european union

EU 'Fully Invested' in Trump Trade Talks After US Court Ruling

The EU is "fully invested" in reaching a deal with the United States to avoid sweeping tariffs, the bloc's trade chief said Friday, after US judges ruled the controversial measures were unconstitutional. "Delivering forward-looking solutions remains a top EU priority. Staying in permanent contact," EU trade commissioner ...

Lebanon Inaugurates EU-Funded Juvenile Rehabilitation Center

In a significant step toward juvenile justice reform, Lebanese officials and international partners inaugurated a new rehabilitation center for juvenile offenders in Warwar on Wednesday. The facility, funded by the European Union (EU), promises to provide a humane, rehabilitative alternative to traditional detention for youth in conflict with the ...

EU Sanctions Syrian Militia Groups over Deadly March Violence

The European Union sanctioned on Wednesday three Syrian militia groups and two of their leaders for serious human-rights abuses over their alleged involvement in deadly ethnic violence in March. More than 1,700 people were killed in attacks mostly targeting the Alawite community, which is associated with the clan of ousted ruler Bashar ...

UN Says 70% Chance that 2025-2029 Average Warming will Top 1.5C

The United Nations warned Wednesday there is a 70 percent chance that average warming from 2025 to 2029 will exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius international benchmark. The planet is therefore expected to remain at historic levels of warming after the two hottest years ever recorded in 2023 and 2024, according to an annual climate report published by ...

SE Asian Leaders Meet China's Li and Gulf States to Bolster Ties

Southeast Asian leaders are looking to insulate their trade-dependent economies from geopolitical uncertainty, in particular US tariffs, as they hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Gulf state dignitaries in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms in April when he announced a slew of punishing levies ...

Trump Slams Putin and Zelensky

In response to the intensification of Russian strikes in Ukraine over the weekend, Donald Trump expressed his growing exasperation with Vladimir Putin, while also directing harsh criticism at Volodymyr Zelensky. In a message posted Sunday evening on X, the American president condemned what he called a troubling shift in his Russian counterpart: ...

Trump Extends EU Tariff Deadline Until July 9

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would pause his threatened 50 percent tariffs on the European Union until July 9, after a "very nice call" with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. Trump had threatened on Friday to invoke the steep tariffs as soon as June 1, saying talks with the European Union over his previous levies were "going ...

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 ...

Turkey to Increase Energy Exports to Syria, Says Minister

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday in Damascus that his country would ramp up energy exports to Syria to help boost electricity supplies as its neighbour seeks to recover after years of war. "We want to triple our current electricity exports to meet Syria's electricity needs, and realise an electricity export of ...

Syrians Hope for Economic Recovery After West Lifts Sanctions

At a currency exchange in Damascus, Anas al-Shammaa is one of many Syrians hopeful that promised relief from Western sanctions will help revive their country's economy after years of war and isolation. "We were totally cut off from the world," said Shammaa, 45, who has been running the exchange shop since 2008. With the lifting of ...

EU Reaffirms Support for Lebanon’s Reform Efforts During Visit to Grand Serail

The European Union has reiterated its support for Lebanon’s reform process during a visit to the Grand Serail in Beirut by Stefano Sannino, Director-General for the Middle East and North Africa at the European Commission. Speaking Thursday after his meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Sannino reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to its ...

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 ...