Christiane Tager 25/07 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The idea is bold: stimulate the economy by banking on pilgrimages. That is the goal of Caminos Lebanon, a sustainable religious tourism initiative backed by the Association for Pilgrimages in Lebanon (APL) and led by expert Nour Farra Haddad. The ambition is to turn Lebanon into a key destination for faith-based travel. But this goes far beyond ...
This is Beirut 25/07 13:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Russia Sanctions EU Crypto Stablecoin
Russia could be turning to a new cryptocurrency called A7A5 to allow money to flow in and out of the country and avoid Western sanctions, experts have told AFP. Multiple rounds of international sanctions have been imposed on Moscow since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine seeking to ramp up economic pressure to halt the war. But the launch of ...
Christiane Tager 25/07 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon is in rental saturation mode. Bad luck for latecomers: this summer, finding a rental car in Lebanon is nothing short of a miracle. With the rush of returning expats, agencies are fully booked and every set of keys is already in someone’s hand. Between traffic jams, soaring prices and empty apps, Lebanon is on the move. There are about ...
Liliane Mokbel 24/07 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Government Residential rents
The Constitutional Council largely upheld the new law on old commercial leases, passed in April 2024, dismissing a legal challenge brought by thirteen members of parliament. Yet, it struck down one key provision: paragraph (d) of Article 10 was ruled unconstitutional for violating the constitutional principles of equality and fairness. The legal ...
This is Beirut 24/07 12:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
European Union Tariffs United States
EU states on Thursday approved a 93-billion-euro ($109-billion) package of counter-tariffs on US goods that would kick in from August 7 if talks with the United States fail, European diplomats said. US President Donald Trump blind sided the European Union this month when he threatened a 30-percent levy on EU goods unless the two sides reach a ...
This is Beirut 24/07 10:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump United States Tariffs Trade
Japan and the Philippines bring to five the number of countries that have concluded trade deals with the United States ahead of an August 1 deadline set by President Donald Trump to avoid punitive tariff rates. The agreed levies are often higher than the new base rate of 10 percent that the United States has applied to most countries since April ...
Liliane Mokbel 23/07 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Following weeks of disruption caused by a flat-rate levy on gasoline and diesel, introduced to fund a military salary increase, the refined fuel market has returned to relative stability, with both products now widely available and no indication of shortages. The levy, set at LBP 100,000 and applied to domestic consumption under customs code 04H ...
This is Beirut 23/07 08:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Japan Trade deal Tariffs
Donald Trump announced Tuesday a "massive" trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month. In an attempt to slash his country's colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive "reciprocal" tariffs if they do ...
Christiane Tager 22/07 23:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
hotels tourism expatriates economy
At first glance, everything points to a booming summer season: the diaspora is back in large numbers, the airport is stretched to its limits with nearly 100 flights a day, and the highways resemble a Lebanese remake of the Paris ring road. But behind the scenes, the tourism picture tells a different story. Hotels are struggling, occupancy rates ...
Christiane Tager 22/07 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump US Congress Washington dollars Artificial intelligence
As technological advances accelerate, Washington has just passed two landmark pieces of legislation: the country’s first national framework for stablecoins and the ambitious Genius Act. The aim? To regulate digital assets while safeguarding human intellectual contribution in an increasingly automated world. What Is the Genius Act? Recently ...
This is Beirut 21/07 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of the Truth Social platform, the upcoming streaming service Truth+ and the FinTech project Truth.Fi, announced that it has invested nearly $2 billion in bitcoin and bitcoin-related financial products. This initiative is part of the cryptocurrency treasury strategy previously outlined by ...
This is Beirut 21/07 13:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
In a new move to support Lebanon’s struggling hospital sector, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) announced on Monday an advance payment of 65 billion Lebanese pounds to contracted hospitals to cover hospitalization fees under fixed-rate agreements. This payment, expected in the coming days, is part of a broader strategy of regular ...