the National Institute of Vine and Wine (INVV). Behind this success is steady, long-term growth: in 2000, ...
$4 Billion: The True Weight of Lebanon’s Agriculture Sector
Liliane Mokbel 28/06 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute
agriculture lebanon economy food
As Lebanon endures a prolonged economic crisis, one figure remains widely overlooked: the country’s agriculture sector generates over $4 billion annually when including the entire value chain: transport, packaging, and agro-food processing. On its own, raw agricultural production is valued at $2.2 billion per year. Strengthening agriculture and ...
Lebanese Eurobonds Drop 13% Amid Regional Tensions
Liliane Mokbel 21/06 14:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
lebanon Eurobonds war Iran Israël
Lebanese eurobonds, long regarded as one of the most profitable investments in emerging markets in 2024, have sharply declined by 13.15%. This downturn is mainly attributed to the recent outbreak of war between Israel and Iran last Friday, coupled with ongoing stalemates in structural reforms and sovereign debt restructuring. These ...
Tit-for-Tat Strikes: A Visual Guide to the Israel–Iran Confrontation
Rayan Chami 18/06 18:15 - Reading : less than a minute
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a massive preemptive aerial campaign—codenamed Operation Rising Lion—striking approximately 100 Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities, military bases, missile depots, and command centers across Tehran, Natanz, Isfahan, and other strategic locations. The strikes focused heavily on uranium enrichment ...
LBP 44.2 Million for a Basic Food Basket
Liliane Mokbel 14/06 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Economy Lebanon World Food Program
According to the World Food Program, the survival food basket has reached LBP 44.2 million, or around $492, an increase of $42 since January. That's how much it now costs for a family of five to cover its basic food needs for a month in Lebanon. This basket, which includes rice, wheat, pulses, oil, sugar, salt and sardines, represents the bare ...
Public Bus Use Surges to 4,600 Daily Riders, One Year After Launch
Liliane Mokbel 07/06 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
4,600 — that's the average number of passengers using public buses each day, one year after the launch of Lebanon’s state-operated public transport service, led by the Office of Railways and Public Transport. This marks a significant increase compared to the early days of the project, when daily ridership hovered between just 200 and 300 ...
Two-Thirds of Families Struggle to Access Quality Food
Liliane Mokbel 31/05 12:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Save the Children conducted a survey of 4,099 Lebanese households, excluding those in the North and Akkar governorates. The findings reveal that 66% of families surveyed face serious difficulties accessing quality food. The situation is especially critical in the Baalbeck-Hermel region, where 11% of households were unable to obtain enough food to ...
EDL Crisis: No Power Without a Regulatory Authority
Liliane Mokbel 30/05 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Power plant maintenance is resuming, the local fuel market is well supplied, and electricity rationing is beginning to ease gradually. These improvements raise the prospect of an average electricity supply of twelve hours per day. Yet, without activating the Regulatory Authority – mandated by law for more than twenty years – the resolution of ...
Energy Crisis: Lebanon Between Regional Opportunities and Internal Blockages
Liliane Mokbel 29/05 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
EDL Europe Hezbollah US Congress Energy
Arab support for the revival of Lebanon’s energy sector is back in the spotlight. On the sidelines of the Arab Summit in Amman, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reopened this crucial file with his Jordanian counterpart. Shortly after, Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi discussed the main points of energy ...
EDL: At the Heart of Lebanon’s Energy Crisis
Liliane Mokbel 27/05 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Banks Beirut International Airport EDL Energy
Electricity rationing is the rule, contrary to all logic in a nation-state framework. A quarter of a century after the end of the Civil War, the Lebanese remain dependent on alternative means of energy supply – mostly at the mercy of the neighborhood private generator supplier. Électricité du Liban (EDL) will long remain in Lebanon’s history ...
Lebanon’s Exports Surge 30% in Q1 2025
Liliane Mokbel 24/05 15:00 - Reading : less than a minute
United States Lebanon exports swiss
Lebanon’s exports surged by 30% in the first quarter of 2025, reaching $957 million, up from $735 million during the same period in 2024. This marks a significant improvement for a country with a chronically negative trade balance. Jewelry, Lebanon’s top export category (43% of total exports), played a major role in this increase, with ...
Interest on Lebanese Pound Deposits Drops
Liliane Mokbel 17/05 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute
2% — that’s the average interest rate on deposits in Lebanese pounds, according to the latest figures released by the Banque du Liban for March 2025. This represents a clear decline from 2.86% in February, although it remains higher than the rate recorded a year earlier in March 2024, when it stood at just 1%. In contrast, interest rates on ...
Lebanon’s $30 Million Digital Ad Boom Bypasses Local Media
Liliane Mokbel 10/05 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Despite a near-total freeze in ad campaigns since September 2024, triggered by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, digital advertising emerged as a clear winner in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), ad spending on platforms like Meta, TikTok and Google reached $30 ...