World

Trump May 'Do Nothing' If Putin, Zelensky Fail to Meet

This is Beirut 22/08 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Ukraine Vladimir Putin Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said Friday he would make an "important" decision in two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts -- specifying that Moscow could face massive sanctions or he might do nothing. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he was "not happy" about a Russian strike Thursday that hit a US-owned factory in Ukraine "and I'm not happy ...

Suicide Bombing Kills Syria Police Officer: State Media

This is Beirut 22/08 20:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus IS

A suicide attack on Friday at a security checkpoint in Syria's east killed one police officer, state media said, blaming the bombing on the Islamic State group (IS). A second would-be assailant was killed by security forces, the official news agency SANA reported. "A suicide bomber of the terrorist organisation Daesh attacked the Siyasiyeh ...

Russia Rejects Zelensky Meeting as Diplomatic Tension Simmers

This is Beirut 22/08 18:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA

Russia Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "no meeting" between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as NATO chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss ...

Iran, Europeans to Meet as Snapback Sanctions Loom

This is Beirut 22/08 18:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union United Nations Iran Nuclear

Iran will meet next week with Britain, France and Germany on its nuclear programme, the parties said Friday, as the European powers warned Tehran to engage swiftly to avoid snapback sanctions. The Islamic republic suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in July in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel, citing the UN ...

NATO Chief Calls For 'Robust Security Guarantees' on Ukraine Visit

This is Beirut 22/08 16:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia Conflict NATO

The head of NATO on Friday called for "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure Russia upholds any potential peace deal and "never again" attempts to invade Ukraine. The question of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine has been front and centre during the latest US-led diplomatic push to broker a peace deal to end the conflict, now ...

AI Helps UK Woman Rediscover Lost Voice After 25 Years

This is Beirut 22/08 15:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

New York United Kingdom Smartbox AI

A British woman suffering from motor neurone disease who lost her ability to speak is once again talking in her own voice thanks to artificial intelligence and a barely audible eight-second clip from an old home video. Sarah Ezekiel, an artist, was left without the use of her voice after she was diagnosed at the age of 34 with MND while pregnant ...

Deadly Clashes as Iraqi Kurdistan Opposition Figure Arrested

This is Beirut 22/08 15:08 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iraq Kurdistan

Three members of the security forces in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region were killed and 19 wounded during the arrest of an opposition figure on Friday, security officials said. Lahur Sheikh Jangi surrendered after barricading himself in a luxury hotel with his guards, said one official who requested anonymity due to ...

Norma Nolan, First Miss Universe from Argentina, Has Passed Away

This is Beirut 22/08 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Norma Nolan Miss Universe Argentina Death

A discreet yet iconic figure has passed away in Miami, Florida, at the age of 87: Norma Nolan, the first and only Argentine woman ever to win the Miss Universe crown in 1962, leaves behind a legacy of grace, determination, and inspiration for generations of young women. Born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, on April 22, 1938, Norma Beatriz Nolan was ...

UN Declares Famine in Gaza, First Ever in Middle East

This is Beirut 22/08 12:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United Nations Middle East Palestine Hamas Famine

The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing "catastrophic" hunger. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was entirely preventable, saying food could not get through to the Palestinian territory "because of systematic obstruction by ...

Israel Vows to Destroy Gaza City if Hamas Doesn't Disarm, Free Hostages

This is Beirut 22/08 10:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Friday to destroy Gaza City if Hamas did not agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the territory and end the war on Israel's terms. "Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas's murderers and rapists in Gaza - until they agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war, ...

Meta Makes Huge Cloud Computing Deal with Google

This is Beirut 22/08 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Meta Facebook Instagram AI

Meta has made a cloud computing deal with Google worth more than $10 billion over the course of six years, a source close to the transaction told AFP Thursday. The source confirmed a report at tech news outlet The Information about the arrangement, which will include Meta using Google datacenter servers, storage, networking and other ...

Zelensky says Russia Trying to 'Wriggle Out' of Peace Talks

This is Beirut 22/08 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)