The CCMC: A New International Coordination Hub for Gaza

Mario Chartouni 2025-10-28 15:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Unites States Donald Trump Gaza

The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), based in Kiryat Gat, Israel, has become the most visible symbol of international involvement in Gaza’s postwar phase. Inaugurated in mid-October 2025, it was established by the United States as part of Washington’s peace plan to oversee humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and compliance with the ...

North Korea Announces Missile Test Hours Before Trump Due in South

This is Beirut 2025-10-29 04:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

North Korea South Korea United States Donald Trump

North Korea test-fired cruise missiles off its western coast in a message to Pyongyang "enemies", state media announced Wednesday just hours before US President Donald Trump begins a visit to South Korea. The sea-to-surface missiles were launched vertically on Tuesday from the Yellow Sea and flew for more than two hours, state news ...

China Seeks Stable Ties with Canada and Japan as Global Trade Pressures Mount

This is Beirut 2025-10-31 11:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump APEC2025 China Japan Canada

President Xi Jinping on Friday invited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to China, in the first formal talks between the nations' leaders since 2017, before also holding first discussions with Japan's new premier. Canada's relations with China are among the worst of any Western nation, but both are at the sharp end of Donald Trump's tariff ...

Trump Says 'Timing' Didn't Work Out to Meet N. Korea's Kim

This is Beirut 2025-10-29 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Kim Jong-Un North korea South Korea

Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was not able to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the US president's visit to the South, ending fierce speculation over a possible summit. Trump had said he would "love to meet" Kim during his Asia trip, which would have been their first meeting since the US leader's previous term in ...

Swiss Town Returns Sacred Artefacts to South Africa

This is Beirut 2025-10-29 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Culture Art Artefacts Switzerland Africa Neuchâtel

The Swiss town of Neuchâtel on Tuesday handed over to South Africa three artefacts that had spent more than a century in one of its museums. The set of 30 divining bones in a woven basket, a bull's foot bone used as an amulet, and a walking staff were purchased by Swiss missionary and ethnographer Henri-Alexandre Junod. The items came from the ...

From Handshakes to Deals: Trump Reshapes Asia’s Trade World

Christiane Tager 2025-10-29 21:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States China Asia

From Handshakes to Deals: Trump Reshapes Asia’s Trade World Christiane Tager During a visit to Asia, Donald Trump traded speeches for deals. In Gyeongju, South Korea, the former U.S. president sealed a major trade agreement with Seoul, one that extends beyond economics and is already sending shivers through global markets, from gold to the ...

The ‘Mechanism’: Open Sesame

Marc Saikali 2025-10-30 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Hezbollah

Five photos. One very short statement in Naqoura. That’s all it took for U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’s visit to Lebanon to make its point. The symbolism was clear: the era of endless chatter is over. Time to actually get things done. In a country where talking for the sake of talking is practically a national sport, that’s… a plot ...

Trump Hails Tariff, Rare Earth Deal with Xi

This is Beirut 2025-10-30 09:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Xi Jinping China

US President Donald Trump called the meeting Thursday with China's Xi Jinping a "great success", after the world's top two economies agreed a deal to trim fentanyl-related tariffs and keep supplies of critical rare earths flowing. There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government after what was the leaders' first ...

Ortagus in Lebanon: A Low-Profile Visit with a Clear Message

Mario Chartouni 2025-10-30 13:11 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Ain el-Tineh Donald Trump Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

In a region increasingly fraught with tension, U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’s visit to Beirut unfolded as part of a diplomatic sequence in which Lebanon once again finds itself on the fault line between war and negotiation. High-Level Meetings Morgan Ortagus began her Lebanese tour on Wednesday with a meeting in Ain al-Tineh with Parliament ...

U.S. Seeks to Finalize Plan for International Security Force in Gaza

This is Beirut 2025-10-30 13:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Donald Trump Hamas Internal Security Forces

U.S. officials are engaged in sensitive talks with several countries about creating an international force to be deployed in Gaza, with a plan expected to be presented in the coming weeks, three sources closely involved told Axios. The urgency of the initiative was underscored by an attack last Tuesday, which exposed the fragility of the ...

