United States

US Removes Cuba From State Sponsors of Terror List

President Joe Biden is removing the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House said Tuesday, in a deal that will see imprisoned protesters released in the communist country. The move will likely be overturned after the return to office next week of Republican Donald Trump, who reinstated the designation in the last ...

Qatar Says Gaza Truce Talks in 'Final Stages'

Key mediator Qatar said negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, adding that it was hopeful an agreement could be reached "very soon". Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza since ...

Blinken Claims Hezbollah Is Now 'Just a Memory'

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday, referred to "Hezbollah's retreat to the north of the Litani River," noting that "Iran has lost the ability to supply the party with weapons." "Hezbollah has lost and is now a thing of the past. His attacks have harmed the Lebanese and the Israelis," he said at a press conference on the situation ...

Trump's Cabinet Hearings Kick Off With Controversial Pentagon Pick

Confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet nominees kicked off Tuesday with his controversial Pentagon pick, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host dogged by sexual assault allegations and no experience leading large organizations. Senate Republicans are keen for Trump's national security nominees to be confirmed quickly and Democrats may ...

Why Does Donald Trump Want to Buy Greenland?

During a press conference held on Tuesday, January 7, in his residence in Florida, US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his wish to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, as well as the Panama Canal. He did not dismiss the option of using force to achieve these objectives, stating that both regions are “crucial for the ...

Search for Bodies as LA Firefighters Brace for More Wind

Search teams with dogs fanned out looking for victims in Los Angeles on Monday, as firefighters girded for hurricane-force winds that could spark new blazes. With the disaster in America's second biggest city in its seventh day, 24 people are known to have died -- a toll expected to rise -- and more than 90,000 people remain displaced. But the ...

Biden Says 'On The Brink' of Achieving Gaza Deal

A ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Hamas and Israel is "on the brink" of being finalized, US President Joe Biden said Monday, as negotiations in the Middle East continue. "In the war between Israel and Hamas, we're on the brink of a proposal that I laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition," Biden said in a farewell ...

Death Toll From Los Angeles Fires Rises, with Dangerous Winds Incoming

Firefighters were battling massive wildfires Monday that have ravaged Los Angeles and killed at least 24 people, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip up the blazes further. The fires ripped through the United States' second-largest city for the seventh day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and ...

The Appointment of the Prime Minister: Beware of the Tripwire

The challenging journey has officially begun. At the starting line, President Joseph Aoun has clearly outlined the key directions. In his inaugural address to the National Assembly, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, the head of state presented a roadmap that breaks with conventional approaches and entrenched clichés. “My aim is ...

US Special prosecutor Jack Smith ends his investigation into Trump

Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to investigate Donald Trump for his alleged effort to overturn results of the 2020 election, has left the US Department of Justice, prosecutors said Saturday in a court filing. "The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the ...

President Aoun Invited to Riyadh by Saudi Crown Prince

The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, called on Saturday President Joseph Aoun to congratulate him on becoming president and invited him to visit Saudi Arabia. Along with Qatar, Egypt, France and the United States, Saudi Arabia played an important role in resolving the presidential deadlock. Lebanon had been without a president since ...

Supreme Court Looks Poised to Uphold TikTok Ban

The US Supreme Court appeared likely on Friday to uphold a law that would force TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the wildly popular online video-sharing platform or shut it down. A majority of the conservative and liberal justices on the nine-member bench appeared skeptical of arguments by a lawyer for TikTok that forcing a sale was a ...