This is Beirut

EDL vs. Private Generators: Lebanon’s Daily Electricity Battle

Liliane Mokbel, 03/09 15:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Electricité du Liban (EDL) collection agents occasionally remember to bill subscribers. Neighborhood generator operators, on the other hand, never forget the last day of the month. They collect payments even before reading meters, already knowing exactly how much they will extract. The idea of EDL self-financing its fuel purchases remains ...

Friday Cabinet Meeting to Tackle Security, Energy and Military Issues

This is Beirut, 03/09 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The cabinet’s upcoming meeting on Friday will discuss several issues, in addition to reviewing the Lebanese army’s plan to secure the state’s monopoly on weapons. According to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, an addendum was circulated on Wednesday for the September 5 session, adding “pressing issues” to the agenda ...

Gold Hits New Record High as Investors Flee Risk, Asia Stocks Slide

This is Beirut, 03/09 08:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Asia markets were down on Wednesday while gold extended its six-day rally after reaching a record high as investors sought safe havens following a selloff in equity and bond markets. Bullion for immediate delivery hit a fresh record as Asia markets opened, climbing 0.4 percent to hit $3,546.96 an ounce. Prices have risen five percent over the ...

Iran and the Sanctions’ Reinstatement: From Balance to Isolation

Paul Guillot, 01/09 15:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Three months after the “twelve-day war” with Israel, Iran is struggling to keep its economy afloat under severe US sanctions. With mounting military pressure, the return of European sanctions and the continuing collapse of its currency, the Islamic Republic has never been more vulnerable. Fragile Growth Despite decades of international ...

Lebanon and Syria: A New Diplomatic Era

Mario Chartouni, 27/08 15:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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A Syrian delegation is expected in Beirut later this month to address outstanding issues between the two countries. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the election of Ahmad al-Sharaa as Syria’s president, a new dynamic has emerged. For Lebanon, this represents both an opportunity to build a more balanced relationship with ...

Lebanon Secures $250 Million World Bank Loan for Reconstruction

This is Beirut, 26/08 16:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Lebanon signed a $250 million loan agreement with the World Bank on Tuesday to begin repairing infrastructure damaged by Israeli airstrikes since October 2023, marking the first step in a broader reconstruction effort. Finance Minister Yassine Jaber signed the deal with World Bank regional director Jean-Christophe Carret in Beirut, in a ceremony ...

Israel Raid Wounds 14 in West Bank's Ramallah: Red Crescent

This is Beirut, 26/08 15:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Israeli army raided the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday, leaving 14 people wounded as troops fanned out across the city centre, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Tensions have remained high in the occupied West Bank since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the Gaza war, with repeated raids by the Israeli army on ...

Beirut Traders Index Points to Fragile Economic Rebound

This is Beirut, 19/08 16:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The latest index of the Beirut Traders Association-Fransabank (Q2 2025) shows the first signs of a recovery in local markets, a welcome development as the World Bank forecasts 4.7% GDP growth for Lebanon in 2025 and a sharp drop in inflation. The retail trade index rose to 33.13 points in Q2 2025, up from 30.01 the previous quarter (base 100 = Q4 ...

The Court of First Instance in Mount Lebanon Allows the Lifting of Seizures on Bank Assets

This is Beirut, 14/08 20:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Court of First Instance in Mount Lebanon, through its Third Chamber handling real estate matters and composed of judges Yamen El-Hajjar (presiding), Elissia Abou Jaoudeh, and Fatima Bazzi, issued a key ruling in a case filed by Mrs. Sara Audi Attaya, represented by her attorney Riad Hallaj, challenging a decision by the Baabda Land Registry ...

Tehran’s Unease About the Zanguezur Corridor

Mario Chartouni, 12/08 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The peace agreement signed on August 8 between Armenia and Azerbaijan could mark a turning point for the South Caucasus. However, for Tehran, one of its most significant elements – the creation of the Zanguezur Corridor, linking Azerbaijan directly to its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia – poses a serious strategic ...

Mossad’s Reach: How Israel Penetrated Iran’s Inner Sanctum

Soumia Benmerzoug, 11/08 13:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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In June 2025, Iran was struck by a wave of operations of an unusual kind: targeted sabotage, “accidental” explosions, digital disruption, targeted assassinations… The whole affair bears the hallmarks of a hybrid offensive, silent yet devastatingly effective. But beyond technological prowess, the structural collapse of a paranoid regime ...

Beirut Port Scans 60 Containers per Hour with AI-Powered Technology

Liliane Mokbel, 02/08 15:00 - Reading : less than a minute

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The Ministry of Finance is accelerating its efforts to modernize Lebanon’s customs operations. With a clear goal of enhancing public revenue collection, a large-scale digital transformation is underway, impacting both the Directorate of Revenues and the Customs Directorate. Key initiatives include the gradual rollout of electronic payment ...

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