US Stocks Retreat on Heightened Tariff Tensions

This is Beirut 2025-06-02 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump European Union Washington

US stocks mostly slipped Monday on global trade tensions, with China rejecting Washington's accusations that it violated a pact to de-escalate tariffs, while President Donald Trump's plans to double steel levies added to strain with the EU. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.4 percent to 42,109.92, while the broad-based S&P ...

Bank Reform in Lebanon: Central Authority Under Growing Pressure

This is Beirut 2025-06-02 17:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Banking Parliament Reform finance auathority

The parliamentary subcommittee tasked with banking reform held a pivotal session to examine Articles 5 and 6 of the draft law proposing the creation of an independent banking authority. Two competing visions are at the center of the debate. The first, supported by Banque du Liban (BDL), calls for the establishment of a new, autonomous body ...

Lebanese Army Removes Israeli Flag, Boosts Southern Deployment

This is Beirut 2025-06-02 21:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army South Lebanon Aita al-Shaab Golani border tension

The Lebanese Army has taken down an Israeli flag raised by the Israeli Golani regiment on Rweissat al-Hadb hill, located on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district, according to a report by the National News Agency (NNA) on Monday. The flag removal is part of a broader response by the Lebanese Army, which has stepped up its ...

Running Low? Unleaded to the Rescue

Christiane Tager 2025-06-04 21:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Crisis Fuel prices Private sector

The Lebanese government seems to be taking its cue from an old maxim: “When in trouble, raise the taxes.” In a decision that hit like a bombshell, authorities announced a sharp hike in fuel prices – despite a global drop in oil costs. The official rationale? To fund social aid. The logic? Ease the burden on the poor by adding to the strain ...

The UN at 80: Navigating Crisis and Hope in a Divided World

Ryan Chaba 2025-06-07 12:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Nations European Union G7 Palestine Ukraine

On June 26, 1945, just months after World War II ended, 51 nations gathered in San Francisco to sign the UN Charter. By October 24, the organization officially came into force, born from a simple but profound purpose: to prevent another global catastrophe. Envisioned as the cornerstone of a new world order grounded in peace, justice and ...

Russia Says Pushing Offensive into Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Region

This is Beirut 2025-06-08 16:22 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine

Russia said Sunday it was pushing into Ukraine's eastern industrial Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in its three-year offensive -- a significant territorial escalation amid stalled peace talks. Moscow, which has the initiative on the battlefield, has repeatedly refused calls by Ukraine, Europe and US President Donald Trump for a full ...

Don't Let Deep sea Become 'Wild West', Guterres tells World Leaders

This is Beirut 2025-06-09 12:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron United Nations Oceans Nice

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday the world could not let the deepest oceans "become the wild west", at the start in France of a global summit on the seas. World leaders are attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice as nations tussle over contentious rules on mining the seabed for critical minerals and the terms of ...

Can Ahmad al-Sharaa Deliver on His Anti-ISIS Policy?

Alexandre Baz 2025-06-14 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Damascus Gulf Turkey United States

Ahmad al-Sharaa, once a senior figure in the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has emerged as a central player in post-Assad Syria. Since taking power in December 2024 in a country ravaged by 13 years of war, Sharaa has positioned himself as a pragmatic and reform-minded leader, both to foreign governments and Syria’s deeply ...

Questionable Transition 

Charles Chartouni 2025-03-17 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Syria

Lebanon is still dealing with the imponderables and equivocations of a very tentative peace process. The drama lies at the very heart of the transition process and the absence of a consensual approach to the problems besetting it. Initially, the ongoing actors have failed to acknowledge the nature of the transformative process and its strategic ...

Official Report Filed Against NGO Kulluna Irada for Destabilizing the National Economy

This is Beirut 2025-03-10 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lawyers Bashir Aazan, Charles Assaad, and Jocelyne Karam filed an official report with the Court of Cassation against the NGO Kulluna Irada and its associates, accusing them of conducting a political campaign aimed at undermining the national economy. According to the case file submitted to Attorney General Jamal Hajjar at the Court of Cassation, ...

