Search : 1000 result(s)

US Envoy to Discuss Finalizing Gaza Aid 'Corridor': State Dept

The United States said Tuesday that it was sending an envoy to the Middle East for talks that aim to finalize a "corridor" for aid to war-ravaged Gaza, where authorities said people are dying of starvation. Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's globe-trotting negotiator, is traveling to the region for new talks, State Department spokeswoman ...

US Envoy Witkoff to Visit Israel on Thursday

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, will visit Israel on Thursday to "discuss next steps" on Gaza, an American official said. Witkoff has been involved in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The discussions broke down last week when Israel ...

Russia Resumes Moscow-Pyongyang Commercial Flights

A Russian passenger jet landed at North Korea's main airport Monday, a flight tracking site showed, completing the first commercial leg in decades between capitals of the allied countries. Russia and North Korea have pulled closer in the last year, with Pyongyang sending weapons and troops to aid Moscow's war in Ukraine -- likely in exchange for ...

British Opera Tenor David Rendall Dies Aged 76

Renowned British tenor David Rendall, who performed in some of the world's most famous opera houses during a decades-spanning career, has died aged 76, his family said Tuesday. His death, while surrounded by relatives in southern England on Monday, follows a long illness, their announcement noted. Rendall graced the stages of London's Royal ...

Israeli FM Rejects International Pressure for Gaza Ceasefire

Israel's foreign minister rejected on Tuesday what he called a "distorted campaign" of international pressure for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and recognition of a Palestinian state. Gideon Saar told reporters that if Israel was to halt the conflict while Hamas is still in power in Gaza and still holding hostages it would be a "tragedy for both ...

Basketball – U16: Lebanon, Kings of West Asia

Lebanese basketball has once again made a bold statement on the regional stage. This time, it’s the under-16s who proudly raised the national flag, claiming the West Asia Basketball Association (WABA) U16 championship, following a perfect run at the Prince Hamzeh Hall in Amman, Jordan. On Thursday evening, in the final, the Lebanese coaching ...

Senior ISIS Leader Killed in US Raid in Syria's Aleppo Province

American forces killed an Islamic State group leader in a raid in Syria's Aleppo province on Friday, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The raid resulted "in the death of senior ISIS leader, Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult ISIS-affiliated sons," CENTCOM said in a statement, using an acronym for the jihadist ...

Hamas Rejects Trump Remarks on Gaza Talks Breakdown

Hamas officials expressed surprise on Saturday at US President Donald Trump's accusation that the group "didn't really want" a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza. Trump made the allegation on Friday, a day after Israel and the United States quit indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar that had lasted nearly three weeks. "Trump's ...

US Criticizes French Release of Jailed Georges Abdallah

The United States on Saturday criticized the release from a French prison of pro-Palestinian Lebanese Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who spent more than 40 years behind bars for the killings of two diplomats, one of them American. Abdallah was detained in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for his involvement in the murders of US military ...

Gaza Civil Defense says Israeli Strikes Kill 30

Gaza's civil defense agency said Tuesday that Israeli air strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians, including women and children, in the central Nuseirat district. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the strikes were carried out overnight and into the morning and "targeted a number of citizens' homes" in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The ...

Macron to Host PM Salam Thursday During First France Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet on Thursday at the Élysée Palace with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who is making his first official visit to France. The two leaders will discuss security issues in Lebanon and the “major regional challenges,” according to an official statement published by the Élysée on Tuesday. “The ...

Lynette Howell Taylor to Lead Oscars as Academy President

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences elected A Star is Born film producer Lynette Howell Taylor as its new president, the group behind the Oscars said Thursday. Howell Taylor, who is British and also produced Blue Valentine and The Accountant, becomes the fifth woman chosen to run Hollywood's most elite group of filmmakers. Academy ...

Trump Expresses “Discontent” Over Plans To Recognize a Palestinian State

Donald Trump “expressed his discontent and disagreement with the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada” over their plans to recognize a Palestinian state, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. The U.S. president has thus somewhat hardened his stance on the matter. While he had already sharply criticized ...

Two Palestinian Teenagers Killed by Israeli Army in the West Bank

The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that two Palestinian teenagers were killed by the Israeli army overnight near Bethlehem, in the southern occupied West Bank, while the army said it had killed “terrorists.” "The General Authority for Civil Affairs informed the Ministry of Health of the martyrdom of young Ahmad Ali Asaad Ashira al-Salah ...

