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 ...

EU Takes Aim at Plastic Pellets to Prevent their Nightmare Cleanup

This is Beirut 2025-10-21 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe European Union Plastic UN

At first glance, the tiny plastic pellets appear relatively harmless. No bigger than a lentil, these "nurdles" are destined to be melted down to make everything from car bumpers to salad bowls. But when tens of millions of them spill from trucks or cargo ships they are devilish to clean up, blighting landscapes and washing up around the world for ...

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 ...

Trump Suggests Too soon for Tomahawks in Talks with Zelensky 

This is Beirut 2025-10-17 22:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump USA Russia Vladimir Putin

US President Donald Trump suggested Friday it would be premature to give Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying as he hosted Volodymyr Zelensky that he hoped to secure peace with Russia first. "Hopefully they won't need it. Hopefully we'll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks," Trump told journalists including an AFP ...

North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles, First Launch in Months

This is Beirut 2025-10-22 05:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

North Korea South Korea Nuclear Diplomatie

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, its first such launch in months and just a week before world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, descend on South Korea for a summit. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had "detected several projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles". The ...

JD Vance Voices ‘Great Optimism' for Gaza Truce on Israel Visit

This is Beirut 2025-10-22 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United States JD Vance Gaza Hamas

US Vice President JD Vance expressed "great optimism" that the Gaza truce would hold, ahead of a meeting Wednesday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Vance is in Israel to shore up support for the US-brokered ceasefire and post-war reconstruction plans. Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to ...

Why Did Trump Pick Hungary for His Next Summit with Putin?

Mario Chartouni 2025-10-22 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Volodymyr Zelensky European Union International Criminal Court Hungary Vladimir Putin

In a move that surprised European capitals and drew sharp criticism from Kyiv, Donald Trump confirmed that his next summit with Vladimir Putin will be held in Budapest, hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Far from being a neutral choice, this decision reflects a political alignment among three nationalist leaders and highlights ...

Israeli Military Says Remains of Two More Hostages Returned from Gaza Identified

This is Beirut 2025-10-22 09:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine Hostages

Israel's army said Wednesday that the remains of two more hostages returned the day before from Gaza have been identified as those of Aryeh Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar. Zalmanovich, 85 at the time of his death, was abducted from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity on November 17, 2023, the Israeli military said in a ...

From Protection to Precaution: Reassessing Pandemic-Era Chemicals

Michael al-Andary 2025-10-22 10:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union USA corona cancer Covid-19 Ethanol ECHA WHO BPR

Some of the chemicals widely used for protection during the 2020 – 2021 coronavirus pandemic are now raising concerns among scientists, with new research suggesting they may have posed unexpected health risks. According to a recent report published by the Financial Times on Tuesday, the European Union (EU) is considering classifying ...

A Subretinal Chip Brings New Hope for AMD Patients

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-10-22 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

AMD Science Vision Chip World Retina

Losing central vision is like watching the heart of the world blur, then fade to black, until you can no longer recognize a loved one’s face or read the lines of a book. This silent suffering affects over 200 million people worldwide: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is now the leading cause of vision loss in those over 60. The disease ...

Syria Launches Operation Against Jihadists

This is Beirut 2025-10-22 12:02 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Jihadists Army France

Syria government forces launched an operation Wednesday against jihadists holed up in a camp in the northwest, in a push to capture French fighters wanted by their government, a monitor and a French jihadist told AFP. Security forces "launched a vast operation against the camp... to arrest French fighters wanted by their government," ...

U.S. Pushes Plan to Disarm Hamas and Rebuild Gaza

This is Beirut 2025-10-22 13:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

USA Hamas Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu JD Vance

US Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday of the tough task ahead in disarming Hamas and building a peaceful future for Gaza, as Washington sought to reassure its ally Israel over the next steps in its ambitious ceasefire deal. Vance met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the second day of a trip to Israel, part of a diplomatic blitz in ...

Icing: When Love Goes into Freeze Mode

David Sahyoun 2025-10-22 18:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Psychoanalysis Icing Love Culture Relationships

The Anglicism icing, literally “putting on ice,” is not just a lexical novelty born of online platforms. It can also be understood as a technique of connection. It is neither a breakup nor a clear absence, but a controlled freezing. The icer keeps the other in reserve, present yet unavailable. The act consists of responding sporadically, ...

Trump Slaps ‘Tremendous’ Sanctions on Russian Oil for Ukraine War

This is Beirut 2025-10-22 23:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union USA Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Europe

US President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies on Wednesday, complaining that his talks with Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war "don't go anywhere." The European Union also unveiled a fresh wave of sanctions to pressure Russia to end its relentless, three-and-a-half-year invasion of its ...

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 ...

Online Search a Battleground for AI Titans

This is Beirut 2025-10-23 09:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

AI Technology Google OpenAI Atlas

Tech firms battling for supremacy in artificial intelligence are out to transform how people search the web, challenging the dominance of the Chrome browser at the heart of Google's empire. Chatbots that started out as AI-powered assistants have gradually merged with web browsers and can independently scour the internet for detailed answers to ...

