This is Beirut

Philadelphia plane crash marks a second US aviation disaster

This is Beirut, 01/02 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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A medical jet with six Mexican nationals onboard crashed into a busy Philadelphia neighborhood Friday, authorities said, marking another US aviation disaster after a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided midair in Washington earlier this week. Video footage appeared to show the twin-engine plane descending at a sharp angle towards a ...

Putin Approves Goldman Sachs' Russia Exit

This is Beirut, 31/01 20:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday gave the green light to investment bank Goldman Sachs to offload its Russian subsidiary, a highly symbolic departure amid the Western corporate exodus. The US bank, which was hired by the Kremlin in the 1990s to help attract foreign investors, announced plans to leave Russia in March 2022, just days ...

Hamas Confirms Death of its Military Chief Mohammed Deif

This is Beirut, 31/01 11:41 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Hamas confirmed on Thursday the death of its military chief Mohammed Deif, accused by Israel of being one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack and whose killing it announced last year. "The Al-Qassam Brigades announce to our great people the martyrdom of a group of distinguished fighters and heroic commanders," Abu Obeida, spokesman for ...

Tension Between Ministry of Energy and TotalEnergies

Christiane Tager, 31/01 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The relationship between the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and the French oil giant TotalEnergies seems to be on the brink of collapse. The issue lies in a report on the drilling of Block 9 that has not been submitted to the Lebanese authorities. In 2023, TotalEnergies announced the start of drilling in Block 9, off the Lebanese coast, as part of ...

US Says Killed Senior Qaeda Operative in Syria Strike

This is Beirut, 31/01 10:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The US military said it killed a senior operative of Al-Qaeda's Syria branch in an air strike on northwestern Syria on Thursday. The area was the stronghold of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group before it led the rebel offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December. "US Central Command forces conducted a ...

DeepSeek: The Start of The AI War

Pierre Nahas, 30/01 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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“Artificial intelligence will have a more profound impact on humanity than fire, electricity, and the internet” according to Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, Google’s mother company. It is indeed safe to say that AI will fundamentally transform every major industry on the planet, meaning that nations that master AI will also master the ...

The Messiah Wars: How Israel and Iran's Visions Shape Middle Eastern Politics

Salam El Zaatari, 30/01 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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In the high-stakes chess game of Middle Eastern politics, a hidden force drives both Israel and Iran toward an eerily similar endgame, an unshakable belief that history is hurtling toward a divinely orchestrated climax. On one side, Israel’s religious circles whisper about the long-awaited Messiah, a figure destined to restore their ancient ...

Syria: New Authorities Announce the Dissolution of All Armed Groups

This is Beirut, 29/01 22:48 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The new authorities in Syria announced on Wednesday evening the dissolution of "all armed groups" that had led the offensive against Bashar al-Assad, as well as the dissolution of the army of the former regime, which was overthrown on December 8. "All armed groups, political and civil bodies claiming to represent the revolution are ...

EU Pledges 3 Billion Euros for Jordan in New 'Strategic' Partnership

This is Beirut, 29/01 18:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The European Union on Wednesday promised 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of financing and investments for Jordan as part of a new "strategic" partnership with the key Middle East ally. "With the current geopolitical shifts and growing crises in the region, strengthening the EU-Jordan partnership is the right decision at the right time," European ...

DeepSeek's 'Sputnik moment' exposes holes in US chip curbs

This is Beirut, 29/01 11:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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US export controls on high-tech chips may have inadvertently fuelled the success of start-up DeepSeek's AI chatbot, sparking fears in Washington there could be little it can do to stop China in the push for global dominance in AI. The firm, based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has stunned investors and industry insiders with its R1 ...

US Lawmakers Urge Lebanese Leaders to 'End Hezbollah’s Influence'

This is Beirut, 29/01 11:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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In an open letter sent on Tuesday, US lawmakers Darin LaHood and Darrell Issa, co-chairs of the US-Lebanon Friendship Caucus in the House of Representatives, urged Lebanese leaders to end Hezbollah’s influence on the country’s political and security landscape. The letter, addressed to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf ...

Rubio Widens Exemption for US Aid After Freeze

This is Beirut, 29/01 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday widened exemptions in a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance, saying the United States would keep funding humanitarian items such as shelter and medicine. President Donald Trump on returning office last week ordered a 90-day pause to review assistance by the United States, the world's largest donor in ...

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