Tag Archives: Lebanon

Zaitunay Bay is NOT Closing Down

After posting news that Zaitunay Bay might be closing down because the shops and restaurants in it can’t pay their rent anymore, I was tweeted by Zaitunay Bay’s account to let me know the news is entirely false.

Moreover, it seems that Solidere is not allowed to make such statements as it’s not the owning company of Zaitunay Bay. The company in question is BWD, Beirut Waterfront Development.

Here are the tweets in question:

Zaitunay Bay Closing - 1

Zaitunay Bay Closing - 2However, I believe that the closing news may not be coming out of nowhere. As they say, there’s no smoke without fire. So perhaps Zaitunay Bay should really anticipate repercussions from the dismal state of the economy and lower the rent on its tenants, at least until these tough times blow through. Making less money transiently is better than not making money at all.

 

 

 

Beirut’s Zaitunay Bay Closing Down?

LebanonFiles is reporting (here) that Solidere is actively and seriously considering closing down Lebanon’s new “it” project Zaitunay Bay, which has been discussed in the New York Times earlier this year.

The reason for Zaitunay Bay potentially closing is the same reason Fuddruckers and Buddha Bar have closed down while Movenpick got offered up for sale: the terrible state of business.

The shops and restaurants in Zaitunay bay are witnessing such a big fiscal drought that they can’t pay their rent, which is about $500,000 per year for their property. Looks like such a well-visited location hasn’t been resilient to the economic woes of the country.

Meanwhile, as all major business in the country close down or consider closing down, our politicians are either making propaganda visits to Gaza, still on a “forced vacation” abroad, threatening everyone whenever they feel threatened (which is basically every waking moment of every day) or getting people to freak out about a potential “ekhwen rule” in Syria.

The 2013 elections are in a few months and the rhetoric that will be used in the coming days and weeks won’t be that of an economic plan to save the country’s miserable state but that of mentally terrorizing people into voting for one side over the other, whatever that side is.

Despite not being the biggest fan of Zaitunay Bay, I really hope the place pulls through these though times. Lebanon doesn’t need such a thing right now.

An Economic Boom Coming Batroun’s Way?

I was sent this report, saying that the Maronite League is bringing an economic zone to Batroun, which will help in creating over 3000 jobs for the region.

The Maronite League will announce next week a plan to establish a new special economic district in Batroun. A primary feasibility study has been performed for the project.

The location of the new district will be defined through a draft law already sent to Parliament, said a senior member of the Maronite League. The project will include businesses involved in soft industries, including ICT firms.

Businesses located within the zone will benefit from special services, facilities, and incentives, such as tax exemptions and discounts on NSSF subscriptions for employees.

“We aim at creating incentives for local and foreign companies to come and invest here, instead of taking their investments to other countries, such as Dubai or Qatar,” the Maronite League member said.

The district is expected to generate some 3,000 job opportunities. According to the source, businessmen involved in the Maronite League have expressed their willingness to move their offices into Batroun. “Over 100 companies are expected to have offices in the Batroun special economic district.”

A similar special economic zone has been announced earlier this year for Tripoli.

If this news turns out true, it would drive one of Lebanon’s more needy areas lightyears forward and would help its citizens stay home instead of moving to other Lebanese areas or even abroad in order to find jobs. This might signal a hidden demographic motive for the Maronite League in one of Lebanon’s biggest Maronite regions. Personally, I don’t really care seeing as this is such a positive sign for the region and they should be commended for doing something that very few, including the Lebanese state, have even considered before.

I’m pleased that this project won’t have a political stamp on it. We won’t get MPs or MP wannabes telling us how we should be eternally grateful for them bringing 3000 jobs to the district when they ask for our votes next year.

Another positive attribute is the fact that this is the first time such a massive project has been undertaken outside Beirut and its suburbs, which might help shift the way things are done in this country away from the deep conviction of: “Beirut & neighbors first and foremost. Almost everywhere else in Lebanon doesn’t matter.”  And with relatively short commute times for the regions around Batroun, the project’s reach will extend beyond Batroun.

I’m interested in knowing where the project will be built and I hope it’ll take environmental factors into consideration in keeping the pristine aspect of the region relatively intact or at least let it not turn into another disaster like Chekka. But pristine doesn’t bring food to the table.

Some other non-Maronite League projects involving the area include turning the Tobacco control headquarters into a branch for the Lebanese University as well as building a centralized Official High School for the entire caza in Ebrine, which seems to have been buried in a bureaucratic mess, the Batroun-Tannourine highway which seems to have stalled in its final stretch, not to mention the sewage and water networks project which has basically made our driving a living a hell with the serious lack of efficiency in the contractor the Lebanese government hired.

Add to all of this studies indicating that some of the highest amounts of oil and petrol may be found off of Batroun’s shores, the area will witness a lot of development in a short period of time. Well, it’s about time.

The Participants of Lebanon’s Dancing With the Stars

Dancing With the Stars Lebanon

MTV has just unveiled the participants of Lebanon’s version of Dancing With the Stars. Here’s the list:

  • Nada Bou Farhat (actress)
  • Wissam Hanna (former Mr. Lebanon)
  • May Harriri (singer)
  • Naya (singer)
  • Rosarita Tawil (former Miss Lebanon)
  • Mirva Kadi (Model & singer)
  • Nicolas Mouawad (actor/TV anchor)
  • Rabih Baroud (Singer)
  • Haifa Haddad (Trainer)
  • Michel Bou Sleiman (comedian)
  • Walid Alayli (actor)

Each of these famous people will be paired with a professional dancer. The couple will be judged by a panel as well as audience votes. The winning team has to garner the highest combination of audience votes and panel grades. I don’t know how well this show would do with non-Lebanese audiences though seeing as all of the participants are Lebanese. But I’m not complaining.

Tania Saleh Fundraiser Concert for World AIDS Day

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The Lebanese Medical Students International Committee – LeMSIC in short – will be holding a fundraiser concert by Tania Saleh on December 15th, as part of its World AIDS Day awareness campaign.

The concert’s revenue will go to the HIV/AIDS fund of one of LeMSIC’s committees that’s involved in reproductive health which will then help HIV positive Lebanese patients get CD4 counts, which is not covered by the ministry of health or by Lebanese insurance companies.

A CD4 count determines the stage of the disease. The lower it is, the worse a person’s status is. It’s a mark of how far HIV has gone in destroying a person’s immunity and it is one of the criteria used to determine whether a patient has reached a state of AIDS or not, which would in turn affect the patient’s treatment options. The test itself is not cheap at all and many patients cannot afford one on their own.

Tickets prices are as follows: $20 if you are a medical student who’s a member of LeMSIC. $25 if you’re a non-member medical student and $35 for non-medical students.

And in case you’re worried, the concert will not comprise any medical lectures.

The Facebook link for the event in case you’re interested: click here.