United States

Cabinet Approves New Administrative, Judicial Appointments

The Council of Ministers approved several administrative and judicial appointments during a regular session convened on Friday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, chaired by President of the Republic Joseph Aoun.  The Cabinet appointed Judge Maher Shaito as the new Financial Public Prosecutor. Mazen Soueid was appointed Chairman of the ...

Trump Says Canada To Face 35% Tariff Rate Starting August

Canada will face a 35 percent tariff on exports to the United States starting August 1, President Donald Trump said Thursday in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney. It was the latest of more than 20 such letters issued by Trump since Monday, as he continues to pursue his trade war threats against dozens of economies. Canada and the US are ...

From Nasser to Khamenei: The End of Resistance Politics in the Middle East

For decades, the Palestinian cause served as both a rallying banner and a political tool, used by leaders from Cairo to Tehran not always to uplift Palestinians, but to build empires. Radicalism on the Palestinian issue was once a measure of legitimacy for Middle Eastern leaders. Now, something is shifting. With Arab states striking deals with ...

Trump Pushes Japan to Import More American Rice, a Major Political Challenge for Tokyo

Donald Trump’s demand that Japan, described as “spoiled”, buy more American rice is creating additional pressure for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is already facing a tough election that could bring his time in office to an end after less than a year. Japan is one of more than 20 countries receiving letters this week from the US ...

Brazil, Trump up the Ante in Row Over Bolsonaro Coup Trial

Brazil and the United States escalated their row Wednesday over President Donald Trump's support for coup-accused ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro, with the American president slapping a 50 percent tariff on one of its main steel suppliers. Leftist Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threatened to reciprocate. Trump has strongly ...

US Sanctions UN Rights Expert for Palestinian Territories

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced Washington was sanctioning the United Nations special expert on the Palestinian territories, following her criticism of Washington policy on Gaza. "Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts ...

Yemen's Houthis Claim Deadly Red Sea Attack on Merchant Ship

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility Wednesday for the deadly sinking of a merchant vessel earlier this week, their second attack in 24 hours as they resumed their campaign against Red Sea shipping. The Eternity C, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, was badly damaged in the attack that started on Monday and continued into Tuesday, ...

US Urges Lebanon to Intensify Efforts Against Hezbollah

The United States is calling on the Lebanese government to intensify efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities and those of other non-state actors, a US State Department spokesperson revealed in a statement on Wednesday, following US envoy Tom Barrack’s mission in Beirut. “We need the Lebanese state to do more to fully remove ...

FBI Opens Criminal Probe into Former FBI, CIA Directors

The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into its former director James Comey and ex-CIA chief John Brennan, two prominent critics of President Donald Trump, US media reported. Fox News Digital said the probe involved "potential wrongdoing" related to the investigation into claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election won by Trump and ...

EU Aims to Reach Trade Deal with US in 'Coming Days'

The European Union wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days" to avoid sweeping tariffs, a spokesman said Wednesday. If the EU does not clinch an agreement with the United States, higher tariffs will return and risk unleashing a bitter trade war. US President Donald Trump's sweeping levies were due to snap back into force ...

Netanyahu Meets Trump Again as U.S. Pushes for Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the White House on Tuesday evening for a second meeting in 24 hours with U.S. President Donald Trump, amid growing American pressure to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas. The unannounced Oval Office meeting, which lasted over an hour and included Vice President J.D. ...