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Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PHOTO GALLERY: Lebanon bids farewell to Ziad Rahbani
The mourners gather around the hearse of the Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani in front of the Khoury hospital in the central district of Hamra in Beirut on July 28, 2025. AFP The mourners gather around the hearse of the Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani in front of the Khoury hospital in the central district of Hamra in Beirut on July 28, 2025. AFP The mourners gather around the hearse of the Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani in front of the Khoury hospital in the central district of Hamra in Beirut on July 28, 2025. AFP The mourners gather around the hearse of the Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani in front of the Khoury hospital in the central district of Hamra in Beirut on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners carry the coffin during the funeral of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners carry the coffin during the funeral of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Clergymen and mourners, including the maternal (L) and paternal aunts of Ziad Rahbani, stand around his coffin during the funeral of Lebanon's top musician and composer at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Clergymen and mourners, including the maternal (L) and paternal aunts of Ziad Rahbani, stand around his coffin during the funeral of Lebanon's top musician and composer at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners carry the coffin of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani from the hearse to Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, during the funeral on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners carry the coffin of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani from the hearse to Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, during the funeral on July 28, 2025. AFP TOPSHOT - A mourner holds up a rose and a portrait of renowned Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani as crowds gathered outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district to bid him farewell before his funeral procession on July 28, 2025. AFP TOPSHOT - A mourner holds up a rose and a portrait of renowned Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani as crowds gathered outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district to bid him farewell before his funeral procession on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners gather around the hearse of renowned Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners gather around the hearse of renowned Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district on July 28, 2025. AFP The cousins of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, from L to R: Oussama, Ghadi and Marwan, attend his funeral ceremony at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP The cousins of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, from L to R: Oussama, Ghadi and Marwan, attend his funeral ceremony at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Lebanese singer and composer Marcel Khalife offers his condolences during the funeral of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Lebanese singer and composer Marcel Khalife offers his condolences during the funeral of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners carry the coffin during the funeral of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Mourners carry the coffin during the funeral of Lebanon's renowned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Lebanon's veteran singer Fairuz (Fayrouz) receives with her daughter Reema Rahbani (L) condolences during the funeral of her son, musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Lebanon's veteran singer Fairuz (Fayrouz) receives with her daughter Reema Rahbani (L) condolences during the funeral of her son, musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Lebanon's veteran singer Fairuz (Fayrouz) receives with her daughter Reema Rahbani (L) condolences during the funeral of her son, musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP Lebanon's veteran singer Fairuz (Fayrouz) receives with her daughter Reema Rahbani (L) condolences during the funeral of her son, musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. AFP
National Geographic
24-07-2025
- National Geographic
Why you should visit these 5 European lakes
