Barca's Yamal Eyes Up PSG After Ballon d'Or Miss

This is Beirut 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

FC Barcelona Lamine Yamal PSG Champions League Ballon d'Or Dembele

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal almost became the youngest ever Ballon d'Or winner last week at 18, and Wednesday's Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain offers the ideal opportunity to begin stating his case for next year. PSG star Ousmane Dembele won the award for the best player in the world but is out injured and will miss the ...

Israeli Raid in Aita al-Shaab and Deir Kifa

This is Beirut 22/08 12:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army South Lebanon lebanon Israel

An Israeli airstrike on Friday struck the town of Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district, killing one person, according to the Ministry of Health. An Israeli drone also dropped a bomb near a drilling machine located between Ainata and Kounine, both in the Bint Jbeil district. Meanwhile, hostile drones and warplanes were reported flying at low ...

Trump Clashes with Democrats as he Expands National Guard Plans

This is Beirut 24/08 13:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Chicago U.S. National Guard

Donald Trump threatened to deploy National Guard troops Sunday to yet another Democratic stronghold, the Maryland city of Baltimore, as the US president seeks to expand his crackdown on crime and immigration. The Republican's latest online rant about an "out of control, crime-ridden" city comes as Democratic state leaders -- including Maryland ...

Zelensky calls for Putin talks as peace efforts stall

This is Beirut 24/08 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Kyiv Ukraine Vladimir Putin russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Sunday that a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin remained "the most effective way forward" as the two sides exchange prisoners and the country celebrated Independence Day. Kyiv's general said that Ukrainian troops had recaptured three villages in its Donetsk region ...

Netflix Takes Center Stage at the Venice Film Festival

Bélinda Ibrahim 23/08 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Netflix Venice Film Festival Cinema Film Culture

For several years, Venice has served as the discreet yet decisive battleground between traditional cinema and streaming giants. In 2025, Netflix makes a striking return to the Lido, shaking up the hierarchy of studios and auteurs alike. Three high-profile world premieres in official competition, carefully crafted productions and a calculated ...

Texas Adopts Electoral Map aimed at Preserving Trump's Congress Grip

This is Beirut 23/08 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States U.S. Congress Elections Donald Trump

Texas legislators approved early Saturday a new electoral map aimed at carving out five new Republican-leaning seats in the state to help the party retain control of Congress in next year's midterm elections. President Donald Trump had pressured Republican-run Texas to create the new map to help prevent Democratic opponents from taking over the ...

Trump May 'Do Nothing' If Putin, Zelensky Fail to Meet

This is Beirut 22/08 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Ukraine Vladimir Putin Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said Friday he would make an "important" decision in two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts -- specifying that Moscow could face massive sanctions or he might do nothing. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he was "not happy" about a Russian strike Thursday that hit a US-owned factory in Ukraine "and I'm not happy ...

Dollar Wavers, Global Economy on Edge

Christiane Tager 22/08 21:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Europe USA White House dollar

The dollar has reigned as the undisputed king of currencies since World War Two, but 2025 began with a sharp decline. In just six months, it lost more than 10% of its value, reaching its weakest level since 1973, according to Morningstar. Erratic trade policies under Donald Trump, coupled with mounting tensions with the Federal Reserve, have left ...

Burj al-Barajneh Disarmed… What’s Next?

Mario Chartouni 22/08 20:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

UN Security Council Fatah Hamas Hezbollah Israel

On Thursday, August 21, the long-delayed disarmament of Lebanon’s Palestinian camps finally began. This milestone marks the first tangible step stemming from agreements reached last May between President Joseph Aoun and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas. After decades of stalled efforts, the move immediately raises a pressing question: ...

With 'Mother', Mitevska Restores Mother Teresa’s Humanity

Bélinda Ibrahim 22/08 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Mother Teresa Film Cinema Venice Film Festival Culture

Who was the real Mother Teresa? In Mother, Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska reexamines the legend to reveal a woman far beyond the clichés. Premiering in the Orizzonti section at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the movie focuses on seven pivotal days in 1948 that forever changed Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, the woman who would become Mother ...

Russia Rejects Zelensky Meeting as Diplomatic Tension Simmers

This is Beirut 22/08 18:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA

Russia Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "no meeting" between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as NATO chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss ...

The Arrogance of Wasted Time

Johnny Kortbawi 22/08 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army Washington Palestinian camps

The handover of Palestinian weapons from the camps to the Lebanese state marks the beginning of a historic shift: the effort to confine all arms within Lebanon and close a chapter that has weighed on the country for nearly six decades – the use of Lebanese soil as a battlefield for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is evident to all regional ...

Joseph Aoun: Borders with Syria Under Control

This is Beirut 22/08 17:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Joseph Aoun Lebanon Syria borders army

President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Friday that the Lebanese-Syrian borders are fully secured, stressing that the army “remains on high alert and carries out its duties with competence and diligence to ensure calm and security for citizens.” “The situation at the border is under control, and the current climate is encouraging with respect to ...

AI Helps UK Woman Rediscover Lost Voice After 25 Years

This is Beirut 22/08 15:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

New York United Kingdom Smartbox AI

A British woman suffering from motor neurone disease who lost her ability to speak is once again talking in her own voice thanks to artificial intelligence and a barely audible eight-second clip from an old home video. Sarah Ezekiel, an artist, was left without the use of her voice after she was diagnosed at the age of 34 with MND while pregnant ...

Disarmament: Presidential Advisor Meets Hezbollah MP

This is Beirut 22/08 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Joseph Aoun Lebanon Disarmament Nabih Berri

President Joseph Aoun’s advisor, Brigadier General Andre Rahal, met Friday with the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, in an implicit attempt to reassure Hezbollah amid heightened tensions over the government’s decision to disarm non-state actors, particularly the Iran-backed group. According to the National News ...

