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Hezbollah Challenges Security Council Visit, Army Acts on UNIFIL Attack

The 15 UN Security Council ambassadors visiting Lebanon received reactions to Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem’s recent speech. In it, he opposed the appointment of Simon Karam as head of Lebanon’s negotiating delegation with Israel and reiterated the group’s refusal to disarm, saying that any impact would be limited to the ...

Israeli Airstrikes on December 8 Expose Hezbollah’s Extensive Tunnel Network in Southern Lebanon

On the night of December 8, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area, north of the Litani River, in a region located north of Nabatiyeh and southwest of Jezzine. The strikes targeted multiple sites, including a training compound belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan Unit and several rocket-launch locations. A report ...

Climate Talks Run Into Night as COP30 Hosts Seek Breakthrough

At COP30 in Brazil on Monday, UN climate talks stretched into the night as negotiators pushed for a rapid compromise among countries deeply divided on key issues. Following a difficult first week, Brazil set a deadline for nations to finalize "a significant part" of the negotiations by Tuesday evening for approval the following day. "It's super ...

Mali's JNIM Jihadists: Armed Fighters or Politically Ambitious Belligerents?

By waging an economic blockade and conducting attacks on fuel convoys, the jihadist group JNIM has made itself the arch nemesis of Mali's junta, weakening the country's central government in an unprecedented manner. The Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, as it is formally known, is the "most significant ...

Jafar Panahi Accelerates Awards Campaign Amid Global Political Constraints

After years of being banned from leaving Iran, filmmaker Jafar Panahi is enjoying his tour of the United States — visiting Los Angeles, New York and Telluride — as he promotes his Oscar-hopeful It Was Just an Accident. The film, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, has been selected by France as its official nomination for the Academy Awards, ...

Rare Fabergé 'Winter Egg' Expected to Break Records in London

The Winter Egg, one of Faberge's most dazzling creations, is due to be auctioned in London next week and set another sales price record for the legendary jeweler of Imperial Russia. The egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as an Easter gift to his mother, is expected to fetch at least £20 million ($26 million), according to Christie's ...

'Below the Clouds': Gianfranco Rosi’s Meditative Portrait of Naples

If the regular recipe for success in the modern entertainment industry or on social media is being loud, attention-seeking, and a prolific creator of "content," Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi has carved out a career doing the exact opposite. The work of the award-winning documentary producer is everything our contemporary culture is not: slow, ...

Israel Says Killed 40 Fighters over Past Week in Gaza Tunnels Operation

The Israeli army said Sunday that it had killed more than 40 Palestinian militants over the past week in operations targeting tunnels near Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, the army announced it had killed four militants emerging from underground in the territory's southernmost city overnight. Dozens of Hamas fighters are holed up in ...

Pope Leo’s Speech at the Sanctuary of Saint Charbel

“Dear brothers and sisters, I thank the Superior General for his words and for the welcome in this beautiful monastery of Annaya. The nature surrounding this house of prayer draws us in with its austere beauty. I give thanks to God for allowing me to come on pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Charbel. My predecessors—especially Saint ...

Negotiations Under Way on Hamas Fighters Trapped in Gaza Tunnels: Sources Close to Talks

Negotiations are under way to ensure safe passage for dozens of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza, multiple sources close to the talks told AFP on Thursday. Israeli media has reported that for weeks, between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza ...

Tensions Rise Between Israel’s Military and Government, Netanyahu Accused of Dodging Responsibility

Tensions are rising in Israel between the political leadership and the military over investigations into October 7, 2023, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused of shirking responsibility for the authorities’ failure to anticipate and prevent the deadliest attack in the country’s history. Weekly protests, reflecting public anger, ...

From Paul VI to Leo XIV: The Vatican’s Bond with Lebanon

From Paul VI to Benedict XVI, Lebanon has welcomed historic visits from popes, each carrying a message of peace, unity, and intercommunal dialogue. As the country continues to face crises, Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit follows this tradition and underscores the unique bond between the Vatican and the Land of the Cedars. Since 1964, three ...

Zelensky Trip to Turkey Aims to 'Re-Engage' US in Peace Efforts

President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States' involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelensky said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year failed ...

Jounieh Turns Pink: 10,000 Runners Take Over the Women’s Race

Under the patronage of First Lady Nehmat Aoun, represented by Minister of Youth and Sports Nora Bayrakdarian, Jounieh came alive on Sunday for the Women’s Race organized by the Beirut Marathon Association. Ten thousand participants transformed the city’s historic streets into a ribbon of color, energy, and celebration for the 10th edition of ...

