This is Beirut - English Media Platform in Lebanon

Syria: Ethno-National Imbroglios and State Formation

Charles Chartouni 05/05 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

The recent clashes between the Syrian Druze community and the newly formed government in Damascus betray the inconsistencies of the current transition in Syria and its pitfalls. However positive the ongoing political evolutions in Syria are, they are still thwarted by major ideological and strategic hurdles that have prevented the actual ...

Ministry of Education Responds to Concerns Over Teachers’ Rights

This is Beirut 05/05 10:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Education Ministry Rima Karami

The Ministry of Education issued a statement on Monday addressing concerns circulating on social media regarding the rights of education sector employees, particularly contracted teachers. The ministry emphasized that Minister of Education Rima Karami has made improving the status of education workers a key priority since assuming office. ...

Saudi Arabia Announces Major Gold Discovery

This is Beirut 05/05 10:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Gold Mining

As gold prices surge to historic highs, surpassing $2,300 an ounce amid mounting geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, Saudi Arabia announced a major gold discovery that could further cement its position in the global mining sector. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned mining company Ma’aden revealed the discovery of significant gold deposits ...

Spain Probes Deaths of Thousands of Spaniards in Nazi Camps

This is Beirut 05/05 17:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Spain Nazi Germany World War II Human Rights

Spanish prosecutors on Monday said they were investigating whether General Francisco Franco's dictatorship collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II to send thousands of exiled Spaniards in France to death camps. Thousands of Spaniards fled to France after Franco's Fascist-backed nationalists overthrew a republic in the 1936-1939 civil ...

Putin Gears up for 'Grandest' Victory Day Amid Ukraine Conflict

This is Beirut 06/05 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv

Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the "grandest" ever annual Victory Day parade in Moscow on Friday, evoking the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II to rally support for his troops fighting in Ukraine. Russia marks the event more than three years into its offensive, and after it pummelled Ukraine with a string of ...

A Night of Elegance: Met Gala Spotlights Black Dandyism in Full Splendor

This is Beirut 06/05 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

MET Gala Dinner Stars Culture New York

The brightest stars in Hollywood, music, sports and fashion hit the red carpet Monday for the Met Gala, the extravagant Manhattan fundraiser that this year spotlights the subversive style of Black dandyism. The blockbuster night’s theme explores the sharply tailored dandy aesthetic and its rich, complicated history. It also celebrates the ...

Ukraine and Russia Trade Aerial Attacks Ahead of Parade, Putin's Truce Order

This is Beirut 07/05 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Conflict

Russia and Ukraine traded a barrage of drone strikes overnight on Wednesday, in attacks that killed two in Kyiv and forced Moscow to shut major airports hours before a swathe of foreign leaders was to arrive. The Kremlin has announced a unilateral three-day truce -- set to start at 2100 GMT on Wednesday -- to coincide with its grand May 9 ...

China's Xi Heads to Moscow to Beef up 'No Limits' Putin Partnership

This is Beirut 07/05 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

russia china diplomacy trade

Chinese President Xi Jinping headed to Moscow on Wednesday for a key three-day visit including a grand Victory Day parade and a show of support for Vladimir Putin. Moscow and Beijing declared a "no limits partnership" weeks before Putin ordered Russia's Ukraine offensive in February 2022. The expanded military and trade ties since ...

Ukraine-Russia: Ceasefire Shattered as Drones Keep Falling

Soumia Benmerzoug 07/05 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ceasefire Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv Russia Moscow

Beyond the rhetoric of victory, the war has now reached Moscow’s skies. In a dramatic escalation, Ukraine launched a massive drone strike overnight, from Monday to Tuesday, targeting Russian territory. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 105 drones were intercepted or neutralized by air defense systems, with 19 aimed directly at the ...

Dar Sader Honored at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2025

This is Beirut 07/05 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Abu Dhabi Book Fair Dar Sader Culture Publishing

In a powerful moment of cultural recognition, Dar Sader, the Arab world’s oldest active publishing house, was honored at the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair for its enduring contribution to Arabic literature and intellectual heritage, tracing back over 160 years to its founding in Beirut. The tribute, held under the auspices of the Abu ...

