Iran Says Exchanges with U.S. Via Pakistan Continue After Failed Talks

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

Iran USA Islamabad USIranWar Negotiations Israel

Iran said Wednesday that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following failed negotiations over the weekend. "Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing. "Today, we are very ...

Hezbollah, Iran and Israel with Brian Katulis

Tylia El Helou 2025-11-12 22:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Lebanon United States Iran Hezbollah Lebanese Armed Forces

On this week’s episode of This is America, we cover Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House and the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.  We also feature an exclusive interview with Brian Katulis, who shares his insights on the disarming of Hezbollah and the prospects for peace in the region.

Syria Joins Alliance Against Islamic State After White House Talks

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 08:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ahmad al-Sharaa Syria United States Donald Trump

Syria is joining the global coalition against the Islamic State group, a US official said Monday, hours after President Donald Trump welcomed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa for historic White House talks. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the White House ...

US to Remove Warnings from Menopause Hormone Therapy

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 09:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States USA Menopause

The United States will remove strong safety warnings on many hormone therapies used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, saying the risks have been exaggerated, authorities announced Monday. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) replaces estrogen that the female body stops producing during menopause with the aim of alleviating symptoms including hot ...

AI Agents Open Door to New Hacking Threats

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

AI Cybersecurity Hacker Language

Cybersecurity experts are warning that artificial intelligence agents, widely considered the next frontier in the generative AI revolution, could wind up getting hijacked and doing the dirty work for hackers. AI agents are programs that use artificial intelligence chatbots to do the work humans do online, like buy a plane ticket or add events to ...

'Western Tech Dominance Fading' at Lisbon's Web Summit

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe USA Web Summit France Lisbon China

Global tech leaders will pack Lisbon's annual Web Summit from Tuesday to talk Artificial Intelligence, robots, and startups -- all under the shadow of tensions over cutting-edge tech and the natural resources needed to build it. Over four days, the "Davos for geeks" is set to welcome over 70,000 visitors including 2,500 startups and ...

Netflix Unveils First Immersive Theme Parks Across the US

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

Nawaf Salam Netflix Film Culture Art Park

Pretending to be a pirate in an immersive game inspired by the manga One Piece, or wandering through a carnival hosted by Wednesday Addams, is now part of the experience offered inside Netflix’s first theme parks in the United States. For its first “Netflix House,” opening Wednesday, the American streaming giant chose one of the country’s ...

Aoun Strengthens Lebanese–Bulgarian Relations During Official Visit

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Joseph Aoun Bulgaria August 4 Beirut Sofia

On the second day of his official visit to Bulgaria on Tuesday, President Joseph Aoun continued his diplomatic engagements aimed at deepening Beirut’s’s ties with Sofia. Aoun met with the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Raya Nazaryan, who expressed readiness to collaborate with Lebanese authorities on legal inquiries related to the ship ...

Thieves Steal Ancient Treasures From Syria’s National Museum

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 14:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Museum Art Theft Ancient Artifacts Heritage Syria Culture

Thieves made off with several ancient gold ingots from Syria's national museum in Damascus, a security source and another close to the institution's management said Tuesday. The museum was spared during Syria's destructive civil war that ran from 2011 to late last year and houses priceless artifacts dating back to antiquity. The robbery took ...

For Many Syrians, Ahmad al-Sharaa's US Visit Marks New Beginning

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 20:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria United States Ahmad al-Sharaa

On the streets of Damascus on Tuesday, Syrians viewed their leader's visit to Washington as a shift towards the West that could pave the way to reviving the country's war-battered economy. On Monday, Donald Trump received Ahmad al-Sharaa, a first for a Syrian head of state since independence in 1946 and a crowning achievement for the ...

Macron Warns Any Planned West Bank Annexation a 'Red Line'

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 21:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

France Emmanuel Macron Mahmoud Abbas

French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Tuesday that any Israeli plans for annexation in the West Bank would be a "red line" and would provoke a European reaction. He spoke as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Paris one month into a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the militant group's ...

The Maghreb: The Muslim Brotherhood and the Challenge of Power

Marie de La Roche Saint-André 2025-11-12 10:55 - Reading : 9 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Covid-19 Hamas Middle East Turkey

As the Arab Spring unfolded, several political movements inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood sought to rise to power across the Maghreb. In Tunisia, it was Ennahda; in Morocco, the Justice and Development Party (PJD); and in Algeria, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP). The period proved favorable to the Muslim Brotherhood and its ideology, ...

Sharaa in Washington: A Turning Point for Syria

Seth J. Frantzman 2025-11-12 16:00 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria Washington United States Donald Trump Ahmad al-Sharaa

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited the White House on Monday for a historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that capped a year in which Damascus has rapidly come in from the cold and reintegrated into the international community. Sharaa has helped steer Syria through this complex path, beginning with pushing the Assad regime out of ...

Disarming Hezbollah Starts with the Banks

Marc Saikali 2025-11-13 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Hezbollah Tehran White House

One billion dollars. That is the sum Hezbollah is said to have received from Iran in 2025. An astonishing figure, revealed during the highly political visit of the U.S. Treasury delegation led by Sebastian Gorka, the White House’s counterterrorism director. How did the militia manage to receive such an amount? Through currency exchange offices, ...

Washington Partially Suspends Caesar Act Sanctions

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 20:50 - Reading : less than a minute

United States Syria Treasury Caesar Act

The US Department of the Treasury announced the suspension of sanctions imposed on Syria under the Caesar Act, coinciding with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House, where he was received by US President Donald Trump. In a statement, the Treasury specified that the suspension does not include transactions involving Russia ...

Ten Years After Paris Attacks, Jihadist Threat Has Evolved

This is Beirut 2025-11-13 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Paris Islamic State Attacks

A decade on from deadly attacks in Paris, the world's two most notorious jihadist groups Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda have significantly evolved and their branches still pose a global security threat, especially from Africa, analysts say. With strong central leadership, the groups were once able to train and then send commandos into Europe ...

Syria to Help US Fight Iran-Backed Armed Groups, Envoy Says

This is Beirut 2025-11-13 11:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Damascus Hamas Hezbollah Iran

Syria will play an active role in assisting the United States in fighting armed groups including Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah, US special envoy Tom Barrack said on Thursday. Islamist interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former jihadist, became the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since his country's ...

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 ...

Hannibal Kadhafi Released After Decade in Prison

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 22:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hannibal Kadhafi Moussa Sadr

Lebanon released Hannibal Kadhafi, the son of deposed Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, on bail on Monday after nearly a decade in prison, his lawyer told AFP. "We left; he is free," Laurent Bayon said, hours after Kadhafi's bail of $900,000 was paid. The younger Kadhafi, 49, was accused of withholding information about the 1978 ...

US Treasury Delegation Warns Lebanon: Two-Month Deadline for Key Reforms

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 20:08 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Treasury

A US official, during a visit to Lebanon on Monday, called on the authorities to “end Iran’s malign influence through Hezbollah,” stressing that Washington is determined to halt Tehran’s funding of the group hostile to Israel. “We believe that the key for the Lebanese people to take back their country is to end ...

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 ...

UN Lifts Sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahead of Historic White House Visit

This is Beirut 2025-11-06 22:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Sanctions United Nations United States

The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US resolution on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his White House visit next week. "(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa...and (Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," said the ...