Faith and Hope at Sisters of the Cross Hospital
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-12-02 09:25 - Reading : less than a minute
At Sisters of the Cross Hospital, students, parents, and teachers express their hopes ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit. “This visit will bless us and fill us with hope. The Pope keeps us in his prayers,” they say. A moving display of faith, underscoring the symbolic importance of the visit.
The Takaichi Shock: Taiwan Reshapes the Power Balance
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-11-19 21:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
USA China Pacific Japan Taiwan
The Statement That Sparked the Storm It began with a brief remark. On November 7, speaking to Japanese lawmakers, Sanae Takaichi warned that military action against Taiwan could threaten “Japan’s survival” and urged consideration of the “worst-case scenario.” Her comments quickly crossed the Taiwan Strait. Beijing responded almost ...
María Corina Machado Wins the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-10-10 19:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump Republicans Washington White House Venezuela
At 58, María Corina Machado became the first Venezuelan woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement from Oslo recognizes her steadfast and nonviolent fight for democracy in a country where opposing the government carries great risk. Born in Caracas in 1967, she is an industrial engineer and a graduate of the Andrés Bello Catholic ...
Insurrection Act: Trump’s Ultimate Card
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-10-08 18:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump Los Angeles New York United States US Supreme Court Insurrection Act
Enacted in 1807 during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the Insurrection Act allows the president to call on the armed forces to restore order when a state is overwhelmed or when federal laws can no longer be enforced through normal means. But its roots go back even further. The first similar laws date from 1792, following uprisings in the ...
Generation Z: Anger Spreads Across Continents
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-10-01 21:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
In Morocco, the protest movement has reached an unprecedented scale over the past four days. From Rabat to Casablanca, from Oujda to Tiznit, and also in Agadir, thousands of young people have mobilized around the Gen Z 212 collective, which had been largely unknown until now. Clashes have multiplied, including confrontations with security forces, ...
Beirut Port Explosion: Grechushkin Arrest Reopens Key Questions
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-09-17 21:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Beirut Port Rhosus Justice Family of the victims
The Rhosus was far from an ordinary ship. Decrepit, burdened with debt, and repeatedly banned from sailing, it was carrying 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in 2013 – a chemical classified as explosive under Lebanese law when its nitrogen concentration exceeds 33.5%. During an unscheduled stop in Beirut, the cargo ship was detained and ...
Ortagus Calls for Lebanon’s Sovereignty
Rayan Chami 2025-08-25 22:45 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon Hezbollah Morgan Ortagus United States
During an exclusive dinner in Beirut attended by US Envoy Morgan Ortagus, US Senator Lindsey Graham and prominent Lebanese figures, Ortagus urged generational change, Hezbollah’s disarmament and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty, with the backing of US leadership.
Ortagus to This Is Beirut: Hezbollah Does Not Represent the Lebanese People
Rayan Chami 2025-08-25 22:10 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon United States Hezbollah
In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, US Envoy Morgan Ortagus stressed that Hezbollah represents Iran, not the Lebanese people. “The US supports a strong Lebanese state, its army and its institutions,” she emphasized.
Lindsey Graham to This Is Beirut: Hezbollah Is an Obstacle to Growth
Rayan Chami 2025-08-25 22:05 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon United States Hezbollah
In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that Hezbollah is an obstacle to Lebanon’s growth and integration into the region.
Series of Road Accidents: When Blood Becomes Routine
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-08-19 19:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
In August alone, more than 40 people were killed on Lebanese roads, with dozens more injured. The slaughter continues unchecked, largely ignored. According to the Youth Association for Social Awareness (YASA), annual fatalities could surpass 1,000 before the year ends. Its president, Ziad Akl, speaking on Tuesday, voiced his deep concern: “The ...
Ukraine: From the First Shot to the Trump-Putin Summit
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-08-15 20:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Ukraine Vladimir Putin Alaska Russia
It all began in Maidan Square, at the heart of what history would remember as the “Revolution of Dignity” or “Euromaidan.” In November 2013, thousands of Ukrainians gathered in Kyiv to say “no” to a pro-Russian turn and to demand “a European future.” Months of violently repressed protests led to the flight of President Viktor ...
How Long Will Impunity Prevail in Syria?
