World

Trump’s Plan for Gaza: Heading into Phase 2

Paul Guillot 13/11 19:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Gaza Hamas ceasefire Israel-Hamas accord

One month after the October 10 ceasefire meant to close the chapter on two years of war in Gaza, the United States is struggling to turn the truce into a meaningful political process. Phase 2 of Trump’s ambitious 20-Point Plan was meant to shift from a halt in fighting all the way to reconstruction. Yet internal documents obtained by Politico ...

ExplainerWhat Lies Ahead in Iraq: The Hard Task of Forming a Government

This is Beirut 13/11 15:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iraq Vote Parliament

Following Iraq's parliamentary election this week, the complex and often lengthy task of choosing the country's next leader is set to begin. Incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani claimed victory for his coalition after preliminary results showed it was the largest bloc -- though it still falls short of the majority needed to ...

SpotlightCaesar Act Suspended: Can Lebanon Ride Syria’s Recovery?

Mario Chartouni 13/11 13:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Saudi Arabia Washington

For the first time since 2019, Washington has eased sanctions on Damascus, granting a 180-day exemption under the Caesar Act to allow certain “humanitarian” and “civilian” transactions. The move, though temporary, carries clear political weight. It appears to be a test to see how far neighboring countries can reconnect with the Syrian ...

VideosIraq PM Sudani Claims Election Win

This is Beirut 13/11 13:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Iraq elections Sudani politics

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani celebrates a lead in the general elections, as supporters take to Baghdad’s streets in celebrations. Final results and parliamentary negotiations are still to come.

Turkey Suspends C-130 Flights After Fatal Plane Crash

This is Beirut 13/11 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Georgia Azerbaijan Aviation Crash

Turkey suspended flights by its C-130 military cargo planes as a precautionary measure a day after one crashed in neighboring Georgia, killing all 20 people on board, the defense ministry said Thursday. The plane crashed on Tuesday while returning home from Azerbaijan, with the victims' bodies due to be repatriated on Thursday, the ministry ...

Paramilitary Drone Attacks Target Town in Northern Sudan

This is Beirut 13/11 12:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sudan Conflict Paramilitary Drone

Sudanese paramilitary forces on Thursday launched several drone strikes on the northern town of Merowe, targeting a major dam in army-held territory, the army and other sources said. Drones "targeted the army headquarters, the airport and the Merowe Dam", an army statement said, adding that it had intercepted the attacks that it blamed ...

French Ex-Leader Sarkozy Appeal Trial to Open March 16

This is Beirut 13/11 12:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union france crime trial prison sarkozy

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy will go on trial on appeal over Libyan campaign-funding allegations starting March 16, a Paris court said Thursday. A lower court in September found the right-wing politician -- who was head of state from 2007 to 2012 -- guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moamer Kadhafi's Libya for the campaign ...

Syria to Help US Fight Iran-Backed Armed Groups, Envoy Says

This is Beirut 13/11 11:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Damascus Hamas Hezbollah Iran

Syria will play an active role in assisting the United States in fighting armed groups including Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah, US special envoy Tom Barrack said on Thursday. Islamist interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former jihadist, became the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since his country's ...

EU Chief Insists Using Russian Assets Best Way to Fund Ukraine

This is Beirut 13/11 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia Conflict EU Budget Loan

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen insisted Thursday that using frozen Russian assets to fund a new loan was the "most effective way" to finance Ukraine, as she laid out other options after opposition from Belgium. The 27-nation bloc is scrambling for funds to help Kyiv plug looming budget black holes as Russia's war drags on towards a ...

SpotlightBenzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s: The Lingering Question of Memory Loss

Bélinda Ibrahim 13/11 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benzodiazepines Alzheimer Memory Anxiety Science Medicine

In the dim aisles of pharmacies, small boxes of benzodiazepines change hands almost furtively, daily companions for millions of people living with anxiety, insomnia, or age-related fragility. Sedatives, anxiolytics, and muscle relaxants, they calm restless minds, ease worry, and help induce sleep. Yet for over a decade, unease has grown: could ...

Op-edJoseph Aoun Must Become Lebanon’s Sadat

Salam El Zaatari 13/11 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Joseph Aoun Palestine

In early November 2025, Israeli bulldozers began erecting a concrete wall on Lebanese soil—a seven-meter-high scar from Maroun al-Ras to Aitaroun—cutting through farmland, razing homes, and casting a shadow over what remains of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel calls it “defensive fortification,” while Lebanon calls it “occupation.” But ...

Trump Signs Bill to End Record-Breaking US Shutdown

This is Beirut 13/11 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Politics Budget Shutdown

President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in US history -- 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a ...