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Macron to Tell Trump: "You Can't Be Weak with Putin" Ahead of US Visit

This is Beirut, 20/02 22:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron USA Volodymyr Zelensky Europe

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France was entering a "new era" and that he planned to tell US President Donald Trump he could not "be weak" with Vladimir Putin. Macron spoke to the French ahead of a planned visit to the White House to meet Trump next week, as Europe scrambles to respond to his Ukraine war ...

Stock markets skid after Trump threatens auto tariffs

This is Beirut, 19/02 17:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Global stock markets mostly fell Wednesday after US President Donald Trump broadened his tariff threats, stoking wider trade war fears. Trump warned the previous day that he would impose tariffs "in the neighbourhood of 25 percent" on auto imports and a similar amount or higher on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. "Understandably this has ...

Zelensky Warns Russia Will 'Wage War' on NATO

This is Beirut, 16/02 17:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes Russia is preparing to "wage war" against a weakened NATO should President Donald Trump dilute US support for the alliance. In an interview with broadcaster NBC on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky also said Trump had the leverage to push Vladimir Putin into ceasefire ...

The European Union Overshadowed by 'Pax Americana'

Mario Chartouni, 16/02 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The announcement of direct talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine marks a major geopolitical shift. By deliberately sidestepping the European Union (EU), this move signals a strategy to weaken Europe’s influence, despite its long-standing role in the Ukrainian crisis. Here’s how ...

Zelensky Warns US Not to Cut Ukraine, Europe Out of Talks

This is Beirut, 15/02 15:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday warned the United States not to strike a deal with Russia "behind our backs", as he urged Europe to stand up and make its voice heard. Speaking at a gathering of top policymakers in Munich, the Ukrainian leader issued a rallying cry for Europe to take responsibility for its own security, ...

Munich Conference: JD Vance Says US Wants "Lasting Peace" in Ukraine

This is Beirut, 14/02 20:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US Vice President JD Vance pledged Friday that Washington sought to secure a "lasting" peace as he held a first meeting with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss Donald Trump's push for a deal with Moscow. The talks in Munich were seen as a key moment for Kyiv as it tries to keep Washington on its side after Trump ...

Trump Offers Trade Deal to Modi in Full 'Bromance' Mode

This is Beirut, 14/02 04:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to India as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade, rekindling a bond that defies the new US administration's punitive approach to much of the world. Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump's return, ...

"Make NATO Great Again": US Pressures Allies on Defence Spending

This is Beirut, 13/02 19:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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US defence chief Pete Hegseth issued a call Thursday to "make NATO great again" -- urging European countries to spend more on defence with a twist on Donald Trump's trademark slogan. Meeting NATO partners the day after Trump revealed plans to start peace talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, the Pentagon head said Washington remained committed to ...

France says EU working toward 'rapid' easing of Syria sanctions

This is Beirut, 13/02 19:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Thursday that the European Union was working toward swiftly easing Syria sanctions as Paris hosted a conference on the transition in the war-torn country after president Bashar al-Assad's fall. Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad in December after a lightning offensive. The new authorities, headed by ...

US stocks fall as inflation unexpectedly heats up

This is Beirut, 12/02 17:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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US stock markets tumbled on Wednesday as an inflation reading came in hotter than expected, fanning fears that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer. Following days of attention on US President Donald Trump's tariff moves, traders were focusing on the January consumer inflation data, which is set to play a role in the ...

Trump Signs Executive Orders for Steel, Aluminum Tariffs to Start March 12

This is Beirut, 11/02 09:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US President Donald Trump signed executive orders to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from March 12, ramping up a long-promised trade war despite warnings from Europe and China. "Today I'm simplifying our tariffs on steel and aluminum," Trump said Monday in the Oval Office. "It's 25 percent without exceptions or ...

Government Chiefs and Tech Leaders Gather in Paris for AI Summit

This is Beirut, 10/02 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Political and tech industry leaders were set to descend on Paris Monday for a two-day summit on artificial intelligence, hoping to find common ground on a technology with the potential to upset global business and society. Co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering's stated aims include ...

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