Six Decades Without the State: Southern Lebanon’s Long Shadow of Militias

Marwan El-Amine 24/04 16:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon South Lebanon Amal Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah

For nearly 60 years, the Shia of southern Lebanon have known only the rule of militias. This reality dates to 1969, when the Lebanese state ceded part of its sovereignty to Palestinian armed groups, allowing them to launch attacks against Israel. Since then, the region has fallen under a succession of armed actors, culminating in the firm ...

Trump Says to Meet with Xi at South Korea Summit

This is Beirut 2025-10-17 16:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Xi Jinping USA China South Korea

Donald Trump will hold talks with China's Xi Jinping during the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea, the US president said in a Fox interview excerpt released Friday. "We're going to meet in a couple of weeks. We're going to meet in South Korea, actually with the President Xi and other people, too," Trump said in an interview with Fox News show ...

US Envoy Witkoff Felt 'Betrayed' by Israeli Attack on Hamas in Qatar

This is Beirut 2025-10-18 19:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United States Qatar Steve Witkoff

US envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's chief negotiator on the Middle East, has said that he felt "betrayed" when Israel launched a strike targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar last month. In a CBS interview alongside Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law who worked with Witkoff on the brokering of a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and ...

Pakistan to Hold Talks with Afghanistan in Qatar after Latest Strikes

This is Beirut 2025-10-18 19:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Pakistan Afghanistan Qatar

Pakistani and Afghan officials were due to meet in Qatar on Saturday, a day after Islamabad launched air strikes that killed at least 10 people in Afghanistan and broke a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border. The strikes targeted what Pakistani security sources said was a militant group linked to the Pakistani Taliban in the ...

Production and Distribution of “Tannourine” Water Resume Across Lebanon

This is Beirut 2025-10-18 18:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon water Tannourine health

The suspension of production and distribution of “Tannourine” brand water was lifted on Saturday afternoon by the Ministry of Public Health, five days after it was put in place due to a risk of contamination by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said at a press conference that after complaints were posted ...

The British Museum Goes Glam: London’s Answer to the Met Gala

This is Beirut 2025-10-18 13:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Museum London British Museum Art Culture

The British Museum, the prestigious London institution, is hosting its first-ever fundraising gala on Saturday — a lavish and glamorous event aiming to rival New York’s Met Gala, and above all, to raise money to offset declining public subsidies. The museum, which holds one of the largest permanent collections in the world, says it aims to ...

China and US Agree to Fresh Trade Talks

This is Beirut 2025-10-18 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

China United States Trade Tariffs

China and the United States agreed Saturday to conduct another round of trade negotiations in the coming week, as the world's two biggest economies seek to avoid another damaging tit-for-tat tariff battle. Beijing last week announced sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100 ...

Trump Says Venezuela’s Maduro Offered ‘Everything’ To Ease Tensions

This is Beirut 2025-10-17 22:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Nicolas Maduro Venezuela

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro had offered major concessions to ease tensions with Washington and confirmed a new strike on a drug-smuggling vessel, which reportedly left survivors. Washington accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel and has deployed significant military assets -- including stealth ...

Lebanon 2019: Behind a Programmed Revolution (1/2)

Natasha Metni Torbey 2025-10-17 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Covid-19 Ukraine revolution October 17

Six years have passed since the October 2019 uprising, an upheaval whose effects continue to heavily weigh on Lebanon. In just a few days, the country appeared to unite against a political class widely seen as corrupt and incapable of averting the looming economic collapse. This surge of public anger culminated in the resignation of Saad ...

Looksmaxxing: The Male Side of the Beauty Obsession

Sana Richa Choucair 2025-10-19 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tik Tok look optimization beauty masculinity

On TikTok, forums and countless corners of the web, a growing trend grips young men: looksmaxxing, the drive to “maximize” one’s appearance. This isn’t just grooming or fitness, it’s conforming to rigid aesthetic ideals with extreme methods, turning bodies into commodities. What is the origin of this term? What vocabulary has it ...

