This is Beirut

Next US-Russia Talks to Take Place Sunday or Early Next Week: Kremlin

This is Beirut, 20/03 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Saudi Arabia

The Kremlin said Thursday that the next US-Russia talks could take place on Sunday or early next week, as Washington is also due to hold talks with Kyiv in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. US President Donald Trump spoke to both Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week. "It may not be Sunday itself, the nuances ...

Pressure from Washington: Lebanon on Edge

Salam El Zaatari, 20/03 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Steve Witkoff Donald Trump Middle East Lebanon

When a US envoy speaks this bluntly, the game has changed. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, did not hide his frustration with Lebanese officials’ handling of Hezbollah. He went even further, emphasizing that Washington no longer accepts Lebanon’s strategy of maneuvering and political jockeying, arguing that it ...

US Fed Holds Rates Again and Flags Increased Economic Uncertainty

This is Beirut, 19/03 20:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA White House

The US Federal Reserve paused interest rate cuts again on Wednesday and noted an increase in economic uncertainty, as it navigates an economy unnerved by President Donald Trump's stop-start tariff rollout. Policymakers voted to hold the US central bank's key lending rate at between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent, the Fed announced in a ...

Making Sense of Trump 2.0 and The Middle East

David Hale , 19/03 17:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA United States Middle East

Elections matter. Only a few months ago, the Biden Administration struggled to assert its relevance amidst dramatic events in the Middle East. It had plenty to say, much of it contradictory, as it attempted to deal with the Democratic Party's split personality on Israel and the Palestinians while losing an election. The fragile ceasefires that ...

Houthis Claim fourth Attack Against US Warships

This is Beirut, 19/03 09:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Gulf Hamas Israel Houthis

Houthis claimed on Wednesday to have carried out a fourth attack in 72 hours on an American fleet in the Red Sea, as the US military said its campaign against the Iran-backed rebels was ongoing. The Houthis' military spokesperson said cruise missiles and drones targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group in an attack that was "the fourth ...

OECD Lowers Global Growth Projections Over 'Trade Barriers' and 'Uncertainty'

This is Beirut, 17/03 13:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union United States USA Vladimir Putin

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Monday lowered its projections for global growth in 2025 due to "trade barriers" and "uncertainty". Trade tensions that have erupted since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House are in part responsible for the dampened growth perspectives, the OECD said. The OECD ...

US Raids on the Houthis: A Militia Seeking a Crushing Blow

Michel Touma, 17/03 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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There are times when one must confront reality and acknowledge the truth, however harsh it may be. In certain parts of the MENA region and the Gulf, specific politico-sociological factions — shaped by a distinct mindset — remain entrenched in rigid denial. The well-known “ostrich policy,” in other words. This is particularly evident in the ...

Yemen's Huthis claim attacks on carrier group after US strikes

This is Beirut, 17/03 09:17 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Houthi USA

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed on Monday to have twice attacked an American aircraft carrier group within 24 hours, calling it retaliation for deadly US strikes. The Huthis initially said they launched 18 missiles and a drone at the "aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships" in the Red Sea, before ...

Turkey's Erdogan Tells Trump He Supports his Ukraine Efforts

This is Beirut, 16/03 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US counterpart Donald Trump in a call on Sunday that he supported his "direct and decisive" initiatives to end the three-year war in Ukraine, his office said. NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbors since the Russian invasion three years ago and has ...

Legendary Movie Poster Collection to be Auctioned in Dallas

This is Beirut, 16/03 12:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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King Kong, Casablanca, 2001: A Space Odyssey... The American Dwight Cleveland, who owns an extraordinary collection of movie posters gathered over nearly fifty years, is preparing to part with some of his most valuable pieces. This 65-year-old real estate agent is currently in London, where a selection of some of the 500 posters and mini-posters ...

White House Says 'Multiple' Houthi Leaders Killed, Iran 'on Notice'

This is Beirut, 15/03 22:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Houthis strike USA Iran Trump Yemen Yemen

U.S. airstrikes on Saturday killed several Houthi leaders in Yemen, the White House reported on Sunday. The strikes also served as a warning to Iran, urging the country to stop supporting the Houthi rebel group and its attacks on Red Sea shipping. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz confirmed that the airstrikes specifically targeted and ...

Mark Carney Sworn in as Canada PM

Maria Chami, 15/03 14:25 - Reading : less than a minute

USA

Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada's prime minister, taking charge of a country rattled by a breakdown in US relations since President Donald Trump's return to power

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