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Master muddler
Abdel Moneim Youssef is not your average public servant. If there is one compelling impression from meeting him in person, it is that there is much more to him than meets the eye. In this sense, his...
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Four reasons Lebanon’s internet is so slow
Though Lebanon has a high international capacity coming in through underwater fiber optic cables — to the likes of several hundreds of megabits per second (Mbit/s) — internet speeds at the actual level...
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Waiting for (re)forms
Note: On April 2, 2015, the Ministry of Public Health announced that Minister Wael Abou Faour had issued a decision to adopt the final form of the unified prescription and to begin printing the new...
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A prescription of order
When word broke earlier this year that physicians and pharmacists have been treated to new prescription forms by order of Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, the matter seemed pale — perhaps even...
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Light a fire
Lebanon is far from a bastion of fast and cheap internet. But stacked next to bumpy disorganized highways, intermittent electricity and a recent proliferation of private water companies that distribute...
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One man’s army
On a crisp February morning just before dawn, two boys walk down the narrow street leading to the center of the Sabra meat market with short knives tucked away in sheaths attached to their belts. Just...
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A roller coaster ride
When Lebanon’s Civil War ended in 1990, Hamra was at a standstill in terms of nightlife, with almost no pubs or restaurants in operation on Makdessi, the street just north of the main road. In 2005,...
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Thinking ahead
Since 2010, policymakers in Israel have had to repeatedly intervene in the energy sector to deal with challenges — not just opportunities — presented by the discovery of large gas fields. Since 2010,...
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Seashore, Inc.
On February 10, 1966, Inmaa Tourism and Hotels bought two plots of land on the sandy shores of Ramlet al-Baida. Eight years later, the company bought seven more plots, bringing its total land holdings...
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Hungry for change
Food safety has become a national spectacle over the past several months. While there have been no recent foodborne epidemics, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour has incessantly reminded us that much of...
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Feeling the heat
The sight was electrifying: a solar powered flying machine ascended into the desert morning in order to probe a new frontier for ecology and sustainability. Venturing far beyond the conventional...
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Throw open the doors
There’s a glaring contradiction between the privately owned plots on the cadastral map of Beirut and legislation regarding ownership along the coast. A 1925 decree — still in force today — says that...
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Becoming clearer
The search for potential onshore hydrocarbon reservoirs in Lebanon is moving along more quickly than anticipated. Fully analyzed and interpreted data from an airborne survey of 6,000 square kilometers...
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Something for everyone
Mention Hamra Street in front of anyone familiar with Lebanon and they will surely have an opinion or story to share about one of Beirut’s most well known and cosmopolitan areas. Referred to as the...
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An ignored but active union
On January 25, 2015, the creation of a union for domestic workers was announced in Beirut. In an atmosphere teeming with excitement, more than 200 women who work in Lebanese homes — including nationals...
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Profits ‘Я’ Us
The alpha bankers had a good year. Profits for 2014 showed surprising strength by growing 9.13 percent year on year to LBP 2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) for the 14 banks with deposits of over $2 billion...
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Central anchor
In the staid world of central bankers, changes are often slow and measured. That is not the case in 2015. In the first four months of the year, the euro slid 10 percent against the dollar. In a single...
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On a charm offensive
The ‘Open Sesame’ for unlocking what made BankMed, one of Lebanon’s top five banks by both assets and deposits, move into Dubai this spring is ‘opportunity.’ This is no coincidence. This term and the...
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Finally, teeth
Navigating Lebanon’s streets during the height of rush hour traffic is certainly simpler than cutting through uncharted jungle territory, yet the dangers are just as great. Drivers not observing road...
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The banking turnover
What BankMed is to the Hariris, BLOM Bank to the Azharis, Fransabank and SGBL to the different lines of Sehnaouis, Bank Audi to the Audis and Creditbank to the Khalifes is perhaps not as clear as a...
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