Underwater Archaeology in Lebanon: Exploring Origins and Unveiling Discoveries

Natasha Metni Torbey 22/08 14:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

At the crossroads of civilizations for thousands of years, Lebanon holds a largely unexplored underwater heritage. Behind the beauty of ancient wrecks lie pressing geopolitical stakes, alarming environmental concerns and a troubling lack of legal oversight. Safeguarding these submerged riches means charting a course through maritime law, disputed ...

UN Declares Famine in Gaza, First Ever in Middle East

This is Beirut 22/08 12:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Nations Middle East Palestine Hamas Israel Famine

The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing "catastrophic" hunger. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was entirely preventable, saying food could not get through to the Palestinian territory "because of systematic obstruction by ...

Netanyahu Rival Offers Political Truce to Help Secure Gaza Hostage Deal

This is Beirut 24/08 15:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Benny Gantz Hamas Israel

Israeli former defense minister Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to forge a unity government along with members of the opposition in a bid to help release the hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu's coalition government depends on support from far-right members who oppose ending the war and making any deal with ...

Industry Ministry-Litani Authority: Joint Committee to Reduce Pollution

This is Beirut 22/08 12:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Baalbeck South Lebanon Litani Industry Pollution

Industry Minister Joe Issa al-Khoury has set up a joint committee with the Litani River Authority to oversee and enforce environmental compliance in industrial facilities across the Litani River Basin, the two bodies said in a joint statement issued Friday. The committee will survey both licensed and unlicensed factories, document violations, and ...

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

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

Pope Francis Hezbollah Middle East Lebanon 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 ...

Zelensky says Russia Trying to 'Wriggle Out' of Peace Talks

This is Beirut 22/08 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow on Thursday of shirking a meeting between him and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, despite US-led attempts to arrange a summit to end the war. US President Donald Trump is trying to end Russia's three-and-a-half year invasion of Ukraine by bringing both Zelensky and Putin to the negotiating ...

Five Dead as ‘Thunderous’ Bomb Attack Hits Colombian City

This is Beirut 22/08 05:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Colombia Attack Police

Colombian authorities said five people were killed and dozens more injured when a truck bomb tore through a busy street in the city of Cali on Thursday, deepening the country's most serious security crisis in decades. Police said the explosion targeted a military aviation school in the city's north -- a fresh challenge to Colombia's fragile peace ...

Inside Roumieh’s Block B: The Unresolved Fate of Syrian Islamist Detainees

Vanessa Kallas 21/08 21:04 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Roumieh prison Islamists Syrian prisoners Security

In a secluded corner of Roumieh Central Prison lies the infamous Block B, better known as the “terrorism block.” It houses nearly 500 detainees, most of them radical Islamists facing terrorism-related charges. With the fall of the Assad regime, the issue of Syrian Islamist prisoners in Lebanon has resurfaced, as armed groups and tribal ...

Palestinian Factions Reject Camp Disarmament, Assert Weapons Will Stay

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

Palestine Lebanon Camps Factions Refugees Conflict

Palestinian factions in Lebanon rejected reports on Thursday that they were preparing to hand over weapons inside refugee camps, particularly in Burj al-Barajneh. In a joint statement, the groups called the claims “entirely false,” saying the situation in the camp is an internal matter related to the Fatah movement and not linked to ...

Agnès Varda’s Paris: Intimacy, Poetry, and Eternal Street Life

Marie-Christine Tayah 21/08 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Exhibition Paris Agnès Varda Culture Art Cinema

Paris’s backdrop transformed into a mirror, a playground, and a living studio for Agnès Varda, where life and art were inseparable. The exhibition Le Paris d’Agnès Varda, de-ci, de-là reveals Varda as a photographer, far from the film set yet already shaped by the eye that made her one of cinema’s boldest pioneers. At the heart of this ...

Karate: One Silver and One Bronze for Lebanon

This is Beirut 21/08 18:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Karate

The Lebanese national karate team won silver and bronze on the first day of the Arab Karate Championship in Amman, Jordan. Randa Choucair won silver in the junior category, while Leen Kain claimed bronze in the same division, in the under-59 kg weight class. On this occasion, the president of the Lebanese Karate Federation, Moussa Fattouch, ...

Palestinian Camps: Lebanon Moves to Restrict Weapons to the State

This is Beirut 21/08 15:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fatah Lebanese Army Lebanon Refugees Palestinians

The disarmament of Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps kicked off on Thursday, as Lebanese army vehicles rolled into Burj al-Barajneeh camp south of Beirut in the first phase of the government’s comprehensive plan to restrict the possession of arms on Lebanese territory to the state authorities. Commenting on the weapons withdrawal ...

First Security Guarantees, then Putin Summit, Zelensky Says

This is Beirut 21/08 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Russia Putin Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only after his allies agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine that would deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops. In comments released Thursday, he also warned both sides were preparing for further fighting, with Russia building up ...

Lebanese Tenants’ Rights Commission Warns of Forced Evictions

This is Beirut 21/08 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

The Lebanese Tenants’ Rights Commission has once again raised the alarm, accusing certain landlords and real estate developers of using “illegal methods, including threats,” to force families out of their homes. In a statement on Thursday, the commission emphasized that tenants “are not illegal occupants,” but families who have paid ...

Trump, Putin and the Future of Europe: A Deal that Could Redraw the Map

Salam El Zaatari 21/08 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Europe United States Donald Trump

On August 18, 2025, the White House became the stage for a meeting that may be remembered as a turning point in modern geopolitics. US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a cadre of European leaders gathered to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. Europe’s top leaders crammed into the Oval Office, listening in silence ...