Less popular cruises?

While 60 cruise ships dock at Beirut each summer only one, the Ausonia, takes on new passengers, and for three years now, Lebanese holidaymakers have signed up for the weeklong Greek island cruise, organized by the Cypriot company, Louis Cruise Lines. That was until this year, when prices went up by about 5%, noted Toufic Keyrouz, general manager of the travel agency Lebanese International Tours, who feels that the budget cruise may have had its day.

Paul Zahlan, a director of Lebanon

According to Chateau Musar, the 2003 wine harvest promises wines that are

Lebanese experts on urban planning and zoning contend that this communal discipline of real estate management exists as nothing more than a quasi-reality here. Sights from nearly every nook and cranny of the country corroborate the judgment. From north to south, communities overflow with building structures that defy common sense, communal planning and esthetics.

The latest breast cancer awareness campaign has not only been extremely successful, it has also cost the government nothing. The campaign, estimated to cost around $200,000, was fully funded by the pharmaceutical company Roche, which also dipped into its pockets last year. But this time, with the backing of the government, Roche managed to get free airtime on TV channels and radio stations. This collective effort helped reduce the final bill.

Paying the hospitals

After much back-and-forth in the media, in mid-July an agreement was finally hammered out between the Syndicate of Hospitals and the various government entities and public employee groups that collectively owe almost LL500 billion in unpaid hospital bills. The terms of the deal stipulate that the hospitals

Two major retail clusters are evolving in metropolitan Beirut just in time for the shopping season. Spinneys last month inaugurated its first hypermarket in Jnah, while the ABC Mall in Achrafieh is being readied for its scheduled grand opening with top political figures on November 29, and will start to admit shoppers early this month. With 32,000 square meters of retail area and extensive entertainment facilities, including a seven-cinema multiplex and a health club, the operators of the 140,000 square meter shopping behemoth promise their customers a totally new experience. The lineup of eateries in the mall

Interminable terminal

The saga concerning the private jet terminal at the Beirut airport continues. The new terminal was supposed to open its doors last June, but until now it has not.

Three years ago, when it semed the world was his for the taking, businessman tycoon Taha Koleilat bought a second-division Lebanese football team, pumped several million dollars into it, bought top Lebanese players, and set his sights on the number-one berth in the First Division.

Today, even though his business interests are under intense legal scrutiny, he has accomplished that goal with his Olympic Beirut team

Lebanese cement manufacturer Holcim Liban has acquired 100% of Bogaz Endustri Madencilik (BEM), a cement company in Northern Cyprus.

Welcome backSince September 1, the Lebanese authorities have again been allowing South Koreans to obtain visas upon arrival in Lebanon. The practice had been discontinued in November 2003, when the Lebanese government imposed visa restrictions on a number of countries. South Korean embassy officials declined to offer an explanation for their country