Living on the Edge: The Psychological Paradox of The Lebanese Psyche

David Sahyoun 2024-07-06 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Despite a troubled daily life, the Lebanese dance, celebrate, and sunbathe. How can we explain this paradox? What psychological mechanisms are at play behind this apparent carefreeness? Does this dissociation actually mask a very real suffering? Let’s try to dissect this behavior through psychoanalysis. Regularly, national and especially ...

Oakenfest and REEF Biodiversity: Lebanon at the Hour of Commitment

Béatrice Moreau 2024-07-13 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

This summer, Lebanon will be the stage for two major events that will blur the lines between art, engagement, and ecology: the eighth edition of the Oakenfest Festival and the sixth REEF Encounters. These two events invite us to rethink our relationship with creation, the environment, and living together. From July 19 to 21, head to the oak grove ...

Baalbeck and Its Roman Ruins Deserted by Locals and Tourists

This is Beirut 2024-10-28 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Baalbeck Heritage Tourism

For over a month, the iconic Palmyra Hotel has not hosted a single tourist coming to explore Baalbeck’s Roman ruins, near which Israeli bombs are falling. Yet Rabih Salika refuses to leave the establishment where he has worked for 24 years. The war between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, deeply rooted in Baalbeck (east), has not ...

Dollar Soars, Bitcoin Hits Record as Trump Leads Key Swing States

This is Beirut 2024-11-06 09:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Republicans bitcoin dollar

The dollar surged and bitcoin hit a record high Wednesday as traders bet on a victory for Donald Trump as he picked up key swing states needed to take the White House, ramping up bets on fresh tax cuts, tariffs and rising inflation. While polls had shown the race on a knife edge, the Republican appeared to be faring better than his Democratic ...

Beirut Chants: Resilience Through Music and Community

This is Beirut 2024-11-19 16:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Beirut Chants Festival Culture

“No sound rises above the sound of music.”  “Beirut Chants has never been a ‘festival’ in the conventional sense. For us and our loyal fans, Beirut Chants has always been a shared space, a reflection of our diverse community's determination, solidarity, and authenticity. It is where all Lebanese come together, no matter how tough the ...

Most Asian Markets Track Wall St Gains, Bitcoin Closes on $100,000

This is Beirut 2024-11-22 09:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

New York Ukraine USA Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelensky White House

Most Asian markets gained Friday after a bounce on Wall Street, while bitcoin continued its march higher to move within touching distance of the $100,000 mark. Rising geopolitical tensions tempered the atmosphere and pushed oil higher after Russia hit Ukraine with a new-generation intermediate-range missile and sent a warning to the West. The ...

Stocks Rally on Hopes of Chinese Stimulus and Tariff Relief

This is Beirut 2025-03-05 13:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Paris Donald Trump dollar budget Canada

Markets rallied on Wednesday as investors welcomed China's economic targets and a U.S. official signaled that President Donald Trump could dial down tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Global stocks had tumbled on Tuesday after China, Mexico, and Canada retaliated against U.S. tariffs, and fears grew that Europe could be Trump's next target. There was ...

The School Meal Program at the Heart of Discussions Between Halabi and the WFP

This is Beirut 2024-12-03 12:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Abbas Halabi Education WFP

Caretaker Minister of Education Abbas Halabi thanked the World Food Program (WFP) for their support in providing nutritional assistance to schools.  Minister Halabi also emphasized Lebanon's commitment to education despite the ongoing conflict. Halabi was speaking on Monday during a meeting with Matthew Hollingworth, the Regional Director of ...

Festive Agenda (1): December in the Spirit of Christmas

This is Beirut 2024-12-11 14:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Culture Concert Exhibition Christmas

Beirut Chants: A Celebration of Artistic and Cultural Resilience The Beirut Chants festival, held from December 4 to 23, 2024, provides a space for unity and togetherness through free concerts highlighting culture and prayer. Among the highlights already past are Mozart’s Coronation Mass, the Nativity Hymns, and various performances by local ...

