Europe

Lebanon Pushes for Point 7 with Cyprus, Concessions May Benefit Syria

On Tuesday, September 16, Lebanese and Cypriot officials are scheduled to hold a negotiation session to continue discussions on the maritime border demarcation between the two countries. According to available information, Lebanon will seek to extend the maritime boundary line northward to Point 7, a position it submitted to the United Nations in ...

Back to School in Lebanon Is No Celebration, It’s a Struggle !

In Lebanon, the back-to-school season is no longer about fresh notebooks and new backpacks. Instead, it unfolds in the shadow of economic hardship and painful trade-offs. Families, overwhelmed by the ongoing financial crisis, are slashing their spending on school supplies, even as private schools continue to require new textbooks every year, often ...

Madrid to Host 2027 Champions League Final

The 2027 Champions League final will be played at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, European football's governing body UEFA announced on Thursday. It will be the second time that Atletico Madrid's home stadium has hosted the final of Europe's elite club competition after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur there in 2019. Azerbaijan's capital ...

A Crusader Organ Resurfaces in Jerusalem

The pipes of a medieval organ, buried for centuries and discovered near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, are once more filling a Jerusalem monastery with ancient melodies. "This is a window into the past... we have the opportunity for the first time in modern history of listening to a medieval sound which is ...

England Thrash Serbia, Haaland Stars in World Cup Qualifying

England sent out a warning to their World Cup rivals with a brilliant 5-0 thrashing of Serbia in qualifying on Tuesday, while Erling Haaland scored five as Norway emphatically maintained their 100 percent record. Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal and France overturned deficits to make it back-to-back wins to open their bids to reach next year's ...

40 Years of 'Mario' Games that Have Grown up With Fans

Surrounded by thousands of objects bearing the likeness of Nintendo's mustachioed plumber, 40-year-old Kikai reflects that his "life would be totally different without Mario" who also marks four decades this week. The colorful "Super Mario Bros.", released for Nintendo's home consoles in Japan on September 13, 1985, was a landmark of early video ...

At the UN, the Snapback Reshuffles the Iranian File

At the end of August, the United Kingdom, France and Germany (the E3) officially triggered the snapback mechanism outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which governs the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). This unprecedented procedure in the multilateral system stipulates that all previous UN ...

Iran's Khamenei bemoans low oil production

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday bemoaned his country's oil production levels and called for the diversification of its export markets as Tehran faces renewed pressure from the West. "Oil production in the country -- with the importance it has in the economy, which is obvious -- is low," Khamenei said in a ...

Cocaine Market: Low Prices, High Health Risks

Cocaine prices are falling, but the risks are rising. In Lebanon, as elsewhere, a gram has never been cheaper. It may seem like a “good deal,” but behind the low price lies a harsh reality: regulated use, a growing number of addicts and mounting health risks. Cocaine, or “coke” to regular users, is circulating more freely than ever. ...

US to Cut Military Aid for Europe

The United States is to end long-running military assistance for European countries close to Russia, as it pushes the continent to play a greater role in its own defense, an official in one of the countries confirmed on Friday. "Last week, the US Defense Department informed the countries that, starting from its next financial period, funding will ...

European Body Seeks Release of Jailed Turkish Activist

A Council of Europe body on Friday voiced hope a youth delegate detained in Turkey for criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government would be released immediately. Enes Hocaogullari, 23, was detained last month as he arrived at Ankara airport. He had been targeted by Turkish authorities after a March speech at the Congress of ...

Wildfires Producing 'Witches' Brew' of Air Pollution: UN

Wildfires are releasing a "witches' brew" of pollutants that can end up wrecking air quality a continent away from the blaze, the UN's weather and climate agency said Friday. The World Meteorological Organization said the quality of the air people breathe was interlinked with climate change, and the two issues needed to be tackled ...