Middle East

Bulgaria Adjourns Extradition Hearing for Beirut Blast Shipowner

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 16:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Bulgaria Cyprus Rhosus Beirut Port

A Bulgarian court on Monday adjourned an extradition hearing for a shipowner wanted over a devastating blast at Beirut port in 2020, asking Lebanon to confirm he would not face the death penalty. Lebanon wants Bulgaria to extradite Igor Grechushkin, a 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot, over the disaster, one of the world's largest non-nuclear ...

SpotlightNigeria: Where Every Fault Line Is Exploding

Paul Guillot 2025-11-10 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Washington Nigeria Boko Haram Islamist

The tragic events of Monday, November 11, speak volumes about Nigeria’s downward spiral. Nearly 200 jihadists were killed in clashes between Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) around Lake Chad, according to several local sources. The infighting highlights the extreme fragmentation of a conflict that has torn apart ...

VideosDamascus: When Electricity Becomes a Luxury

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 15:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Energy Electricity

In the suburbs of Damascus, hammering sounds still echo, but anger is rising. The new Syrian government has raised electricity prices up to sixty times, making power nearly unaffordable. Blackouts can last more than twenty hours, forcing many to depend on costly private generators. Street vendor Alaa Moussa says, “No one can pay. There’s no ...

Syria Foils Two Islamic State Plots to Assassinate Sharaa

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 15:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Middle East Washington White House Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa

According to Reuters, Syrian authorities have thwarted two separate Islamic State (IS) plots to assassinate President Ahmed al-Sharaa in recent months, in what officials described as a direct threat to the leader as he prepares to join a U.S.-led coalition against the militant group. Two senior officials, one Syrian and one from the broader ...

BBC Expected to Apologize Over Trump Row After Chief Resignation

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tim Davie BBC Resignation Documentary

The BBC was on Monday expected to apologize for editing a speech that suggested Donald Trump had directly instigated an attack on the US Capitol, resulting in the dramatic resignations of the broadcaster's top brass. Director general Tim Davie and the BBC News CEO Deborah Turness stepped down on Sunday after accusations that a documentary by ...

Gaza's Health Ministry says 15 Palestinian Bodies Received Under Truce Exchange Deal

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 13:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine USA

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said it had received on Monday the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal. "The ministry of health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 315" under ...

VideosElections in Iraq: Youth Divided

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 12:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Iraq Elections2025 YouthVoice

As Iraq heads to parliamentary elections on November 11, the nation’s youth is divided between boycotting and voting. Some heed Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr’s call to abstain, citing corruption and failing public services. Others see casting a ballot as a civic duty, fueled by hopes for change. Closely watched by Iran, the election could reshape ...

France's Sarkozy says Prison a 'Nightmare' as Prosecutors Seek his Release

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 12:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

France Sarkozy Jail Court Ruling Appeal

Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday called his imprisonment a "nightmare" as prosecutors requested the former French president be released from jail pending an appeals trial over Libyan funding. A lower court in September found the right-winger -- who was head of state from 2007 to 2012 -- guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moammar ...

VideosBelly Dancing: A Quiet Act of Freedom in Riyadh

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 11:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Saudi Arabia Belly Dancing Private

Riyadh: In a women-only gym, the beat of drums fills the air. Barefoot and with scarves tied around their hips, Saudi women practice belly dancing away from prying eyes. Once taboo, the dance has become a way for them to reclaim their bodies, boost their confidence, and assert their strength. In a transforming Saudi Arabia, they dance for ...

Stalemate Over Iran’s Nuclear Program Raises Fears of Another War

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 11:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Tehran Ali Khamenei Iran Nuclear

With negotiations stalled and no clarity over Iran’s nuclear stockpiles, regional experts warn that another conflict with Israel could be inevitable, according to The New York Times in an article published on November 9. The 2015 nuclear deal, designed to limit Iran’s enrichment, expired last month. Sanctions have been reinstated, and ...

US Senators Take Major Step Toward Ending Record Shutdown

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 10:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Democrats Donald Trump Republicans New York

The US Senate took a major step Sunday toward ending the longest government shutdown in American history when it cleared the way for a formal debate on a motion to resume funding to federal agencies. The Republican-led chamber approved a procedural vote by 60 votes to 40, putting a hard limit on how much longer senators can discuss the ...

Egypt Begins Voting in Parliamentary Elections

This is Beirut 2025-11-10 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Egypt Elections Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Egyptians head to the polls on Monday to elect a new parliament, which critics say will only further cement President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's grip on power. The opening of polling stations at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) marks the start of a weeks-long process to fill 568 of the 596 seats in the lower house, with some provinces not voting for another two ...