This is Beirut

Rubio Urges India and Pakistan to Communicate to 'Avoid Miscalculation'

This is Beirut, 10/05 10:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India and Pakistan to restore direct communication to "avoid miscalculation" in a series of calls as the conflict neared all-out war, the State Department said early Saturday. Rubio placed telephone calls to the rivals' top diplomats and, for the first known time since the conflict erupted, also spoke with ...

Iran-US: Fourth Round of Nuclear Talks Scheduled for This Weekend in Oman

This is Beirut, 09/05 19:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Tehran United States

A fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is expected to take place this weekend in the capital of Oman, with Iranian state media mentioning May 11 as a likely date. Iran's Nournews site was the first to report the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the US on Sunday, citing an anonymous source. Stating that the ...

Pope Leo Says Church Must Illuminate 'Dark Nights of This World' in First Mass

This is Beirut, 09/05 16:16 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Pope Francis USA

Leo XIV urged the Catholic Church to "desperately" counter a lack of faith in his first homily as pope Friday, a day after the modest cardinal largely unknown to the world become the first US head of the 2,000-year institution. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion ...

China Sales to US Slump Even as Exports Beat Forecasts

This is Beirut, 09/05 08:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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China said Friday sales to the United States slumped last month while its total exports topped forecasts, as Beijing fought a gruelling trade war with its superpower rival. Trade between the world's two largest economies has nearly skidded to a halt since US President Donald Trump imposed various rounds of levies on China that began as ...

Zelensky and Trump Holding Phone Talks: Ukrainian Presidency

This is Beirut, 08/05 23:28 - Reading : less than a minute

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump USA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US counterpart Donald Trump are holding a telephone call, the details of which will be made public later, the Ukrainian presidency said Thursday. "President Zelensky is holding a telephone conversation with President Trump. We will provide details following the outcome of the conversation," ...

Reactions to the election of Pope Leo XIV

This is Beirut, 08/05 22:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States USA Pope Leo

Worldwide reaction to the election of the new pope, the American Leo XIV, has been swift. President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed the election of new Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, as a "great honor" for the country. "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It ...

Robert Prevost Elected Pope Leo XIV, First American to Lead Catholic Church

This is Beirut, 08/05 21:53 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Pope Francis United States USA

Robert Francis Prevost, the first pope from the United States, has a history of missionary work in Peru but also a keen grasp of the inner workings of the Church. The new Leo XIV, a Chicago native, was entrusted by his predecessor Francis to head the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, charged with advising the pontiff on new bishop ...

Starmer Says UK-US Trade Deal a 'Fantastic, Historic Day'

This is Beirut, 08/05 19:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday it was a “really fantastic, historic day," after he agreed a US-UK trade deal with President Donald Trump. The agreement lifts tariffs on UK steel and aluminum products and slashes levies on British car exports from 27.5 percent to 10 percent, Downing Street said. "This is a really fantastic, ...

What Trump’s 'Good News' Could Mean for the Middle East

Salam El Zaatari, 08/05 09:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump United States Middle East

Don't listen to what he says if you want to understand how foreign policy works under Donald Trump in 2025. Watch who gets fired, what trip doesn’t happen, and where the “very good news” is going to land. Because when President Trump teased an “earth-shattering” announcement ahead of his May 13 Middle East visit—skipping Israel in ...

EU eyes targeting 100 bn euros of US goods with tariffs

This is Beirut, 07/05 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union USA Donald Trump Commercial War Tarifs

The EU is preparing to hit US goods worth nearly 100 billion euros ($113 billion) with tariffs in retaliation for President Donald Trump's sweeping levies if talks fail, European diplomats told AFP Wednesday. Trump has slapped a series of higher tariffs on Europe since March and in his biggest move, he imposed a 20-percent tariff on a majority of ...

France, Germany Say to Cooperate More Closely on Defense

This is Beirut, 07/05 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Donald Trump Europe Ukraine USA

French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed Wednesday to ramp up security cooperation, as the new German leader visited Paris on his first trip abroad. Europe is seeking to boost its defenses amid Russia's war against Ukraine and doubts over US security commitments to Europe under President Donald ...

Trump Says Ordered Rebuild and Reopening of Defunct US Prison Alcatraz

This is Beirut, 05/05 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

politics Alcatraz USA Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he had directed officials to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz prison, the notorious federal jail based on a small island in California that shuttered six decades ago. The jail will house "America's most ruthless and violent Offenders," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that the institution will be ...

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