عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

On Beirut’s Gemmayze Street: An Oasis of Music and Art

Gemmayze Street
Gemmayze Street
TT
TT

On Beirut’s Gemmayze Street: An Oasis of Music and Art

Gemmayze Street
Gemmayze Street

Gemmayze Street appeals to a broad segment of Beirutis. Brimming with restaurants, cafes and art galleries, it is also home to exhibitions and stores that sell antiques and paintings, cloth boutiques, and others.

Recently, it has emerged from the darkness that had been imposed by the Aug. 2020 Beirut Port blast. Most of its streets, as well as its buildings and cafes, were damaged or destroyed by the explosion, paralyzing what had been one of Beirut’s vibrant spaces.

Cynthia Warde, who owns In Action Events, which organizes artist and entertainment in Beirut and the mountains, has organized a street fair, Aa Tarik El Gemmayze (On Gemmayze Street), which had been scheduled for Sunday May 22 but was postponed till next Sunday because of extreme wind.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Warde said: “It is a recreational oasis in the heart of Beirut that has been organized with the aim of spreading.”

“Our will to survive and continue that prompted us to organize this exhibition,” Warde says about the street fair set to host 200 stands set up by vendors hoping to sell local goods and continue.

“We insisted on all the artistic works and food on display being stamped Made in Lebanon in order to shed light on these industries, which we urgently need today to encourage and highlight their strengths and diversity,” she adds.

Discussing the difficulties she faced in organizing this fair, Warde says: “Today, the people of Gemmayze, after everything they have endured following the Beirut blast, are overwhelmed with despair. Homes have been destroyed, restaurants have been wiped off the map, and buildings have had their doors and windows broken. This sadness undermines enthusiasm because the Lebanese love life and do not give up by nature.”

“At first, many met our invitations to take part with reluctance. They were afraid of this step after the street had been paralyzed for so long and everything that they had undergone over the past two years. But a not insignificant number of artists and vendors dared to join this cultural oasis. The number of participants increased, so much so that we ran out of space. This enthusiasm warmed our hearts and inspired us to think of similar exhibitions that we might hold in other streets of Beirut, such as Hamra, Saifi, Mono and others.”

In parallel, the restaurants and cafes of Gemmayze will open their doors to customers and offer them discounts. “They are a key partner, and we are happy to see them play a role so they could benefit from the hustle and bustle that will reflect positively on their employees.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Innovative Drug Lowers Triglycerides, Other Blood Lipids

High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 
High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 
TT
TT

Innovative Drug Lowers Triglycerides, Other Blood Lipids

High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 
High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease (Monash University) 

A study led by researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, revealed a new liver- and gut-targeted oral drug that can safely lower triglycerides and other blood lipids.

Researchers of the study, published last Friday in Nature Medicine, said the innovative drug could represent a breakthrough in treating metabolic diseases related to high triglycerides in the body.

The study said that when we eat, our bodies convert extra calories, especially from carbs, sugar, fats, and alcohol, into molecules called “triglycerides.”

Triglycerides are a form of fat or “lipid,” which the body stores away into its fat cells as an energy fuel for energy between meals.

But, excess amounts of fat in the body can be dangerous, causing a condition known as “hypertriglyceridemia” (“excess triglycerides in the blood”), which significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and pancreatitis.

This is why we are universally advised to make healthy lifestyle choices in diet, exercise, while particularly bad cases require medication.

The study also found that keeping blood fats in check depends on a careful balance.

It said the liver and intestine release fat particles into the bloodstream, while enzymes work to break them down and clear them away.

When fat production outpaces clearance, triglycerides build up, setting the stage for metabolic diseases like dyslipidemia, acute pancreatitis, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

One of the master switches in this system is a protein called Liver X Receptor, or LXR, which controls several genes that are involved in making and handling fats.

When LXR is active, triglycerides and cholesterol tend to rise.

Therefore, dialing it down through medication seems promising, but as LXR is also involved in protective cholesterol pathways elsewhere in the body, blocking it everywhere could do more harm than good.

Now, scientists have addressed this problem with an orally administered compound that can repress the activity of LXR specifically in the liver and gut to lower triglycerides without disrupting the body’s protective cholesterol pathways.

The compound, TLC‑2716, is what is known as an “inverse agonist” for the LXR. Unlike a “blocker” (“antagonist”) that merely stops a receptor from being activated, an “inverse agonist” makes the receptor signal the opposite effect to what it would normally do.

