Lebanon received 33,600 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses on Wednesday.
Caretaker health minister Hamad Hassan had announced the expected arrival of the vaccines at a meeting to discuss the country's national vaccination strategy.
The first AstraZeneca batch had been due to arrive in mid-March but this was postponed following global controversy over the safety of the vaccine.
After the AstraZeneca vaccine was declared "safe and effective" by international health organisations, Lebanon's Ministry of Health called on citizens to register for inoculation, to speed up the national vaccination programme.
The AstraZeneca doses will be used to inoculate two new groups: the education sector and people aged between 55 and 65, Mr Hassan said.
Lebanon's schools suspended classes for a week on March 8 in protest against a lack of state action in dealing with a number of growing crises.
A main demand was prioritising teachers and other school staff in the vaccination strategy, to ensure a safe return to schools.
But the prospect of receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine has divided opinion.
Dayana Mansour, a 24-year-old teacher at a state school in Beirut's southern suburbs, told The National she was excited that she was going to be vaccinated.
“I will happily take the vaccine. It’s the only way to go back to normal,” she said.
But Nada Dayeh, a 57-year-old supervisor at a Beirut private school, was concerned.
"After hearing speculation that this vaccine might not be safe, it's difficult to regain trust," she said. "I would prefer taking another vaccine if possible."
The Lebanese government was able to secure 2.73 million AstraZeneca doses – enough to provide two vaccines for 20 per cent of the population – through the UN’s Covax initiative, which aims to provide vaccines to poorer countries.
It has also organised 1.5 million doses directly from AstraZeneca.
These will be delivered in shipments over the coming months.
Lebanon is counting on these supplies to boost its vaccination programme, currently progressing at a relatively slow rate.
Out of 981,368 people registered, 103,902 have received one shot of the vaccine and 57,783 have received both shots.
This brings the vaccinated population to about 3 per cent in a country of 6 million people, including refugees.
“Lebanon needs to vaccinate at least 85 per cent of the population to achieve herd immunity,” tweeted Dr Assem Araji, head of the parliamentary health committee.
Curbing the virus's spread is necessary to ease the burden on Lebanon’s overwhelmed health sector and crumbling economy.
In recent days, the country has witnessed the highest number of admissions to intensive care units and highest depreciation of the Lebanese pound.
“Vaccinating a larger number of people is the best way to avoid repeated closures,” said Dr Abdul Rahman Bizri, head of the national vaccination committee.
“Lebanon will soon receive a variety of vaccines with greater amounts from the public and private sector. This is good news amid a very shaky situation,” he tweeted.
Lebanon was also able to secure an additional 750,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses to speed up the vaccination process, according to Mr Hassan.
To date, 150,000 Pfizer doses have arrived in Lebanon, out of 2.1 million ordered.
Private companies are also working on importing vaccines, in the hope that they can resume business sooner.
Lebanese pharmaceutical company Pharmaline secured 1 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
The first batch of 50,000 doses is due to arrive in Lebanon in 48 hours, said Mr Hassan.
Another company has also ordered the Sputnik V vaccine, and a shipment will arrive in coming days, he added.
“The ministry wants to vaccinate as many people in as little time as possible,” said Mr Hassan, while announcing a new plan to merge priority groups to speed up the vaccination process.
From Thursday, healthcare workers, people over 75 and people aged between 65 and 75 with more than one disease or health condition comorbidities will be considered one essential group.
“We have nearly 1 million people registered on the vaccination platform, all of whom will be vaccinated by early June,” said Mr Hassan.
The ministry aims to vaccinate 80 per cent of the population by the end of the year.
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
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Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20QUALIFIER%2C%20ZIMBABWE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%20%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMonday%2C%20June%2019%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESri%20Lanka%20v%20UAE%2C%20Queen%E2%80%99s%20Sports%20Club%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20June%2021%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EOman%20v%20UAE%2C%20Bulawayo%20Athletic%20Club%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFriday%2C%20June%2023%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EScotland%20v%20UAE%2C%20Bulawayo%20Athletic%20Club%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETuesday%2C%20June%2027%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIreland%20v%20UAE%2C%20Bulawayo%20Athletic%20Club%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
