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US Congress Approves $9 Bn in Trump Cuts to Foreign Aid, Public Media

This is Beirut, 18/07 09:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

US Republicans early Friday approved President Donald Trump's plan to cancel $9 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, vowing it was just the start of broader efforts by Congress to slash the federal budget. The cuts achieve only a tiny fraction of the $1 trillion in annual savings that tech billionaire and estranged Trump ...

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Issue After Leg Swelling, Hand Bruising

This is Beirut, 17/07 23:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA White House

US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a long-term but benign vein condition, the White House said Thursday following speculation about his heavily bruised hand and swollen legs. The 79-year-old was found to have "chronic venous insufficiency" after he "noted mild swelling in his lower legs" in recent weeks, White House Press Secretary ...

Grand Canyon: North Rim Closed After Major Wildfire

This is Beirut, 17/07 16:02 - Reading : less than a minute

USA Grand Canyon Wildfire

The Grand Canyon National Park has closed its North Rim for the 2025 season after a wildfire ignited by lightning on July 4th. Fueled by strong winds over the weekend, the fire destroyed numerous buildings and forced the evacuation of more than 500 visitors and staff. Arizona’s governor has called for an investigation into the fire’s ...

Russia says Ukraine Drone Strikes Kill One, Wound Four

This is Beirut, 17/07 09:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine USA Russia

Russia said on Thursday that it had intercepted 126 Ukrainian drones in attacks that killed one person and left four civilians wounded. Air defences shot down 122 drones overnight and four others early in the morning, most of them over regions in Russia's southwest that border Ukraine but also three over the Moscow region, the defence ministry ...

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Says 20 Dead at Aid Point

This is Beirut, 16/07 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Palestine Hamas Israel United Nations USA

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said 20 people died at an aid point in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, blaming armed "agitators" in the crowd. "Our current understanding is that 19 of the victims were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge," the US- and Israel-backed organisation said ...

Does Your Cat Talk to You? An AI Claims It Can Understand

Bélinda Ibrahim, 16/07 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cats AI USA Decode Feline Vocalizations Science

When it comes to human-animal communication, cats have always had the upper hand. They observe us, manipulate us with their gaze, wake us up for mysterious reasons and sometimes meow endlessly. But what are they really trying to say? For years, cat owners have wondered: Is this meow a request for food, a complaint or just a greeting? Until now, ...

The US-China Chip War in Dates

This is Beirut, 16/07 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump United States China War

The United States has in recent years sought to curb exports of cutting-edge semiconductors to China, with Nvidia and other US chip companies lobbying against its tough restrictions. As Nvidia says it will resume sales of a less powerful AI semiconductor model to China, here is a run-down of the microchip conflict: August 2022: Biden's Chips ...

Russia Suggests Trump is Emboldening Ukraine, Delaying Peace

This is Beirut, 15/07 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine USA Europe Kyiv

The Kremlin warned Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's pledge of more weapons for Kyiv and threat of sanctions targeting Russian trading partners could embolden Ukraine and further delay already stalled peace efforts. Trump a day earlier gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal with Ukraine, voicing fresh frustration with Moscow as he laid ...

Astronauts From US, India, Poland, Hungary on SpaceX Capsule Return to Earth

This is Beirut, 15/07 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States USA SpaceX Poland Hungary India

A SpaceX capsule carrying astronauts from India, Poland, Hungary and the United States splashed down off the California coast Tuesday, completing Axiom Mission 4 and capping 20 days in space. The Ax-4 crew undocked from the International Space Station at 7:15 am EST on Monday (1115 GMT) for a 22.5-hour journey, landing in the Pacific Ocean at ...

Iran Says No Nuclear Talks If US Insists It Abandon Enrichment

This is Beirut, 14/07 20:51 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Israel Tehran United States Washington

Iran said on Monday there would be no new nuclear talks with the United States if they were conditioned on Tehran abandoning its uranium enrichment activities. Washington and Tehran had been engaged in several rounds of negotiations seeking to strike a deal on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, but Israel derailed the talks when it ...

Zelensky Talks Air Defense in 'Productive' Meeting with US Envoy

This is Beirut, 14/07 15:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv USA Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky met Monday with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and discussed air defense and sanctions on Russia during a "productive" conversation, the Ukrainian leader said. Kellogg's visit -- more than three years into the Kremlin's invasion -- comes as Russian forces killed three civilians in eastern Ukraine and launched ...

EU Ministers Weigh Response to Latest Trump Tariff Threat

This is Beirut, 14/07 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union USA Tariffs Trade

EU ministers on Monday will debate the bloc's approach to trade talks with the United States, as Brussels scrambles to head off 30-percent tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. The US leader Trump threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray on Saturday by announcing he would hammer the bloc with sweeping 30-percent tariffs if ...

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