Violent Airstrikes Rock Beqaa and Hermel

This is Beirut 2025-10-23 13:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Airstrikes

A series of Israeli airstrikes shook the Beqaa and Hermel regions on Thursday. Loud explosions were heard in the areas of Janta, Shmistar and the heights of Hermel. The Israeli army announced that it carried out a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in the Beqaa and northern Lebanon. According to a statement from the Israeli army, ...

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 ...

Hamas Says Committed to Gaza Truce and Returning Hostage Remains

This is Beirut 2025-10-17 22:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine United Nations Gaza Turkey

Hamas insisted it was committed to returning all the hostage remains still unaccounted for under Gaza's ruins, as a Turkish official said specialists dispatched to help find bodies were on Friday awaiting Israeli permission to enter. Responding to a call from Hamas for help locating the bodies of the 19 hostages, buried under the rubble alongside ...

Historic Vatican Prayer: King Charles III Meets Pope Leo XIV

This is Beirut 2025-10-23 15:45 - Reading : less than a minute

King Charles III Vatican Pope Leon XIV Catholic UK

Charles III, accompanied by Queen Camilla, met Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace before the two joined in a 45-minute ecumenical prayer focused on nature, blending Catholic and Anglican chants – a historic step for Anglican-Catholic dialogue.  

Gold Rush in Lebanon: Between Speculation and Shortages

Liliane Mokbel 2025-10-15 16:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Turkey economy gold silver

Lebanese buyers are increasingly turning to precious metals, especially gold and silver, whose international prices have been climbing steadily to record highs. These days, it can take up to a week to obtain a gold bar and nearly two weeks for a kilogram of silver. A few weeks ago, people had to spend over an hour in line to make a purchase. The ...

The Diplomatic Feat and Its Imponderables

Charles Chartouni 2025-10-13 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Gaza Iran Donald Trump

President Trump has proven to be a tough dealmaker and a skillful negotiator who knows how to leverage whatever resources are at hand to promote and sustain peace processes against all odds. His diplomatic approach is based on the common sense of a businessman turned politician at the helm of an “imperial republic.” His hard-nosed realism ...

Latest Developments in the Gaza Ceasefire

This is Beirut 2025-10-13 10:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Palestine Ceasefire Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron European Union

Hamas handed over the first seven of 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza City, the Israeli army said, as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal. US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel for a trip which will also take him to Egypt, where he will co-host a Gaza peace summit with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah ...

Hamas Hands Over Surviving Israeli Hostages

This is Beirut 2025-10-13 11:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Donald Trump Middle East Hostage

Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday under a ceasefire agreement, as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders geared up for a summit on Gaza. In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain for the loss of ...

Trump in Israel: 'The Historic Dawn of a New Middle East'

This is Beirut 2025-10-13 17:20 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu Gaza Knesset

“The historic dawn of a new Middle East and the end of the era of terrorism.” These words could summarize the speech delivered on Monday afternoon by US President Donald Trump at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. Described by observers as “historic,” this address provided an opportunity for the US president to call on Israel and the ...

Bottled Water: Pseudomonas Aeruginosa at the Tap of Fear

Makram Haddad 2025-10-13 19:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found almost everywhere, in both water and soil. Known as an opportunistic bacterium, it mainly infects vulnerable or hospitalized individuals and is notable for its frequent resistance to antibiotics. Why It’s a Problem in Bottled Water Standards require the complete absence of P. aeruginosa at the time of ...

Trump Hails 'Tremendous Day for Middle East' as Leaders Sign Gaza Declaration

This is Beirut 2025-10-13 21:27 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

United States Egypt Qatar Turkey Gaza

US President Donald Trump hailed a "tremendous day for the Middle East" as he and regional leaders signed a declaration Monday meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to ...

Four Gaza hostage bodies brought into Israel

This is Beirut 2025-10-13 23:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Red Cross Gaza Hamas

The bodies of four hostages held in Gaza and handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas on Monday were brought back to Israel, the army said. The remains in four coffins arrived on Monday night at the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, an AFP journalist reported. There, "identification procedures will be carried out," the ...

Lebanon Still Charms, but Tourism Numbers Fall

Christiane Tager 2025-10-14 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Tourism Economy

In the 2010s, Lebanon ranked among the world’s top tourist destinations, celebrated for its festivals, crowded beaches, boutique hotels and award-winning cuisine. Tourism then accounted for nearly a fifth of GDP and was at the very heart of the economy. Today, that postcard-perfect image has faded. Two years after a brief recovery, the sector ...

Israel Army says Four Returned Hostage Bodies Identified

This is Beirut 2025-10-14 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Hamas Palestine USA

The Israeli military said Tuesday that the bodies of four hostages returned by Hamas have been identified, including that of a Nepalese student. In a statement, the military named two of the victims as Guy Iluz, an Israeli national, and Bipin Joshi, an agriculture student from Nepal. The names of the other two hostages have not yet been released ...