Ode to Aznavour: Ghassan Yammine's Concert in Yerevan

This Is Beirut 2024-01-04 12:31 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

In a tribute that echoed the soulful legacy of Charles Aznavour, Lebanese singer, author, and composer Ghassan Yammine recently captivated audiences with a sold-out concert at Yerevan's illustrious Aram Katchaturian Concert Hall on December 29. This outstanding event, a highlight of the New Armenia Generation national project, came to fruition ...

Flurry of International Diplomatic Efforts to Settle Regional Conflicts

2024-01-03 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Will military action precede diplomatic efforts to settle regional conflicts, starting with a solution to the war in Gaza? According to informed sources, the decision to end the conflict in the tiny enclave has been taken, and negotiations are underway to agree on the details of a permanent and final solution to the Palestinian ...

Barrack-Ortagus in Brief: Support for Government and Army, Conditions on UNIFIL Renewal

Bassam Abou Zeid 17/08 13:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Joseph Aoun Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Tehran

Early on Monday morning, US envoy Tom Barrack, accompanied by Morgan Ortagus, will meet with President Joseph Aoun to discuss two interlinked essential issues: the second phase of consolidating state control over all weapons, and the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate in South Lebanon at the end of this month. According to official Lebanese sources, ...

Al-Sharaa Says Syria in Talks with Israel on Security Deal

This is Beirut 12/09 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa CENTCOM Brad Cooper

President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Friday that Syria was negotiating with Israel to reach a security agreement that would see Israel leave areas it occupied after the December overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. As the Islamist-led forces toppled Assad on December 8, Israel deployed troops to the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights ...

Germany to Back Ukraine with 'Deep-Strike' Drones

This is Beirut 09/09 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Germany Ukraine Russia Defense

Germany will launch a new "deep-strike initiative" to provide Ukraine with "several thousand long-range drones" to help it repel Russia's invasion, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday. At a meeting of Ukraine's allies in London, Pistorius said Germany was "expanding Ukraine's capabilities to weaken Russia's war machinery in the ...

Unconvincing France Come From Behind to Edge Iceland in World Cup Qualifying

This is Beirut 10/09 13:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

France Football World Cup Qualifiers

A disjointed France recovered from a Michael Olise gaffe to beat Iceland 2-1 in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday, holding on for a second straight win after Aurelien Tchouameni was sent off and a late equalizer was disallowed. Olise inexplicably gifted the opening goal to Iceland's Andri Gudjohnsen at the Parc des Princes, leaving France in danger ...

MP Alameh: Up to 400,000 Syrian Refugees Would Return Home Soon

This is Beirut 10/09 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey United Nations Jordan lebanon Syria General Security Refugees

Lebanon may see up to 400,000 Syrian refugees return home in the near future, MP Fadi Alameh said on Wednesday, noting that between 200,000 and 250,000 have already gone back. Speaking after chairing a session of the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, Alameh said the meeting focused on the refugee return file and was attended by Deputy ...

England Thrash Serbia, Haaland Stars in World Cup Qualifying

This is Beirut 10/09 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Europe England Serbia Norway Erling Haaland

England sent out a warning to their World Cup rivals with a brilliant 5-0 thrashing of Serbia in qualifying on Tuesday, while Erling Haaland scored five as Norway emphatically maintained their 100 percent record. Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal and France overturned deficits to make it back-to-back wins to open their bids to reach next year's ...

Lebanon-Syria: Update on Missing Persons and Detainees

Soumia Benmerzoug 11/09 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Detainees Missing Bilateral

The two countries unveiled the creation of joint committees tasked with handling three key files: Lebanese citizens who went missing in Syria, Syrian prisoners currently held in Lebanon, and formal delineation of the common border. The announcement was made on September 1, 2025, during a visit to Beirut by a Syrian delegation composed of former ...

