Nuclear weapons remain an existential threat
September 3rd, 20200 Seventy-five years ago, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing an end to World War II and sounding a warning about the devastating power of nuclear weapons. Remarkably, we have managed to avoid using these weapons in warfare again. But nuclear arms still present an existential threat and it is...
Macron presents “concept paper” outlining reforms for crisis-ridden Lebanon
August 31st, 20200 BEIRUT – French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined political and financial reforms Lebanese politicians need to make to unlock foreign aid and rescue the country from multiple crises, including an economic meltdown, according to a document seen by Reuters. The two-page “concept paper” was delivered by the French ambassador...
Two dead, several injured in clashes south of Lebanese capital
August 28th, 20200 BEIRUT – Two people were killed and at least 10 wounded in clashes in a town south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on Thursday evening, the state news agency and a security source said, as several political parties urged calm. The Lebanese army said on its Twitter account that it had deployed units to Khaldeh town to “control the...
Gazing over wasteland, Beirutis mourn lost “Lady of the World”
August 27th, 20200 BEIRUT — Over centuries, Beirut built its reputation as a cultural crossroads, a thriving port and a playground known as “the Paris of the Middle East.” In just moments, much of it lay in ruins. Now stunned residents come and stare at the heaps of rubble and twisted steel, contemplating all they have lost. An elevated highway...
“Palestine is still the issue”: U.N. vote exposes, isolates Canada
August 26th, 20200 This article is cowritten by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo The notion that “Canada is better”, especially when compared with U.S. foreign policy, has persisted for many years. Recent events at the United Nations have, however, exposed the true nature of Canada’s global position, particularly in the matter of its blind and...
Two European patients re-infected with coronavirus
August 25th, 20200 AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS (Reuters) — Two European patients are confirmed to have been re-infected with the coronavirus, raising concerns about people’s immunity to the virus as the world struggles to tame the pandemic. The cases, in Belgium and the Netherlands, follow a report this week by researchers in Hong Kong about a man there who...
Lebanon’s grand mufti joins call for international investigation into blast, early parliamentary elections
August 21st, 20200 BEIRUT — On Wednesday, Lebanon’s leading Sunni grand mufti joined calls for early parliamentary elections and an international investigation into the explosion at the Beirut port, which he said deepened the country’s existential crisis. At least 179 people were killed and 300,000 left effectively homeless when massive amounts of...
Sultan of Oman reshuffles government
August 21st, 20200 MUSCAT - The Sultan of Oman issued 28 new royal decrees this week during a reshuffle of government roles and responsibilities. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said has named Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi as foreign minister to replace foreign affairs chief Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah after 23 years of service. When you have...
Dubai changes its alcohol consumption laws to help its economy
August 21st, 20200 DUBAI - While the United Arab Emirates struggles to regain its economic footing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dubai has once again loosened its alcohol consumption laws. Previously in Dubai, non-Muslim residents were required to carry plastic red cards issued by police in order to purchase alcohol. Otherwise they’d face action from...
Trump expects Saudi Arabia to join UAE-Israel deal
August 20th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, President Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced last week by Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship. “I do,” Trump replied when asked at a White House news conference if he expected Saudi Arabia to join...
Hands off Lebanon: Macron’s self-serving “new pact” must be shunned
August 19th, 20200 French President Emmanuel Macron is in no position to pontificate to Lebanon about the need for political and economic reforms. Just as thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut demanding “revenge” against the ruling classes, the French people have relentlessly been doing the same; both peoples have been met with police...
U.N. tribunal convicts main defendant in Hariri assassination case
August 18th, 20200 LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands — On Tuesday, a U.N.-backed tribunal convicted Salim Jamil Ayyash, allegedly a member of the Hezbollah group, of conspiring to kill former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in a 2005 bombing that set the stage for years of confrontation between Lebanon’s political forces. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim...