Hamas says Committed to Ceasefire Agreement, to Return all Bodies

This is Beirut 2025-10-17 10:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Ceasefire Hamas Palestine

Hamas said it was committed to the US-brokered agreement that halted its war with Israel, and to returning all the bodies of hostages still unaccounted for under the ruins of Gaza. Responding to a call from the militant group for assistance with locating the bodies of the 19 hostages, buried under the rubble alongside an untold number of ...

The Illusion of October 17

Tylia El Helou 2025-10-17 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Revolution

In October 2019, Lebanon was on its last breath. Decades of corruption, clientelism, and mismanagement had pushed the country to the brink of collapse. The announcement of a tax on WhatsApp calls was the spark: hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, from all sects, poured into the streets, shouting their anger at the political class. The slogans ...

New York Mayoral Hopefuls Clash in High-Stakes Debate

This is Beirut 2025-10-17 05:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

New York United States Election

A socialist, an accused molester and a vigilante all hoping to be New York's next mayor clashed in a debate with "high levels of testosterone" Thursday as the unpredictable campaign enters the homestretch. Democratic candidate and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, independent former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis ...

Trump and Putin Hold Phone Call Ahead of Zelensky's Visit to Washington

This is Beirut 2025-10-16 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Russia

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin began a «long» phone conversation Thursday, according to the U.S. president. «I am currently in conversation with President Putin. The conversation is ongoing, it is long, and I will report on it, just like President Putin, at the end,» Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.  The call ...

French PM Survives Two Confidence Votes Days After Reappointment

This is Beirut 2025-10-16 16:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron European Union

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two confidence motions Thursday, just days after appointing his new government and making a key political concession to stay in power. The votes followed Lecornu's decision Tuesday to back suspending a divisive 2023 pension reform, in a bid to keep his cabinet afloat long enough to pass a ...

Lebanon: Signs of Recovery Amid Economic and Humanitarian Challenges

Liliane Mokbel 2025-10-16 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Middle East

As Lebanon gradually emerges from a period marked by deep political, economic, and humanitarian turmoil, the World Bank’s latest MENAAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) Economic Report, published in October 2025, gives encouraging prospects for the country. Despite ongoing fragility, particularly in public finances and ...

US Says ‘Credible Reports’ Hamas Planning Attack Against Gaza Civilians

This is Beirut 2025-10-19 02:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United States Gaza Hamas Israël

The US State Department on Saturday said it had "credible reports" that Palestinian armed group Hamas was planning an imminent attack against civilians in Gaza, a move Washington said would be a "ceasefire violation." "This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and ...

Trump Says US to End 'Payments and Subsidies' to Colombia over Drug Production

This is Beirut 2025-10-19 17:14 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Colombia United States Gustavo Petro

President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States is halting financial aid to Colombia, a longstanding US ally, as he accused its president of condoning the production of drugs. Trump said leftist President Gustavo Petro is doing nothing to stop cocaine production despite "large scale payments and subsidies from the USA." "AS ...

Trump Indicates Approval of CIA Action Against Venezuela

This is Beirut 2025-10-16 08:54 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Venezuela Donald Trump CIA

US President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday he had authorized covert CIA action against Venezuela and said he was considering strikes against alleged drug cartels on land in the South American country. Trump's comments triggered outrage from leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who decried "coups d'etat orchestrated by the ...

The Lebanese Demand Peace with Israel

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 2025-10-21 15:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Hezbollah Peace

"Break the taboos; we demand peace," declared Marcel Ghanem, host of Lebanon’s premier talk show. "Demanding peace [with Israel] is not a crime," he emphasized, challenging entrenched narratives. Marwan Hamade, a seasoned Druze lawmaker, appeared on I24 News (French service) to discuss Gaza, signaling a willingness to defy Lebanon’s surreal ...

