In Paris, Mardi café blends influences from around the world, from Lebanon to Sweden
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L'Orient-Le Jour
12 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Beirut's port handled 100,000 containers in July, record since 2019
Nearly 100,000 standard containers (TEU) passed through the Port of Beirut in July, marking a new record since 2019, the last year the port operated at full capacity before the economic crisis and the Aug. 4, 2020, explosion affected its activity. This figure represents an increase of about 39 percent compared to the same month in 2024, which recorded 72,000 containers. "This is the highest level reached by the port in terms of container terminal activity since 2019," management emphasized in a statement, estimating that this performance "reflects a growing operational dynamic and confirms the port's return to its role as an essential platform on the map of maritime transport in the eastern Mediterranean." This "progress" is explained, according to management, by "the improvement of operational infrastructure, the efficiency of services and the renewed confidence of shipping companies that are gradually reintegrating the Port of Beirut into their regular routes." Along with Tripoli, the capital's port is one of only two port facilities in Lebanon equipped with giant cranes capable of handling container ships. In the north of the country, the Port of Tripoli has welcomed "for the second time in two weeks, one of the largest container ships in the world," said its director, Ahmad Tamer. In a separate statement, he specified that 'about 2,600 standard containers are expected to be loaded and unloaded from the CMA CGM Cobalt, including 1,200 destined for the local market.' He also reported a 20 percent increase in container traffic in Tripoli since the beginning of the year, compared to the same period in 2024. "This record, since the creation of the terminal, reflects merchants' confidence in the efficiency and quality of the services offered," Tamer noted, who sees in it a "strategic opportunity" to "strengthen the national economy, generate new resources for the public treasury and create jobs in the Tripoli and North Lebanon region." The management of container terminals in both ports has been handled by the French group CMA CGM since 2021 in Tripoli and since 2022 in Beirut. According to the most recent official data cited this week by Lebanon this Week, the Port of Beirut handled 1.96 million tons of freight in the first four months of 2025, an increase of 18.2 percent compared to the same period in 2024. No less than 87.2 percent of this total consisted of imports. At the Port of Tripoli, total freight reached 798,000 tons, down 2.3 percent, with imports making up 78.6 percent of the total.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
In Paris, Mardi café blends influences from around the world, from Lebanon to Sweden
On a Tuesday morning, Adi Salet — the French adaptation of his 'real' name, Hadi Saleh — welcomed L'Orient-Le Jour together with his partner and business associate, Margaux Salgado, their 15-month-old daughter, Edmée, and their dog Bento, a white Bedlington terrier. The four of them make up the beautiful portrait of a stylish, young and trendy was bustling in the café, with customers sipping their drinks under the sun during an unusual summer. 'It's calm,' said Salet. 'It's nothing compared to the weekend.'Margaux and Adi opened Mardi, a 'combination of their two first names,' in 2021. Adi previously worked in digital marketing for a French media outlet. Margaux was an art gallery manager. But the project was on the couple's minds for a long time. During COVID, they matured the idea and took the leap. 'We love to...
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
HSBC under Swiss, French investigation for money laundering linked to Lebanon
BEIRUT — HSBC's Swiss private bank is being probed by Swiss and French law enforcement authorities over money laundering allegations, the bank revealed in its 2025 interim results report on Wednesday. Authorities are examining breaches 'in connection with alleged money laundering offences in respect of two historical banking relationships,' the statement said without specifying when the probes were launched. 'These investigations are at an early stage,' it added. In June, 2024, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Switzerland's financial watchdog, accused HSBC's Swiss branch of failing to prevent money laundering involving two unnamed politically exposed persons from Lebanon. FINMA had identified multiple transactions conducted between 2002 and 2015 that were insufficiently clarified and documented and totaled over $300 million. The funds were transferred from a state institution in Lebanon to Switzerland, and most were returned shortly afterward to different accounts in Lebanon. The financial regulator had imposed a series of measures against the bank, including prohibiting the opening of new business relationships with politically exposed persons (PEPs) until it carried out a review of its anti-money laundering practices and of all of its high-risk business relationships, in addition to those with PEPs. Disgraced former central bank governor Riad Salameh – currently in detention– and his brother Raja – placed under formal investigation – are accused of funneling $330 million to Swiss bank accounts through Forry Associates Ltd, an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands. According to the Swiss newspaper Sonntags Zeitung, about $250 million was deposited into Raja Salameh's personal account at HSBC's Geneva branch. Additional funds were held at UBS, Credit Suisse, Julius Baer, EFG, and Pictet. The brothers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. 'It is not practicable at this time for HSBC to predict the resolution of these matters, including the timing or any possible impact on HSBC,' the bank said, but acknowledged that the consequences could be 'significant.'
