Zelensky Urges 'Regime Change' in Russia

This is Beirut 2025-07-31 12:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine United States Russia Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the world should push for "regime change" in Russia, arguing that President Vladimir Putin otherwise would continue to destabilize Russia's neighbors. His remarks came at a conference hosted by Finland, marking 50 years since the signing of the "Helsinki Final Act," a document meant to ...

Musical Satirist Tom Lehrer, Droll Prophet of Doom, Dead at 97

This is Beirut 2025-07-28 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tom Lehrer Satirist Music Culture Art Heritage

Tom Lehrer, the acclaimed humorist and pianist whose satirical songs made him one of America's favorite prophets of doom before he retreated to academia, has died, US media reported Sunday. He was 97. The singer-songwriter died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his friend David Herder said, according to The New York ...

UK Inaugurates Upgraded Lebanese Armed Forces Training Facility in Zahrani

This is Beirut 2025-08-21 10:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army South Lebanon United Kingdom

The United Kingdom inaugurated a newly upgraded Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) training facility in Zahrani, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday. British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell attended the ceremony alongside senior LAF and UK defense officials. In a statement posted on Thursday, the embassy said that the facility, developed with the ...

Syrian Forces Accused of 'Executions' in Druze Area as Israel Launches Strikes

This is Beirut 2025-07-15 23:16 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Damascus Syria Sweida

Syrian authorities were accused on Tuesday of carrying out summary executions of civilians in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida, where Israel said it had launched strikes against government forces in defense of the religious minority. Damascus deployed troops to the area after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed ...

Texas Flood Kills 50, Dozens of Children Still Missing After River Camp Disaster

This is Beirut 2025-07-06 13:13 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Texas Flood United States

Rescuers searched through the night early Sunday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed at least 50 people in the US state. Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rising by ...

Rockets Confirm Arrival of Durant in Unprecedented NBA Seven-Team Trade

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Kevin Durant NBA Phoenix Suns Houston

Superstar Kevin Durant is headed from the Phoenix Suns to Houston as part of an NBA-record seven-team deal, the Rockets confirmed on Sunday. The Rockets will also welcome back Clint Capela in a sign-and-trade deal with Atlanta, Houston said in a statement posted on the team website. Also involved in the blockbuster transfer were the Brooklyn ...

Hezbollah Reconsiders Arms as Regional Shifts and Domestic Pressures Mount

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 19:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Nawaf Salam

Hezbollah is reportedly reassessing its military strategy, including the potential reduction of its weapons arsenal, notably its missiles and drones, in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from disputed border areas and an end to ongoing airstrikes. According to a report by the British website UnHerd, the once-unthinkable notion of disarmament has ...

Trump Says Putin Talking 'a Lot of Bullshit' on Ukraine

This is Beirut 2025-07-08 20:22 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Vladimir Putin

President Donald Trump accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself. Trump's expletive reflected his growing frustration with the Kremlin leader over the grinding war that Moscow launched nearly three and a ...

France Wildfire Shuts Down Marseille Airport and Halts Trains

This is Beirut 2025-07-08 22:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fire France Marseille

A wildfire in southern France on Tuesday forced Marseille airport to close and interrupted train traffic as the blaze spread rapidly to the edges of the city. Several forest fires have raged in recent days in southern France, fanning out at speed due to wind and parched vegetation after a heatwave. Scientists say human-induced climate change is ...

Rewriting 'Ben-Hur:' 'Aletheia' by Luigi A. Kohli on Faith, Empire and Fiction

Marie-Christine Tayah 2025-07-13 12:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Writing UK Beirut Author Culture Art

Luigi A. Kohli, author of Aletheia, a Ben-Hur saga, followed a dream that never left him. After years in the corporate world, he found the courage to step away and embrace the calling he had carried since youth: to write. What began as a long-held fascination with epic films and ancient history transformed into a powerful, imaginative ...

