WASL – Sagesse Sinks in Astana and Records its Worst Start

Makram Haddad 2025-11-20 10:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Kazakhstan WASL Sagesse Lebanon Basketball

The night was meant to be historic—just not in the way Sagesse hoped. Under the roof of the Saryarka Velodrome, in front of over 2,400 fired-up fans, BC Astana delivered a perfect home debut in the FIBA WASL–West Asia League. On the other side, the Beirut club, already beaten by Shahrdari Gorgan and Al Riyadi, missed another opportunity and ...

Nigeria Discussing Security with US after Trump Threats

This is Beirut 2025-11-17 22:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nigeria United States Donald Trump Yusuf Tuggar

Nigeria is in talks with the United States following President Donald Trump's threats of military intervention over the killing of Christians by jihadists in the country, Nigeria's foreign minister told AFP on Monday. Trump said late last month he was naming Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a State Department designation for ...

'Parasocial' Crowned Cambridge Dictionary Word of 2025

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 09:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Dictionary AI Britain Language

Do you feel a deep bond with pop stars like Taylor Swift or Lily Allen -- even though you've never met them? If you do, then your behavior is "parasocial" and bang on trend, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, which on Tuesday unveiled the adjective as its word of the year for 2025. Lexicographers picked it in a year they said was marked by ...

Climate Talks Run Into Night as COP30 Hosts Seek Breakthrough

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Brazil Climate COP30 UN

At COP30 in Brazil on Monday, UN climate talks stretched into the night as negotiators pushed for a rapid compromise among countries deeply divided on key issues. Following a difficult first week, Brazil set a deadline for nations to finalize "a significant part" of the negotiations by Tuesday evening for approval the following day. "It's super ...

Zelensky Trip to Turkey Aims to 'Re-Engage' US in Peace Efforts

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 13:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Turkey Russia Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States' involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelensky said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year failed ...

Sale of F-35s to Riyadh: A New Test for U.S. Alliances in the Middle East

Mario Chartouni 2025-11-18 14:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Middle East Donald Trump Israel Saudi Arabia Mohammed ben Salman US

On the eve of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, Donald Trump announced Monday his intention to approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. “We are going to sell F-35s,” the president declared from the White House, praising ties with Riyadh and describing the kingdom as “a great ally.” The announcement ...

One Killed, Three Wounded in West Bank Attack: Israel Emergency Service

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Hamas Palestine

One person was killed and three were wounded in a stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Israeli emergency services said. Paramedics and an army medical force "established the death of a man aged 30 with a stab wound and referred three injured people" to two Jerusalem hospitals, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's equivalent of the ...

Aleppo: Trial Over Massacres of the Alawite Minority

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Trial Syria alawite Bashar al-Assad massacre

The trial of fourteen people opened this Wednesday in Aleppo for their alleged role in the March 2025 massacres against the Alawite community. These attacks left more than 1,400 people dead, mostly civilians. Among the defendants: seven supporters of Bashar al-Assad and seven members of the new Islamist authorities.

Trump and MBS Seal Major Economic and Military Partnerships

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Palestine

Donald Trump received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Tuesday with full protocol honors, marking his first visit to Washington since 2018. The U.S. president and the de facto leader of the Saudi kingdom made multiple announcements during a joint press conference, covering massive investments, the sale of advanced weaponry, and ...

Lebanon Faces Donor Backlash After Decision Extending Disability Benefits to Hezbollah Fighters

Tylia El Helou 2025-11-18 20:30 - Reading : 8 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah United States U.S. Treasury Sanctions

Lebanon is facing mounting diplomatic backlash after the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) extended state and donor-funded disability benefits to the thousands of Hezbollah fighters wounded in Israel’s September 2024 operation targeting Hezbollah’s communication devices. What the ministry described as a humanitarian exemption is now being ...

Zelensky's Trip to Turkey Aims to 'Re-engage' U.S. in Peace Efforts

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 21:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Steve Witkoff

President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States' involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelensky said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year ...

