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Bedouins, Not So Nomadic After All

Clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze factions in Syria’s Sweida province have reignited attention on the political and militarized role of these communities. But across the border in Lebanon, another question emerges: Who are the Lebanese Bedouins? The issue takes on renewed urgency amid reports that several of them, notably from Wadi ...

The Druze of Syria: A Minority Seeking Stability in the Post-Assad Transition

Since July 13, deadly clashes in Syria’s southern province of Sweida have left more than 1,300 people dead, including at least 630 local residents, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The violence erupted after the abduction of a merchant from the Druze community, triggering a wave of bloodshed that underscores the region’s ...

Rewriting 'Ben-Hur:' 'Aletheia' by Luigi A. Kohli on Faith, Empire and Fiction

Luigi A. Kohli, author of Aletheia, a Ben-Hur saga, followed a dream that never left him. After years in the corporate world, he found the courage to step away and embrace the calling he had carried since youth: to write. What began as a long-held fascination with epic films and ancient history transformed into a powerful, imaginative ...

When the Body Speaks: The Truth Behind Self-Harm

Once treated as a fringe concern in psychiatry, self-harm has become far more visible in recent decades. Clinical and epidemiological studies agree that it primarily affects adolescents and young adults, with a marked prevalence among girls and young women. It appears in hospitals, schools and prisons, but also across digital spaces. On platforms ...

Barrack to This is Beirut: There Is a Sense of Readiness in Lebanon Towards Normalisation with Israel

As Lebanon teeters on the edge of another potential war, with Hezbollah’s arms drawing the country closer to full-scale conflict with Israel, a more existential question arises: Why does the Lebanese state continue to abdicate its constitutional responsibilities? Why is the government still unwilling, decades after the Taif Agreement, to assert ...

The Female Body: Object of the Gaze, Forbidden Subject (1/2)

The female body is never simply a body. It carries myth and memory. It feeds both fantasy and repression. It often appears where it is least expected, slips through language, escapes definition and resists categorization. From cave paintings to fashion runways, from fairy tales to biology textbooks, the female body has been spoken about, ...

Cosmetic Counterfeits: Lebanon Grapples with the Surge of Fake Beauty Products (2/3)

On Instagram, just a few clicks on reseller accounts or sponsored stories plunge you into a sleek, alluring world where top brands — Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Guerlain, Dior, La Roche-Posay — are sold at slashed prices. Descriptions sound convincing: “imported from the US,” “end-of-line stock before ...

Invisible but Unbroken: Women Fighting Iran’s Repression

Repression of women in Iran is not new. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, their freedoms have been tightly controlled by an institutionalized patriarchal system that monitors every aspect of their lives, such as education, work, movement and expression. The veil, often internationally seen as the symbol of this oppression, is only the most ...

For Visitors from Abroad: Don’t Bother Trying to Make Sense of Lebanon!

For everyone planning to spend their vacation in Lebanon, here is your survival guide to a country where nothing works, yet somehow everything does. First of all, getting to Lebanon is no small feat. Plane tickets cost so much, you might as well be booking a business-class trip to Mars. Let’s say you sold your house in France or Canada and ...

Germs, Pollution, Junk Food: Lebanon’s Summer of All Dangers

A Feverish Country, Citizens Out of Breath A morning like any other in Beirut. Unusual lines at the pharmacy, overwhelmed medical offices, worried parents in pediatric waiting rooms. Fever, cough, diarrhea, vomiting… For several weeks, Lebanese citizens have been falling ill. Gastroenteritis, rotavirus, summer flu, COVID and lung infections are ...

Government Finalizes Financial Appointments, Names Mazen Soueid as Head of the Banking Control Commission

At midnight between Monday and Tuesday, June 9, the terms of the four vice governors of the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) expired: Wassim Mansouri, Bachir Yaqzan, Salim Chahine, and Alexander Mouradian, along with the mandate of the president and members of the Banking Control Commission and three members appointed as experts to the Capital ...

Antelias and Europe’s First Inhabitants

In the Levant, Europe’s story took a decisive turn. Here, Homo sapiens from Africa first encountered Neanderthals – exchanging ideas, stone and bone technologies, body ornaments, cold-weather survival strategies, and even genes. From this region, modern humans began their relatively swift spread into Europe some 50,000 to 40,000 years ...

Trump Secures "Massive" Trade Deal with Japan as Deadline Looms for Global Tariff Threats

Donald Trump announced Tuesday a "massive" trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month. In an attempt to slash his country's colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive "reciprocal" tariffs if they do ...