Anti-Counterfeit Guide: How to Spot Fake Skincare and Shop Safely (3/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-13 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Counterfeit Cosmetics Skin care Beauty Health Awereness

Today’s counterfeit cosmetics are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye: they have the same bottle, same typography and nearly the same texture as genuine ones. Moisturizers, serums, sunscreens, micellar waters, foundations, luxury sets — no category is spared. And no country, either. From the US to Lebanon, France to South Korea, ...

Cosmetic Counterfeits: Lebanon Grapples with the Surge of Fake Beauty Products (2/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-15 21:16 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Cosmetic Counterfeits Beauty Products Skin Care Health

On Instagram, just a few clicks on reseller accounts or sponsored stories plunge you into a sleek, alluring world where top brands — Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Guerlain, Dior, La Roche-Posay — are sold at slashed prices. Descriptions sound convincing: “imported from the US,” “end-of-line stock before ...

Khamenei Says Israel War Meant to 'Overthrow System' in Iran

This is Beirut 2025-07-16 14:36 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Khamenei Ali Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel's attacks during last month's 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic's system and spark unrest to topple it. "The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in ...

WE4LEAD Drives Real Change for Gender Equality at Universities

Sana Richa Choucair 2025-07-27 18:30 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanese University WE4LEAD Gender equality Erasmus

Two Years After Its Launch in 2023, Where Does the Euro-Mediterranean Project Women’s Empowerment for Leadership and Equity in Higher Education Institutions (WE4LEAD) Stand? The project’s mission is to increase the representation of women in key academic leadership roles by transforming institutional practices and fostering a genuine culture ...

Israel Strikes Near Syrian Army HQ: State TV

This is Beirut 2025-07-16 19:03 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Damascus Benjamin Netanyahu Syria

An Israeli strike on Wednesday hit near the Syrian army and defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, the state-run Alekhbariya channel reported on Telegram, after Israel's military said it had struck there. AFP correspondents heard a loud explosion echoing throughout much of the capital shortly after a first air strike had targeted the same ...

Lebanon Launches National Campaign to Combat Water Shortage

This is Beirut 2025-07-18 12:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Water Drought Campaign Rainfall Crisis

In response to an alarming drop in rainfall and a looming summer water crisis, Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has launched a national campaign on Friday to encourage water conservation and raise public awareness. The initiative seeks to rally citizens around smarter water usage as the country faces one of its driest years in recent ...

Snoop Dogg Joins Swansea City as Co-Owner

This is Beirut 2025-07-18 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Snoop Dog Culture Art Rap

Snoop Dogg has become co-owner of Championship side Swansea City in an unlikely alliance between the world of rap and football, the Welsh club has announced. The 53-year-old American star joins former Real Madrid stalwart and Croatia World Cup finalist Luka Modrić in the club's ownership structure. Snoop Dogg made a surprise appearance on the ...

Rasamny Denies Tripoli Exit Rumors Amid Sweida Tensions

This is Beirut 2025-07-18 14:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Fayez Rasamny Najib Mikati Tripoli Port Sweida

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny denied on Friday rumors claiming he cut short his visit to Tripoli due to security threats linked to recent clashes in Syria’s Sweida province.  Rasamny said his visit was completed as scheduled and focused on launching development projects at the city’s port. “My visit was not ...

Halabi Talks Bans, Season Plans

Hala Abdallah 2025-07-22 17:00 - Reading : less than a minute

basketball federation sports This is Sports Akram Halabi basketball

From the new season format to potential player bans, Basketball Federation President Akram Halabi answers the questions fans are asking. Don’t miss Episode 8 of This is Sports, only on This is Beirut’s website and YouTube channel.

'The Shed at Dulwich': The Hoax That Topped TripAdvisor

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-22 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

London Restaurant TripAdvisor The Shed at Dulwich Hoax

No menu. No chef. No real kitchen. Just a shed, a mobile phone, and a lot of nerve. In just a few months, The Shed at Dulwich became London’s top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor, outranking thousands of Michelin-starred, gourmet, and trendy venues. Except it never actually existed. This brilliant hoax was the brainchild of a young British ...

