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How Embracing ‘Ickiness’ Helped Writer Szalay Win Booker Prize
This is Beirut 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Literature David Szalay Booker Prize Winner Hungary Britain Culture
Writer David Szalay deliberately dared his readers to face up to the "ickiness" of an affair between a 15-year-old boy and his much older married neighbor in the first chapter of his new book, Flesh. And it worked, winning him Britain's top literary award, the Booker Prize, this week with his "extraordinary" story of a Hungarian immigrant who ...
Video Podcasts Become Next Streaming Battleground
This is Beirut 11:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Tik Tok Netflix Disney plus Podcast
Big tech platforms, including TikTok and Netflix, are all looking to add video podcasts to their content, a rapidly growing format that attracts a young audience prized by advertisers and where YouTube dominates. Roman Wasenmüller, the head of podcasts at Spotify, said that the development "marks a new chapter for podcasting," as he announced a ...
France Qualify for World Cup as Portugal, Norway Forced to Wait
This is Beirut 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
France Portugal Norway Italy World Cup Football
France reached the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine on Thursday as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, while Portugal were made to wait after losing 2-0 in Dublin as Cristiano Ronaldo saw red. Norway must also be patient after Italy struck late in Moldova to prevent them from stamping their ticket to next ...
Bad Bunny Dominates Latin Grammys With Landmark Wins
This is Beirut 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Music Culture Art Bad Bunny Prize Grammy Latino
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny enjoyed a victory lap Thursday night at the Latin Grammys, the biggest celebration of Spanish- and Portuguese-language music. The reggaeton star won five awards from 12 nominations, including the coveted Best Album prize — a category in which he is also competing at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in February. Bad ...
Four Killed in 'Calculated' Russian Attack on Ukraine
This is Beirut 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A Russian attack overnight, mostly targeting the capital Kyiv, killed four people and damaged buildings across the city, Ukrainian authorities said Friday. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has in recent months intensified its attacks on infrastructure, particularly targeting Ukrainian energy facilities and rail ...
Google Proposes Adtech Changes to Avoid Breakup After EU Fine
This is Beirut 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
European Union USA Google Fine Advertising
Google on Friday announced changes to its advertising services to avert the risk of a breakup, two months after Brussels hit the US giant with a massive fine. The European Commission slapped a 2.95-billion-euro ($3.43 billion) antitrust fine on Google for favoring its own services in September, giving the company 60 days to resolve the issues ...
Blue Origin Launches NASA Mars Mission and Nails Booster Landing
This is Beirut 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA NASA Blue Origin Mars
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on Thursday with NASA twin spacecraft destined for Mars aboard and, in a breakthrough, nailed the landing of its booster. The launch was stalled for days over weather both on Earth and in space, but it was worth the wait: in the rocket's second-ever flight, Blue Origin managed to ...
BBC Apologizes to Trump, but Rejects Defamation Claim
This is Beirut 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA White House BBC Panorama
The BBC said Thursday that its chairman had sent a letter to US President Donald Trump apologizing for a misleading edit of one of his speeches but rejected that it was grounds for a defamation lawsuit. The comments came after Britain's embattled public broadcaster said earlier that it was investigating a possible second instance in which a Trump ...
US Announces New Military Operation in Latin America
This is Beirut 09:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA Venezuela Drug Narco Southern Spear
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday a military operation to "remove narco-terrorists," amid growing concerns that a US naval buildup in Latin American waters could presage land strikes and a wider conflict. "Today, I'm announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR," Hegseth posted on X. "This mission defends our Homeland, removes ...
Diabetes: The Heavy Cost of Delays
Makram Haddad 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United Nations Diabetes Prevention
The massive presence of a silent disease Diabetes is no longer a diffuse threat: it is a massive reality. Around the world, about 589 million people currently live with diabetes, including nearly 85 million in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region; by 2050, the region could have 163 million. In Lebanon, the International Diabetes ...