New Deep Sea Mining Rules Lack Consensus Despite US Pressure

This is Beirut 2025-07-18 10:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Environment Climate Mining Oceans Jamaica

After two weeks of negotiations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is still far from finalizing rules for extracting coveted metals on the high seas despite heightened pressure triggered by US efforts to fast-track the controversial practice. Following a meeting in March and the current session in Jamaica, the 36 members of the ISA's ...

CCLC on Independence Day: Call for a New Cedars Revolution to Liberate Lebanon

This is Beirut 2024-11-21 14:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hezbollah United Nations independence

On Lebanon's Independence Day this year, the Coordinating Committee of Lebanese-Canadians (CCLC) issued a stark message about the country's dual occupations by Iran and Israel, calling for unity among opposition forces to reclaim Lebanon's sovereignty. With one third of the population displaced, widespread destruction in the South and Beqaa ...

Turkey Seeks to Deepen Relations with Africa

This is Beirut 2024-11-03 13:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Palestine Turkey UN Security Council United Nations

Turkey on Sunday said it was committed to deepening relations with Africa, which it and called on to back diplomatic support for Palestinians, as it held its latest African summit in Djibouti. Turkey has invested heavily across Africa in recent years, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan carrying out 50 visits to 31 countries during his two ...

Hostage Family Group Seek Investigation Over Leaked Gaza Hostage Documents

This is Beirut 2024-11-04 12:27 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

benjamin netanyahu gaza leak hostages

An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza called on Monday for an investigation into the alleged leak of confidential documents by an ex-aide to the prime minister, which may have undermined efforts to secure the captives' release. An Israeli court announced on Sunday that Eliezer Feldstein, a former aide to ...

Live from Washington D.C.: Key Updates on the Historic US Presidential Election

Tylia El Helou 2024-11-05 21:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Donald Trump Washington kamala harris

    Reporting live from Washington D.C., our special correspondent Tylia Helou brings you the latest figures and percentages from this historic election. Americans are set to make a pivotal choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, determining the country’s direction for the next four years. Stay tuned for updates on this ...

UK Sanctions Russia-Backed Mercenary Groups in Africa

This is Beirut 2024-11-07 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Kingdom Russia sanction Wagner Group

The UK government announced sanctions on Thursday against three private mercenary groups with links to the Kremlin, including Wagner group successor Africa Corps. "These sanctions will bear down on Russian malign activity in Libya, Mali, and CAR (Central African Republic), exposing and combatting Russia's illicit activity in Africa," a ...

Druze Leadership on High Alert to Avert Reckless Ventures

Toni Issa 2024-11-08 10:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu druze

Lebanon's political and sectarian forces cannot approach the current Israeli war as they did previous conflicts, including the 1982 invasion that reached Beirut. This war risks dismantling the existing “rules of engagement” between Lebanese sectarian groups, potentially ushering in a new balance of power. As a result, all factions are bracing ...

Trump’s Comeback and Fate of the Middle East

Michel Touma 2024-11-11 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Middle East Tehran United States

Donald Trump's return to the White House, bolstered by a sweeping Republican victory in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, has sparked significant concern among some Western circles. These observers are uneasy about what they see as the newly elected president's overly “conservative” positions, particularly in terms of social ...

Trump’s Quest for a Diplomatic Breakthrough May Reinforce Hochstein’s Mission

Philippe Abi-Akl 2024-11-12 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Amos Hochstein Donald Trump Middle East

President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House, described as a “tsunami,” offers him an opportunity to resolve global conflicts, as he had promised during his campaign. “I will fix the crises caused by the Biden-Harris administration,” he said. “I will end the suffering and destruction in Lebanon, and I will bring peace to the ...

Cultural Dialogue at the Franco-Arab Film Festival in Paris

Fabienne Touma 2024-11-12 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Festival Filn Arab France Culture

The Franco-Arab Film Festival of Noisy-le-Sec (FFFA), held in Île-de-France, returns for its 13th edition from November 15 to 30. This year, the festival will take place both in Noisy-le-Sec and Paris, with part of the program dedicated to Gaza, featuring a special day of screenings, discussions, and short films that delve into the complex ...

