Economy

Nintendo’s Switch 2 Becomes Fastest-Selling Console in History
Nintendo’s Switch 2 Becomes Fastest-Selling Console in History

The Switch 2 has smashed records to become the fastest-selling console ever after gamers snapped up 3.5 million units in its first four days, Nintendo said Wednesday. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the console is an upgrade to the original Switch – the third best-selling console of all time. It was released last Thursday ...

Adha in Lebanon: Full Hotels, Bustling Streets and a Resilient Spirit
Adha in Lebanon: Full Hotels, Bustling Streets and a Resilient Spirit

Many expected the bombings to deter visitors. But in true Lebanese fashion, the country delivered a weekend of Eid al-Adha that rivaled its best tourism seasons. The numbers speak for themselves: nearly 300,000 travelers passed through Beirut Airport in May, which is the highest monthly total since 2019. The atmosphere was festive, the coast ...

EU Adds Lebanon to High-Risk Money Laundering Watchlist
EU Adds Lebanon to High-Risk Money Laundering Watchlist

In an official announcement on Tuesday, the European Commission stated that it had added Lebanon, Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Laos, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela to the list of jurisdictions that require enhanced monitoring of their anti-money laundering efforts. At the same time, the Commission removed the United Arab ...

Huawei Founder says Chips Still Lag 'One Generation' Behind US
Huawei Founder says Chips Still Lag 'One Generation' Behind US

Chinese tech giant Huawei's chips still "lag behind the United States by one generation", state media quoted its founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei as saying in a rare interview on Tuesday. Washington last month unveiled fresh guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically Huawei's Ascend chips, would put ...

US and China Begin Key Trade Talks in London
US and China Begin Key Trade Talks in London

China and the United States began a new round of trade talks in London on Monday, Beijing's state media reported, as the world's two biggest economies seek to shore up a shaky truce after bruising tit-for-tat tariffs. The two sides are meeting in the historic Lancaster House, run by the UK Foreign Office, following a first round of talks ...

Global Cybercrime Losses Hit $9.5 Trillion in 2024
Global Cybercrime Losses Hit $9.5 Trillion in 2024

The global cost of cyberattacks soared to an estimated $9.5 trillion in 2024, underscoring an alarming rise in digital threats facing businesses, governments and critical infrastructure, according to a new report by cybersecurity firm BD Emerson. IBM’s annual Cost of Data Breaches report revealed that the average data breach cost surged to ...

Finance Ministry Responds as Garbage Crisis Resurfaces
Finance Ministry Responds as Garbage Crisis Resurfaces

As mounting piles of uncollected garbage reappear in several districts of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, the long-standing controversy over the state’s management of the waste sector has flared up once again. At the center of the debate are delayed payments to the companies responsible for waste collection, treatment, and landfill operations, delays ...

NATO Chief Urges 400% Increase in Alliance's Air Defense
NATO Chief Urges 400% Increase in Alliance's Air Defense

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday was due to urge a "400-percent increase" in the transatlantic alliance's air and missile defence capacities in response to the threat from Russia. "We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies," Rutte was due to say in a speech to the ...

China Exports Slow as Trade War Takes Toll
China Exports Slow as Trade War Takes Toll

Chinese exports grew slower than expected in May, according to official data Monday, as shipments to the United States tumbled amid global trade turmoil triggered by Donald Trump's tariff blitz. The figures also showed imports suffered a forecast-beating drop, with weak domestic consumption in the world's number two economy highlighted by data ...

China Vice Premier to Meet US Delegation for Trade Talks
China Vice Premier to Meet US Delegation for Trade Talks

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will meet a US delegation for talks next week in Britain, Beijing announced Saturday amid a fragile truce in the trade dispute between the two powers. He will visit the United Kingdom from June 8 to 13 at the invitation of the British government, China's foreign ministry said in a statement. It said He and ...

Gold in Uncertain Times: Jewelry vs. Bullion
Gold in Uncertain Times: Jewelry vs. Bullion

In times of crisis, gold stands as the ultimate pillar of stability. Timeless, reassuring and resistant to passing trends, it shines brighter as financial markets falter. But a critical question remains: which form of gold offers better protection in turbulent times — jewelry or bullion? And is resale truly profitable? Historically, when ...

Public Bus Use Surges to 4,600 Daily Riders, One Year After Launch
Figure of the weekPublic Bus Use Surges to 4,600 Daily Riders, One Year After Launch

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 ...