This is Beirut

Georgia Opposition Calls for Protests as President Alleges Russian Election Meddling

This is Beirut, 2024-10-27 18:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe European Union Ukraine USA Washington

The Georgian opposition on Sunday called for protests, and the European Union demanded an investigation into "irregularities" after a disputed legislative vote that showed a win for the ruling party accused of moving towards Russia's orbit. Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili accused Moscow of being behind the election fraud, ...

Blinken Vows to Work With "Urgency" on Diplomatic Solution in Lebanon

This is Beirut, 2024-10-25 19:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Palestine United Nations USA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Friday to work with "real urgency" for a diplomatic resolution to end Israel's offensive in Lebanon but said it was first critical to reach understandings on disarmament of Hezbollah. Shortly after meeting Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London, Blinken also pleaded for protection of civilians ...

Hochstein: Ending the War Is Possible Under 1701

This is Beirut, 2024-10-25 19:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Amos Hochstein Lebanese Army United Nations USA

US envoy Amos Hochstein emphasized that “ending the war between Israel and Lebanon is possible, in accordance with UN Resolution 1701.” “The Lebanese Armed Forces must be permitted to deploy successfully in southern Lebanon and carry out their duties,” he stressed in a statement released on Friday. Hochstein further confirmed that Israel ...

Blinken Ends Latest Round of Shuttle Diplomacy Without Resolution

This is Beirut, 2024-10-25 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Democrats Hamas Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine US Secretary of State USA Washington

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday ended his eleventh round of the Middle East shuttle diplomacy without achieving a Gaza ceasefire. But after persistent disappointment, Blinken this time is trying a new approach that starts by figuring out what happens after the war ends. When he last visited Israel in August, Blinken publicly said ...

“And When the Buried Female Infant Is Asked”

Nisrine Merheb, 2024-10-25 14:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah USA

“And when the buried female infant is asked…” — this Quranic verse denounces the pre-Islamic custom of burying infant girls alive out of fear of “dishonor,” an act Islam would go on to forbid and criminalize. Back then, the infant girl was a victim—killed without consent, without fault, and denied even ...

Gaza: Israel Sends Negotiators to Doha, Hamas Open to Conditional Ceasefire

This is Beirut, 2024-10-25 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Hamas Benjamin Netanyahu United States USA

Israel announced on Thursday that it would dispatch a delegation to Qatar to negotiate a deal concerning Gaza that involves the release of hostages, while Hamas stated it was open to discussions on a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory devastated by over a year of war. The latest indirect negotiations, facilitated by mediators—Qatar, Egypt, ...

Verstappen Seeking More Mexico Success to End Winless Run

This is Beirut, 2024-10-24 14:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Formula One USA Max Verstappen Lando Norris

After scrapping to a hard-fought podium ahead of title rival Lando Norris last Sunday, Max Verstappen will seek to end a nine-race winless run on a favorite circuit at this weekend's Mexico Grand Prix. Red Bull's series leader beat McLaren's Norris into third for the first time in five outings, albeit with the aid of some controversial stewards' ...

Kurdish-Led Syria Force Says Turkish Strikes Kill 12 Civilians

This is Beirut, 2024-10-24 12:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey USA syria kurdish PKK

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Thursday that Turkish airstrikes killed 12 civilians in northeastern Syria, following a deadly attack on a defense firm near Ankara. "Over the past hours, a new wave of (Turkish) attacks on northern and eastern Syria" killed "12 civilians, including two children," and wounded 25 others, a ...

EU and US to Paris to Support Lebanon

This is Beirut, 2024-10-24 11:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon European Union Josep Borrell Lebanese Army USA Paris LAF

The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated on Wednesday that “the military confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel is the cause of an unacceptable number of civilian casualties and unbearable level of destruction across the country, making the situation of Lebanon – a country already ...

Blinken Heads to Qatar, a Key Mediator, to Push for Gaza Truce

This is Beirut, 2024-10-24 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Hamas Saudi Arabia USA

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to key Hamas mediator Qatar on Thursday, seeking momentum to end the Gaza war following Israel's killing of the group's leader. Two days after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken flew from Saudi Arabia to the Qatari capital, Doha, to assess Hamas's position on a ...

US Defense Chief Visits Ukraine in Show of Solidarity

This is Beirut, 2024-10-21 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA Volodymyr Zelensky

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv Monday morning in a show of support weeks before the US election. Austin's visit came at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Western allies to lift restrictions on the the use of long-range weapons and calling for an immediate invitation to join NATO. But Ukraine fears ...

France Welcomes Russian Soldiers Deserting in Ukraine

This is Beirut, 2024-10-21 10:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Europe European Union Ukraine USA Vladimir Putin

Six Russian soldiers who fled the fighting in Ukraine have found refuge in France and hope to receive asylum, in a landmark case of Russian deserters being welcomed in an EU country as a group. The deserters, all of whom had reached France via Kazakhstan, told AFP in a series of interviews they hoped their actions would encourage other Russian ...

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