Shakira Lights up the Stage at Lebanon’s Cedars Festival

Colombian singer Shakira visits Tannourine Cedars Reserve, in Tannourine, Lebanon July 13, 2018. (Reuters)
Colombian singer Shakira visits Tannourine Cedars Reserve, in Tannourine, Lebanon July 13, 2018. (Reuters)
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Shakira Lights up the Stage at Lebanon’s Cedars Festival

Colombian singer Shakira visits Tannourine Cedars Reserve, in Tannourine, Lebanon July 13, 2018. (Reuters)
Colombian singer Shakira visits Tannourine Cedars Reserve, in Tannourine, Lebanon July 13, 2018. (Reuters)

Colombian singer Shakira held on Friday a concert in her ancestral home of Lebanon, delighting a crowd of thousands gathered under the stars near the northern “Forest of the Cedars of God”.

“Lubnaaan! It’s amazing to be in this magical setting, it’s surreal, thank you so much for having me tonight,” she said after her opening songs, using the Arabic word for Lebanon.

“This means so much to me to be singing in the land of my grandparents,” she said. “I feel so proud of these cedars, so proud of my heritage and so proud of you,” said Shakira, 41, to cheers from the crowd.

Shakira performed songs from her 11th album, El Dorado, which was released last year as well as classic hits such as “Estoy Aqui” and “Whenever, Wherever”. She also belly danced.

Part of a world tour, the Shakira concert marked the start of the Cedars International Festival, one of a number of music festivals hosted by Lebanon each summer.

Shakira, who was born in Columbia to a Lebanese father and Colombian mother.

This is Shakira's third visit to the country. Her first visit came in 2003 and she returned in 2011 for a concert.

Earlier on Friday, she visited the village of Tannourine where her paternal grandmother was born, an AFP journalist said.

"Hello Tannourine, thank you, I am happy to be here!", she said in Arabic during a visit under high security to the village of Tannourine in Lebanon's mountainous north.

Accompanied by local officials, Shakira visited a nature reserve that grows cedar trees -- Lebanon's national emblem -- and planted two saplings.

To mark the occasion, a small patch of the reserve was named "Shakira Mubarak" -- after one of the singer's family names, Tannourine's mayor Bahaa Harb said.

The Forest of the Cedars of God and nearby Qadish valley are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Shakira is in Lebanon with her two sons.



Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
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Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its US production, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on social media.

The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic beverages -- a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement, AFP said.

"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them -- You'll see. It's just better!"

The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke.

Since his return to the White House, Trump has re-installed a special button in the Oval Office which summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink.

Coca-Cola did not immediately confirm the ingredient shift.

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon," the company said in a short statement.

HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar.

Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.

Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose. However, they differ structurally: HFCS contains free (unbonded) fructose and glucose in varying ratios -- 55/45 in soft drinks -- while sucrose consists of the two sugars chemically bonded together.

These structural differences, however, don't appear to significantly affect health outcomes.

A 2022 review of clinical studies found no meaningful differences between HFCS and sucrose in terms of weight gain or heart health.

The only notable distinction was an increase in a marker of inflammation in people consuming HFCS. Overall, both sweeteners appear similarly impactful when consumed at equal calorie levels.

Despite this, Mexican Coke -- which is made with cane sugar -- is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more "natural" flavor.

Trump's prized Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame -- a compound classified as a "possible carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).