New Cryptocurrency May Be Aiding Russia to Dodge Sanctions

This is Beirut 2025-07-25 13:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Sanctions EU Crypto Stablecoin

Russia could be turning to a new cryptocurrency called A7A5 to allow money to flow in and out of the country and avoid Western sanctions, experts have told AFP. Multiple rounds of international sanctions have been imposed on Moscow since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine seeking to ramp up economic pressure to halt the war. But the launch of ...

Caminos Lebanon: When Pilgrimage Routes Drive Economic Revival

Christiane Tager 2025-07-25 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon tourism economy

The idea is bold: stimulate the economy by banking on pilgrimages. That is the goal of Caminos Lebanon, a sustainable religious tourism initiative backed by the Association for Pilgrimages in Lebanon (APL) and led by expert Nour Farra Haddad. The ambition is to turn Lebanon into a key destination for faith-based travel. But this goes far beyond ...

'Call of Duty', 'Black Myth' Wow Gamescom Trade Show

This is Beirut 2025-08-20 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

A twisted futuristic version of "Call of Duty", Batman in Lego form and the "Resident Evil" series' ghoulish monsters had gamers salivating Tuesday as the vast Gamescom trade show opened in Cologne. A two-hour showcase of upcoming releases, including "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7" slated for November 14, belied an industry that has been weathering a ...

Leon XIV to Visit Lebanon 'by December,' Pending Official Confirmation

Fady Noun 2025-08-22 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Pope Francis Hezbollah Middle East Maronite

The announcement quickly sparked a media storm in both Lebanon and Italy: Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Lebanon “by December.” According to Patriarch Rai, the trip would mark the Pope’s first journey outside Italy since his election. “We are waiting for the Vatican to announce the exact date of the visit,” he told ...

Prince Andrew Faces New Pressure Following Virginia Giuffre’s Memoirs

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 20:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Virginia Giuffre Prince Andrew Jeffrey Epstein

The posthumous memoirs of American Virginia Giuffre, the main accuser of Prince Andrew in the Epstein case, went on sale Tuesday, increasing pressure on the disgraced brother of King Charles. In Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, recounts in detail being exploited as a sex slave by the late financier and sex offender ...

Iran Hands Down Prison Sentences to Two French Nationals for Spying

This is Beirut 2025-10-14 16:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran France

Iranian authorities on Tuesday handed down lengthy prison sentences to two French nationals after convicting them on multiple charges, including spying for Israel, the judiciary said. The two unidentified French nationals were arrested in March 2023, according to the judiciary's Mizan Online website, which did not provide details on the ...

Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Democrats Over US Government Shutdown

This is Beirut 2025-10-02 16:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Democrats Donald Trump USA Republicans

Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he plans to follow through on his threat for mass layoffs of US federal workers as he ratcheted pressure on Democrats to back moves to end the government shutdown. The Republican president announced he would meet budget chief Russell Vought "to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a ...

Trump Piles Pain on Democrats Over Us Government Shutdown

This is Beirut 2025-10-03 05:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Shutdown Politics

Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he plans to follow through on his threat for mass layoffs of US federal workers as he ratcheted pressure on Democrats to back moves to end the government shutdown. The Republican president announced he would meet budget chief Russell Vought "to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which ...

Russia-Linked Tanker Stopped by France Resumes Voyage

This is Beirut 2025-10-03 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Europe Ukraine Russia Shadow fleet

A tanker from Russia's "shadow fleet" detained by the French navy was heading towards the Suez Canal Friday with its captain back on board, according to data from maritime websites and a source close to the case. The Boracay, blacklisted by the European Union for being part of Russia's sanctions-busting "shadow fleet" of ageing oil tankers, has ...

Building Modern, Accessible Digital Finance for All

Liliane Mokbel 2025-10-03 16:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Economy Yassine Jaber Finance Taxes Digital

At a press conference on Friday at the Ministry’s headquarters, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber unveiled a roadmap to establish a digital financial administration that is efficient, transparent and citizen-focused. This transformation is built around four key pillars: Electronic Notifications Registered taxpayers now receive all official ...