This is Beirut

HTS: The Syrian Salvation Government and the Formation of a Proto-State

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 09/04 13:05 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Before gaining control of significant parts of Syria following a swift assault on Bashar al-Assad’s forces, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had spent several years establishing a proto-state model in the region of Idlib. This experiment in governance mirrored the group’s ideological transformation over time. The Takeover of the Idlib ...

HTS: From a War Economy to a Fully-Functioning State

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 09/04 12:50 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Turkey idlib HTS Syria jolani

After seizing control of most of the Idlib region, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) evolved from a mere Islamist group into a de facto governing authority responsible for millions of civilians. It was thus forced to rebuild an economy ravaged by years of war while also shifting the sources of its internal funding. Following Jabhat al-Nusra’s split ...

Football: Young Lebanese Girls Delight Against Jamaica

Makram Haddad, 09/04 10:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Football Jamaica Turkey

They swallowed them whole. Like sweeping aside a sparring partner too soft. The young Lebanese players walked all over Jamaica (4-1), during the last day of the first round of the UEFA friendly tournament in Turkey. A show of strength that propels them towards an enticing classification match against the Turkish hosts, on Wednesday, for 5th ...

US and Russia to Meet Thursday in Istanbul on Restoring Embassy Operations

This is Beirut, 08/04 23:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Russia Turkey Donald Trump

The United States and Russia will hold talks on Thursday in Istanbul on restoring some of their embassy operations that have been drastically scaled back following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the US State Department said. The talks, the second of their kind, come after President Donald Trump reached out to Russia following the start of his ...

Why is The NBA Eyeing Europe?

This is Beirut, 08/04 13:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Europe USA Middle East Turkey Washington

The NBA has said it is "exploring" the creation of a professional basketball league in Europe, but the plans remain vague and raise many questions. The first is why is the powerful US league taking this step? How does it intend to make money? And is the EuroLeague, the home of Europe's best clubs, doomed to a marriage of convenience? Why has the ...

Trump Says Can 'Work Out' Israel-Turkey Tensions Over Syria

This is Beirut, 08/04 09:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Israel Turkey Syria

US President Donald Trump on Monday touted himself as a mediator between Israel and Turkey in their struggle over politically fragile Syria, where both countries are jostling for influence. Trump, speaking alongside key ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, touted his "great relations" with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip ...

Trump's New Tariffs: A Storm Brewing in Troubled Waters

Christiane Tager, 04/04 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union Banks Europe Turkey

President Donald Trump's recent decision to impose historic tariffs on 185 countries and territories, announced on Thursday, has reverberated across the global economy. The repercussions of these tariffs will be felt worldwide, with Arab countries being especially impacted. Among the hardest-hit nations are Syria, Iraq, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, ...

Syria Local Govt says Israeli Bombardment kills Nine

This is Beirut, 03/04 10:02 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Israel Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Israeli bombardment killed nine people in Syria as troops conducted a raid in the south, the local government and a war monitor said, with the Israeli army saying its forces were responding to fire from militants. The shelling came after an "Israeli incursion", with "the occupation forces advancing for the first time to this ...

Azerbaijan Presses Armenia to Meet 'Demands' for Peace Deal

This is Beirut, 02/04 14:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Europe European Union Turkey United States

Azerbaijan on Wednesday insisted that arch-foe Armenia must meet Baku's "legitimate demands" before the Caucasus neighbours can sign a peace treaty, the text of which they agreed upon last month. The two ex-Soviet republics announced on March 14 they had wrapped up talks aimed at resolving their decades-long conflict, with both sides agreeing on ...

Turkish Opposition Calls for Boycott over Jailed Students

This is Beirut, 01/04 22:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Ozgur Ozel Ekrem Imamoglu CHP Party

The leader of Turkey's main opposition party has called for a boycott on Wednesday to protest the detention of students rallying in support of Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor. "Stop all purchases! Supermarkets, online shopping, restaurants, petrol, coffees, bills, buy nothing," said Ozgur Ozel, head of the CHP party to which Mayor Ekrem ...

Hundreds of Thousands Join Istanbul Protest Rally

This is Beirut, 29/03 14:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Protests Ekrem Imamoglu

Waving flags and chanting slogans, hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators rallied in Istanbul on Saturday, calling for democracy to be defended after the arrest of mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, which sparked Turkey's worst street unrest in over a decade. Under a cloudless blue sky, huge crowds gathered in Maltepe on the Asian side of ...

Kremlin: EU Refusal to Ease Russia Sanctions Shows it "Doesn't Want Peace"

This is Beirut, 28/03 14:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union Volodymyr Zelensky Banks Kyiv Turkey

The Kremlin said Friday that the EU's refusal to ease sanctions on Russia shows the bloc does not want peace in Ukraine. Moscow is demanding the West remove sanctions on Rosselkhozbank -- the Russian Agricultural Bank -- as a precondition to restoring a deal on the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo in the Black Sea. "An integral part of the Black ...

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