War's Impact on Supply Chains
Christiane Tager 02/10 13:23 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israeli airstrikes are disrupting supply chains in Lebanon, making it difficult to access essential goods in the affected areas. Yet, the resilient Lebanese people are finding ways to organize and adapt. The supply of food, medicine and fuel in the bombed regions of Lebanon has been severely disrupted by the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and ...
No Fear of Shortages in Light of Intensified Israeli Strikes
Christiane Tager 25/09 16:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The fear of shortages of all kinds has caught up with the entire Lebanese population amid the intensification of Israeli strikes and the widening conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. On Monday, people began rushing to gas stations, bakeries, supermarkets, and pharmacies. However, the presidents of various unions, as well as the Ministry of ...
Markets Face New Economic Reality Amidst Climate Change
Christiane Tager 24/09 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Climate change is exerting a growing influence on the global economy and financial markets, with potential annual losses nearing $38 trillion and global stock valuations possibly dropping by around 40%. A study suggests that extreme weather events linked to climate change could reduce global GDP by nearly 19% annually by 2050, based on current ...
Shifting Consumption Patterns and Purchasing Power Plunge
Christiane Tager 20/09 14:32 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Since the economic and financial crisis gripped Lebanon in 2019, Lebanese households have witnessed a significant transformation in their consumption and eating habits. The prices of essential household goods have experienced notable fluctuations over the past few years. Since the onset of the economic crisis in 2019, most Lebanese households ...
Public Sector Employees: More Strikes... Again
Christiane Tager 05/09 15:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Public sector employees have renewed their push for a salary review and announced a two-day warning strike on September 5 and 6. This Is Beirut looks back at the sporadic strikes that the public sector has been organizing since 2019. The League of Civil Employees has announced a two-day warning strike on September 5 and 6, accusing the government ...
Summer 2024: A Season That Fell Short of Expectations
Christiane Tager 01/09 10:02 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The summer wraps up with Lebanon at the center of attention. As the new school year looms, tourism professionals are reflecting on the summer of 2024. The season has been notably catastrophic, falling far below expectations. Catastrophic, terrible, mediocre, or not too bad, tourism professionals are delivering an initial assessment of the unusual ...
Israel-Hezbollah War: A Heavy Toll on Lebanon
Christiane Tager 29/08 16:12 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Over ten months of violence between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have, as anticipated, resulted in hundreds of casualties in Lebanon, along with significant material and, most importantly, economic losses. The cost to Lebanon is staggering and unbearable for a country already on the brink. The damage caused by Israeli bombings in southern ...
Cyprus: A Refuge for Israelis?
Christiane Tager 27/08 12:57 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
A few years ago, it was the Lebanese who were moving to Cyprus. But since October 7, 2023, with the onset of the war between Hamas and Israel, it is the Israelis who are turning to the island, making it a refuge or a backup plan. On this small Mediterranean island, the native Jewish community is working to welcome numerous Israelis ...
Is Algeria's Sonatrach Poised for a Comeback?
Christiane Tager 26/08 19:11 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
This is Beirut revisits the Sonatrach case, focusing on the global Algerian company that was a key supplier of natural gas to Lebanon until 2021. Following a scandal, Lebanon sought new sources, shifting its energy imports to Iraq. Today, Monday, Lebanon is scheduled to receive a gasoil shipment from Algeria, a much-needed boost to address its ...
Fuel Imports: Diverging Dynamics Between the Private and Public Sectors
Christiane Tager 24/08 11:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
How is the private sector able to import fuel while the Ministry of Energy struggles to pay for diesel to run the country's power plants? Here’s why. The private sector is able to import fuel under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Energy, which sets and monitors prices, while the ministry struggles to afford diesel to keep the country's ...
Electricity: A Five-Step Plan to Lighting
Christiane Tager 19/08 20:58 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
After hours of complete darkness in Lebanon, signs of hope are emerging as a five-step plan is set into motion. Essential facilities are gradually being resupplied with electricity, but it will take several more days before citizens can once again enjoy their sacrosanct four hours of daily power. On Saturday afternoon, following the complete ...
Global Stock Market Downfall: What’s Going on?
Christiane Tager 05/08 15:11 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The stock markets opened in a state of high alert this Monday. The Tokyo Stock Exchange recorded the worst drop in points in its history, while European markets are in free-fall. A “bear market” in Japan, CAC 40 dropping more than 2% in France... The global stock market's downfall continued on Monday. The Tokyo Stock Exchange fell again after ...
Port of Beirut: Lebanon's Economic Lifeblood
Christiane Tager 04/08 10:47 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The Port of Beirut is Lebanon's main gateway for goods. Covering over 1.2 square kilometers with its four basins, it handles approximately 1.3 million containers each year using 16 cranes and 39 gantries. The Port of Beirut is one of the top ten Mediterranean ones and serves as a vital gateway to the Middle East. Using auto-financing, the port ...
Port Reconstruction: A Focus of Intense Interest
Christiane Tager 03/08 16:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Since the August 4, 2020 explosion, the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut has become the focal point of significant interest, given its potential to generate millions of dollars. However, no tangible progress has been made so far, although an intriguing and notably pragmatic French proposal has emerged. Since the August 4, 2020 explosion, the ...
A Summer Season in Turmoil
Christiane Tager 01/08 19:23 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Following the bombing in Majdal Shams, the retaliation in the southern suburbs and Israeli threats to annihilate Lebanon, panic has gripped expatriates and the few tourists who decided, against all odds, to spend their holidays in the Land of the Cedars. This Is Beirut provides an update with the help of professionals in the tourism ...
