This is Beirut

The New Middle East: A Struggle Between Two Visions

Pierre Nahas, 20/01 13:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Middle East Lebanon Hezbollah Hamas Syria USA

Over the past 80 years, the Middle East has consistently defied the predictions of analysts and commentators. The impulsive decisions of individual autocrats, and the complex interplay of geopolitics, wealth, religion, and great-power rivalry have made the region uniquely vulnerable to rapid and often catastrophic upheavals. We can cite countless ...

Bitcoin hits record above $109,000 awaiting Trump

This is Beirut, 20/01 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Donald Trump USA

Bitcoin hit a record high above $109,000 on Monday as Donald Trump, who has signalled plans to deregulate the cryptocurrency sector, prepares to be sworn in as US president. Bitcoin surged to an all-time peak of $109,241 ahead of Trump's inauguration ceremony, before falling back to around $107,500. The world's biggest cryptocurrency has soared ...

Inauguration Day, Trump-Style: What Will Happen?

This is Beirut, 20/01 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Republicans Tik Tok US Supreme Court

Every four years America's president is sworn in on Inauguration Day, whether newly elected or returning to office, in a long-established ceremony held amid pageantry shaped by the incoming leader's personal flourishes. What does that mean for the inauguration of Donald Trump? Cue the Village People and social media titans – and leave the ...

The Deferred Normalization

Charles Chartouni, 20/01 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria USA Gaza Ceasefire

The election of a president and the nomination of a new prime minister in Lebanon were good omens, but the process of political normalization doesn’t seem to be moving in the right direction. The ongoing negotiations in Gaza about the release of Israeli hostages and the swap of Palestinian prisoners are stumbling as well. The smooth transition ...

US Calls Houthi Claim of New Attacks ‘Disinformation'

This is Beirut, 19/01 22:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Houthi Gulf Hamas Israel

The United States military on Sunday dismissed claims by Houthis that they had attacked an American aircraft carrier, saying Washington would not engage in the Iran-backed group' "disinformation campaign." The denial from US Central Command (CENTCOM) came after the Houthis said they had carried out the attack earlier Sunday and ...

Mitchell Scores 36 as Cavs Bounce Back, Celtics Downed

This is Beirut, 19/01 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Basket-ball NBA Celtics

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers roared back to form with a 124-117 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The Eastern Conference leaders arrived in Minneapolis having lost two of their three previous games including a 134-114 rout by the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. But after finding ...

Houthis Warn Of ‘Consequences’ Of Any Attack On Yemen During Gaza Truce

This is Beirut, 19/01 03:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Palestine USA Gulf Hamas Houthi

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday warned opposing forces in the Red Sea of the ‘consequences’ of any attack on their country during the truce in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. The Iranian-backed rebels, who control large swathes of Yemen and the capital Sanaa, also claimed responsibility for an attack on several warships, ...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Reveal Underground Naval Base

This is Beirut, 18/01 20:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf USA

The naval arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveiled an underground base housing dozens of assault boats equipped with missile launchers in footage aired by state television on Saturday. The broadcaster did not reveal the location of the base, saying only that it served Iran's strategic "southern waters" -- the Gulf, the Strait ...

US Sanctions Against Yemeni Bank Supporting Houthis

This is Beirut, 18/01 10:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA US Sanctions US Treasury Houthi

The US Department of the Treasury announced on Saturday a series of sanctions targeting a Yemen-based bank (Yemen Kuwait Bank for Trade and Investment Y.S.C), for its financial support of Ansar Allah forces (another name given to the Houthis). Designated a terrorist organization by the United States, “the Houthis continue to attack US military ...

USAID Unveils Strategy to Strengthen Local Agriculture

This is Beirut, 17/01 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA USAID Agriculture

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced in a statement issued by the US Embassy in Beirut that it has initiated a new five-year project named "Strengthening Local Agricultural Systems in Lebanon (ELSA)" with a budget of $10 million, commencing on October 1, 2024. The primary goal of this endeavor is to cultivate agricultural ...

Chinese economic growth among slowest in decades

This is Beirut, 17/01 12:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Covid-19 Donald Trump USA

China posted one of its slowest rates of economic growth in decades Friday, as leaders nervously eye a potential trade standoff with incoming US president Donald Trump. Beijing has announced in recent months its most aggressive support measures in years in a bid to reignite an economy suffering on multiple fronts, including a prolonged property ...

Farewell to David Lynch, Visionary Creator of Dark Dreams

Madeleine Cadoux, 17/01 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Cinema Culture Art Film Director

David Lynch, celebrated for his deeply imaginative and often disturbing cinematic style, passed away at the age of 78. Known for masterpieces like Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, Lynch's work explored the dark underbelly of human existence and the American dream. In a statement shared by his family on his official Facebook page, they announced, ...

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