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As Pope Leo XIV’s Visit Nears, Hope Runs Deep in Beirut

In Beirut, residents are awaiting Pope Leo XIV’s visit, scheduled from November 30 to December 2, with a mix of hope and caution, anticipating a unique moment for a capital suspended in uncertainty. Across Beirut, in cafés, malls, offices, and homes, the pontiff's expected arrival is sparking a wide range of feelings. Between hope, devotion, ...

Egypt's Foreign Minister Presents De-Escalation Proposal to Lebanon

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Cairo’s “full support” for Lebanon’s efforts to assert exclusive state control over weapons during an official visit to Beirut on Wednesday. After talks with President Joseph Aoun, Abdelatty underscored Egypt’s backing for the president’s latest Independence ...

Syria: Explosion of Unknown Origin Injures Civilians in Idlib

An explosion of unknown origin shook the town of Kafr Takharim in western Idlib on Wednesday, injuring several civilians, according to local sources. A correspondent on the ground reported that the blast—likely linked to an ammunition depot containing rockets—sent a large plume of smoke into the air and caused significant damage in an ...

Israeli Army Fortifying Positions in South Lebanon

One year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army still maintains five positions in south Lebanon, with fortifications and widened access routes. The November 27, 2024, truce, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, required Israel to fully withdraw troops from ...

Body of One of Last Three Hostages Held in Gaza Identified

Israel announced Wednesday that a body handed over by Gaza militants was that of Dror Or, one of the last three deceased hostages held in the Palestinian territory. The Islamic Jihad militant group located the body on Monday in the central Gaza Strip and on Tuesday transferred it to the Red Cross, acting as a neutral intermediary. The coffin was ...

Boualem Sansal Calls for Bold Steps Toward Franco-Algerian Peace

“If there’s the will,” reconciliation between Algiers and Paris “can move very fast,” says French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in an interview with AFP. According to him, Algerians “are eager for peace” with France. Released on November 12 after nearly a year in detention in Algeria, the novelist says it is up to leaders in both ...

ALS: A Protein Signature that Could Change the Game

In the field of neurodegenerative diseases, scientists have spent decades chasing the same goal: finding an early and reliable biomarker that can reveal what the body has not yet shown. For ALS, that search has long seemed out of reach. The disease arrives quietly, progresses unnoticed, and only becomes visible once the first motor neurons are ...

From Paul VI to Leo XIV: The Vatican’s Bond with Lebanon

From Paul VI to Benedict XVI, Lebanon has welcomed historic visits from popes, each carrying a message of peace, unity, and intercommunal dialogue. As the country continues to face crises, Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit follows this tradition and underscores the unique bond between the Vatican and the Land of the Cedars. Since 1964, three ...

Israeli Army Announces New Operation in Northern West Bank

The Israeli military on Wednesday announced a new "counterterrorism" operation in the north of the occupied West Bank. The military and internal security service said in a joint statement that they "began operating as part of a broad counterterrorism operation in the area of northern Samaria", using the Israeli biblical term for part of the West ...

Lebanon–Cyprus Agreement: Strategic Breakthrough or Maritime Concession?

As the debate over border demarcation in Lebanon reopened widely following the maritime agreement with Israel and ongoing efforts to define both land and sea borders with Syria, Lebanon has reached a final agreement with Cyprus on the maritime boundary. The move comes after the government approved the draft agreement and referred it to the ...

Kurds at a Crossroads as Middle East Shifts

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi’s November 19 trip to the autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq was an important moment, underscoring that Kurdish leaders now appear to understand the importance of cooperation amid sweeping changes in the region. Abdi—a close partner of the US military in Syria who spent ...

Papal Visit: Routes and Security Measures

The official commission in charge of organizing Pope Leo XIV’s visit held a press briefing on Tuesday to inform citizens and the media about the planned logistical, security-related and media arrangements. It also detailed the routes that the papal convoy will follow during the three-day visit to Lebanon (November 30-December 2). The conference ...

Hanoi to Welcome a Renzo Piano “Opera Island” in 2027

By 2027, a striking new landmark will rise from the calm waters of Hanoi. Built on an artificial island between West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake, the Isola Della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano and his studio, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), will unfold like a bright, sculptural form with fluid, organic lines. Revealed in autumn 2025, the ...

Athletics: Six National Records Broken at the Jamhour Meeting

As part of its development strategy aimed at raising the level of Lebanese athletics and preparing young athletes for upcoming national and international competitions, the Lebanese Athletics Federation continued its 2025 program by organizing a meeting on the track of Notre-Dame de Jamhour. Six New National Records The event was highlighted by ...

The Clock Ticks on Lebanon's Empty Promises

One year on from Lebanon’s signing of the November 27, 2024 Cessation of Hostilities with Israel, Beirut’s agreement to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and disarm Hezbollah looks less like a commitment and more like theater. Lebanon has announced deadlines, staged symbolic troop deployments, and assured the world that Hezbollah’s ...

Lebanese Red Cross’s Final Sprint Ahead of the Pope’s Visit

Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon, scheduled from November 30 to December 2, the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) shared with This is Beirut details of the unprecedented medical and logistical setup designed to ensure the safety of anticipated crowds. Through its Emergency Medical Services Sector (EMS), the Red Cross says it is fully prepared to ...

Syrians Protest After Violence Against Alawite Minority

Several hundred people protested on Tuesday in Syria's coastal city of Latakia in the country's Alawite heartland against recent attacks targeting the minority community, AFP correspondents said. Protesters in Latakia shouted slogans including "The Syrian people are one" and "To the whole world, listen to us, the Alawites ...

South Lebanon Ceasefire: One Year On, Life in Limbo

One year after the ceasefire, south Lebanon remains a land fraught with tension. Even when the strikes seem to ease, the shadow of war lingers. Israel’s sporadic bombardments never truly stop, and each moment of calm feels like a brief pause in an invisible countdown. Life here is fragile, shaping a population caught between the urgent need ...

Israel Says Islamic Jihad's Delay of Hostage Body Handover a Ceasefire 'Violation'

Israel said on Tuesday that a delay by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in handing over a hostage body, which the group said it had located on Monday during search operations in central Gaza, constituted a "violation" of the fragile ceasefire. A source in Islamic Jihad, who requested anonymity, confirmed the body belonged to one of ...

Football: Lebanon Heads to Qatar to Launch Its 2025 Arab Cup Campaign

Lebanon’s national football team departed for Doha on Sunday afternoon to begin final preparations ahead of their opening match in the 2025 Arab Cup. Miodrag Radulović’s men will face Sudan on Wednesday, November 26 at 6:00 p.m. (Beirut time) at Al-Gharafa Stadium, in a decisive knockout match that will determine their qualification to the ...