by euronews.com — After seven years of ravaging war in Syria, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri told Euronews’ correspondent Anelise Borges in an exclusive interview that he would be dealing more with Russia rather than the Syrian regime. Borges spoke with Hariri about what it’s like to be surrounded by war, his relationship with Russia […]

by telegraph.co.uk — The United Arab Emirates had asked an Israeli spyware company it had contracted to surveil dissidents to tap the phone calls of the prime minister of Lebanon and other Arab officials, it emerged Friday. The Emirati government reportedly asked the NSO Group how best to hack the phones of various politicians, with […]

by news.com.au — JUST when you thought you were stalking your mate’s Amalfi Coast or party pictures in Vegas, upon closer inspection, you realise they’ve actually checked into Beirut, Lebanon. While Bali, Italy and the United States remain some of the most popular holiday destinations, new research by finder.com.au has revealed that locations such as […]

by naharnet — The Cabinet formation process has witnessed no positive developments and the current complications are threatening to delay the creation of the new government until early 2019, media reports said. “New hurdles are surfacing everyday and the parties concerned are not announcing their true stances,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Wednesday. “Any of the parties […]

by arabianbusiness.com — In recent years, Lebanon has faced an undeniable economic slowdown, and yet, average real estate property prices seem to have been sustained. This may be good news for the economy, but the current level of prices continue to remain out of reach of those in the middle-income strata. Over a nine year […]

by Dailystar.com.lb — The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts Lebanon’s GDP growth to slow to 1.7 percent in 2018 due to political instability, potential military conflict and tax changes. “Lebanon’s investor sentiment (especially toward tourism and construction) and private consumption growth will be held back by political instability, potential military conflict and tax changes, including increases to […]

 Sightseeing in Beirut: Swiss President Alain Berset (left with blue tie) is shown around by Schmutz Kirgöz (right with beige skirt). by swissinfo.ch — Lebanon is often compared with Switzerland. swissinfo.ch asked the current Swiss ambassador in Beirut to explain why that is and why the Alpine nation is so popular in Lebanon. Switzerland and […]

Finance professionals who took the final level of the Chartered Financial Analyst exam in June found out on Tuesday how they did in the grueling test of financial know-how. The exam, which asks candidates questions on everything from financial modeling to the ethics of business, is considered one of the most grueling tests in the […]

by swissinfo.ch — Alain Berset began a two-day visit to Lebanon on Monday by meeting with political representatives and calling for patience when it comes to the return of the 1.3 million Syrian refugees currently in the state. “The situation has evolved; but I don’t know if we can say that the war in Syria […]

by france24.com — Lebanese people outside Beirut spend 18 hours a day without electricity. To solve the energy crisis, the government hires Turkish fuel-burning barges at a heavy environmental cost. Lebanon’s government has moored a second power-generating barge at the coastal town of Zouk Mikael, sparking outrage among residents already concerned about high pollution levels from the local power plant. “When there is a wind, we cannot work. We cannot walk. We cannot breathe,” local doctor Michel Aziz, who serves on the municipality’s Health and Environment Committee, told FRANCE 24. “It’s very, very, very dangerous. Even more than before.” The fuel-burning barge provides electricity to supplement that created by Zouk Mikael’s power plant, installed in the 1960s. Due to a longstanding monopoly, only the government-owned Electricité du Liban is licensed to produce power in the country. But since the end of the Lebanese civil war almost thirty years ago, it hasn’t been able to keep up.

30 years of electricity shortage The barges are supposed to tackle Lebanon’s resulting chronic power shortages, which see residents outside the capital Beirut face outages of up to 18 hours a day. The situation worsens in the summer, exacerbated by the use of fans and air conditioners. For those who want to keep the lights on, the only option is extremely costly generators, run by local gangs. Zouk Mikael already hosts one Turkish power barge, the Fatmagul Sultan, which arrived in 2013 and boosted government-supplied power from six to between 14 and 18 hours daily. The arrival of the Esra Sultan, which has now been up and running for four weeks, is intended to provide round-the-clock power for Zouk and the surrounding areas. Along with two others already in place along the coast, the barges now account for a quarter of the country’s power generation capacity.

The barges are supplied by Turkish company Karadeniz and are known as power ships. The Lebanese government supplies heavy fuel oil and diesel and pays the company at a per kilowatt hour rate for the conversion into electricity. “We accepted it here because they told us it will give us 24-hour power,” says Zouk Mikael Mayor Elias Baino. “It’s been successful, but with more pollution.” Residents are delighted at the power increase, but furious that the government ignored their long-standing complaints about the environmental damage from the existing plant and barge, and installed another. Some locals say they haven’t even seen the benefits from the second barge, thanks to zoning. “I live 2.5km from [the barge] and I barely have power,” says Marcos Brundy who lives in the neighbouring district of Zouk Mosbeh. “You know how frustrating this is, that I’m getting all the toxic air and not getting anything in return?” ‘It’s hard to breathe when you reach the Zouk area’