Trump Returns to His Scottish Roots to Open Golf Course on Ancestral Isle

Donald Trump will fly into Scotland on Friday for a private visit to the land where his mother was born and spent her childhood on the remote Isle of Lewis. "It's great to be home; this was the home of my mother," he said when he arrived on his last visit in 2023. Born Mary Anne MacLeod, Trump's mother immigrated to the United States when she ...

From Empire to Nation

In the Levant, Islam took root in the major Mediterranean coastal cities—Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Sidon, Beirut, Tripoli, Tartus and Latakia. Surrounded by Christian and Jewish hill communities or overshadowed by dominant Christian mountain ranges, these urban populations never felt isolated. Instead, they saw themselves as fully integrated into the ...

Iran Meets European Powers Amid Threats of UN Sanctions Snap Back  

Iranian diplomats met counterparts from Germany, Britain and France on Friday for renewed nuclear talks, amid warnings that the three European powers could trigger "snap back" sanctions outlined under the 2015 deal. The meeting in Istanbul was the first since Israel's mid-June attack on Iran, which sparked a 12-day war and targeted ...

'Star Wars' Creator, George Lucas, Makes Epic Comic-Con Debut in San Diego

Comic-Con kicked off Thursday in California, with expectations running high among devoted fans keen to catch a glimpse of George Lucas at his first-ever appearance at the convention. Warriors, princesses, pirates, wizards, and all manner of costumed characters flooded the streets of San Diego on the first day of an annual event that has become one ...

World's Top Court Paves Way for Climate Reparations

The world's highest court Wednesday declared that states are obliged under international law to tackle climate change and warned that failing to do so could open the door to reparations. In a historic statement, the International Court of Justice said climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and countries had a legal duty to prevent ...

The Dual Peril Facing Eastern Christians

On June 22, a deadly bombing inside Damascus’s Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah during Mass claimed 25 lives and left around 50 injured. In response, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Youhanna X, rightly declared that the victims deserve to be honored as martyrs of the faith, just as those who perished in past tragedies in Lebanon, ...

Cannabis in Lebanon: Danger on Every Level or Real Opportunity?

In the medical world, cannabis is no longer a taboo. Its derivatives, such as CBD or THC, are used in several countries to relieve chronic pain. A Plant with Proven Medical Virtues Medical cannabis is prescribed in many countries to relieve chronic pain resistant to standard treatments, notably in patients with cancer, HIV or neurological ...

The Grammar of a Bungled Transition 

The interpretation of political events can often lead to misunderstandings and confusion. It is crucial to establish clear communication and guidelines to navigate such complexities effectively. Without these measures, the potential for misinterpretation increases, which can exacerbate tensions and hinder progress. Therefore, fostering an ...

Syria: Israeli Strikes Hit Presidential Palace and Syrian Army HQ in Damascus

Israel bombed the Syrian army's headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the country's Druze minority alone, as authorities announced a ceasefire in the community's southern heartland after deadly sectarian clashes. Syrian government forces entered the majority-Druze city of Sweida on ...

Over 100 NGOs Urge Ceasefire as Gaza Faces Escalating Humanitarian Crisis

More than 100 aid organizations and human rights groups warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza, as the United States said its top envoy was heading to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and aid corridor. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where ...

Syrian Forces Accused of 'Executions' in Druze Area as Israel Launches Strikes

Syrian authorities were accused on Tuesday of carrying out summary executions of civilians in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida, where Israel said it had launched strikes against government forces in defense of the religious minority. Damascus deployed troops to the area after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed ...

More Than 100 NGOs Warn 'Mass Starvation' Spreading Across Gaza

More than 100 aid organizations and human rights groups warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza, as the United States said its top envoy was heading to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and aid corridor. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where ...

Climate and International Law: Five Key Questions Posed to the ICJ

The International Court of Justice is preparing to hand down its first-ever opinion on climate change, seen by many as a historic moment in international law. Judges have waded through tens of thousands of pages of written submissions and heard two weeks of oral arguments during the ICJ's biggest-ever case. Its own "advisory opinion" is expected ...

Turkey: A Global Power Broker

From Ukraine to Syria, including Iran, Turkey has emerged in recent years as a pivotal diplomatic force, multiplying its mediation efforts across a spectrum of regional crises. This active, multi-front diplomacy serves both to safeguard its national security and to solidify its position as a key player on the global stage. Turkey’s strategic ...