Using Rubble to Rebuild Lebanon Post-War

Sana Richa Choucair 2024-11-14 19:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Reconstruction

For nearly two months, Israel’s intensified offensive against Hezbollah has seen entire villages in southern Lebanon, neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburb, and towns in the Beqaa Valley nearly obliterated. The ongoing air raids have left huge mounds of rubble, though there is still no concrete estimate of the volume, given that Israeli ...

Hochstein in Lebanon and Israel: A New Diplomatic Mirage?

Natasha Metni Torbey 2024-11-18 20:15 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Amos Hochstein Hezbollah ceasefire

In the absence of an “Iran-Israel-US deal,” any roadmap for a ceasefire in Lebanon seems destined to fail. What about a proposal that, in both substance and form, brings no changes (being similar to the previous one) and for which each party continues to express reservations? According to various media sources, US envoy Amos Hochstein is ...

Zelensky Says 2025 Will Determine Who Wins Ukraine War

This is Beirut 2024-11-19 14:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Kyiv Ukraine USA Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelensky Washington

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that 2025 will be decisive in determining the outcome of the war, in an address to parliament marking the 1,000th day of the Russian invasion. Zelensky, presenting a "resilience plan" for Ukraine at this critical juncture in the conflict, spoke after Washington granted Kyiv long-awaited approval ...

Russia Used 'Experimental' Missile in Ukraine Strike: US official

This is Beirut 2024-11-21 19:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Kyiv Ukraine USA Volodymyr Zelensky Russia war

Russia's strike on Ukraine was not an ICBM, but an "experimental" medium-range ballistic missile, a US official said Thursday, playing down the significance of the attack. "Russia may be seeking to use this capability to try to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters... but it will not be a game changer in this conflict," the US official ...

International Reactions to Israel's Strikes on Iran

This is Beirut 2024-10-26 15:20 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Middle East Tehran United States strikes

The US, Britain and the European Union called for "de-escalation" after Israel on Saturday hit military targets across Iran in deadly retaliatory strikes as Muslim countries and Russia blamed Israel for exacerbating the conflict. Israeli planes hit military bases, missile sites, and other systems in several Iranian regions in ...

The Overlooked Aspect of Lebanon's 1943 Independence 

Michel Touma 2024-11-22 11:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Independance National Pact

For many years, the Lebanese have marked the anniversary of November 22 with a sense of disillusionment, reflecting on the advanced state of decline of Lebanon’s independence, proclaimed in 1943. This feeling of bitterness has been exacerbated by a series of regional interventions, which have fostered a chronic climate of instability and discord ...

Georgian Parliament to Convene After Contested Vote

This is Beirut 2024-11-25 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Georgia European Union Election Tbilisi

Georgia's new parliament is to meet for its first session Monday amid opposition protests over an allegedly rigged election and the pro-European president demanding the result be annulled. Nearly a month after the October 26 vote, won by the governing Georgian Dream party, political turmoil continues in the small post-Soviet country in the ...

Lebanon's Quest for Sovereignty: A Blueprint for Lasting Stability

Johnny Ftouhi 2024-11-26 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Palestine sovereignty

Since the signing of the Cairo Agreement in 1969, southern Lebanon has been a focal point of both domestic and regional power struggles, significantly undermining national sovereignty. The agreement, which granted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) freedom of operation in the South, marked the start of the area’s transformation into a ...

Ceasefire or Reload: The Uncertain Path Ahead

Salam Zaatari 2024-11-28 09:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Iran USA Hezbollah Ceasefire

I'm relieved that the bombing and the killing have ceased, offering a much-needed moment of respite for all Lebanese. Displaced families, despite their hardships, have found humor even in adversity, joking about missing Avichay Adraee's daily tweets. This reflects the resilience of the Lebanese spirit. However, as the adrenaline from war subsides, ...

The War Within the Couple: A Reflection of Lebanon's War?

David Sahyoun 2024-11-28 17:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon War Psychoanalysis Couple

Testimony "Once, our apartment at Galerie Semaan was a peaceful haven. Now, it feels like a real pressure cooker. The atmosphere in our home has completely changed. My husband yells over the smallest things. I do too, actually. Yesterday, we argued simply because the kids were making too much noise while playing— as if noise could still bother ...