This is Beirut, 17:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed a three-day truce ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin as theatrics but said Kyiv was ready for a full ceasefire. Moscow said the truce, set to coincide with its World War II commemorations on May 9, was aimed at testing Kyiv's "readiness" for long-term peace and accused ...
This is Beirut, 11:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Iran USA Abbas Araghchi Nuclear
Iran defended on Saturday its "right" to enrich uranium despite growing Western concern that Tehran may be seeking nuclear weapons and as talks with the United States were delayed. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that "Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle," citing Tehran's ...
This is Beirut, 10:45 - Reading : less than a minute
USA Donald Trump Pope Francis Saudi Arabia Ukraine
The United States on Friday approved a $3.5 billion sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia, ahead of a visit to the kingdom by President Donald Trump. The State Department said it notified Congress of the deal that will include Saudi Arabia's purchase of 1,000 medium-range air-to-air missiles. The AIM-120 missiles, whose principal contractor is ...
Christiane Tager, 02/05 22:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Tik Tok USA Washington China Trade
Since Washington decided to strike hard with 145% tariffs, trade relations between China and the US have shifted from a negotiation table to a boxing ring. The blow is heavy: in 2024, the US alone accounted for nearly $500 billion in Chinese imports, making it Beijing’s largest commercial partner. In real terms, nearly one in five Chinese ...
This is Beirut, 02/05 20:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Germany's domestic intelligence service on Friday designated the rising far-right party AfD as an extremist group, handing authorities greater powers to monitor it and fuelling calls for it to be banned. The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) swiftly slammed the move as a "heavy blow" to democracy, just months after they won second ...
This is Beirut, 02/05 18:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
US President Donald Trump unveiled the first budget blueprint of his second term Friday, with a big increase on defense and homeland security while radically slashing other areas of government. Trump's 2026 budget proposal eyes a 22 percent non-defense spending cut amounting to $163 billion -- doubling down on cost-cutting efforts under Elon ...
This is Beirut, 02/05 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran said Friday continued US sanctions on its trade partners will not alter its policy, after President Donald Trump threatened to impose penalties on countries or individuals dealing in Iranian oil. "The continuation of these illegal behaviours will not change Iran's logical, legitimate and international law-based positions," a ...
This is Beirut, 02/05 11:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
US President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed his intent to rename both May 8 and November 11 "Victory Day" in his latest attempt to alter the country's nomenclature. "I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Victory Day, observed by ...
This is Beirut, 02/05 09:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United Nations United States USA Syria Druze
The United States on Thursday confirmed meeting Syria's top diplomat and called on the country's interim authorities to take action on sectarianism as violence flares against the Druze minority. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani last Friday raised his country's flag at the UN headquarters, marking a new chapter after the December ...
This is Beirut, 01/05 22:28 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Houthi USA White House Mike Waltz
US President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that he was replacing his national security advisor Mike Waltz following a chat group leak, saying he planned to move him to the United Nations. In the first major cabinet shake-up of Trump's new term, the president said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would now also serve as his "interim" national ...
This is Beirut, 01/05 18:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
USA Microsoft XBOX game console
Microsoft announced Thursday that it will increase Xbox console prices worldwide, citing "market conditions" just days after Sony made a similar move with its PlayStation 5. The tech giant also plans to raise prices for some new games developed by its video game subsidiaries. "We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made ...
This is Beirut, 01/05 16:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump United Nations USA Afghanistan women
Restrictions on women and girls imposed since the Taliban authorities took power are projected to cost Afghanistan almost six percent of its GDP over two years, the UN development agency country director said on Thursday. Taliban authorities have squeezed women out of education, jobs and public life since 2021, creating what the United Nations ...