Nuclear Partnership and F-35 Sale Cement Saudi Arabia’s New Non-NATO Ally Status

This is Beirut 2025-11-19 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Israel Middle East Mohammed bin Salman Donald Trump

The United States and Saudi Arabia announced a series of significant agreements spanning civil nuclear cooperation, advanced weapons sales, and strategic defense coordination during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile visit to the White House. The meetings marked the Saudi leader’s first official White House visit in more than ...

South Lebanon: Airstrike Kills One and Injures 11

This is Beirut 2025-11-19 09:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel South Lebanon Airstrike

Early Wednesday morning, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Tiri with two missiles, killing one person and injuring 11 others, according to the Ministry of Public Health.  A school bus carrying students happened to pass behind the targeted vehicle. In parallel, Israeli fire struck wooded areas in the town of Yaroun. In another ...

Australia Yields to Turkey in Standoff Over Next Climate Summit

This is Beirut 2025-11-20 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Australia COP31

Australia has conceded defeat in a bruising diplomatic struggle over hosting rights to next year's UN climate summit, with Turkey prevailing despite holding a much weaker hand. Exactly who presides over the blockbuster global event is still in play, but Australia's long-running campaign to bring COP31 to Adelaide is over. "Obviously, it would be ...

Leo XIV: Leading the Church with Simplicity

Mario Chartouni 2025-11-20 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Pope Francis Lebanon Middle East Peru

When white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel on May 8, 2025, the world was introduced to Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV. At 69, the Chicago-born cleric became the first pope from the United States, a choice that surprised Vatican observers. Considered an unlikely candidate due to his nationality, Prevost was nonetheless ...

Law 174 On Standby, Lungs In Distress: Lebanon On The Brink Of Apnea

Makram Haddad 2025-11-25 09:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Lebanon MOPH Rakan Nassereddine Law 174

The conference room of the Ministry of Public Health filled up early in the morning. Blue and white banners, printed slogans, serious faces. Under the slogan “With Every Breath… You Lose a Breath” – “With each breath, you lose a breath” – the ministry, in partnership with the National Committee for the ...

Somalia: Tourism Under Tension

This is Beirut 2025-11-20 13:15 - Reading : less than a minute

Somalia Tourisme Tension Beaches

In Mogadishu, turquoise waters create a postcard illusion, but reality is more complex. Somalia wants to change its image and revive tourism, despite frequent attacks outside the capital. With renovated roads, an e-visa system, and guided tours under armed escort, a few travelers venture onto the white sands. A bold gamble for a country trying to ...

‘Beggars Belief’: Londoners Baffled by Bizarre Christmas Mural

This is Beirut 2025-11-20 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Christmas AI Mural Britain Culture

People in London were left baffled Wednesday by what appeared to be a botched AI-generated Christmas mural showing a Santa-like figure with a half-orange beard and revelers with disfigured faces. The display in posh Kingston upon Thames in southwest London at first glance seems to depict a jolly crowd enjoying the festive season. But closer ...

The F-35: Cutting-Edge Fifth-Generation Stealth Fighter

Paul Guillot 2025-11-20 17:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia United States Washington

On November 17, 2025, just ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's visit to Washington, the United States announced the imminent sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking a pivotal moment in their strategic alliance. But what is the F-35, and what makes it one of the most sought-after combat aircraft in the ...

Japan Local Authorities Approve Restart of World's Biggest Nuclear Plant

This is Beirut 2025-11-21 09:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Japan Nuclear Plant

Japanese local authorities approved Friday the restart of the world's biggest nuclear plant, a key step in the process to get it back online after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Hideyo Hanazumi, governor of Niigata province, where the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is located, told a news conference he "would approve" the resumption, which will need ...

Tech Firms Lead Stock Rout as AI Bubble Fears Linger

This is Beirut 2025-11-21 12:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks New York USA Tech AI Bubble

Tech firms led stock losses on Friday as investors struggled to shake off fears about an AI bubble, and after a sell-off on Wall Street sparked by job data dealt a further blow to hopes for a US interest rate cut. A blockbuster earnings report from chip bellwether Nvidia on Wednesday seemed to settle nerves that vast investments in the artificial ...