Israel Receives One of the Last Hostage Remains from Gaza via the ICRC
This is Beirut 13/11 22:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Israel received the body of one of the last four hostages held in Gaza from the Red Cross on Thursday as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The coffin was handed over in the Gaza Strip to the Israeli army and Shin Bet security service, the office said, adding that it would be sent to Tel ...
West Bank Tensions Rise as Israeli Army Kills Two Suspects and Mosque Is Torched
This is Beirut 13/11 20:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The Israeli military said its troops killed two suspected militants in a town in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, while Palestinian officials accused Israeli settlers of setting fire to a mosque in the territory. Settler violence has surged in recent weeks across the West Bank, drawing international condemnation and even rare criticism from ...
Trump’s Plan for Gaza: Heading into Phase 2
Paul Guillot 13/11 19:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Gaza Hamas ceasefire Israel-Hamas accord Israel
One month after the October 10 ceasefire meant to close the chapter on two years of war in Gaza, the United States is struggling to turn the truce into a meaningful political process. Phase 2 of Trump’s ambitious 20-Point Plan was meant to shift from a halt in fighting all the way to reconstruction. Yet internal documents obtained by Politico ...
Spotify to Launch Music Videos in North America for Premium Members
This is Beirut 13/11 17:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Music Spotify Streaming Videos USA Canada Culture
Audio streaming platform Spotify will be adding music videos "in the coming weeks" for paying subscribers in the United States and Canada, a spokesperson said Wednesday. The development marks a significant expansion by the Sweden-based audio platform into video, which until now has primarily been limited to video podcasts. The Spotify ...
What Lies Ahead in Iraq: The Hard Task of Forming a Government
This is Beirut 13/11 15:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Following Iraq's parliamentary election this week, the complex and often lengthy task of choosing the country's next leader is set to begin. Incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani claimed victory for his coalition after preliminary results showed it was the largest bloc -- though it still falls short of the majority needed to ...
Caesar Act Suspended: Can Lebanon Ride Syria’s Recovery?
Mario Chartouni 13/11 13:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Saudi Arabia Washington
For the first time since 2019, Washington has eased sanctions on Damascus, granting a 180-day exemption under the Caesar Act to allow certain “humanitarian” and “civilian” transactions. The move, though temporary, carries clear political weight. It appears to be a test to see how far neighboring countries can reconnect with the Syrian ...
Iraq PM Sudani Claims Election Win
This is Beirut 13/11 13:35 - Reading : less than a minute
Iraq elections Sudani politics
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani celebrates a lead in the general elections, as supporters take to Baghdad’s streets in celebrations. Final results and parliamentary negotiations are still to come.
WASL: Riyadi Overturns Sagesse And Takes Control of The Derby
Makram Haddad 13/11 13:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Riyadi Sagesse WASL Basketball Lebanon
The setting and the stakes Organized by FIBA, the West Asia Super League (WASL) brings together the top clubs from West Asia and the Gulf in a home-and-away format leading to playoff series. At the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex, Riyadi are defending their crown while Sagesse were looking to bounce back after a disappointing opener against ...
Turkey Suspends C-130 Flights After Fatal Plane Crash
This is Beirut 13/11 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Turkey Georgia Azerbaijan Aviation Crash
Turkey suspended flights by its C-130 military cargo planes as a precautionary measure a day after one crashed in neighboring Georgia, killing all 20 people on board, the defense ministry said Thursday. The plane crashed on Tuesday while returning home from Azerbaijan, with the victims' bodies due to be repatriated on Thursday, the ministry ...
Nintendo Marks 40 Years of Mario with New Movie Trailer
This is Beirut 13/11 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Entertainment Games Film Nintendo Japan Culture
Super Mario fans got a first look on Wednesday at the sequel to the megahit movie based on Nintendo's top video game franchise that turned 40 this year. US star Brie Larson joins Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black in the voice cast of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a CGI animation set for release in April 2026. It follows the huge ...