Asian Markets Retreat as China Pledges Fail to Spark Excitement

This is Beirut 2024-12-13 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Donald Trump New York

Asian markets fell Friday as China's latest vows to boost the beleaguered economy failed to stir much excitement, while traders looked ahead to a key Federal Reserve policy meeting next week. A tepid week was on course for a damp finish, with Wall Street offering a negative lead after fresh data pointing to a pick-up in inflation. Hong Kong and ...

Stocks diverge as investors weigh earnings, Trump policies

This is Beirut 2025-01-24 19:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Paris Donald Trump dollar New York

Global stocks diverged on Friday as investors weighed corporate earnings, economic data and President Donald Trump's policies. Meanwhile the US dollar lost more than one percent against the euro and pound following the US president's comments about not wanting to impose tariffs on China and calling for lower interest rates. The S&P 500 edged ...

Asian stocks drop as tariff fears return, new AI program emerges

This is Beirut 2025-01-27 13:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Paris Donald Trump dollar dollars immigration

Asian markets mostly fell Monday on fresh trade fears after Donald Trump's threat to impose huge tariffs on Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept deportation flights from the United States. Traders were also assessing the impact of a new, cheaper Chinese generative AI programme amid claims it can outperform big-name rivals and worries ...

Nvidia Loses $500 bn in Value as Chinese AI Firm Jolts Tech Shares

This is Beirut 2025-01-27 20:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Europe United States AI Nvidia

US chip-maker Nvidia led a rout in tech stocks Monday after the emergence of a low-cost Chinese generative AI model that could threaten US dominance in the fast-growing industry. The chatbot developed by DeepSeek, a startup based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has apparently shown the ability to match the capacity of US AI pace-setters ...

US Stocks, Nvidia Shares Steady After Chinese AI Shock

This is Beirut 2025-01-28 19:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Banks New York

US stocks and shares in chip-making giant Nvidia on Tuesday clawed back some of their losses following a sell-off triggered by the sudden success of Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek. US tech shares tanked Monday, with Nvidia tumbling 17 percent, after China's DeepSeek unveiled its R1 chatbot, which can apparently match the capacity ...

To What Extent Can a Leader Make Independent Decisions?

David Sahyoun 2025-01-29 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Psychoanalysis Leaders Liberty Culture

Far from being purely rational actors, leaders—like all human beings—are constantly influenced by unconscious forces that shape their choices, distort their perceptions, and foster illusions of control. The freedom each person believes they possess is, in truth, far more constrained than it appears. Every individual constructs their own ...

Global Stocks Wobble, Gold Shines as Tariff Uncertainty Looms

This is Beirut 2025-02-11 19:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump New York USA White House

United States stock markets wobbled, and gold reached fresh highs on Tuesday as traders kept a nervous eye on US President Donald Trump’s next tariff decisions, worried about inflation and interest rates. European markets rose, with both Frankfurt and London again setting records, while Asian equity markets struggled for direction. Trump has ...

US stocks fall as inflation unexpectedly heats up

This is Beirut 2025-02-12 17:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Europe New York

US stock markets tumbled on Wednesday as an inflation reading came in hotter than expected, fanning fears that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer. Following days of attention on US President Donald Trump's tariff moves, traders were focusing on the January consumer inflation data, which is set to play a role in the ...

Stock markets skid after Trump threatens auto tariffs

This is Beirut 2025-02-19 17:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Banks Europe New York Stocks

  Global stock markets mostly fell Wednesday after US President Donald Trump broadened his tariff threats, stoking wider trade war fears. Trump warned the previous day that he would impose tariffs "in the neighbourhood of 25 percent" on auto imports and a similar amount or higher on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. "Understandably this has ...

