L'Orient Today

L'Orient Today Lebanon's independent, critical news service. A sister publication of L'Orient-Le Jour

L’Orient Today is the English-language sister publication of L’Orient-Le Jour. It is an independent news platform that aims to examine the failure of the Lebanese system and to hold political and economic powerbrokers accountable through comprehensive, in-depth reporting.

It appears as if Syria is taking off while Lebanon remains stuck.In recent days, the Lebanese press reflected a growing ...
05/06/2025

It appears as if Syria is taking off while Lebanon remains stuck.

In recent days, the Lebanese press reflected a growing frustration in the country, which appears to be losing ground to its neighbor.

After the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in December and the election, one month later, of Joseph Aoun as president, the two countries, engaging as equals for the first time, seemed to be on a shared path toward economic recovery, the restoration of state authority and reintegration into the Arab world.

Salah Hijazi writes...

🔗 Tap on the link below for the full analysis
olj.me/1463369

📸 Photo provided by the Grand Serail

My father’s old-fashioned fabric shop, inherited from my grandfather, is right across what used to be one of Gaza’s prou...
05/06/2025

My father’s old-fashioned fabric shop, inherited from my grandfather, is right across what used to be one of Gaza’s proudest landmarks: Souk Feras (al-Feras Market).

Day after day, we opened our shop’s doors to the sounds and smells of that place — vendors shouting prices, shoppers bargaining, the scent of mint, fresh bread and warm fabric filling the air.

The market sat right on Omar al-Mokhtar Street, a street that once pulsed with energy, trade and people.

Noor Alyacoubi writes...

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olj.me/1463271

📸 AFP

This week, something historic happened.You’ve heard the word kafala — in the news, in protest chants, in videos of domes...
04/06/2025

This week, something historic happened.

You’ve heard the word kafala — in the news, in protest chants, in videos of domestic workers locked on balconies or pleading outside embassies.

For the first time in Lebanon, a migrant domestic worker was granted a visa by General Security to return and did come back to testify in a court case classified as slavery.

Her name is Meseret Hailu. Her story could mark a turning point — but to understand why, we need to look at the system that made it possible, Kafala.

Every week, Sahar Ghoussoub and Joelle Khoury cut through the chaos with straight-up explanations of the stuff you wish someone had taught you — unwritten rules, sectarian deals, shifting alliances, all of it.

This week: What is Kafala, the system behind an unfolding slavery case in Lebanon?

🔗 Tap on the link below for a detailed explanation
olj.me/1463257

The Civil Defense announced on Wednesday that one person was killed and four others injured in a major fire that broke o...
04/06/2025

The Civil Defense announced on Wednesday that one person was killed and four others injured in a major fire that broke out at a gas station in Hadath, Mount Lebanon.

The statement came just hours after firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.

🔗 Tap on the link below for the full story
olj.me/1463169

📸 Mohammed Yassin/ L'Orient Today

It’s 6:40 a.m. when about 10 cars begin lining up at the first General Security checkpoint outside the Arida border post...
04/06/2025

It’s 6:40 a.m. when about 10 cars begin lining up at the first General Security checkpoint outside the Arida border post, which connects northern Lebanon’s Akkar coast to Syria.

Closed since Dec. 6, 2024, following an Israeli strike that destroyed part of the roadway embankment, the crossing reopened Tuesday to the relief of travelers and taxi drivers on both sides of the border.

Lyana Alameddine writes...

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olj.me/1463091

📸 Mohammed Yassin/ L'Orient Today

Dima Hussein Abou Dayyah and Samer Ahmad Meshref are young Shiite opponents to Hezbollah in their regions, and they have...
03/06/2025

Dima Hussein Abou Dayyah and Samer Ahmad Meshref are young Shiite opponents to Hezbollah in their regions, and they have just been elected — she in Zahle, he in Jbeil — to the municipal councils of their respective towns on lists sponsored by none other than the Lebanese Forces.