German FM Raises Return of Refugees During Syria Visit

This is Beirut 2025-10-30 19:27 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Germany Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa Johann Wadephul

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul discussed the possible return of Syrian refugees with President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a visit to Damascus on Thursday. Germany has a large Syrian community, with hundreds of thousands having settled there after fleeing the civil war. Wadephul said it was "in the understandable interest of the Syrian ...

Palestinian Weapons Test Lebanon’s Credibility on Disarmament and Security

Johnny Kortbawi 2025-10-31 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Palestinian camps United States

The killing of Elio Abu Hanna by Palestinian gunmen in Beirut’s Shatila refugee camp this past weekend is not just another crime. His murder is a serious test for a Lebanese government dragging its feet on its commitment to disarm Hezbollah and other militias. There is no reason the Shatila refugee camp should remain off-limits to the ...

King Charles Strips Andrew of Royal Titles, Windsor Home

This is Beirut 2025-10-31 09:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Kingdom King Charles III Andrew Windsor Epstein

King Charles III is stripping his younger brother Andrew of his royal titles and ousting him from his long-term residence on the Windsor estate, the palace said on Thursday, the latest fallout to hit the scandal-plagued royal over the Jeffrey Epstein affair. "Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor," Buckingham Palace said, ...

Inside Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum: A Monument to History

This is Beirut 2025-10-31 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Egypt Museum Culture Art Pyramids Civilization

Near the ancient Pyramids of Giza just outside Cairo, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is gearing up for a lavish opening on Saturday after two decades of delays. Massive statues and historic artefacts from the country's ancient civilization will be on display across the 24,000 square meters (258,000 square feet) of permanent exhibition space. Here ...

Disarmament and Elections on the Agenda in Bkerkeh

This is Beirut 2025-10-31 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Bechara Rai Lebanese Army Pope Francis Nawaf Salam

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday declared that a “decision has been made” to confiscate illegal weapons across the country, affirming that the Lebanese Army has already presented a plan for implementation. “There will be no reversal of the decision to confiscate weapons,” Salam said following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara ...

Kazakhstan Joins the Abraham Accords: A Symbolic Move with Strategic Implications

Mario Chartouni 2025-11-07 14:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Kazakhstan Abraham Accords

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic framework launched in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim states. The announcement came after a phone call between Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart ...

Western Sahara: The Diplomatic Battle Rages On

This is Beirut 2025-11-07 19:25 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron International Court of Justice UN Security Council United Nations

The resolution extends the mandate without resolving the dispute. On October 31, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, extending MINURSO’s mandate—the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara established in 1991—for one year. The resolution passed with eleven votes in favor, none against, and ...

Netanyahu Visits Israeli Troops in Syria Beyond Ceasefire Line

This is Beirut 2025-11-19 18:42 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Syria Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday told Israeli troops deployed in Syria in a buffer zone intended to separate the two countries' forces that their presence was hugely important for safeguarding Israel. When Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power in December last year, Israel sent troops into the UN-patrolled ...

Louvre Closes Gallery Due to Structural Weakness

This is Beirut 2025-11-17 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

France The Louvre

The Louvre Museum said Monday that it was closing one of its galleries as a precaution after an audit revealed structural weaknesses in some of the beams in the building. The Campana Gallery, which houses nine rooms dedicated to ancient Greek ceramics, will be closed while investigations are conducted into "certain beams supporting the floors of ...

The LAP Turns Back Time: Lebanon’s First International Stamp Exhibition

Makram Haddad 2025-11-14 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Exhibition Stamps

A Century of Stamps, a Memory on Gummed Paper The Lebanese postage stamp appeared for the first time in 1924–1925, with the issue of a series featuring the eternal cedar of Lebanon, but inscribed with the words “Grand Liban” (“Greater Lebanon”). Until 1918, the year the Ottoman armies withdrew, the territory used Ottoman stamps or ...

