Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Lebanon faces a difficult path to recovery from the latest war between Hezbollah and Israel, hampered by a severe lack of financial resources, transparency, and planning for the rebuilding effort.
Israel's campaign of heavy bombardment destroyed Beirut's southern suburbs, villages and towns in the south and in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel region. More than 1.3 million people have been displaced and 166,000 workers lost their jobs.
Initial estimates by the World Bank put the losses at around $8.5 billion, more than three times higher than the cost of the last war between Israel and Hezbollah – a month-long conflict in 2006.
Lamia Moubayed Bissat, head of the Basil Fuleihan Financial and Economic Centre, a Lebanese institution focused on economic research, financial analysis and policy advice, said the final cost could be even higher.
“In the housing sector alone, the war has led to the destruction or damage of more than 100,000 homes, either fully or partially, with costs potentially reaching $3.2 billion. Economic losses are estimated at $5.1 billion, a preliminary figure that is likely to rise once more accurate surveys are conducted,” Ms Bissat added.
"Who will compensate us?" asked Abu Hassan, a shop owner in the Jamous area of Beirut's Dahieh suburb that was struck more than 10 times during the extensive Israeli bombing campaign that began in late September and ended with a US-mediated ceasefire in late November.
"My livelihood is gone and they say compensation will come later, but how are we supposed to survive now?"
More than 600 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs were completely destroyed, and the National Council for Scientific Research recommends demolishing 30 per cent of those that suffered damage.
Despite the devastation and the loss of livelihood, Abu Hassan returned to his home in Jamous, which was undamaged, to escape the exorbitant rents charged to people who fled the bombing. "We came back to this rubble not knowing what toxic materials might be here, but we had no other choice," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al Shami told The National that Lebanon would need at least $10 billion to rebuild the war-torn areas – a heavy burden for a country that has been in economic crisis since late 2019.
Mr Al Shami affirmed the World Bank would require environmental impact assessments before providing any financial aid for reconstruction, to ensure that it meets sustainability standards.
Lebanon is in discussions with the bank to establish a multi-donor trust fund to secure the financing. This aims to manage resources effectively and ensure adherence to international standards for debris removal and rebuilding, contributing to sustainable development and avoiding the environmental disasters that occurred after the 2006 war, he said.
“Environmental impact assessments will be mandatory, and we need to make sure that the debris removal is done responsibly, ensuring that any hazardous material is properly handled,” Mr Al Shami stressed.
Nevertheless, the government has gone ahead with awarding contracts for removing rubble and the reconstruction of some buildings, raising concerns among members of the Lebanese Engineers Syndicate who say that the process was not transparent.
“The decision to award such a significant contract to a single firm, without competition or transparency, further complicates the already tenuous trust between the Lebanese people and the authorities,” said Paul Nakouzi, head of the consulting civil engineers branch at the Engineers Syndicate.
The firm in question, Khatib & Alami, provides urban and regional planning, architectural and engineering consultancy services. With only 24 civil engineers on staff, the decision to award it the contract has been questioned, especially given the availability of more than 100 volunteer engineers from the Engineers Syndicate.
“The government has rushed into awarding contracts without proper tenders or oversight, which raises questions about political favouritism and the lack of accountability," said Paul Nakouzi, a syndicate official.
Since the formal tender process takes three to four months, urgent work could be conducted through mutual consent under legal supervision to ensure transparency, Mr Elieh said.
He added that the government had sent him specific terms for rubble removal, which the authority reviewed for compliance with public procurement laws. The document, including environmental conditions set by the Ministry of Environment, was forwarded to the Council of Ministers for approval.
However, local authorities in some areas have begun clearing rubble without environmental assessments or ensuring that it is sorted to remove hazardous materials, including remnants of weapons or explosives.
In Dahieh, rubble removers are reportedly being paid just $5 per cubic metre, raising questions about the quality of the process since such a low rate gives companies little incentive to sort the debris properly.
"The lack of planning and environmental oversight is a failure of the reconstruction process," Ziad Abi Shaqer, an environmental engineer. "The debris should be treated as a resource that can be recycled, not as waste that harms the environment."
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