Brigitte Bardot Silences Death Rumors With Defiant Message

This is Beirut 2025-10-23 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

"I'm doing well," the French 91-year-old film icon Brigitte Bardot said on Wednesday evening, seeking to quell persistent speculation over her health on social media while criticizing "idiot" internet users. "I'm doing well," the ’60s star and outspoken animal rights activist posted on X. "I don't know which idiot started this 'fake news' story ...

The Shamkhani Wedding Scandal: How a Leaked Wedding Became Iran’s Mirror of Moral Collapse

Salam El Zaatari 2025-10-23 11:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Iran wedding Islamic Republic of Iran

In mid-October 2025, a leaked video from a private wedding set Iran ablaze, digitally, politically and morally. It wasn’t just any celebration. The footage showed the daughter of Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, one of Iran’s most powerful men and a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, parading in a strapless white gown at the ...

US Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats in Pacific Amid Rising Tensions with Colombia

This is Beirut 2025-10-23 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Gustavo Petro Colombia Drones Drugs

President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, traded angry threats Wednesday as the United States announced strikes on two alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Pacific Ocean that left five people dead. Trump branded Petro a "thug" and suggested he was a drug trafficker leading his country to ruin, prompting the leftist ...

Lebanon 2019: Behind a Programmed Revolution (2/2)

Natasha Metni Torbey 2025-10-22 12:30 - Reading : 11 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon Free Patriotic Movement Amal Banks

Lebanon has an exceptionally dense civil society sector. Hundreds of local NGOs receive funding from international organizations such as the European Union, various United Nations agencies, private foundations like Ford, Rockefeller and Open Society, as well as contributions from the diaspora. Most of this funding is fully declared, independently ...

Trump Urged Ukraine to Give Up Land in 'Tense' Talks

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 19:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Ukraine Donald Trump Donbas

US President Donald Trump pressured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to give up the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace during "tense" talks last Friday in Washington, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP. The source added that the talks with Trump were "not easy" and that diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war felt ...

Trump Says Middle East Allies Ready to 'Straighten out Hamas' If Asked

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 17:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Hamas Gaza

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that allied nations in the Middle East were prepared to send troops into Gaza, at his request, to confront Hamas if the group did not cease its alleged violations of his peace plan. The threat comes a day after Trump warned Hamas would be "eradicated" if the group did not meet expectations of the agreement, ...

US Vice President Vance in Israel to Shore up Gaza Deal

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 14:34 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam USA Benjamin Netanyahu JD Vance Gaza

    US Vice President JD Vance landed in Israel on Tuesday to shore up a fragile Gaza ceasefire deal, after President Donald Trump warned Hamas it would be wiped out if it breached the truce. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were already in Tel Aviv, where they met Israeli hostages released by Hamas ...

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Delicate Position of Iran’s Jews

Marie de La Roche Saint-André 2025-10-19 19:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Middle East Palestine Tehran

With around 10,000 members, Iran’s Jewish community is the second largest in the Middle East. Its presence is discreet but tangible in a nation marked by pronounced hostility toward Israel, most recently expressed during 12 days of open conflict last June. The Jewish presence in the lands of present-day Iran dates back to the eighth century ...

France's Former President Sarkozy Jailed, Proclaiming his Innocence

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron European Union Nicolas Sarkozy France

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former head of an EU state to be jailed Tuesday, proclaiming his innocence as he entered a Paris prison. France's right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty last month of seeking to acquire funding from Moammar Kadhafi's Libya for the campaign that saw him elected. AFP ...

China Hawk Takaichi Named Japan's First Woman PM

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Sanae Takaichi Japan China Prime Minister

Japan got its first woman prime minister on Tuesday after Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk and social conservative, forged an 11th-hour coalition deal. Japan's fifth premier in as many years will lead a minority government and has a bulging in-tray, not least a scheduled visit by US President Donald Trump next week. The lower house of parliament ...