Trump Warns Israel Not to ‘Interfere’ in Syria

US President Donald Trump told Israel on Monday to avoid destabilizing Syria and its new leadership, days after a deadly operation by Israeli forces killed 13 people. Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him for another White House visit, Netanyahu's office said shortly after Trump issued the warning. "It ...

Washington's New Ambassador, Michel Issa, Lands in Lebanon... Who is He?

The new United States ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, landed in Beirut on Friday to begin a particularly delicate mission. His arrival comes at a time when Washington is seeking to redefine the scope of its engagement in a country caught in a deep institutional crisis, latent tensions in the south, and growing international pressure over ...

Baja 2025: Rafic Eid Offers Lebanon a Historic World Podium

Rafic Eid has struck again. Over the course of a marathon season, from Ha’il to Dubai, the Lebanese rider built up his 2nd place in the overall world standings, all motorcycle categories combined, day after day, by taming the most hostile terrains on the international circuit. On his Honda CRF 450 Factory, Eid swallowed dunes, rocks, mud, ...

Israel Police Say Received Presumed Remains of One of Last Two Gaza Hostages

Israeli police said Tuesday they had received the presumed remains of one of the last two deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip and were transporting them to the morgue for identification. In a brief statement, the police said they were "currently escorting, with reverence, the coffin of the fallen hostage to the National Centre of Forensic ...

Zelensky's Trip to Turkey Aims to 'Re-engage' U.S. in Peace Efforts

President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States' involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelensky said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year ...

Nigeria’s Bronze Masters Preserve Ancient Craft Amid Modern Pressures

Using long iron tongs, Victor Uinmwen Aduwe and Matthew Mathias pick a blazing pot from a fire and pour a thick golden liquid into a partly buried mold, using a centuries-old technique that still flourishes in Nigeria's south. After a short cooling period, the mold is dug up and opened, revealing three small bronze heads fashioned after an ancient ...

Nuclear Partnership and F-35 Sale Cement Saudi Arabia’s New Non-NATO Ally Status

The United States and Saudi Arabia announced a series of significant agreements spanning civil nuclear cooperation, advanced weapons sales, and strategic defense coordination during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile visit to the White House. The meetings marked the Saudi leader’s first official White House visit in more than ...

Repairing the Spine Without Opening the Body: The Promise of Surgical Robotics

The spine has always symbolized human fragility. Operating on it once meant risking pain, complications, or even paralysis. Spine surgery traditionally involved large incisions, long recoveries, and deep scars. Now, in Nancy, a trio of pioneering doctors is redefining the rules with minimally invasive robotic spine surgery: a breakthrough that ...

France Makes 'Historic' Accord to Sell Ukraine 100 Warplanes

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 fighter jets and other hardware, including drones, in a boost for Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion. Delivery of the Rafale fighter jets, the crown jewel of French combat aviation, is only ...

When the IMF’s Agenda Takes Over Decision-Making, Depositors Foot the Bill

A cautiously tense meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), dedicated to discussing the points related to the Financial Gap Law. The talks focused on how the banks, the Lebanese state, and the Central Bank would handle the existing gap and on reassessing the banks’ ...

Australia Yields to Turkey in Standoff Over Next Climate Summit

Australia has conceded defeat in a bruising diplomatic struggle over hosting rights to next year's UN climate summit, with Turkey prevailing despite holding a much weaker hand. Exactly who presides over the blockbuster global event is still in play, but Australia's long-running campaign to bring COP31 to Adelaide is over. "Obviously, it would be ...

Crucial UN Vote: Challenges in Deploying an International Stabilization Force in Gaza

The UN Security Council will meet on Monday at 5 p.m. (10 p.m. GMT) to vote on the American resolution endorsing Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The text, the result of weeks of complex diplomatic negotiations, calls for the deployment of an “international stabilization force” tasked with securing borders, supporting the ...

Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Sentenced in Absentia Amid Cannes Triumph

Iran has sentenced Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison and a travel ban over "propaganda activities" against the country, his lawyer told AFP on Monday. The sentence includes a two-year travel ban and prohibition of Panahi from membership in any political or social groups, lawyer Mostafa Nili told AFP, ...

Hanoi to Welcome a Renzo Piano “Opera Island” in 2027

By 2027, a striking new landmark will rise from the calm waters of Hanoi. Built on an artificial island between West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake, the Isola Della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano and his studio, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), will unfold like a bright, sculptural form with fluid, organic lines. Revealed in autumn 2025, the ...

Tech Firms Lead Stock Rout as AI Bubble Fears Linger

Tech firms led stock losses on Friday as investors struggled to shake off fears about an AI bubble, and after a sell-off on Wall Street sparked by job data dealt a further blow to hopes for a US interest rate cut. A blockbuster earnings report from chip bellwether Nvidia on Wednesday seemed to settle nerves that vast investments in the artificial ...