This is Beirut

Iran Says Return of IAEA Inspectors Not Full Resumption of Cooperation

This is Beirut, 27/08 23:01 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran said Wednesday that the return of UN nuclear inspectors did not represent a full resumption of cooperation, which was suspended in the aftermath of June attacks by Israel and the United States. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency began work at the key nuclear site of Bushehr in southwestern Iran, the nuclear watchdog's ...

France: Macron, Bayrou and a Perilous Political Rentrée

Soumia Benmerzoug, 27/08 16:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Europe France

France’s political rentrée promises to be fraught with tensions. The Prime Minister is staking the government’s survival on a controversial austerity plan, while nationwide strikes scheduled for September 10 are already casting doubt on the country’s stability. With a fractured National Assembly and growing public anger, the executive is ...

US Tariffs on Indian Goods Double to 50% Over Russian Oil Purchases

This is Beirut, 27/08 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Europe India Tariff

US tariffs of 50 percent took effect Wednesday on many Indian products, doubling an existing duty as President Donald Trump sought to punish New Delhi for buying Russian oil. Trump has raised pressure on India over the energy transactions, a key source of revenue for Moscow's war in Ukraine, as part of a campaign to end the conflict. The latest ...

Iran Nuclear Talks with European Powers to be Held in Geneva

This is Beirut, 25/08 10:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Nuclear Europe Geneva

Nuclear talks scheduled for Tuesday between Iran and Britain, France and Germany will be held in Geneva, Iranian state media reported. "On Tuesday, Iran and the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, along with the European Union, will hold a new round of talks at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Geneva," state ...

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 ...

Top US, Europe Officers Develop Military Options for Ukraine Peace Push

This is Beirut, 21/08 22:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Europe Ukraine USA Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump

Top officers from the United States and Europe held talks this week to develop military options as part of efforts to broker an end to the devastating war in Ukraine, the US military said Thursday. US General Dan Caine and his counterparts from Finland, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and Ukraine met Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, a ...

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 ...

Residents Protest Against UNIFIL Patrol in Deir Siryan

This is Beirut, 20/08 22:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanese Army Europe Hezbollah Israel UN Security Council lebanon UNIFIL

On Wednesday, residents of Deir Siryan, close to Hezbollah, protested after a Finnish UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol reportedly entered private olive groves without being accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The incident comes ahead of a vote on the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, with the UN Security Council ...

Iran Says Europe Has No Right to Extend Deadline for Snapback Sanctions

This is Beirut, 20/08 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Abbas Araghchi Iran Europe Sanctions

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday said European powers had no right to trigger snapback sanctions under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal or extend the October deadline to trigger them. His remarks came after Iranian diplomats met in July with counterparts from Germany, France, and Britain, the first such talks since Israel's attack ...

Sweden Moves Iconic Arctic Church Amid Mine Expansion

This is Beirut, 20/08 14:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Culture Europe Art Kiruna

A historic red wooden church considered one of Sweden's most beautiful buildings resumed its slow move across the Arctic town of Kiruna on Wednesday, inching toward its new home to allow Europe's biggest underground mine to expand. Kiruna's entire town center is being relocated because of the giant LKAB iron ore mine that dominates the region, ...

Israel-France Row Flares Over Macron's Move to Recognize Palestinian State

This is Beirut, 20/08 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Europe Australia

A row between Israel and France over Paris's plan to recognize a Palestinian state next month escalated to crisis level on Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Emmanuel Macron of fomenting "antisemitism". The Élysée hit back, calling Netanyahu's allegation "abject" and "erroneous". "This is a time for seriousness ...

Vanished Masterpieces: The Art of the Perfect Crime

Bélinda Ibrahim, 19/08 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Masterpieces Art Heists Mona Lisa Munch

When a masterpiece disappears, a void opens in collective memory. Visitors pause before the empty frame, whispering stories and imagining the audacity of the theft. The moment art slips into shadow, legend takes over. Disappearance grants a fame no peaceful exhibition could ever match. An art theft is never just another crime. It strikes at the ...

Europe