CMA CGM Container Turned Into Mobile Educational Space
Christiane Tager 30/07 18:53 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The CMA CGM Foundation turned the “knowledge container” into a mobile educational space, a first in Lebanon! Thus, 2,000 children, aged between three and 15, will be welcomed and introduced to the Tabshoura digital platform by 50 educational facilitators, trained on the Lalmoudaress educator support platform. This initiative is a ...
Ogero: Yet Another Strike
Christiane Tager 29/07 19:46 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The Ogero Employees’ Union, representing Lebanon's public provider of fixed telephony and Internet, staged a warning strike on Monday. During a sit-in outside the Ministry of Telecommunications, the union warned that if their demands were not met, employees would initiate an indefinite strike. This marks the fifteenth strike in ...
Summer 2024: Falling Short of 2023
Christiane Tager 26/07 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Although the summer of 2024 started with a bang, it seems less promising than that of 2023. The initial figures for the season are not as good as those of last year, although they remain satisfactory overall. One thing is certain: Lebanon has once again won over the hearts of expatriates. Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza and southern Lebanon, ...
Internet: No Widespread Outage
Christiane Tager 16/07 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
For some time now, the public provider of landline and Internet services, Ogero, has been reporting outages across the country. The cause is a lack of funds to purchase fuel to run the central office generators and to ensure maintenance. However, the outgoing Minister of Telecommunications seeks to reassure, asserting that no widespread outage is ...
EDL: What is Happening to Lebanon’s Fuel
Christiane Tager 12/07 20:52 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The Lebanese are now accustomed to seeing the threat of a total blackout reemerge occasionally, often accompanied by the threat of the shutdown of vital public facilities. This situation was narrowly avoided on Thursday thanks to the intervention of the Iraqi Prime Minister, who authorized the unloading of fuel before Lebanon paid the amounts due. ...
Ogero-MOF: An Endless Power Struggle
Christiane Tager 05/07 08:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The power struggle between the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ogero lingers. As a result, the union representing employees of Lebanon's public telephone and internet provider took a stand on Thursday, denouncing a financial blockade. They announced that they would resort to escalating measures if positive and concrete actions are not implemented on ...
No Significant Increase in Bread Prices
Christiane Tager 02/07 12:16 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
For several weeks, rumors have been spreading about a significant increase in the price of the “rabta”of bread (bundle in Arabic), causing concern. Most Lebanese rely heavily on bread as a staple food, due to the economic crisis. What is the truth behind these rumors? This is Beirut takes a closer look. For the past few weeks, rumors have ...
Crisis Cell to Reduce Hospitalization Fees
Christiane Tager 26/06 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
A crisis cell has been established in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and the key pillars of the health sector, notably the hospital syndicate, the medical association, and third-party payers, to monitor the issue of skyrocketing hospitalization costs and find ways to reduce them. Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade Amine Salam ...
Internet: What's the Latest on Dismantling Illegal Networks?
Christiane Tager 22/06 12:17 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A few weeks after the dismantling of unlicensed internet transmission networks across Lebanon by teams from Ogero, the public provider of telecommunications and internet services, where do we stand? This Is Beirut provides an update. Contacted by This Is Beirut, outgoing Minister of Telecommunications Johnny Corm states that dismantling is ...
Lebanon: A Full House for Adha!
Christiane Tager 19/06 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Despite a very tense situation in southern Lebanon, expatriates were present to celebrate the Adha holiday in Lebanon. Planes were fully booked; guest houses, restaurants, and concerts were also full. This offers a promising preview of the summer season, a cornerstone of the Lebanese economy. Lebanese expatriates are determined, come hell or high ...
A New Airbus for Middle East Airlines!
Christiane Tager 15/06 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
On Friday, Middle East Airlines (MEA) received its tenth and last Airbus A321 Neo aircraft. It landed at Beirut International Airport at around 2:00 PM, coming directly from the Airbus factories in Hamburg, in the presence of the Caretaker Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ali Hamiye. Despite an unprecedented economic crisis and severely ...
Postal Sector: Contract with LibanPost Renegotiated
Christiane Tager 12/06 12:56 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Last November, the Council of Ministers decided to extend and renegotiate the management contract for the postal sector with LibanPost, which had expired in 2019 and had since been tacitly renewed. However, on July 13th, French shipping company CMA CGM won the tender launched by the Ministry of Telecommunications through the Merit-Colis Privé ...
More Electricity Starting Mid-June
Christiane Tager 25/05 10:34 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
For several years, Lebanon has been facing severe electricity rationing in the summer due to increased consumption and the inability of power plants and the grid to handle the load. However, it appears that the Lebanese might hope to benefit from an additional one or two hours of electricity per day starting mid-June. The office of EDL director ...
Summer 2024: Uncertain Prospects
Christiane Tager 17/05 19:01 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The tourism sector in Lebanon accounted for 30% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, with revenues reaching $6 billion. These figures will most likely be difficult to achieve this year, if the ongoing war in Gaza and its repercussions in southern Lebanon persist. In 2023, revenues generated by the tourism sector – $6 billion – ...
Wheat: From a General Subsidy to a Targeted Subsidy
Christiane Tager 10/05 19:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Two years ago, in May 2022, Lebanon and the World Bank signed an emergency agreement worth a total of $150 million to preserve food security in Lebanon, through support for wheat imports and a subsidy. This agreement expires on May 25. What about the future? In May 2022, Lebanon and the World Bank (WB) signed an emergency agreement worth a total ...