Economy

Palantir, the AI Giant That Preaches US Dominance
Palantir, the AI Giant That Preaches US Dominance

Palantir, an American data analysis and artificial intelligence company, has emerged as Silicon Valley's latest tech darling -- one that makes no secret of its macho, America-first ethos now ascendant in Trump-era tech culture. The company's reach spans the global economy, with banks, hospitals, the US government, and the Israeli military among ...

Work, Pensions and Wages on the Agenda of the Price Index Commission
Work, Pensions and Wages on the Agenda of the Price Index Commission

Salaries, social security, pensions and educational cooperation were the focus of Monday's meeting of the Price Index Commission, chaired by Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar. The goal: to move beyond symbolic discussions and take action. At the end of the meeting, Minister Haidar told the press that these meetings will continue until December in ...

European Union Resigned to 15 Percent US Tariff
European Union Resigned to 15 Percent US Tariff

The United States and the European Union clinched a trade agreement on Sunday that will see EU exports taxed at 15 percent, in a bid to resolve a transatlantic tariff stand-off that threatened to explode into a full-blown trade war. US President Donald Trump emerged from a high-stakes meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der ...

Qaraoun Water Crisis Triggers Hydropower Collapse in Lebanon
Figure of the weekQaraoun Water Crisis Triggers Hydropower Collapse in Lebanon

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 ...

Road Safety in Lebanon: Running on Empty
Road Safety in Lebanon: Running on Empty

When it comes to road safety, Lebanon has reached a breaking point that elicits both outrage and sympathy. Ageing used cars that seem to defy the laws of mechanics, roads that resemble off-road rally tracks, haphazard or missing signage, and legislation that still feels like it’s in test mode. Despite this chaos, many Lebanese continue to hope ...

Lebanon Sees Modest Summer Travel Rebound
Lebanon Sees Modest Summer Travel Rebound

Lebanon's travel industry is experiencing a cautious recovery this summer, with Beirut International Airport (BIA) showing signs of revived activity since early July, according to Jean Abboud, president of the Lebanese Travel Agencies Association. Speaking on Friday, Abboud noted a noticeable uptick in both flight numbers and passenger traffic. ...

Caminos Lebanon: When Pilgrimage Routes Drive Economic Revival
Caminos Lebanon: When Pilgrimage Routes Drive Economic Revival

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 ...

New Cryptocurrency May Be Aiding Russia to Dodge Sanctions
New Cryptocurrency May Be Aiding Russia to Dodge Sanctions

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 ...

No Rental Car in Sight! Lebanon’s Cars Are Fully Booked
SpotlightNo Rental Car in Sight! Lebanon’s Cars Are Fully Booked

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 ...

Commercial Leases: Government Caught in a Tight Spot
Commercial Leases: Government Caught in a Tight Spot

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 ...

EU Prepares 93 Billion Euros in Tariffs as US Trade Talks Hang in Balance
EU Prepares 93 Billion Euros in Tariffs as US Trade Talks Hang in Balance

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 ...

Trump's First Five Trade Deals
Numbers & FiguresTrump's First Five Trade Deals

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 ...