This is Beirut, 20/02 09:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Top diplomats from the Group of 20 major economies will convene in South Africa on Thursday for a meeting dominated by a packed global agenda but overshadowed by a snub by the top US envoy. As a curtain-raiser to the G20 summit in November, the foreign ministers will gather for talks over two days, held for the first time in Africa. South ...
Salam El Zaatari, 20/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Ukraine Donald Trump USA Russia
If you think diplomacy is about treaties and handshakes, you haven’t been paying attention. In the world of Donald J. Trump, geopolitics is just another business deal. And in his latest playbook for Ukraine, he’s offering a trade deal that sounds more like a corporate takeover than a peace agreement. Here’s the pitch: Ukraine, battered by ...
This is Beirut, 19/02 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump USA Kyiv Russia War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Donald Trump of succumbing to Russian "disinformation", deepening a rift between Kyiv and the new US administration. Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, Trump echoed many of Russia's talking points on the three-year war in Ukraine, blaming Kyiv for having "started" ...
This is Beirut, 19/02 09:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
US top diplomat Marco Rubio visited the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for the final leg of his first Middle East tour, after breakthrough talks with Russian officials in Riyadh. After arriving in Abu Dhabi in the morning, the US secretary of state was set to meet with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Abdullah ...
This is Beirut, 19/02 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
US President Donald Trump painted Elon Musk as his enforcer-in-chief Tuesday, hailing the tech billionaire's zeal in implementing the blizzard of executive orders the president has issued since returning to office. In a joint interview broadcast on Fox News, the two men spent substantial time singing the other's praises and dismissing concerns ...
This is Beirut, 18/02 21:55 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanese Army USA United States Washington
The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Lebanon’s security and stability, emphasizing that assistance to the Lebanese Army (LAF) will continue. In a statement posted on its official X account on Tuesday, the US State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs stressed that Washington remains dedicated to backing the ...
This is Beirut, 18/02 16:36 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
USA Ukraine Donald Trump US Secretary of State Russia
Russia told the United States in talks on Tuesday that it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, Moscow's foreign minister said. "The appearance of troops of armed forces from the same NATO countries, whether under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or under national flags, does not ...
This is Beirut, 18/02 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
European Union Ukraine USA Ursula von der Leyen
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told US envoy Keith Kellogg on Tuesday that Europe wants to work with Washington for peace in Ukraine, and is ready to do more to arm Kyiv. "Financially and militarily, Europe has brought more to the table than anyone else. And we will step up," von der Leyen wrote on X after meeting Kellogg in Brussels. "We want to ...
This is Beirut, 17/02 17:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
USA Saudi Arabia Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Russia
Top US and Russian diplomats will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting the countries' fractured relations and possibly paving the way to ending the Ukraine war. Kyiv said it was not invited to the discussions in Riyadh, while European leaders -- reeling from Washington's dramatic change in policy towards Moscow -- hosted ...
This is Beirut, 17/02 16:41 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Ukraine USA Donald Trump European Union Russia
The EU is pressing its member states to bolster supplies of key weaponry to Ukraine this year, including air defences, missiles and at least 1.5 million artillery shells, a proposal seen by AFP Monday said. Europe is scrambling to offer backing to Kyiv after US President Donald Trump blindsided allies by launching peace efforts with Russia over ...
This is Beirut, 17/02 11:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump New York USA DeepSeek
Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek upended the global industry and wiped billions off US tech stocks when it unveiled its R1 programme, which it claims was built on cheap, less sophisticated Nvidia semiconductors. But governments from Rome to Seoul are cracking down on the user-friendly Chinese app, saying they need to prevent potential leaks of ...
This is Beirut, 17/02 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sparked alarm by seeking access to a system with the US tax office that has detailed financial data about millions of Americans, US media reported. Spearheaded by Musk, the world's richest man, US President Donald Trump has embarked on a campaign to slash public spending deemed wasteful ...