This is Beirut - European Union

French FM Says China can Help Bring Russia to Ukraine Negotiating Table

This is Beirut, 27/03 11:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Beijing on Thursday to help bring Russia to talks over ending its war in Ukraine as he met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. France and China have sought to boost ties in recent years, but Paris has also pressed Beijing on its relations with Moscow, which have strengthened since the invasion of ...

Ireland Increases Its Aid to Lebanon with a €2.5 Million Donation

This is Beirut, 26/03 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji announced on Wednesday an additional €2.5 million donation from Ireland, aimed at funding the United Nations Humanitarian Fund in Lebanon. The announcement was made during a meeting held at the ministry, in the presence of Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris and the Irish delegation, which included ...

Armenia Parliament Votes for Starting EU Accession Bid

This is Beirut, 26/03 12:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Armenia's parliament passed a bill Wednesday launching Yerevan's bid for European Union membership, as the historically Russia-allied country drifts further away from Moscow's orbit. The landlocked Caucasus nation has grown increasingly close to the West, frustrated by what it says was Moscow's failure to protect it from arch-foe ...

Defense: As the US Disengages, Turkey Eyes the Old Continent

Malo Pinatel, 26/03 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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While the world’s attention was fixed on the March 12 summit between Ukraine and the United States in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, another important meeting was taking place in the region – in Ankara. It brought together Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the aim of strengthening ties between the ...

Shaken by Instability, Will Erdoğan Choose the Path to Damascus?

Paul Guillot, 25/03 18:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and Erdoğan’s main political rival, has triggered an unprecedented wave of protests across Turkey. Accused of corruption, İmamoğlu denounces what he describes as a politically motivated attempt to sideline him ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Since his detention, tens of thousands ...

Tesla's EU Sales Plunge 49% Year-on-Year In First Two Months of 2025: Industry Body

This is Beirut, 25/03 10:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union

European sales of Tesla electric cars dropped 49 percent in January-February compared with the same period a year earlier, the ACEA manufacturers' association said Tuesday. Ageing models are one factor behind the plunge so far this year, but e-vehicle clients may also be refusing to buy in protest of Tesla's billionaire owner Elon Musk since he ...

EU Top Diplomat: Israel Strikes on Syria, Lebanon 'Risk Further Escalation'

This is Beirut, 24/03 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Monday during a visit to Jerusalem that Israeli strikes on Syria and Lebanon threatened to worsen the situation. The most intense escalation since a November ceasefire, which ended the war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, occurred on Saturday. Lebanon's health ...

Palestinians Denounce Israeli Recognition of New West Bank Settlements

This is Beirut, 23/03 18:08 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned on Sunday an Israeli decision to recognize more than a dozen new settlements in the occupied West Bank, upgrading existing neighborhoods to independent settlement status. The decision by Israel's security cabinet was a show of "disregard for international legitimacy and its resolutions," ...

Zelensky Tells EU to Keep Pressure on Russia Ahead of New Talks

This is Beirut, 20/03 21:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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President Volodymyr Zelensky urged EU leaders Thursday to step up weapon supplies to Ukraine and keep pressuring Russia, as officials from Kyiv and Moscow readied to hold fresh talks with the United States next week. Europe is scrambling to weigh on the outcome as US President Donald Trump forges ahead with Russia on ending its war on Ukraine, ...

Kremlin Accuses Europe of Planning 'Militarisation'

This is Beirut, 20/03 17:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Kremlin on Thursday accused European countries of planning to "militarize" rather than seek peace, as Western military chiefs gathered in Britain to discuss how to protect Ukraine. Major European powers, including France and the UK, have sought to boost military spending since Donald Trump took office in January, amid fears the US is no ...

Europe Shifts Gears for the Trump Era

This is Beirut, 20/03 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Barely a month ago, a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sent an unmistakable message across the Atlantic: the United States may not be there forever to keep Europe safe from an aggressive Russia. By the time the pair spoke again this week, a whirlwind of diplomacy had seen Europe juggle alliances and rewrite long-held rules – ...

EU Skewers Google, Apple over Tech Rules Despite Trump Threats

This is Beirut, 19/03 17:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules -- which could trigger hefty fines -- and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals' devices. The moves risk opening up a new front in the already fraught relationship between the EU and President Donald Trump, who ...