Stock Markets Rally with Tech in Focus

This is Beirut 2025-02-26 15:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Banks Europe New York United States

Asian and European stock markets rallied Wednesday, helped by renewed positivity over the tech sector, analysts said. Hong Kong closed up more than three percent, with investors snapping up stocks following a poor start to the week sparked by fresh concerns over US President Donald Trump's tariff plans. In Europe, Paris and Frankfurt led the ...

European Defense Stocks Soar as Govts Up Military Spend

This is Beirut 2025-03-03 17:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union Donald Trump Europe New York Ukraine

Share prices of European defense companies soared Monday as London and the European Union look to ramp up military spending in the face of uncertainty over the United States' commitment to Ukraine and NATO. BAE Systems surged 14 percent, helping London's benchmark FTSE 100 index to a record high, the latest in a series over ...

Oil Slides, Stocks Rise as Trump Says Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds

This is Beirut 2025-06-24 17:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Oil & Gas China Iran

Oil prices sank and stock markets rose Tuesday as US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was taking hold after he berated both countries for violating the truce. In volatile trading, crude futures slumped more than five percent after Trump announced a ceasefire. "This morning's ceasefire further reduced the perceived ...

August 4: Families Revive Memory With Olive Trees

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-08-01 18:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon August 4 Port of Beirut Beirut Blast Olive Trees

When justice falters, memory remains. A memory planted with bare hands into a soil still shaken by anger and silence. For five years, families of August 4, 2020 explosion victims have waited in vain, expecting answers, accountability, and convictions. But waiting led nowhere. So, some have stopped waiting. Not out of vengeance, but to stand their ...

What is the Enigma M4 Cipher Machine

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Enigma M4 Science Alan Turing cipher machine Christie's World War II

The auction of an Enigma M4 cipher machine at Christie's today is more than a landmark for collectors of rare artifacts. It represents a unique intersection of military history, cryptanalysis, and the birth of modern computing. This device is both a weapon of war and a witness to the extraordinary intellectual achievement that unlocked state ...

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 ...

The World Tired of Lebanon’s Stalling: A Possible Return to Syrian Influence?

Bassam Abou Zeid 2025-11-12 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron Hezbollah Syria

The Lebanese file no longer provides meaningful political leverage for the countries involved. Neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor French President Emmanuel Macron has been able to exert decisive influence. A Western diplomatic source described the situation as exhausting and frustrating, noting that Lebanese officials often tell foreign ...

Ukraine Ministers Resign over Major Corruption Scandals

This is Beirut 2025-11-12 19:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Corruption

Ukraine's energy and justice ministers resigned on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in a sweeping corruption scandal in the country's energy sector. Investigators alleged a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky orchestrated a $100 million kickback scheme to siphon off funds, triggering public anger at a time of widespread power ...

Farah: The State Bears Full Responsibility for the Misuse of Public Funds

This is Beirut 2025-11-12 20:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon BDL Banks Economy

Lebanese economist and columnist Antoine Farah told Huna Lubnan that the Lebanese state bears full responsibility for the misuse of public funds both before and after the financial crisis, noting that what was once unclear prior to the 2019 collapse has now become indisputable. Farah argued that the state, working hand-in-hand with the ...

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 ...

Joseph Aoun Must Become Lebanon’s Sadat

Salam El Zaatari 2025-11-13 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Joseph Aoun Palestine

In early November 2025, Israeli bulldozers began erecting a concrete wall on Lebanese soil—a seven-meter-high scar from Maroun al-Ras to Aitaroun—cutting through farmland, razing homes, and casting a shadow over what remains of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel calls it “defensive fortification,” while Lebanon calls it “occupation.” But ...

EU Chief Insists Using Russian Assets Best Way to Fund Ukraine

This is Beirut 2025-11-13 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia Conflict EU Budget Loan

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen insisted Thursday that using frozen Russian assets to fund a new loan was the "most effective way" to finance Ukraine, as she laid out other options after opposition from Belgium. The 27-nation bloc is scrambling for funds to help Kyiv plug looming budget black holes as Russia's war drags on towards a ...