World

UN Commission Finds Violence Against Syria Alawites Likely Included 'War Crimes'

This is Beirut 14/08 11:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

A UN commission investigating sectarian bloodshed in Syria's Alawite heartland documented systematic violence at the hands of government forces and allied groups, warning Thursday that some of the acts could constitute war crimes. The violence in March unfolded along Syria's predominantly Alawite Mediterranean coast, where security personnel ...

Op-edIran’s Shadow in Beirut: Larijani’s Visit and Lebanon’s Tightrope Walk

Salam El Zaatari 14/08 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Iran Hezbollah Joseph Aoun

On August 13, 2025, Beirut became the stage for one of the most charged diplomatic performances in years. Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport to a reception that looked less like a state visit and more like a triumphant homecoming. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters ...

At Least 40 Dead in Sudan's Worst Cholera Outbreak in Years: MSF

This is Beirut 14/08 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Nations Sudan Cholera

At least 40 people have died in Sudan's Darfur region in the country's worst cholera outbreak in years, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday. The medical charity said the vast western region, which has been a major battleground over more than two years of fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, had ...

Zelensky in London Meets PM Ahead of US-Russia Summit

This is Beirut 14/08 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky European Union UK

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with ally UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday ahead of a key US-Russia summit in Alaska. Zelensky arrived at 9:30 am (0830 GMT) at Downing Street, after Starmer on Wednesday maintained there was now a "viable" chance for a Ukraine ceasefire. US President Donald Trump and ...

Trump Warns of Make-or-Break Chance with Putin as Pressure Mounts

This is Beirut 14/08 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Trump Ukraine Russia

Pressure mounted ahead of a landmark summit in Alaska between the United States and Russia, as Donald Trump warned that Vladimir Putin had only one chance but Moscow pressed ahead with major battlefield gains in Ukraine. Putin and Trump will meet Friday at an air base in the far-northern US state, the first time the Russian leader has been ...

Trump Orders Space Regulations Eased in Win For Musk

This is Beirut 14/08 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA White House Space

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday easing regulations for the private space industry, including eliminating some environmental reviews, in a move likely to please his erstwhile advisor Elon Musk. The executive order, which said it aimed to "substantially" increase the number of space launches in the United States, was ...

Israel army intercepts missile, Houthis claim attack

This is Beirut 14/08 09:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hamas Houthi Israel Palestine Yemen

The Israeli military said Thursday it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, where Houthi rebels have regularly launched attacks, they say are in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza. "A short while ago, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF," Israel's army said on Telegram, referring to the air ...

Bitcoin Hits Record High Above $124,000

This is Beirut 14/08 09:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bitcoin USD Markets

Bitcoin hit a record high on Thursday during early Asian trading, surpassing $124,000, driven by favorable US legislation and a rise in US equities. The cryptocurrency rose above its previous July record, briefly exceeding $124,500 before retreating. US stocks ended higher Wednesday, with the S&P 500 index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq reaching new ...

EditorialI Could Have Told You… But You Already Know

Marc Saikali 14/08 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Tehran UN Security Council

When putting together an editorial, you spend a lot of time mulling things over before settling on what we in the business call an “angle.” But sometimes, there are so many angles, overlapping in every direction, that you end up going in… circles (I know, not the most mathematically precise image). I could have told you about Ahmad ...

Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks in Disarray

This is Beirut 14/08 05:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

International Plastic Pollution Climate

Attempts to secure a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day of talks Wednesday as dozens of countries rejected the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo. With time running out to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva, several countries slammed a ...

Trump Eyes Three-Way Meeting with Putin and Zelensky

This is Beirut 13/08 21:08 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelensky Ukraine Russia United States

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would seek a three-way meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin immediately after his Alaska summit with the Russian leader aimed at ending the three-year war in Ukraine. Trump spoke after what he described as a "very good" call with European leaders, including Zelensky, even as ...

Massive Fire Burns on Mountain Near Western Canada City

This is Beirut 13/08 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Canada Heatwave Wildfire

Nearly 20,000 residents of a community in western Canada were on standby Wednesday as a wildfire engulfed a mountain overlooking the city of Port Alberni, the latest area threatened in the country's second-worst fire season on record. "I've lived in Port Alberni since 1956 and this is one of the biggest fires we've ever ...