Le Drian in Beirut: Priority Given to Supporting the Lebanese Army

This is Beirut 11/09 14:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Joseph Aoun Lebanese Army Jean Yves Le Drian France lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, visited Beirut to discuss international coordination, particularly between Paris, Washington and Riyadh, as well as preparations for two major conferences on Lebanon. Support for the Lebanese Army was one of the central issues on the agenda. “This visit ...

Poland Calls Emergency UN Meeting Over Drone Raid Blamed on Russia

This is Beirut 11/09 15:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Poland Russia UN EU NATO

Poland said Thursday it had called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss violations of its airspace, a day after it accused Russia of carrying out a drone raid on its territory. Poland said the incident was not accidental and branded it an "unprecedented" attack on Poland, NATO and the European Union, but Moscow denied ...

A Historic Opportunity for Lebanon: Senator Lindsey Graham’s Vision for Defense and Diversity

Amal Chmouny 12/09 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon United States Hezbollah Israel

During a recent visit to Beirut, Senator Lindsey Graham emphasized Lebanon’s unique role as a beacon of coexistence and resilience, driven by its diverse religious and ethnic communities. He proposed a robust defense agreement between the United States and Lebanon, positioning it as a strategic avenue for enhancing regional stability and ...

Revisiting History in the Lebanese Mind

Johnny Kortbawi 12/09 11:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Syria Palestinians Bachir Gemayel

In just a few hours, Lebanon will mark the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of President Bachir Gemayel—an event that altered the course of the Lebanese Civil War, establishing a new center of gravity within the conflict. Bachir’s election embodied the balance of regional and international power in Lebanon, from the dynamics of ...

UK Announces more Russia Sanctions Over Ukraine War

This is Beirut 12/09 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Kyiv Ukraine United Kingdom Russia Poland

Britain on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions against Russia, targeting military weapons, equipment suppliers and its shadow fleet as UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper visited Kyiv. Security analysts say Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of ageing vessels is used by Moscow to circumvent international sanctions that ban it from selling ...

Barca Liga Homecoming Against Valencia Reduced to Tiny Stadium

This is Beirut 12/09 16:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

FC Barcelona Camp Nou Stadium Liga

After three weeks on the road to start the La Liga season, champions Barcelona play their first home match on Sunday, although it won't be the glorious return to the rebuilt Spotify Camp Nou they had hoped for. The Catalan giants will host Valencia at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium as they bid to keep pace with leaders ...

Trump Will Host Qatar’s Leader as Rubio Heads to Israel

This is Beirut 12/09 22:52 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Marco Rubio Israel United States Qatar

US President Donald Trump will meet Qatar's prime minister on Friday after an Israeli strike on Hamas in the key US partner, the White House said. Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff "will be having dinner" with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, it said in a brief statement. The announcement came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...

High-Level Russian Officials Arrive in Damascus

This is Beirut 09/09 14:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Syria Russia Alexander Novak

A Russian government delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, arrived on Tuesday at Damascus International Airport. According to official Syrian news agency SANA, Novak is beginning a visit during which he will meet with several high-ranking Syrian officials. The discussions will mainly focus on economic, security and defense ...

Lebanon’s Battle for Wheat: Between Aid, Loans and Food Security

Christiane Tager 13/09 08:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Wheat

Lebanon, which is already weakened by an unprecedented economic collapse, has for years faced a vital challenge: ensuring steady access to wheat. The destruction of Beirut Port’s silos in the August 4, 2020, explosion laid bare Lebanon’s food insecurity, erasing a vital storage hub and turning every shipment and agreement into a matter of ...

UK Hails US Finance Firms' Investments ahead of Trump Visit

This is Beirut 14/09 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Citigroup United Kingdom Donald Trump

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed Sunday plans by US finance firms, including PayPal and Citigroup to invest £1.25 billion ($1.7 billion) in the UK, announced days ahead of President Donald Trump's state visit. The investments by leading US companies, which also include Bank of America and S&P Global, will create 1,800 jobs in London, ...

Charlotte Beats Messi’s Miami 3-0 as MLS Win Streak Hits Nine