The Christian party is seen as the biggest local rivals to the Amal and Hezbollah duo and is often criticized among this community, long an electoral stronghold for the alliance.

Stephanie Khouri writes...

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olj.me/1462948

📸 Dima Abou Daya's Facebook profile

Majed Tahini, mokhtar of Aita al-Shaab (district of Bint Jbeil), stated Monday to our correspondent in the South, that t...
03/06/2025

Majed Tahini, mokhtar of Aita al-Shaab (district of Bint Jbeil), stated Monday to our correspondent in the South, that the Lebanese Army "has redeployed to two military positions located on the outskirts of the locality, which it previously occupied before evacuating them during the war."

🔗 Tap on the link below for the full story
olj.me/1462901

📸 Mohammed Yassin/ L'Orient Today

Today, June 2, 2025, marked 20 years since the assassination of Samir Kassir, the the Lebanese-Syrian-French-Palestinia...
02/06/2025

Today, June 2, 2025, marked 20 years since the assassination of Samir Kassir, the the Lebanese-Syrian-French-Palestinian journalist.

For the occasion, Julien Ricour-Brasseur writes:

"To commemorate Kassir, 20 years after his assassination, is not just about honoring the man, but about reviving his ideas, struggles and vision.

To commemorate Kassir is also to refuse to erase his memory and that of Lebanon. Above all, it is a choice to ensure that the ideas of those men who were taken down do not die."

Tap here to read the article: olj.me/1462845

As discussions on the disarmament of Palestinian camps in Lebanon are set to begin on June 16 in Beirut, growing attenti...
02/06/2025

As discussions on the disarmament of Palestinian camps in Lebanon are set to begin on June 16 in Beirut, growing attention is being paid to the broader issue of civic and human rights for Palestinians living in the country.

Limited to manual jobs and forbidden from owning real estate, Palestinian refugees could soon see changes in their living conditions, as a proposed law on this subject is under consideration, according to information obtained by L’Orient-Le Jour from the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, a body attached to the Lebanese government.

Zeina Antonios writes...

🔗 Tap on the link below for the full article
olj.me/1462825

📸 AFP

Appointed to the Ministry of Economy and Trade in February, Amer Bisat, a former IMF economist and senior executive at g...
02/06/2025

Appointed to the Ministry of Economy and Trade in February, Amer Bisat, a former IMF economist and senior executive at global asset manager BlackRock, returned to Lebanon after four decades abroad.

In an exclusive interview with L’Orient Today, Bisat discussed Lebanon’s prospects for emerging from the crisis; from its growth potential to the structural reforms the consumer market and banking sector needs, along with the opportunities that could help kickstart recovery.

Stephanie Bechara writes...

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olj.me/1462437

📸 Photo DR

Over the past few weeks, a new Nawaf Salam has emerged on the political scene. In office for three months now, the prime...
01/06/2025

Over the past few weeks, a new Nawaf Salam has emerged on the political scene. In office for three months now, the prime minister has recently raised his voice on several occasions and appeared more assertive, particularly on the issue of Hezbollah's weapons. The once-criticized for his timid or even ineloquent approach was even praised on Wednesday by the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, for his "honorable positions" regarding the state's monopoly on weapons.

Read Jeanine Jalkh's analysis by clicking here: olj.me/1462570

Every two weeks, partygoers flock to Ked Beirut to dance to Arabic pop music — a dance and music scene many wouldn’t hav...
30/05/2025

Every two weeks, partygoers flock to Ked Beirut to dance to Arabic pop music — a dance and music scene many wouldn’t have imagined gravitating towards just a few years ago.

The faces of the show — Peter Mhanna, Lary and Marianela — are armed with an endless well of creativity and degrees in Marketing, Economics and Industrial Engineering, respectively.

Combining their talents, they’ve cracked the code to perfectly and meticulously engineer an event that seems effortless and fun.

Marguerita Sejaan writes...

🔗 Tap on the link below for the full story
OLJ.me/1462419

📸 Pictures by Renee Davis/ Collage by Jaimee Lee Haddad

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