Lebanon is dealing with what the World Bank estimates is one of the world's worst financial crises since the mid-1800s. Long in the making, it was exacerbated recently by both the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive explosion that killed more than 200 people in Beirut one year ago.
Since the fall of 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost 90 percent of its value, and annual inflation in 2020 was 89.4 percent, The New York Times notes. More striking than the numbers, though, are the nationwide food and electricity shortages.
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