This is Beirut - Donald Trump

Kremlin Calls Zelensky Comment on Direct Talks with Putin 'Empty Words'

This is Beirut, 05/02 12:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Ukraine USA Russia Vladimir Poutine

The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that he was ready for direct talks with Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin to end fighting as "empty words". "So far this cannot be seen as anything but empty words," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, after Zelensky said in an interview that he ...

Tariff Crisis: Trump Redefines Global Trade

Paul Guillot, 05/02 12:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Canada Mexico China Trade Tariffs

The Trump administration has disrupted the global economy with a series of dramatic announcements and last-minute negotiations, imposing new tariffs on key trading partners – Canada, Mexico and China. While Canada and Mexico secured temporary reprieves through emergency agreements, China remains entrenched in a fierce tariff standoff. Amid ...

Trump says to reinstate 'maximum pressure' on Iran, Tehran promises “failure”

This is Beirut, 05/02 11:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA White House Iran Nuclear weapons

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was planning to reinstate what he called the "maximum pressure" policy against Iran over allegations that it is trying to develop nuclear weapons. However, Trump also said he hoped the policy will "hardly have to be used." Trump made the comment as he signed a memorandum reimposing the tough policy of ...

Saudi Arabia Says no Israel Normalization Without Palestinian State

This is Beirut, 05/02 09:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it will not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established, after Israel's prime minister remarked that he thought normalisation with the Gulf kingdom was "going to happen". "Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its ...

USAID, a Soft Power Tool That Does Not Serve Trump’s Policy

Samar El-Kadi, 05/02 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Insubordination, waste of taxpayers’ money and promotion of agendas that run counter to US national interests are some of the reasons spelled out by US President Donald Trump’s administration for freezing foreign aid and targeting the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in particular. Trump, a long-term critic of overseas ...

Trump Wants to Jail American Citizens in Salvador

This is Beirut, 05/02 04:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law. "If we had the legal right to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's no different than our prison system, except ...

Trump Signs Order Withdrawing US from UN Human Rights Council

This is Beirut, 04/02 23:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization. The executive order said it withdrew Washington from UNHRC and the main UN relief agency for ...

Who Is Morgan Ortagus, Trump's Envoy Expected in Beirut on Thursday?

Élie-Joe Kamel, 04/02 14:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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On January 3, 2025, US President Donald Trump appointed Morgan Ortagus as Deputy Special Envoy for Peace in the Middle East. Ortagus, who served as spokesperson for the US State Department during Trump’s first term (2017-2021), will be part of the team headed by Steve Witkoff, a close friend and trusted confidant of Trump. Morgan Ortagus, ...

Where Things Stand in China-US Trade Tensions

This is Beirut, 04/02 12:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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China has made good on its threats to retaliate in the escalating trade war with the United States, imposing tariffs on American imports of energy, cars and machinery parts. That came just minutes after a 10 percent tariff hike on Chinese goods, announced by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, came into effect. Here's the state of play in the ...

Netanyahu to Meet Trump as Israel, Hamas Eye Gaza Truce Talks

This is Beirut, 04/02 09:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas say they are ready for negotiations on a new phase in their fragile Gaza ceasefire. Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump returned to power last month, will discuss the truce's future and efforts to ...

Musk Takes Reins of US Treasury Payments, Sparking Lawsuit

This is Beirut, 04/02 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Elon Musk and his aides have taken control of the US Treasury Department's payments system, triggering a lawsuit charging he is illegally getting access to private data of millions of Americans. Musk, the world's richest person, is leading President Donald Trump's federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government ...

Tariffs: Gold Shines and the Euro Crashes

Christiane Tager, 03/02 22:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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After a year marked by record highs, gold seems poised to continue its surge in 2025, as investors seek to shield themselves from global economic uncertainties. The trade policies of US President Donald Trump, particularly the new tariffs that could provoke a trade war, dampen economic growth and fuel inflation, will likely benefit gold. Gold ...

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