This is Beirut

Washington Makes Military Aid Overtures to Sahel Juntas

This is Beirut, 25/08 09:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Washington Donald Trump USA Ukraine United States

Under President Donald Trump the United States has reset relations with West Africa's military leaders on a mutual back-scratching basis, bartering help fighting jihadists for the Sahel region's mining riches, experts say. While Joe Biden was in office the US suspended most of the development and military aid it sent to Burkina Faso, Mali and ...

Row Breaks Out as US Diplomat Criticises France on Antisemitism

This is Beirut, 25/08 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Emmanuel Macron Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Charles Kushner

France's foreign ministry said Sunday it would summon the US ambassador after he criticized the government for what he said was its insufficient action against antisemitism in a letter to President Emmanuel Macron. The letter from Charles Kushner, dated August 25 but leaked to the media on Sunday, echoed Israel's criticism of France days earlier, ...

Sharaa: 'Lebanon Must Benefit from Syria’s Revival, or It Will Lose a Lot'

This is Beirut, 24/08 23:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Sunday that he seeks “a state-to-state relationship with Lebanon, based on economic solutions, stability and common interest, away from the interventions and policies that harmed both sides in the past.” “The Syria I see today is a major opportunity for Lebanon, and the Lebanese ...

Syria Kurds Say Lawmaker Selection Process Undemocratic

This is Beirut, 24/08 11:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Syria's Kurds on Sunday criticised the upcoming selection of members of a new transitional parliament as undemocratic, after authorities postponed the process for Kurdish-controlled areas in the north and northeast. After toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's new authorities dissolved the parliament and adopted a temporary ...

Zaki: Weapons Control Measures Are in Line With League Resolutions

This is Beirut, 23/08 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, said that his visit to Beirut comes within the framework of the Arab League's support for the Lebanese state's efforts to extend its sovereignty over all its territories and place all weapons under its control. During a special interview with a Cairo News correspondent in ...

Dollar Wavers, Global Economy on Edge

Christiane Tager, 22/08 21:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The dollar has reigned as the undisputed king of currencies since World War Two, but 2025 began with a sharp decline. In just six months, it lost more than 10% of its value, reaching its weakest level since 1973, according to Morningstar. Erratic trade policies under Donald Trump, coupled with mounting tensions with the Federal Reserve, have left ...

Russia Rejects Zelensky Meeting as Diplomatic Tension Simmers

This is Beirut, 22/08 18:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA

Russia Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "no meeting" between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as NATO chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss ...

Zelensky says Russia Trying to 'Wriggle Out' of Peace Talks

This is Beirut, 22/08 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow on Thursday of shirking a meeting between him and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, despite US-led attempts to arrange a summit to end the war. US President Donald Trump is trying to end Russia's three-and-a-half year invasion of Ukraine by bringing both Zelensky and Putin to the negotiating ...

SpaceX Launches Secretive US Military Spacecraft

This is Beirut, 22/08 09:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted into space on Thursday night carrying the US military's secretive X-37B drone. The rocket successfully launched at 11:50 pm (0350 GMT on Friday), according to SpaceX's livestream of the event. The Falcon 9 lit up the night sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where it was launched from. The US Space Force has ...

US Says all 55 Million Visas Fair Game for Review

This is Beirut, 22/08 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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All 55 million foreigners who hold visas for the United States are subject to continuous review, the State Department warned Thursday as President Donald Trump ramps up his crackdown on visas and immigration. "The Department's continuous vetting includes all of the more than 55 million foreigners who currently hold valid US visas," a State ...

Blockbuster “Sincaraz” Rivalry Ready to Light Up US Open

This is Beirut, 22/08 09:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

New York USA Tennis Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be aiming to write another chapter of their blockbuster rivalry when the US Open men's singles gets under way on Sunday. As the era of men's tennis's "Big Three" recedes into the rearview mirror, Sinner and Alcaraz have accelerated onto centre-stage to fill the void created by the retirements of Roger Federer ...

Top US, Europe Officers Develop Military Options for Ukraine Peace Push

This is Beirut, 21/08 22:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Top officers from the United States and Europe held talks this week to develop military options as part of efforts to broker an end to the devastating war in Ukraine, the US military said Thursday. US General Dan Caine and his counterparts from Finland, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and Ukraine met Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, a ...

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