Lebanese continue their recovery efforts and demand reform, U.S. joins Beirut blast probe
August 14th, 20200 BEIRUT — Another day of unrest and protests in Beirut on Thursday, as Lebanese security forces tried to stop angry protesters from approaching a meeting of MPs. The MPs gathered for the first time since the port side blast that killed 172 people on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with dozens still missing. The death and injury toll (estimated...
Palestinians call Israel-UAE normalization deal treason and stab in the back
August 13th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a "historic" deal on Thursday that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two nations in an agreement that President Trump helped broker. Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West...
Qatari sociologist says Beirut explosion is “divine punishment” for blasphemy, plastic surgery and homosexuality
August 11th, 20200 QATAR — A Qatari sociologist known for posting videos of his controversial viewpoints on YouTube, has sparked outrage once again. The popular sociologist, Abd Al-Aziz Al-Khazraj Al-Ansari, said in his most recent video that the port explosions in Beirut is a sign of divine punishment. “This is a message to our people of......
WHO director: Half of daily 100,000 COVID-19 cases in Americas are in the U.S.
August 11th, 20200 BRASILIA (REUTERS) — More than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 are being reported daily in the Americas, half of them in the U.S., and there are worrisome spikes in countries that had outbreaks controlled, such as Argentina and Colombia, World Health Organization Regional Director Carissa Etienne said on Tuesday. “Our region remains...
Lebanon’s government resigns after outrage over deadly Beirut blast
August 10th, 20200 BEIRUT — On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the official resignation of his government after a powerful Beirut port explosion sparked outrage and protests against the country’s leaders. The massive explosion that devastated the capital last Tuesday killed some 200 people and wounded 6,000 others. Diab......
After going viral, the bride from Beirut tells her story
August 8th, 20200 BEIRUT — Aug. 4, 2020 was meant to be the happiest day of Israa Al Seblani’s life, but it quickly turned to be the most terrifying. Al Seblani is the bride from the now viral video shoot taken during the explosion in Beirut that has killed more than 150 people and injured more than 5,000 more. “The first thought that...
“Possibility of external interference”: Lebanon’s president expands blast probe
August 7th, 20200 BEIRUT (REUTERS) — Lebanon’s president said on Friday an investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut’s history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, as residents tried to rebuild their shattered lives after the explosion. The search for those missing has intensified, as rescuers sifted...
Beirut reels from huge blast as death toll climbs to at least 135
August 5th, 20200 BEIRUT — On Wednesday, Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing people in the wreckage caused by a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135. Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared three days of mourning from Thursday as early investigations blamed...
Breaking: Huge explosion rocks Beirut, dozens dead, thousands injured
August 4th, 20200 BEIRUT — A huge explosion in Beirut has caused at least 78 deaths and 4,000 injuries. The explosion sent a shockwave across the Lebanese capital, creating massive destruction, shattering windows and collapsing apartment balconies. Social media became flooded with videos and photos from eyewitnesses on the ground soon after the......
Lebanese foreign minister quits over slow reforms, Aoun adviser takes over
August 3rd, 20200 BEIRUT (REUTERS) — Lebanon named the president’s diplomatic adviser as new foreign minister on Monday after Nassif Hitti quit the post, blaming a lack of political will to enact reforms to halt a financial meltdown, which he warned could turn Lebanon into a failed state. Foreign donors have...
Lebanon reimposes COVID-19 restrictions as infections spike
July 27th, 20200 BEIRUT (Reuters) — Lebanon reimposed severe COVID-19 restrictions on Monday for the next two weeks, shutting places of worship, cinemas, bars, nightclubs, sports events and popular markets, after a sharp rise in infections. Shops, private companies, banks and educational institutions would be permitted to open, but only on Tuesdays......
Record numbers of coronavirus cases in every global region: Reuters tally
July 26th, 20200 (REUTERS) — Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world. The rate of cases has been increasing not only in...
Why Palestinian-Israeli prisoners exchange deal could happen soon
July 22nd, 20200 For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that of......