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). As the summer heat rises along the coast of the Med, turn your gaze instead to Europe's dazzlingly diverse array of lakes. Beyond swimming, kayaking and standup paddleboarding in crystal-clear waters, there's plenty to explore — think medieval castles and vineyards, prehistoric pile dwellings and Byzantine monasteries, regal gardens, cathedrals and Orthodox churches. From Portugal's Great Lake of Alqueva to Croatia's Lake Peruča, here are five European lakes that should be firmly on your radar. 1. Lake Constance, Germany Fancy breakfast in Germany, lunch in Austria and dinner in Switzerland? With uplifting views of the not-too-distant Alps, Lake Constance dips prettily into three countries and delivers an extraordinary hit of beauty, history and culture. Central Europe's third largest lake is a knockout, whether you want to breeze across its waters by ferry or canoe, or jump onto a bicycle to pedal a stretch of its 160-mile circular cycle path. And with temperatures hovering around 25C, it's pleasantly warm, but not too hot for exploring. This lake is like Europe in microcosm, knitting together beaches, orchards, vineyards, bird-rich wetlands, wooded gorges, gardens, historic towns and art galleries. You won't forget the likes of stone-walled Meersburg, with its fairytale looks, wine taverns and turreted medieval castle; the prehistoric pile dwellings of Unteruhldingen; Roman-rooted Konstanz with its magnificent minster; or the fantasy Mediterranean gardens on the islet of Mainau in a hurry. For southern flair, head over to prettily pastel-painted Lindau for gelato on cafe terraces and glittering lake views from the harbour guarded by a lighthouse and Bavarian lion. Lake Constance is like Europe in microcosm, knitting together beaches, orchards, vineyards, bird-rich wetlands, wooded gorges, gardens, historic towns and art galleries. Photograph by bluejayphoto, Getty Images 2. Great Lake of Alqueva, Portugal Skip southern Portugal's wave-smashed Atlantic coast in summer and head to the Alentejo, where its vast hinterland is ripe for discovery. A mighty splash of green blue, the fjord-like 95sq-mile Great Lake of Alqueva is a beauty. Nudging the Spanish border, Europe's biggest reservoir is a fretwork of flooded valleys, narrow inlets and islands. Come in summer to standup paddleboard and kayak across placid waters in quiet exhilaration and roll along its shores by bike or e-bike. When temperatures reach 35C in summer, you'll be itching to dive into its refreshing waters from lakeside beaches. Top billing goes to Praia Fluvial de Monsaraz, with its powdery sands, floating pool and Centro Naútico ramping up the watersports action. Spilling photogenically down a granite boulder-strewn hillside, Monsaraz itself is right up there with Portugal's prettiest villages. A medieval vision in white, it's crowned by a castle built by King Dinis in the 14th century and laced with cobbled alleys once trodden by the Knights Templar. Snag a table on the terrace of Taverna Os Templários for front-row views of the lake and specialities like codfish salad and Alentejo roast pork. By night, keep your eyes on starry skies. The Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve is the world's first starlight tourism destination, with activities ranging from stargazing sessions to night tours by canoe and astrophotography workshops. Lake Bohinj is a half-hour skip from Lake Bled, just as crazily beautiful but not nearly as crowded. Photograph by Micolino, Getty Images 3. Lake Bohinj, Slovenia Lake Bled gets all the love in northwest Slovenia, but Lake Bohinj, a half-hour skip south, is just as crazily beautiful and not nearly as crowded. You'll draw breath when you first glimpse the ragged limestone peaks of the Julian Alps punching high above this piercing blue, glass-clear lake in Triglav National Park. Temperatures can rise to 30C in summer, when the lake's mountain stream-fed waters warm up to 24C, and days fizzle into fiery pink-gold sunsets. On the lake's western shore, the peaceful village of Ukanc has a pebble beach for cooling swims. Pitch a tent at eco-conscious Camp Bohinj, where you can head out onto the water by kayak, stand-up paddleboard or canoe. They also arrange activities from caving, canyoning and rock climbing to cheese tours and schnapps tastings. Ukanc's surrounds are wild, mountainous and thickly wooded. A cable glides up to nearby Vogel for on-high views of the lake and hikes in Alpine meadows and virgin forests. Shooting 255ft over the cliffs of Komarča into a pool of pure emerald green, Savica Waterfall is equally unmissable. 