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-08-12 18:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
UN Security Council Damascus Internal Security Forces United Nations
In Sweida, the worst escalation in years erupted on July 12 after reciprocal kidnappings between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes spiraled into rapidly escalating armed clashes. The Syrian Army intervened but, according to the UN and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the fighting left more than 1,400 dead, mostly Druze civilians, and ...
When Ice Cream Unites a Divided Lebanon
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-08-10 18:10 - Reading : less than a minute
Under Beirut’s summer sun, ice cream shops overflow with life. Families, friends and children gather over Lebanese achta, pistachio or lemon. In a country divided in so many ways, there’s one sweet truth everyone shares: Lebanese ice cream is delicious.
August 4: Four Witnesses at the Epicenter
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-08-04 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon august 4 beirut port explosion
That day began like any other. Sam, a young bartender then working in Hamra, was already on shift, and the restaurant was packed. “I was preparing orders when I felt the ground shaking. A massive jolt. They say there were two explosions, but I only heard one. A sound unlike anything I’d ever heard.” Jacques, architect, was sitting down to ...
Immigration Dominates London–Paris Talks
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-07-09 20:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
France United Kingdom Emmanuel Macron Immigration Keir Starmer
It was the issue that hovered over the visit, that was present in every conversation, though absent from the red carpet. On Wednesday, July 9, illegal immigration across the English Channel took center stage as French President Emmanuel Macron met with the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. So far this year, more than 20,000 ...
Precision Strikes Hit Iranian Nuclear Sites: Natanz, Khondab, Arak at Zero Hour
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-06-13 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Iran nuclear natanz Khondab Arak
In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched a large-scale aerial operation against Iran, aimed at what it described as a decisive blow to Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure. The operation, codenamed “Rising Lion,” reportedly involved over a hundred coordinated strikes across Iranian territory, with a focus on key components of the nuclear ...
Nabatiyeh Heads to the Polls: Voting in the Shadow of War
Lyne Sammouri 2025-05-23 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Walking through Nabatiyeh, one sees not only electoral banners and candidate posters, but also rows of portraits of those killed by Israeli strikes during the 2024 Hezbollah-Israel war. Among them are elected municipal officials, including the late municipal president Ahmed Kaheel. Yet, despite the scars of war, Nabatiyeh is gearing up for ...
Tyre: Between the Rubble and the Ballot Box
Lyne Sammouri 2025-05-22 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Elections 2025 Municipal Tyre South Lebanon
Shattered windows, pockmarked walls and bulldozers clearing debris – these are the lasting imprints of war that Tyre bears just six months after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. Once a vibrant port city, Tyre now struggles under the weight of destruction. Yet, amid the rubble, life is cautiously resuming: vendors have reopened their ...
Tripoli's Quiet Vote: Hope for Change Meets Low Turnout
Rayan Chami 2025-05-11 10:05 - Reading : less than a minute
On Sunday morning, the streets of Tripoli remained calm as polling stations opened for the municipal elections. While many voters expressed a strong desire for change, the turnout was low at the start of the day.
Beirut 1945: De Gaulle Is Near
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-05-09 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Europe Middle East United States
Before becoming the leader of Free France, the founder of the Fifth Republic or the symbolic figure of Gaullism, Charles de Gaulle was an officer stationed in the Levant, where he lived, commanded, observed. Lebanon always held a special place in his worldview—a relationship shaped by history, war and a certain idea of France. Between 1929 and ...
The Silent Mission of the Sisters of the Cross
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-03-25 20:15 - Reading : less than a minute
In Jal al-Dib, the Sisters of the Cross welcomed us to their psychiatric hospital, “Deir al-Salib,” on the Feast of the Annunciation. A rare visit to meet those who, in the shadows, heal the unspoken, support the deepest suffering, and tirelessly carry a message of faith, hope and solidarity. A telethon in support of their mission will air on ...
When Sora Takes the Camera
Moncef Ait-Kaci 2025-02-21 18:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Technology takes another leap forward as artificial intelligence reinvents the rules of creation. Sora is ushering in a new era—that of fully AI-driven video generation. The developers chose this name in reference to the Japanese word "sora," which means "sky," to evoke boundless creative potential. Previously reserved for a select group of ...