This is Beirut

Macron Says Israel's Gaza Offensive Will Lead to 'Disaster'

This is Beirut, 20/08 16:15 - Reading : less than a minute

France Emmanuel Macron Israel Gaza Hamas

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Israel's "military offensive" to conquer Gaza City "can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples," after Israel's defense minister authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists. Israel's plan "will drag the region into a permanent war," the French president posted on social media, ...

Netanyahu Slams Macron for Fuelling 'Antisemitic Fire'

This is Beirut, 19/08 21:34 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu France Emmanuel Macron

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided President Emmanuel Macron in a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, blaming the French leader's move to recognize a Palestinian state for fueling antisemitism. France slammed as "abject" and "erroneous" Netanyahu's accusation of antisemitism against President Emmanuel ...

Magic in the Vosges: Theater Takes the Forest Stage

This is Beirut, 12/08 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Theater Vosges France Spain Culture Art

An enchanting summer break surrounded by greenery and mountain views: each day, crowds flock to the Théâtre du Peuple in Bussang, a symbol of cultural decentralization, which this season is staging The Naked King by Evgeny Schwartz. By early afternoon this August Saturday, the streets of the small 1,000-person village are buzzing—cars ...

Child Dies in Italy as European Heatwave Sets Records and Sparks Wildfires

This is Beirut, 11/08 21:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Climate Change Spain Italy France

A young boy died of heatstroke in Italy while wildfires threatened a UNESCO site in Spain and French cities saw record temperatures, as a heatwave baked Europe on Monday. The four-year-old Romanian boy died days after being found unconscious in the family's car in Sardinia. The boy was airlifted to a Rome hospital but died of irreversible brain ...

Tradition, Temperature, and the Parisian Home: The A/C Dilemma

This is Beirut, 09/08 10:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Climate A/C Health Climate Change France Culture

As summer temperatures rise, many Parisians are warming to the idea of installing air conditioning in their apartments, ending a longstanding resistance to what is considered a basic comfort in many capitals elsewhere. Although commonplace in the French capital's modern office buildings and large stores, air conditioning has never been the norm ...

Marchand Wins Dominant 400m Medley World Title

This is Beirut, 03/08 15:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

France

France's Leon Marchand cruised to a dominant world 400m individual medley world title on Sunday to claim his second gold of the competition in Singapore. Marchand touched the wall in 4min 04.73sec, more than three seconds ahead of Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita (4:08.32), with Russian Ilia Borodin (4:09.16) third. The French superstar put his ...

UK Launches New Facility in Hamat to Support Lebanese Army

This is Beirut, 01/08 17:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Kingdom Hamat Lebanese Army Lebanese Army Day Lebanon France

British Chargé d’Affaires Victoria Dunne inaugurated a new accommodation facility in Hamat on Friday, marking the 80th Lebanese Army Day. According to a statement issued by the British Embassy, “the project, funded by the UK Ministry of Defense, supports ongoing British training for various units of the Lebanese Armed Forces, including ...

Pop Memorabilia: Glittery Michael Jackson Sock Fetches $8,822 at French Auction

This is Beirut, 30/07 22:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Music Michael Jackson Auction Legend France Culture

A single glittery sock that late pop superstar Michael Jackson wore during a concert in France in the 1990s sold for more than $8,000 on Wednesday, a French auctioneer said. A technician found the used sock discarded near Jackson's dressing room after the concert in the southern city of Nimes in July 1997, auctioneer Aurore Illy told AFP. The ...

Overtaxed, Ryanair Pulls Out of Three French Cities

This is Beirut, 30/07 15:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Ryanair France Taxes Airline

Following a sharp rise in France’s airline ticket tax – from €2.63 to €7.40 – Ryanair is cancelling 25 routes this winter, including from Brive, Bergerac and Strasbourg. The airline warns that the tax hike threatens regional airports’ competitiveness, 750,000 seats, tourism and local jobs. Unless Paris reverses what Ryanair calls a ...

Germany, France, Britain Considering Sending FMs to Israel

This is Beirut, 29/07 16:17 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Gaza France Berlin Germany

Germany, France and Britain are considering sending their foreign ministers to Israel next week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday, as international pressure mounts over Gaza's dire humanitarian crisis. "We will probably ask the three foreign ministers of France, the United Kingdom and Germany to travel to Israel together ...

UNIFIL Mandate Shift Could Ignite Region: Will the US Push Back on Israeli Demands?

Philippe Abi-Akl, 29/07 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

United Nations Israel UNIFIL USA France

One month separates Lebanon from a critical juncture, one of the most sensitive in its modern history. At the end of August, the United Nations Security Council will decide whether to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year. The decision could either reaffirm the mission’s role or mark its ...

US Dismisses UN Israel-Palestinian Conference as 'Publicity Stunt'

This is Beirut, 28/07 21:06 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

France Palestinian Statehood Two-State Solution Israel United Nations Saudi Arabia

The United States on Monday dismissed a French-Saudi-sponsored conference at the United Nations on promoting a two-state solution to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis as a "stunt." The US State Department labeled the three-day event "unproductive and ill-timed," as well as a "publicity stunt" that would ...