This is Beirut

Trump Wants to Jail American Citizens in Salvador

This is Beirut, 05/02 04:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law. "If we had the legal right to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's no different than our prison system, except ...

Khalil: Approval of the 2025 Budget by Decree Is Necessary

This is Beirut, 04/02 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The Caretaker Minister of Finance, Youssef Khalil, stated that “the approval of the 2025 budget draft by decree, after adhering to the deadlines set by law, has now become a necessity. According to him, “this remains financially safer than not approving it and resorting to expenditures based on the provisional twelfth rule.” Khalil noted ...

Where Things Stand in China-US Trade Tensions

This is Beirut, 04/02 12:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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China has made good on its threats to retaliate in the escalating trade war with the United States, imposing tariffs on American imports of energy, cars and machinery parts. That came just minutes after a 10 percent tariff hike on Chinese goods, announced by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, came into effect. Here's the state of play in the ...

Musk Takes Reins of US Treasury Payments, Sparking Lawsuit

This is Beirut, 04/02 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Elon Musk and his aides have taken control of the US Treasury Department's payments system, triggering a lawsuit charging he is illegally getting access to private data of millions of Americans. Musk, the world's richest person, is leading President Donald Trump's federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government ...

The Vatican Calls for a Unified Easter Date

Fady Noun, 03/02 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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During the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, observed from January 18 to 25, Pope Francis voiced his support for unifying the date of Easter. "The Catholic Church is willing to accept the date that everyone agrees on: a date of unity," he stated. Catholics and Orthodox Christians traditionally celebrate Easter on different dates due to ...

How China Allegedly Contributes to the Deadly Fentanyl Crisis

This is Beirut, 03/02 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US President Donald Trump has slapped new tariffs on Chinese goods, partly in response to Beijing's alleged role in a deadly opioid epidemic in the United States. Washington has long accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to the deadly fentanyl trade, which US authorities estimate caused tens of thousands of deaths a year. China denies ...

Mitigated or Stifled Transitions?

Charles Chartouni, 03/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The transitions in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza are still controversial, and their actors are undecided about their outcomes. Observers ask whether the various actors are genuinely interested in the transformative courses and to what extent. The newly set dynamics that have taken place throughout the Near East have not yet been relayed by steadier, ...

Elon Musk brands USAID as 'criminal organization' in growing row

This is Beirut, 02/02 21:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Elon Musk attacked the US Agency for International Development on Sunday, calling it a "criminal organization" after Donald Trump moved to freeze the bulk of Washington's foreign assistance for three months. The Trump administration has since issued waivers for food and other humanitarian aid. But aid workers say uncertainty reigns -- and that ...

Audi Criticizes Compromise and Temporary Fixes

This is Beirut, 02/02 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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In his Sunday sermon at St. George Cathedral, Metropolitan Elias Audi, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, called for national unity and strong governance, urging Lebanon’s leaders to put the country’s interests above personal ambitions. He lamented the divisions caused by political rivalries and warned that the state cannot be rebuilt ...

Japan 'deeply concerned' at global impact of Trump tariffs

This is Beirut, 02/02 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Japan is “deeply concerned” about the possible repercussions on global trade of US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs targeting major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, its finance minister said Sunday. Trump said Canadian and Mexican exports to the United States would face a 25 percent tariff starting Tuesday, while goods from ...

US conducted air strikes on IS targets in Somalia, Trump says

This is Beirut, 01/02 20:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The United States military conducted airstrikes on Islamic State group targets in Somalia on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced. "This morning, I ordered precision military airstrikes on the senior ISIS attack planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia," Trump said on Truth Social. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said ...

Rubio to make debut in Panama as Trump threatens to take canal

This is Beirut, 01/02 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Marco Rubio heads Saturday to Panama on his debut trip abroad as US Secretary of State as he looks for how to follow up on President Donald Trump's extraordinary threat to seize the Panama Canal. Rubio's travel comes the same day that Trump's promised tariffs on the three largest US trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and China -- are set to come ...

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