Economy

Putin Approves Goldman Sachs' Russia Exit
Putin Approves Goldman Sachs' Russia Exit

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday gave the green light to investment bank Goldman Sachs to offload its Russian subsidiary, a highly symbolic departure amid the Western corporate exodus. The US bank, which was hired by the Kremlin in the 1990s to help attract foreign investors, announced plans to leave Russia in March 2022, just days ...

Global Air Travel Hits Record in 2024 as Post-Covid Recovery Continues
Global Air Travel Hits Record in 2024 as Post-Covid Recovery Continues

Air passenger transport hit a new record in 2024 as it surpassed the levels seen before the Covid pandemic dealt a severe blow to travel, the world's leading airline body said on Thursday. Expressed in the total distance passengers flew, traffic in 2024 rose 10.4 percent from the year before and was 3.8 percent higher than the previous record set ...

Syria Sanctions: EU's 'Carrot and Stick' Policy
Syria Sanctions: EU's 'Carrot and Stick' Policy

The 27-member European Union agreed on Monday on a "roadmap" to gradually ease sanctions on key sectors of the Syrian economy that were imposed under the former regime of Bashar al-Assad. However, the EU has ruled out any unconditional lifting of these measures. The process will be gradual and subject to strict conditions. In other words, the bloc ...

Tension Between Ministry of Energy and TotalEnergies
Tension Between Ministry of Energy and TotalEnergies

The relationship between the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and the French oil giant TotalEnergies seems to be on the brink of collapse. The issue lies in a report on the drilling of Block 9 that has not been submitted to the Lebanese authorities. In 2023, TotalEnergies announced the start of drilling in Block 9, off the Lebanese coast, as part of ...

Gold Price Hits New Record Over $2,791
Gold Price Hits New Record Over $2,791

The price of gold hit a new record Thursday, lifted by uncertainty over the economic policies of US President Donald Trump and the dollar's weakness following a disappointing US growth report. Around 15H25 GMT, gold was trading at $2,789.94 dollars an ounce, shortly after rising to just over $2,791 dollars, beating its previous record of ...

ECB Cuts Rate Again by Quarter Point
ECB Cuts Rate Again by Quarter Point

The European Central Bank on Thursday lowered interest rates by a further quarter percentage point as inflation eases and the eurozone economy falters. The decision marked the fourth meeting in a row that the ECB has reduced borrowing costs, and left the Frankfurt-based institution's key deposit rate at 2.75 percent. With AFP

Dubai Airport Sets a Record with 92.3 Million Passengers in 2024
Dubai Airport Sets a Record with 92.3 Million Passengers in 2024

A record 92.3 million passengers travelled through Dubai's international airport last year, its operator said on Thursday, underlining the Gulf city's economic boom. The figure broke the previous high of 89.1 million in 2018, Dubai Airports said, despite regional tensions caused by the Gaza war and last April's unprecedented floods which badly ...

The Fate of Circular 165
ExplainerThe Fate of Circular 165

In a surprising move just days before her retirement, Judge Helena Iskandar, Head of the Litigation Department at the Ministry of Justice, filed two motions before the State Council, requesting the Lebanese State’s intervention in the lawsuits aimed at annulling Circulars No.151 and No.165, submitted by lawyers. The conclusion was that the ...

Air France Says It Will Resume Flights to Beirut Saturday
Air France Says It Will Resume Flights to Beirut Saturday

Air France announced it will resume service to Beirut this Saturday, initially with five weekly flights. Transavia, the low-cost subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group, will resume its flights to the Lebanese capital on February 13, starting with three flights a week, it.  Both airlines had ceased serving Beirut in September as tensions rose ...

EU Pledges 3 Billion Euros for Jordan in New 'Strategic' Partnership
EU Pledges 3 Billion Euros for Jordan in New 'Strategic' Partnership

The European Union on Wednesday promised 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of financing and investments for Jordan as part of a new "strategic" partnership with the key Middle East ally. "With the current geopolitical shifts and growing crises in the region, strengthening the EU-Jordan partnership is the right decision at the right time," European ...

Aoun Meets with World Bank VP, Reaffirms Commitment to Reforms
Aoun Meets with World Bank VP, Reaffirms Commitment to Reforms

President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Wednesday Lebanon’s readiness to implement the necessary reforms, as outlined in his inaugural address. During a meeting with Ousmane Dione, the World Bank’s Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, President Aoun emphasized that one of the primary objectives of the new government will be to ...

Ibrahim Kanaan Stresses the Need to Withdraw the 2025 Budget
Ibrahim Kanaan Stresses the Need to Withdraw the 2025 Budget

The President of the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, Ibrahim Kanaan, called on Wednesday for the withdrawal of the 2025 budget proposal. The parliamentarian, who has been reiterating this demand since October 2024, said that the budget’s figures no longer reflected reality, deeming them “fictional.” Kanaan also emphasized that ...