World

Amnesty Urges Syria to Probe Abductions of Alawite Women, Girls

This is Beirut 28/07 14:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Conflict Minorities Women Abduction

Amnesty International said Monday it had received credible reports of the abduction and kidnapping of 36 Alawite women and girls in recent months, urging authorities to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable. The report came months after Islamists overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite who painted himself as a protector of ...

French Prosecutors Seek New Assad Arrest Warrant

This is Beirut 28/07 14:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Confict France

French prosecutors said Monday they have requested a new arrest warrant against Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad over a deadly 2013 chemical attacks after a previous one was cancelled. It is now up to investigating magistrates to decide whether to issue the new warrant. French investigators have since 2021 been looking into a suspected ...

Thailand and Cambodia Agree Truce After Five Days of Fighting

This is Beirut 28/07 14:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Cambodia Thailand Conflict Border

Thailand and Cambodia's leaders agreed to an "unconditional" ceasefire Monday, after five days of combat along their jungle-clad frontier that has killed at least 36 people. More than 200,000 people have fled as the two sides fired artillery, rockets and guns in a battle over the long-disputed area, which is home to a smattering of ...

Iran Rejects Talks with West on 'Defense Capabilities'

This is Beirut 28/07 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran France Nuclear

Iran said on Monday that its military capabilities were not up for negotiations, after France called for a "comprehensive deal" with Tehran that covers its missile programme and regional influence. "Regarding matters related to our defense capabilities, there will absolutely be no discussion," foreign ministry spokesman ...

Kremlin Does Not Rule Out Putin-Trump Meeting in China in September

This is Beirut 28/07 13:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Vladimir Putin China Russia

The Kremlin on Monday said it was not ruling out a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in September in China. Putin is due to visit China in early September for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. "If it so happens that in the end the US president decides to ...

UN Says 'Worrying Surge' in Iran Executions

This is Beirut 28/07 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Nations Iran Executions

The United Nations on Monday urged Iran to stop using the death penalty, citing a "worrying surge in executions" that has included at least 612 people being killed so far this year. "Reports that there have been several hundred executions in Iran so far this year underscore how deeply disturbing the situation has become and the urgent need for an ...

Turkey Battles Wildfires Amid Strong Winds, Heatwave

This is Beirut 28/07 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Wildfires

Firefighters were battling several blazes across Turkey on Monday when the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, officials said. Wildfires across Turkey over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths. Nineteen villages and more than 3,500 people have been evacuated from their homes. Turkey is experiencing a heatwave that peaked with ...

Israel Says Gaza Got 120 Trucks of Aid on Day One of Pause

This is Beirut 28/07 11:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Gaza Aid

Israel said Monday that more than 120 truckloads of food aid were distributed by the UN and aid agencies in the Gaza Strip on the first day of a promised limited break in fighting. On Sunday, Israel declared a "tactical pause" in military operations in part of Gaza and promised to open secure routes for aid, urging humanitarian groups to step up ...

SpotlightEurope Hopes for 'No Surprises' as US Weighs Force Withdrawals

This is Beirut 28/07 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe USA Donald Trump European Union Military

After keeping Donald Trump happy with a pledge to up defense spending at NATO's summit, Europe is now bracing for a key decision from the US president on the future of American forces on the continent. Washington is currently conducting a review of its military deployments worldwide -- set to be unveiled in coming months -- and the expectation is ...

US-China Set to Meet with Extension of Tariff Pause on the Cards

This is Beirut 28/07 09:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

US China Tariff Trade Diplomacy

Top economic officials from the United States and China are set to renew negotiations Monday -- with an extension of lower tariff levels on the cards -- as President Donald Trump's trade policy enters a critical week. Talks between the world's top two economies are slated to happen over two days in the Swedish capital Stockholm, and they come as ...

HighlightThe UN, The Palestinians, Israel and a Stalled Two-State Solution

This is Beirut 28/07 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Nations

Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked to the fate of Palestinians, with the organization meeting this week hoping to revive the two-state solution. Here is a timeline on the issue: Partition In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 ...

Russia Resumes Moscow-Pyongyang Commercial Flights

This is Beirut 28/07 09:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Russia NKorea Aviation Diplomacy

A Russian passenger jet landed at North Korea's main airport Monday, a flight tracking site showed, completing the first commercial leg in decades between capitals of the allied countries. Russia and North Korea have pulled closer in the last year, with Pyongyang sending weapons and troops to aid Moscow's war in Ukraine -- likely in exchange for ...