Jeita Grotto: The Hidden Truth the State Refuses to See

Natasha Metni Torbey 2025-11-14 16:05 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Instead of properly closing a case that should never have existed, the report published on November 13 about the Jeita Grotto incident only deepens the concern, revealing a far more troubling reality. Institutional and scientific oversight is disturbingly lax. Procedures are improvised, responsibilities evaporate, decisions are made without a ...

YouTube Star MrBeast Brings 'Beast Land' to Riyadh Season Festival

This is Beirut 2025-11-14 17:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

YouTuber Superstar MrBeast Entertainment Saudi Culture

MrBeast, the world's most followed YouTuber with over 450 million subscribers, opened a temporary amusement park in Riyadh on Thursday, the latest celebrity drawn to Saudi Arabia as it aspires to become a major entertainment hub. Eager for a chance to meet the social media star, families and teenagers gathered at "Beast Land," a venue featuring ...

Money Laundering: BDL Introduces Next-Generation KYC

Liliane Mokbel 2025-11-14 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon Lebanon Hezbollah US Treasury economy money laundering

On November 14, 2025, BDL issued Decision No. 13769, Circular No. 3, introducing a new “Know Your Customer” (KYC) form for all cash, foreign exchange, and money transfer transactions of $1,000 or more, and their equivalent. The measure applies to all non-banking financial institutions under BDL’s supervision, including financial companies, ...

Washington's New Ambassador, Michel Issa, Lands in Lebanon... Who is He?

This is Beirut 2025-11-14 20:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Donald Trump Banks United States Michel Issa Ambassador

The new United States ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, landed in Beirut on Friday to begin a particularly delicate mission. His arrival comes at a time when Washington is seeking to redefine the scope of its engagement in a country caught in a deep institutional crisis, latent tensions in the south, and growing international pressure over ...

Saudi Prince, Eyeing Defence Pledge, to Meet Trump After Long US Absence

This is Beirut 2025-11-15 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Bahrain Gulf Hamas Israel Saudi Arabia

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will press for security guarantees while US President Donald Trump will urge him to normalise ties with Israel when the de facto Saudi ruler breaks a seven-year absence from Washington this week. Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalisation at this stage, with Prince Mohammed's priority set for firmer US ...

US Museums Reopen as Tourists Celebrate Washington’s Cultural Revival

This is Beirut 2025-11-15 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Museum Culture Art US Washington

Nick Adams couldn't help but smile as he showed his son the planes hanging in Washington's Air and Space Museum, which reopened Friday after a month closed due to the US government shutdown. "We had been planning this trip for a little while and were nervous with everything shut down, but were excited to see everything open up again," said the ...

'Michael' Sparks Jackson Fever Ahead of Release

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-11-15 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Michael Jackson Michael Biopic Movie Culture Music

At dawn on November 7, the numbers made headlines. Less than 24 hours after its release, the trailer for the biopic Michael had already racked up 116 million views worldwide. The figure is more than a digital milestone. It underscores Michael Jackson’s enduring presence in popular memory, fifteen years after his death, and places the King of Pop ...

Defense and Israel at the Heart of MBS’s Washington Visit

This is Beirut 2025-11-16 14:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Washington Donald Trump Bahrain Saudi Arabia USA

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), is expected in Washington on Tuesday November 18 for a meeting with United States President Donald Trump. The visit is seen as crucial for the US administration and is meant to revive and broaden the Abraham Accords while strengthening strategic and economic ties between Washington and ...

Iran Design Week Sparks Controversy After Viral Videos Surface

This is Beirut 2025-11-17 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran Iran Women Censorship Culture Art

A cultural event in Iran dedicated to design has stirred controversy after viral videos—denounced as “vulgar”—showed women without headscarves, leading to a partial shutdown, a local media outlet reported Sunday. Tehran Design Week, held across roughly sixty venues, promotes itself as a must-see gathering for brands, artists, and design ...

France Makes 'Historic' Accord to Sell Ukraine 100 Warplanes

This is Beirut 2025-11-17 16:12 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Emmanuel Macron European Union

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 fighter jets and other hardware, including drones, in a boost for Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion. Delivery of the Rafale fighter jets, the crown jewel of French combat aviation, is only ...