Clinical Trial

The lab findings set the stage for a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 1 study in healthy adults. Participants received TLC‑2716 for 14 days given as a single dose per day and the trial focused first on safety and tolerability, and the authors report that the drug met these primary endpoints.

But even this short trial had clear effects: participants who received higher doses of TLC‑2716 showed notable drops in triglycerides as well as remnant cholesterol.

At the highest doses of TLC‑2716 (12mg), triglycerides fell by up to 38.5%, while postprandial (“after eating”) remnant cholesterol dropped by as much as 61%.

This happened despite participants starting with relatively normal lipid levels and without the use of other lipid-lowering drugs, the study showed.

Also, the treatment sped up triglyceride clearance by reducing the activity of two proteins that normally slow it down, ApoC3 and ANGPTL3.

At the same time, the study did not detect reductions in blood-cell expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1, genes used here as markers linked to reverse cholesterol transport.

Researchers said larger trials will be needed, but, for now, the concept has its first human proof of principle.

Varieties

Small Part of Sunshine State Becomes Snowy State as Florida Gets Snow Second Year in a Row

A rare snow is seen in Holt, Florida, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Danielle Brahier via AP)
A rare snow is seen in Holt, Florida, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Danielle Brahier via AP)
TT
TT

Small Part of Sunshine State Becomes Snowy State as Florida Gets Snow Second Year in a Row

A rare snow is seen in Holt, Florida, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Danielle Brahier via AP)
A rare snow is seen in Holt, Florida, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Danielle Brahier via AP)

A small part of Florida is the Snowy State for the second year in a row.

Snow briefly covered the grass and rooftops in parts of the western Florida Panhandle on Sunday morning as just enough frigid air rushed in behind a cold front to turn the last rain showers into snowflakes in the Sunshine State.

And it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Less than a year ago, on Jan. 21, 2025, some of those same areas saw up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow in what was the most significant snowfall in many places since the late 1800s.

Snow photos flooded social media. There were a few flakes on the beach and snow nestled into palm fronds. It was too warm to stick to the roads, but a dusting of snow sat on the grass for a little while before mostly melting.

The rare snow in the South wasn't just in Florida. Southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia also reported snow in areas that also got to celebrate a second winter wonderland in less than a year.

Snow covered the ground in Columbus and Macon, Georgia, and officials warned enough might fall to make travel treacherous.

Varieties

Shark Mauls Boy in Sydney Harbor

This photo shows an aerial view of Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbor as seen from a plane flying over Sydney on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
This photo shows an aerial view of Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbor as seen from a plane flying over Sydney on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Shark Mauls Boy in Sydney Harbor

This photo shows an aerial view of Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbor as seen from a plane flying over Sydney on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
This photo shows an aerial view of Bondi Beach and Sydney Harbor as seen from a plane flying over Sydney on January 14, 2026. (AFP)

A shark mauled a boy swimming in Sydney Harbor on Sunday, leaving him in critical condition with serious leg injuries, authorities said.

The predator bit the boy, believed to be about 13 years old, during the late afternoon off Shark Beach, New South Wales state police said.

"The injuries are consistent with what is believed to have been a large shark," police said in a statement.

Officers pulled the boy from the water off the harbor beach within minutes of being alerted to the incident, police said.

They gave the boy first aid for "serious" leg injuries while he was aboard a police boat, applying two medical tourniquets.

Paramedics transported him to Sydney Children's Hospital, where he was said to be in critical condition.

"Swimmers are advised to avoid entering nearby waters at this time," police said.

Shark Beach, in Sydney's eastern suburb of Vaucluse, was closed and police evacuated nearby beaches in the harbor, the state government said.

Wildlife experts were working to identify the shark species involved, it said in a statement.

"This is a tragic shark attack on a young boy having a swim on a Sunday afternoon near a harbor beach in Sydney's east," New South Wales Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said.

"Our thoughts are with the young boy and his family. I understand there were also other young people with him at the time of the attack, our thoughts are also with them."

There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 resulted in death, according to a database of the predators' encounters with humans.

Increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures that appear to be swaying sharks' migratory patterns may be contributing to a rise in attacks despite overfishing depleting some species, scientists say.

A great white shark mauled surfer Mercury Psillakis to death at a popular northern Sydney ocean beach in September.

Two months later, a bull shark killed a woman swimming off a remote beach north of Sydney.