Hamas Armed Wing Publishes Video of Gaza Hostage

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas released a minute-long video Friday of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza looking weak and malnourished inside a narrow concrete tunnel. The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades video showed an emaciated and bearded man that AFP and Israeli media identified as Evyatar David, seized on October 7, 2023. AFP ...

One in Three Gazans “Not Eating for Days,” Warns WFP

Almost a third of people in Gaza are "not eating for days," the United Nations food aid agency told AFP on Friday, saying the crisis has reached "new and astonishing levels of desperation." The Rome-based World Food Programme had previously warned of a "critical risk of famine" in war-raged Gaza, over which international condemnation of Israel's ...

Turkey Battles Wildfires Amid Strong Winds, Heatwave

Firefighters were battling several blazes across Turkey on Monday when the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, officials said. Wildfires across Turkey over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths. Nineteen villages and more than 3,500 people have been evacuated from their homes. Turkey is experiencing a heatwave that peaked with ...

Pope Receives High-Ranking Russian Orthodox Cleric

Pope Leo XIV held a first meeting on Saturday with a senior Russian Orthodox cleric at the Vatican since becoming the head of the Catholic Church earlier this year, the Holy See said without giving further details. Leo, who has called on the Kremlin to make a "gesture" towards peace in Ukraine, received Metropolitan Anthony of ...

US Announces Leaving UN Cultural Body UNESCO

The United States on Tuesday announced it has left UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against Israel and promotes "divisive" causes. "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States," the State Department ...

Micro-influencer: Trust Over Fame

In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, a new type of influencer has emerged: not the celebrity with millions of followers, but the relatable figure with a smaller, more engaged audience: the “micro-influencer.” The rise of this term says a lot about how influence is being redefined in the digital age. What Does “Micro-influencer” ...

'Demon Slayer' Movie Smashes Box Office Records in Japan

The latest movie adaptation of hit manga and anime series Demon Slayers breaking records in Japan, becoming the fastest film to gross 10 billion yen ($67 million), an industry body said. The film was released on July 18 and reached the 10-billion-yen mark after eight days. The previous record-holder was the last installment of the series, which ...

Israeli Drone Strikes Car in Tebnine, Forces Advance Near Aitaroun

An Israeli drone launched two missiles on Tuesday at a vehicle in the Ain al-Mazrab area of Tebnine, South Lebanon, causing destruction. Later that night, an Israeli force, supported by three military vehicles including a bulldozer, advanced from a newly built position on Jabal al-Batt near the outskirts of Aitaroun. The force began excavation ...

Hezbollah Commander and Two Others Killed in Israeli Strikes

A Hezbollah commander and two others were killed on Saturday in two separate Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon.  Israeli drones struck late in the afternoon a house with two missiles in the town of Debaal, killing Ali Gharib and Mohammad Abboud. The strike occurred in the town square, prompting immediate response from emergency ...

Welcome Back!

As soon as press leaks emerged suggesting that the Lebanese file was being taken away from US envoy Tom Barrack and handed back to former envoy Morgan Ortagus, a certain optimism resurfaced among the Lebanese. This might be explained by the fact that Ortagus is seen as more than just a US envoy; she has indeed become some kind of celebrity in ...

Golf: American Podium for Lebanese Sensation Victoria Richani

Lebanese golf has found its jewel. Victoria Richani achieved a resounding feat by winning the bronze medal at the US Amateur Golf Championship (ages 15–18), held from July 24 to 26 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The event, recognized by the Junior Golf Scoreboard, the American Junior Golf Association, and the World Amateur Golf Ranking, brought ...

French Prosecutors Seek New Assad Arrest Warrant

French prosecutors said Monday they have requested a new arrest warrant against Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad over a deadly 2013 chemical attacks after a previous one was cancelled. It is now up to investigating magistrates to decide whether to issue the new warrant. French investigators have since 2021 been looking into a suspected ...

Beirut Port Silos Added to Historic Buildings List

Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh signed a decree this morning officially adding the Beirut port grain silos to Lebanon’s General Inventory of Historic Buildings. The decision comes in response to a formal request submitted by the families of the victims of the August 4, 2020, explosion. The classification follows repeated calls to preserve ...

Hajjar Stresses Coordinated Security Efforts

Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar on Friday underscored the critical role of regional governors in working alongside Lebanon’s security agencies and international organizations to facilitate the safe and organized return of displaced persons. During a meeting with governors to address pressing security and administrative concerns, Hajjar ...