Rwanda, DRC to Ink Peace Deal in US But Questions Remain

This is Beirut 2025-06-27 09:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Washington DRC Rwanda Peace

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo will sign an agreement in Washington on Friday to put an end to a conflict in the eastern DRC that has killed thousands, although broad questions loom on what it will mean. President Donald Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal, and publicly complained that he hasn't received a Nobel ...

Iran Holds State Funeral for Top Brass Slain in War With Israel

This is Beirut 2025-06-28 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Tehran United States Iran

Iran began a state funeral service Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel, after Tehran's top diplomat condemned Donald Trump's comments on supreme leader Ali Khamenei as "unacceptable". The proceedings started at 8:00 am local time (0430 GMT) in the capital Tehran as government offices and ...

Rwanda, DR Congo Sign Peace Deal in US After Rebel Sweep

This is Beirut 2025-06-28 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Washington United Nations DRC Rwanda

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement Friday in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas -- and President Donald Trump boasting of securing mineral wealth. "Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region ...

Iran Holds State Funeral for Top Brass Slain in War with Israel

This is Beirut 2025-06-28 13:02 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Iran Abbas Araghchi

Iran held a state funeral service Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel, after Tehran's top diplomat condemned Donald Trump's comments on supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as "unacceptable." The proceedings started at 8:00 am local time (0430 GMT) in the capital ...

Trump Urges 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire Deal Ahead of Netanyahu Visit

This is Beirut 2025-07-02 05:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Gaza Palestine

US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, saying that Israel had agreed to finalize such a deal, as its forces also stepped up operations in the Palestinian territory. Trump, in a post on social media, said his representatives had met with Israeli officials about the raging conflict, ahead of Prime ...

EU Aims to Reach Trade Deal with US in 'Coming Days'

This is Beirut 2025-07-09 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union United States Trade

The European Union wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days" to avoid sweeping tariffs, a spokesman said Wednesday. If the EU does not clinch an agreement with the United States, higher tariffs will return and risk unleashing a bitter trade war. US President Donald Trump's sweeping levies were due to snap back into force ...

With Tariffs Looming, US Trade Partners Scramble for Last-Minute Deals

This is Beirut 2025-07-02 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Tariffs

A week before US President Donald Trump reimposes steep tariffs on dozens of economies, including the EU and Japan, many are still scrambling to reach a deal that would protect them from the worst. The tariffs taking effect July 9 are part of a package Trump imposed in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trading ties. He slapped a 10 ...

Israel Calls for Seizing the Opportunity to Free Hostages in Gaza

This is Beirut 2025-07-02 12:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Gaza Gideon Saar

Israel's top diplomat called on Wednesday not to miss any chance to free hostages held in Gaza, after US President Donald Trump urged Palestinian group Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel's backing. Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, ...

Trump Says Vietnam to Face 20% Tariff under 'Great' Deal

This is Beirut 2025-07-02 19:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Vietnam Tariffs

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam under which the country would face a minimum 20 percent tariff and open its market to US products. The deal comes less than a week before Trump's self-imposed July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs on US trade partners to take effect if agreements are not ...

Thailand Set for Another Acting PM After Cabinet Reshuffle

This is Beirut 2025-07-03 09:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Thailand Cabinet

Thailand's king is scheduled Thursday to swear in a new cabinet in a reshuffle that will see a third person in a week take on the role as the country's prime minister. The Southeast Asian nation's top office was plunged into turmoil on Tuesday when the Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pending an ethics probe ...

Toward a Truce in Gaza: What the New Ceasefire Agreement Involves

This is Beirut 2025-07-03 11:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Ceasefire Donald Trump Hamas

A new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas appears to be taking shape, with concrete provisions involving the release of Israeli hostages, the return of remains, and commitments toward a gradual de-escalation in Gaza. According to The New York Times, which cites Israeli and Palestinian sources close to the negotiations, the proposed deal ...

Syria Ready to Work With US to Return to 1974 Disengagement Deal With Israel

This is Beirut 2025-07-04 17:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam USA United Nations Damascus New York Syria

Syria said on Friday it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, which created a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two countries' forces. In a statement after a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed Damascus's ...

EU, US to Hold Last-Ditch Trade Talks Through Weekend

This is Beirut 2025-07-04 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union USA Donald Trump

EU and US negotiators will hold final stretch talks through the weekend as Brussels chases a deal before a July 9 deadline to avoid the return of steep tariffs, diplomats said on Friday. If the European Union does not clinch an agreement with the United States by Wednesday next week, higher levies will snap back in and unleash economic pain on ...

Israel and Hamas Resume Indirect Talks in Doha as Netanyahu Heads to Washington

This is Beirut 2025-07-06 13:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Gaza Ceasefire Qatar

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are set to resume Sunday in Doha for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. Netanyahu had earlier announced he was sending a team to Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict, though he said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ...

Trump Says to Send First Tariff Letters on Monday

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union USA Tariffs Letters

US President Donald Trump announced he would send the first tariff letters to various countries on Monday, days before his deadline for trading partners to reach a deal expires. Trump said on Sunday that he will send a first batch of up to 15 letters, warning that US levies on imports will snap back to the high levels he set in April if countries ...

Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump European Union Trade Tariff

US President Donald Trump has said he will send letters to select trade partners facing tariff hikes as early as Monday, piling pressure on countries to strike a deal with Washington before a new August 1 deadline. The White House announced sharp levies on dozens of economies in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trade relations, which were ...