4. Lake Peruča, Croatia Framed by a ripple of limestone mountains, Lake Peruča is a treasure tucked away in the Dalmatian Hinterland. Just a stone's skim from Croatia's Adriatic coast, this long slither of a lake is a proper back-to-nature escape. Here you can easily tiptoe away from the crowds in the heat of summer, when temperatures soar up to 35C, to leap gleefully into waters of stained-glass blue. Shaped by a dam on the River Cetina, Croatia's largest artificial lake is a great one for cycling, hiking, kayaking or boating to quiet beaches and coves. On the northern shores, the sleepy stone-built hamlet of Garjak makes a fine base, with arresting views of the rugged Dinara and Svilaja mountains and lake — never lovelier than in the hush of early morning when its turquoise waters are as still as a mill pond. Fringed by forest and pale-sand beaches, Camping Peruca gets you out, under and around the lake, with activities from rowing, kayaking, standup paddleboarding and diving to horse-riding and mountain biking. Stray slightly north to see the natural wonder that is the Eye of the Earth (Izvor Cetine), a jewel-like, circular karst spring that is the source of the River Cetina. Snuggled between the mountains of North Macedonia and eastern Albania, the green-blue Lake Ohrid is among Europe's oldest and deepest. Photograph by Plamen Mihaylov, Getty Images 5. Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia If you haven't heard of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lake Ohrid, you're not alone, but you are missing a trick. Snuggled between the mountains of North Macedonia and eastern Albania, this green-blue lake is among Europe's oldest and deepest. Summer tempts with dips in translucent waters, picnics on east-shore pebble beaches like Potpesh and Labino, and the kind of pink-purple sunsets that stir the soul. On the north shore, Ohrid is an enticing place to kick off a spin of the lake, with a cliff-hugging boardwalk unfurling to rocky beaches and a steep, warm-stone old town where cobbled alleys lead to Orthodox churches and a ruined medieval fort. Seafront restaurants pair local specialities like fish soup prepared with lake trout, lemon and garlic with Macedonian wines. Beyond Ohrid, you'll be seduced by cultural big-hitters like domed, Byzantine-style, fresco-filled Sveti Naum monastery, high atop a cliff, and the reconstructed Bronze and Iron Age pile dwellings of the Bay of Bones. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Does Trump understand what ‘the West' is? Does the West itself know?
The West urgently needs a definition of 'the West.' Without this, it cannot understand itself, or current and future challenges. If Ukraine is to be saved from dismemberment, and its nationhood not neutered, the nature and stakes of the conflict need to be understood in Huntingtonian terms. Even when political scientist Samuel Huntington (1927-2008) was mistaken, he was penetrating. In 1993, he wrote that 'the likelihood of violence between Ukrainians and Russians should be low. They are two Slavic, primarily Orthodox peoples who have had close relationships with each other for centuries.' Huntington did not foresee the West's magnetic attraction, pulling Ukraine away from the civilization Vladimir Putin intends to enforce.
Business Upturn
21-07-2025
- Business Upturn
Experience Plantation Life Up Close at Misty Mountain Plantation Resort
High in the hills of Kerala's Western Ghats lies Peermade, a region steeped in the rich heritage of tea cultivation. Here, amid the mist-draped slopes and vibrant greenery, Misty Mountain Plantation Resort offers guests a rare opportunity to step into the heart of an authentic working tea estate and experience plantation life as it has been lived for generations. Spanning over 600 acres, Misty Mountain Plantation Resort isn't just a destination, it's a journey into the soulful traditions of India's tea history. This unique resort is set within one of the earliest tea-growing regions in Kerala and is home to the renowned Misty Mountain Peermade Tea Estate, celebrated for producing high-quality Orthodox black tea. Made from carefully hand-plucked, tender light green leaves of the B661 clonal hybrid tea plants, some over 30 years old, the estate's tea stands apart for its bold, malty flavor and aromatic complexity, thanks to the unique terroir created by the region's rich biodiversity and moderate altitude. One of the highlights of a stay at Misty Mountain Resort is the immersive 'Misty Mountain Peermade Tea Experience', a signature offering designed to deepen guests' understanding and appreciation of tea. The experience begins with a captivating audiovisual presentation that explores the origins of tea, tracing its journey across continents and finally into the hills of Peermade. Visitors then embark on a sensory journey through the estate's tea gardens. Strolling through the well-maintained rows of emerald green, guided by knowledgeable hosts, guests learn the artistry behind harvesting and how each leaf contributes to the quality of the final brew. Guests then enjoy an exclusive look inside the state of the art factory, where they witness the meticulous Orthodox tea-making process. From withering and rolling to fermentation, drying, and grading, each step is performed with extraordinary craftsmanship aimed at preserving the leaf's natural integrity and