Search Results for: Lebanon

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut

BEIRUT’S re-named Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA) is still reeling from last year’s conflict between Israel and the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah, with passenger numbers down and some US$19 million needed to acquire a second radar and upgrade communications and security systems.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Damascus
A EUROPEAN Union (EU) sponsored gas cooperation centre working with the Syrian government has called for a review of the value of gas in the region and the completion of the much-vaunted Euro-Mashreq gas pipeline.

The 1,300 kilometre 36-inch gas pipeline, which will link Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and eventually Europe, is 60% complete.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
SALES of cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries are surging in the Middle East, with sales reaching US$2.1 billion last year according to official statistics.

German cosmetics and toiletries manufacturing giant Beiersdorf estimated regional growth at 10% percent last year.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
Lebanon’s cosmetics, toiletries and perfumery sector, excluding shaving creams and soaps, is estimated to be worth US$180 million a year, according to L’Oréal.

The sector was seriously affected by the month long war between Israel and Hizbullah last year.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Dubai
CURBING the counterfeiting and smuggling of established companies’ goods has become a pressing concern for international businesses wanting to protect their brands in the growing economies of the Middle East.

Although certain sectors are suffering more than others, the issue has been deemed serious enough for leading multinationals to team together last year to create a Brand Owners’ Protection Group (BPG) in the Middle East to tackle the region’s part in generating the US$500 billion global counterfeit trade.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Damascus
OVER the past six years Syria, once a byword for proto-Soviet state control and autarky, has opened up its economy and implemented investment laws that allow foreign companies to set up shop. But few multinational food companies have wised up to the opportunities within an emerging market of 18 million consumers.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
HUNTING with falcons has been part of Arab culture for thousands of years, but with wild falcons declining because of trapping and Middle Eastern hunters also shooting falcons for sport, what do Arabs think about imposing tougher restrictions?…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
IMPORT duties on tobacco products shipped from the Lebanon to the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries have become duty free under a wide-ranging commercial agreement, which came into force on January 1. The EFTA-Lebanon Free Trade Agreement will also see Lebanese duties being cut from 2008, to be abolished entirely by 2015.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
IN an already charged political atmosphere a verbal argument between students at the Beirut Arab University on Thursday turned violent, spreading out onto the streets and leaving two students dead and over 160 students and protesters wounded.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
AN ARAB language newspaper has reported that British clothing retail giant Marks & Spencer is investigating opening a branch in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Al Balad newspaper said talks have been suspended however over Lebanon’s ongoing political instability and concern over the possible store location.…