Has America Reversed Itself on Hezbollah?

Hussain Abdul-Hussain 2025-07-08 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon USA Hezbollah

US Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has reversed three decades of US policy by no longer labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The shift de-internationalizes the issue of the Iranian proxy militia, whose disarmament is mandated by UN Security Council resolutions and the November ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and ...

Netanyahu Meets Trump Again as U.S. Pushes for Gaza Ceasefire Deal

This is Beirut 2025-07-09 07:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu United States

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the White House on Tuesday evening for a second meeting in 24 hours with U.S. President Donald Trump, amid growing American pressure to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas. The unannounced Oval Office meeting, which lasted over an hour and included Vice President J.D. ...

Issa and LaHood Fight for LAF's US Assistance

This Is Beirut 2024-06-28 17:23 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday, 308 to 103, against a bill to prevent future funding for the Lebanese Armed Forces. The military assistance program had been under fire for a while because of some US representatives who reportedly perceived a “conciliatory relationship” between the LAF and Hezbollah. During remarks on the ...

Jordan Advises Citizens Against Traveling to Lebanon

This Is Beirut 2024-06-28 18:43 - Reading : less than a minute

“In light of the ongoing developments in the region and in the interest of ensuring the safety of Jordanian citizens abroad,” the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates urged Jordanian citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon at this time. The ministry's spokesperson, Ambassador Sufian Qudah, emphasized that this recommendation ...

Israel Says Striking Hezbollah Sites in Beirut After Destroying Bridge

This is Beirut 04/04 05:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel United Nations Lebanon Middle East

The Israeli military said Saturday it had begun striking "Hezbollah infrastructure" in Beirut after it destroyed a bridge in eastern Lebanon to prevent the Iran-backed group's reinforcements from crossing. An AFP journalist heard two loud explosions in the capital within half an hour early Saturday and saw smoke billowing from one of them. Local ...

Revolution, Power, and Repression: The Political Downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

Malo Pinatel 2025-11-19 16:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Turkey United Kingdom United States

From the 2012 electoral victory to the upheavals that followed, the trajectory of the Muslim Brotherhood in contemporary Egypt reflects a decade of tensions, divisions, and radical transformation. On January 25, 2011, millions of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and other major cities, demanding an end to Hosni Mubarak’s ...

Two Newly Discovered Bach Organ Works Unveiled in Germany

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Music Johann Sebastian Bach Germany Culture

Two long-lost organ pieces written by a teenage Johann Sebastian Bach were unveiled in Germany on Monday in a discovery described as a "great moment for the world of music." The two solo organ works, written while Bach was working as an organ teacher in the town of Arnstadt in Thuringia early in his career, first caught the attention of ...

Israel Says US Plan for Gaza to Deliver 'Peace and Prosperity' After UN Vote

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 11:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Israel Palestine USA Donald Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday hailed a US-drafted plan for Gaza after it was endorsed by the UN Security Council, saying it would lead to "peace and prosperity." The Palestinian foreign ministry also welcomed the 13-0 vote at the United Nations in New York and called for the resolution to be swiftly implemented on ...

Wicked Sequel Expands Oz With Depth, Music And Magic

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Cinema Premiere NYC Culture Art

When Universal Pictures split its musical adaptation of Wicked into two films, the move was derided by some critics as a cynical — if spectacularly successful — money grab. But with Wicked: For Good out in theaters around the world this week, its stars and filmmakers say the decision has freed them up to expand the Wizard of Oz prequel ...

Zelensky Trip to Turkey Aims to 'Re-Engage' US in Peace Efforts

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 13:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Turkey Russia Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky will head to Turkey on Wednesday seeking to revive the United States' involvement in diplomatic efforts to end the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Zelensky said he wanted to reinvigorate frozen peace talks, which have faltered after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul this year failed ...

Sayyid Qutb: From the Muslim Brotherhood to Global Influence

Marie de La Roche Saint-André 2025-11-18 15:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Europe United States Muslim Brotherhood Sayyid Qutb

Born in 1906 into a devout family in a village of Upper Egypt, he studied educational sciences, much like Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood’s founder. Alongside his career as a teacher and civil servant in the Ministry of Education, Sayyid Qutb gained recognition as a literary figure, moving within Egypt’s intellectual circles, including ...

One Killed, Three Wounded in West Bank Attack: Israel Emergency Service

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel West Bank Hamas Palestine

One person was killed and three were wounded in a stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Israeli emergency services said. Paramedics and an army medical force "established the death of a man aged 30 with a stab wound and referred three injured people" to two Jerusalem hospitals, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's equivalent of the ...

What is the Enigma M4 Cipher Machine

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Enigma M4 Science Alan Turing cipher machine Christie's World War II

The auction of an Enigma M4 cipher machine at Christie's today is more than a landmark for collectors of rare artifacts. It represents a unique intersection of military history, cryptanalysis, and the birth of modern computing. This device is both a weapon of war and a witness to the extraordinary intellectual achievement that unlocked state ...

Washington Cancels General Rodolphe Haykal's Visit

This is Beirut 2025-11-18 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Washington Hezbollah Israel United States US Congress

Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal’s planned visit to the United States on Tuesday was cancelled at the last minute, after Washington notified Beirut that the program would not be maintained. The cancellation of the visit was reportedly due to the Lebanese army's statement regarding the Israeli army's shooting of two UNIFIL soldiers, in ...