flavor. This is where the transformation from leaf to cup is brought to life. No tea experience would be complete without tasting the final product. A curated tea tasting session offers guests the chance to savour several of Misty Mountain's teas, appreciating firsthand the vibrant flavor profiles shaped by the estate's location and techniques. The experience concludes with a visit to the tea shop, where guests can take home authentic Misty Mountain Peermade teas which can be meaningful souvenirs of their journey or thoughtful gifts for loved ones. For those craving adventure amid nature, Misty Mountain also offers an unforgettable jeep safari through the estate's private plantation trails. This exhilarating ride delves deep into the unexplored corners of the estate, revealing hidden viewpoints and offering panoramic vistas that are otherwise inaccessible. 'Life on the Misty Mountain plantation brings a new experience every day. Here, you come face-to-face with the quiet wonders of nature — a true lesson in how the land gives back when it is nurtured with love and care. As a family, we've been living this way for over 70 years, and we're delighted to share a taste of our home with every guest who visits. We warmly invite you to immerse yourself in the Misty Mountain experience, while also respecting the beauty that surrounds you. Everyone here is part of our close-knit community, working together for generations to protect and preserve this special place— for today, for tomorrow, and for generations to come.' – Mikhail & Rosa Beyond tea and safaris, Misty Mountain Plantation Resort invites guests to unwind and reconnect with the rhythms of nature. Guided plantation walks shed light on sustainable farming practices and introduce the region's diverse flora and fauna. Bird enthusiasts find joy in spotting vibrant species like Malabar whistling thrushes and Indian hornbills. For those seeking peace, there's the chance to cycle through forest paths, go fishing in tranquil reservoirs, or simply enjoy a quiet evening beside a crackling campfire under the stars. Accommodation options at the resort are designed to blend harmoniously into the natural surroundings. The wooden chalets, with private sit-outs, offer a cozy retreat amidst nature—perfect for quiet moments with a cup of tea. The stone-built Reverie Cottage features rooms with private balconies, where guests can soak in the mountain air, morning mist, or starry nights. Each space offers a peaceful escape, blending comfort with the charm of plantation life. Dining at Misty Mountain is as memorable as the setting. Guests can savour traditional Kerala dishes bursting with spice and authenticity or enjoy continental specialties and freshly baked treats, all crafted with seasonal ingredients. Before departure, visitors often find themselves drawn once again to the estate shop. Stocked with premium Orthodox teas, curated gift boxes, and locally grown spices, it offers a final taste of Peermade's lush bounty—something to take home and savour long after the journey ends. Often regarded as the best resort in Kuttikkanam for nature lovers and tea enthusiasts alike, it promises an experience that blends luxury with tradition. Whether you're a devoted tea aficionado, a curious traveller, or someone simply looking to reconnect with nature, the resort offers an enriching escape. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
eNCA
20-07-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Pope Leo eyes Turkey trip
VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XIV said he hoped to visit Turkey in the coming months for a Christian religious commemoration, in what could be his first overseas trip as pontiff. "I hope to be able to meet you again in a few months to take part in the ecumenical commemoration of the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea," Leo said at a meeting with members of an Orthodox and Catholic pilgrimage from the United States. This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a milestone in Church history, held in what is now the Turkish city of Iznik. Convened by the emperor Constantine in 325 AD, the council was the first to bring together Christian bishops from across the Roman Empire. It resulted in a statement of faith -- the Nicene Creed -- intended to exclude certain heresies. The creed confirmed there was one God who exists in three parts -- the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit -- which remains key doctrine for most Christian denominations. The late Pope Francis was to visit Turkey for the anniversary of the Nicaea Council in May, but the trip was cancelled due to his ill-health before he died on April 21 at the age of 88. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, has indicated that Leo wanted to go to Turkey, mentioning November 30, Saint Andrew's Day, as a possible date.
