donald trump

Tom Barrack Appointed US Special Envoy for Syria

The Trump administration announced on Friday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US ambassador to Turkey and a longtime ally of the president, as the new Special Envoy for Syria. The announcement marks a significant shift in US engagement in the Middle East following the fall of the Assad regime. Barrack is a billionaire real estate ...

France and Saudi Arabia to Co-Chair June Conference on Israeli-Palestinian Two-State Solution

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot is hosting on Friday afternoon his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt to prepare the conference on a so-called "two-state" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic sources said. “It is a working meeting at 3:30 PM with his Egyptian, Jordanian, and Saudi counterparts,” ...

European Stocks Sink as Trump Puts EU in Tariff Crosshairs

European stock markets tumbled Friday after US President Donald Trump ended a lull in his trade war as he raised the spectre of hitting imports from the European Union with a massive 50-percent tariff. The Paris CAC 40 index and Frankfurt DAX fell by around three percent at one point, with shares in luxury and car companies taking a hit, before ...

Trump Tells UK to Drill Oil, Stop Building Wind Turbines

US President Donald Trump on Friday urged Britain to drill for more oil rather than build wind turbines, just a fortnight after Washington signed a trade deal with London. "Our negotiated deal with the United Kingdom is working out well for all," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I strongly recommend to them, however, that in order to ...

Trump Says 'Major' Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap 'Just Completed'

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a "major" prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia. "A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???" he said, without providing further ...

The Trump Administration Withdraws Harvard University's Right to Host International Students

Donald Trump's administration on Thursday revoked Harvard's right to enroll foreign students -- more than a quarter of its annual enrollment -- in a major escalation of the president's fight with one of the world's most storied universities. Trump is furious at Harvard -- which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners -- for rejecting his demand that ...

Trump Reaffirms Support for Israel in Phone Call with Netanyahu Following Washington Attack

US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the deadly attack in Washington, where two employees of the Israeli embassy were shot and killed near the Jewish museum. During the call, Trump expressed his full support for Israel’s objectives in its war against Hamas. According to a ...

Shooting in Washington: Two Israeli Diplomats Killed, Suspect in Custody

Shortly after 9 PM, gunfire broke out in front of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. The incident resulted in two victims: Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and his partner Sarah Lynn Milgrim, both employees of the Israeli Embassy in the United States.  The assailant was immediately restrained by the museum's security and handed over to the ...

Stocks Track Wall St Sell-Off as US Deficit Fears Grow

Equities sank and Treasuries remained under pressure following sharp losses on Wall Street fuelled by US economy fears as Donald Trump tries to push through fresh tax cuts that could balloon the already huge deficit. A weak auction of 20-year US government debt flashed a warning sign that the bond market was worried about the country's finances, ...

Republicans Eye Thursday Vote On Trump's Tax Cut Mega-Bill

Republicans announced Wednesday they will vote early Thursday on US President Donald Trump's sprawling domestic policy mega-bill pairing tax relief with spending cuts that critics say would decimate health care while ballooning the debt. The "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" would usher into law Trump's vision for a new "Golden Age," achieved through ...

Lines in the Sand: Syria on the Brink, and Lebanon’s Vanishing Moment

If you want to understand the Middle East in 2025, don’t look at the maps. Look at the fault lines. They’re not drawn in ink – they’re drawn in fear, legacy and a deep unease that this time, the region isn’t just shifting, it’s splintering. This week, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio sounded an alarm loud enough to rattle ...

Lebanon, the Doormat of Syria’s Sanctions Lift

Bashar al-Assad has been out of the picture for almost six months now. No one seems to miss him. The chapter is firmly closed. Enter Ahmad el-Chareh – once an Islamist, now a man of compromise – captured smiling alongside Donald Trump in Riyadh. Syria is reinventing itself, trying to appear more approachable. At least, that’s the ...