Miss Mexico Wins Miss Universe Crown After Intense Pageant Turmoil

This is Beirut 2025-11-21 15:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Miss Universe Art Culture Mexico US Contest

Miss Mexico was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand on Friday, strutting to victory after several dramatic missteps before the final round, including staging a walkout when an organizer of the beauty pageant chastised her. Contestants from Ivory Coast, the Philippines, Thailand and Venezuela also made it to the final stage, selected from more than ...

Women’s Race: Jounieh Puts On Its Sneakers in the Feminine

Makram Haddad 2025-11-22 12:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Women’s Race Jounieh BMA May el-Khalil

For several days now, the teams of the Beirut Marathon Association have been chaining technical meetings, setting up tents and infrastructure, testing timing systems and distributing bibs in a dedicated center in Jnah. On the ground, nothing is left to chance: secured course, clear signage, briefed volunteers, emergency services mobilized… ...

Lebanon’s F&B Boom Masks Illicit-Economy Risks

Salam El Zaatari 2025-11-22 15:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Economy Cash Hezbollah

Lebanon finds itself in a paradox. While its broader economy is collapsing, the food-and-beverage (F&B) sector is showing surprising vitality. It may look like a feel-good tale of resilience, but in fact it reveals one of the greatest structural threats to Lebanon’s recovery: a cash-based economy that undermines transparency, fuels illicit ...

In Turkey, a Patchwork of Christian Communities

This is Beirut 2025-11-24 08:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Religion Pope Christianity

Turkey's Christian community, which hosts Pope Leo XIV this week, was a minority under the Ottoman Empire whose numbers have dwindled due to forced exiles and massacres. Today, it counts around 100,000 members spread across five denominations -- just a fraction of Turkey's population of 86 million, the vast majority of whom are Sunni ...

Sudan Army Chief Slams Quad Truce Proposal as 'Worst Yet'

This is Beirut 2025-11-24 09:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Arab Emirates Sudan Conflict

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said Sunday the latest truce proposal sent by US envoy Massad Boulos on behalf of a group of mediators was the "worst yet" and unacceptable to his government. In a video address released by his office, he said the Quad, which in addition to the United States includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United ...

Jounieh Turns Pink: 10,000 Runners Take Over the Women’s Race

Makram Haddad 2025-11-24 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Beirut Marathon Jounieh

Under the patronage of First Lady Nehmat Aoun, represented by Minister of Youth and Sports Nora Bayrakdarian, Jounieh came alive on Sunday for the Women’s Race organized by the Beirut Marathon Association. Ten thousand participants transformed the city’s historic streets into a ribbon of color, energy, and celebration for the 10th edition of ...

Israeli Military Sacks Several Generals Over October 7 Attack

This is Beirut 2025-11-24 13:24 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestinians Conflict Army

Israel's military announced the dismissal of three generals and disciplinary actions against several other senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 assault by Hamas, the deadliest attack in the country's history. The move comes two weeks after Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir called for a "systemic ...

Islamic Jihad Says Found Body of One of Last Three Gaza Hostages

This is Beirut 2025-11-24 21:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Gaza Islamic Jihad Israel Israeli Hostages

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said it had found the body of one of the last three hostages held in Gaza on Monday. "Today we found the body of one of the enemy prisoners during search operations in areas controlled by the Zionist (Israeli) army in the central Gaza Strip," the al-Quds Brigades said in a ...

Inauguration of Jean-Claude Boulos Street in Beirut

This Is Beirut 2023-12-21 10:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

In a resplendent tribute to a nobleman of the television world, the Municipality of Beirut proudly announces the inauguration of Jean-Claude Boulos Street. This historic event, honoring the television and advertising trailblazer Jean-Claude Boulos (1934-2012), is set to take place on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at 1:00 PM in the Achrafieh, Sodeco ...