Riyadi Wins First Beirut Derby in WASL
Hala Abdallah 13/11 12:25 - Reading : less than a minute
Riyadi claimed their second straight win in the #FIBA #WASL West Asia League on Wednesday night, defeating #Sagesse 87–80. Perrin Buford top-scored for #Riyadi with 23 points, while Ali Mansour recorded an impressive double-double. Which player stood out the most in this derby?
Paramilitary Drone Attacks Target Town in Northern Sudan
This is Beirut 13/11 12:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Sudan Conflict Paramilitary Drone
Sudanese paramilitary forces on Thursday launched several drone strikes on the northern town of Merowe, targeting a major dam in army-held territory, the army and other sources said. Drones "targeted the army headquarters, the airport and the Merowe Dam", an army statement said, adding that it had intercepted the attacks that it blamed ...
French Ex-Leader Sarkozy Appeal Trial to Open March 16
This is Beirut 13/11 12:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
European Union france crime trial prison sarkozy
France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy will go on trial on appeal over Libyan campaign-funding allegations starting March 16, a Paris court said Thursday. A lower court in September found the right-wing politician -- who was head of state from 2007 to 2012 -- guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moamer Kadhafi's Libya for the campaign ...
Raids Continue in Southern Lebanon: One Injury in Toul
This is Beirut 13/11 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Hezbollah South Lebanon Baalbeck lebanon Israël
One person was injured on Thursday afternoon when an Israeli drone targeted a car in the town of Toul, in the Nabatieh caza, the Public Health Ministry announced in a statement. The strike reportedly occurred at the roundabout near Ayoub Station and Sheikh Ragheb Harb Hospital, in the heart of the town, on a street typically congested at that hour ...
Syria to Help US Fight Iran-Backed Armed Groups, Envoy Says
This is Beirut 13/11 11:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
USA Damascus Hamas Hezbollah Iran
Syria will play an active role in assisting the United States in fighting armed groups including Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah, US special envoy Tom Barrack said on Thursday. Islamist interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former jihadist, became the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since his country's ...
EU Chief Insists Using Russian Assets Best Way to Fund Ukraine
This is Beirut 13/11 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Ukraine Russia Conflict EU Budget Loan
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen insisted Thursday that using frozen Russian assets to fund a new loan was the "most effective way" to finance Ukraine, as she laid out other options after opposition from Belgium. The 27-nation bloc is scrambling for funds to help Kyiv plug looming budget black holes as Russia's war drags on towards a ...
Pope Leo XIV Shares His Favorite Films Ahead of Vatican Hollywood Audience
This is Beirut 13/11 10:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Film Pope Leo XIV Vatican Italy Culture
Pope Leo XIV has revealed his four favorite films ahead of a special audience with Hollywood celebrities and Oscar-winning directors at the Vatican. Leo, the first pope from the United States, picked tearjerkers, including Frank Capra's classic 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life with James Stewart, in which an angel is sent from heaven to help a ...
Benzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s: The Lingering Question of Memory Loss
Bélinda Ibrahim 13/11 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Benzodiazepines Alzheimer Memory Anxiety Science Medicine
In the dim aisles of pharmacies, small boxes of benzodiazepines change hands almost furtively, daily companions for millions of people living with anxiety, insomnia, or age-related fragility. Sedatives, anxiolytics, and muscle relaxants, they calm restless minds, ease worry, and help induce sleep. Yet for over a decade, unease has grown: could ...
Joseph Aoun Must Become Lebanon’s Sadat
Salam El Zaatari 13/11 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Joseph Aoun Palestine Israel
In early November 2025, Israeli bulldozers began erecting a concrete wall on Lebanese soil—a seven-meter-high scar from Maroun al-Ras to Aitaroun—cutting through farmland, razing homes, and casting a shadow over what remains of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel calls it “defensive fortification,” while Lebanon calls it “occupation.” But ...
Trump Signs Bill to End Record-Breaking US Shutdown
This is Beirut 13/11 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA Politics Budget Shutdown
President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in US history -- 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a ...