Washington

Lebanon: 22 Dead In The South, Truce Agreement With Israel Extended, Announces Washington

The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon has been extended until 18 February, the United States announced, after hundreds of inhabitants of southern Lebanon tried to return to their villages on Sunday, some of which were still occupied by Israeli forces who fired in their direction, killing 22 people according to the Lebanese authorities. AFP ...

Trump Threatens Aid Cutoff on US Disaster Zone Visits

US President Donald Trump visited disaster zones in North Carolina and California on Friday, using the first trip since his return to office to turn emergency aid into a political cudgel. Trump said he would sign an order that could scrap the federal disaster agency, stepping up his effort to exert presidential power over the levers of government ...

Washington Urges Immediate Ceasefire Extension as Tensions Continue in Southern Lebanon

As the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon nears its expiration on Monday, January 27, Washington has called for an urgent extension, urging Lebanese authorities to consider a temporary and short-term prolongation. The call comes as Tel Aviv announced its intention to extend its military withdrawal from southern Lebanon beyond the ...

Appointment of Lebanese Commercial Attachés: A Recurring Theme

While this request appears valid and justified at first glance, it seems these organizations have forgotten what transpired just six years ago. Back then, the government responded to a similar request by appointing commercial attachés in about 20 countries deemed "strategic" for Lebanese exports. This initiative, however, was short-lived, likely ...

Steely Fashion Redefines Melania Trump’s Second First Lady Era

Where in the world is Melania Trump? Making a striking return to Washington, she donned a sharply tailored outfit exuding an air of international mystery as her husband once again assumed the presidency of the United States. Her long navy coat and matching wide-brimmed hat — shielding her eyes in most photographs and unintentionally hindering ...

With Trump Inauguration Indoors, Supporters Say ‘Winging It’ but Still Thrilled

With glacial temperatures forcing US President-elect Donald Trump's swearing in indoors, the National Mall, normally jam-packed for inaugurations with hundreds of thousands of revelers, was eerily dead on Monday. We're "winging it," Trump supporters Lorri Williams and Ellie Hymes told AFP from the mall. The pair, who traveled to Washington from ...

Markets extend global rally as Trump-Xi talks boost sentiment

Most Asian markets rose Monday following a rally on Wall Street and a record-breaking day in Europe, with sentiment boosted by positive talks between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that soothed worries about the incoming US leader's second term. A sense of caution has permeated trading floors ahead of the tycoon's inauguration ...

Trump Is In Washington Ahead Of His Inauguration As The 47th President of the United States On Monday

Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday evening for a reception at one of his golf courses, kicking off four days of festivities that will culminate in his inauguration on Monday as the 47th President of the United States. Before arriving with his wife Melania and their son Barron from their fiefdom of Mar-a-Lago, Florida, he promised that ...

Trump Promises a ‘Record’ Number Of Presidential Decrees On His First Day In Office

Donald Trump promised on Saturday that he would sign a ‘record’ number of presidential decrees immediately after being sworn in on Monday in Washington, where he is expected to arrive this Saturday evening. In a telephone interview with NBC News, the soon-to-be 47th President of the United States said that he did not have a precise figure in ...

Trump's Diplomatic Chief to be Heard by US Senate

Marco Rubio, Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, will say Wednesday that China cheated its way to superpower status and that the "liberal world order" long cherished by the US elite should be discarded. Rubio will face fellow senators at his confirmation hearing in what is likely to be among the least contentious sessions for Trump's ...

Fueling the Los Angeles Fires: the Santa Ana Winds

Helping drive the wildfires in the US city of Los Angeles are the so-called Santa Ana winds, a weather phenomenon known to dry out "the hills and the nerves to flash point." The windstorms occur when cold air gathers in the neighboring states of Nevada and Utah. As it moves west and then rushes down California's mountains, it heats up -- and ...

Qatar in Talks to Fund Syria Public Wage Hikes

Qatar is weighing a plan to provide Syria's new rulers with funds to increase public sector salaries, a diplomatic source said Thursday, as the interim government in Damascus seeks to rebuild state institutions. "Discussions are taking place, but an agreement is yet to be concluded," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because ...