This is Beirut 08/07 18:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon
The Banque du Liban (BDL) has issued a directive requiring all banks, financial institutions, money exchange companies and electronic money transfer firms operating in Lebanon to accept all authentic US dollar banknotes, regardless of whether they are from older or newer series. In a statement released on Tuesday, the central bank emphasized that ...
This is Beirut 08/07 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
NSSF Reforms Benefits Compensation
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has introduced major reforms, particularly in the calculation of end-of-service benefits and the distribution of family allowances. In a statement released on July 8, NSSF Director General Mohammad Karaki announced two official memos, which were part of a broader institutional reform plan. The measures ...
This is Beirut 08/07 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
EU ministers are set to give the final green light on Tuesday for Bulgaria to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, when the country would become the single currency area's 21st member. The European Commission said last month that the EU's poorest country had fulfilled the strict conditions to adopt the euro, while the European Central Bank (ECB) ...
This is Beirut 08/07 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war by threatening more than a dozen countries with higher tariffs Monday -- but then said he may be flexible on his new August deadline to reach deals. Trump sent letters to trading partners, including key US allies Japan and South Korea, announcing that duties he had suspended in April would snap ...
This is Beirut 07/07 20:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump United States South Korea Tariffs Japan
US President Donald Trump said Monday he was slapping 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea in his first letters to trading partners ahead of a deadline to reach a deal with Washington. Trump had said at the weekend that starting from Monday he would send a first batch of up to 15 letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose ...
Liliane Mokbel 07/07 18:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
One month after Nawaf Salam’s government took office, Lebanese citizens are facing a surprising drop in public electricity supply. In Beirut and surrounding areas, daily power from Électricité du Liban (EDL) has fallen sharply—from nine hours to just six. This sudden decline has reignited frustration among a population already exhausted by ...
Christiane Tager 07/07 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
International Monetary Fund Israel Iran economy
The war may be over in Iran, the missiles silenced — but another battle rages on: the economy. After decades under crippling sanctions, battered by soaring inflation and a plunging currency, Tehran is still holding on. But for how long? While the military front has quieted, the economic one remains on high alert. For years, the Islamic Republic ...
This is Beirut 07/07 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
USA Donald Trump European Union Trade Tariff
US President Donald Trump has said he will send letters to select trade partners facing tariff hikes as early as Monday, piling pressure on countries to strike a deal with Washington before a new August 1 deadline. The White House announced sharp levies on dozens of economies in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trade relations, which were ...
This is Beirut 06/07 18:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Scott Bessent Donald Trump Tariffs United States
US tariffs will kick in on August 1 if trading partners from Taiwan to the European Union do not strike deals with Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. The rates will "boomerang back" to the sometimes very high levels that President Donald Trump had announced on April 2, before he suspended the levies to allow for ...
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, ...
Christiane Tager 04/07 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Liban Electricité Joe Saddi EDL
As summer sets in, the heat rises, and so does electricity consumption. According to Energy Ministry officials, consumption climbs by around 30 to 40% from winter to summer, largely due to air conditioning and the resumption of use of secondary homes. Add to that the arrival of thousands of expats, who promptly power up houses that have been shut ...
Liliane Mokbel 03/07 16:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
lebanon PPP BOT DBOT Privatization
With public finances exhausted, Nawaf Salam’s government is turning to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to revive Lebanon’s airports and ports. The list of planned projects is extensive, including Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Kleiat Airport, and the ports of Beirut, Tripoli, and Saida. But the shift toward private ...