World

Gaza: UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting Saturday

This is Beirut 08/08 22:50 - Reading : less than a minute

UN Security Council Palestine United Nations Hamas Gaza Israel

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Gaza on Saturday at 19:00 GMT, following Israel’s announcement of a plan to take control of the city, several diplomatic sources told AFP on Friday. Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through a spokesperson, warned Israel against “a dangerous escalation” that ...

Trump May Use Military Against Drug Cartels

This is Beirut 08/08 21:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Mexico Cartels

President Donald Trump is moving to target Latin American drug cartels with the military, US media said Friday, after Washington designated several narcotics trafficking groups as "terrorist" organizations earlier this year. The New York Times reported that Trump has directed the Pentagon to use military force against cartels deemed ...

EditorialIran in Lebanon: The Toxic Interference of a Declining State

Marc Saikali 08/08 20:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Tehran

The Lebanese state has taken a bold and historic decision: to disarm Hezbollah and other militias, and to restore full sovereignty over the entire national territory. This goal is fundamental and shared by nations worldwide. It is an essential milestone for Lebanon to emerge from the shadow of weapons and conflict, rebuild the war-torn villages of ...

PoliticsRenewal of UNIFIL Tied to Completion of Hezbollah’s Disarmament Plan

Bassam Abou Zeid 08/08 18:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon UNIFIL Hezbollah

The upcoming renewal deadline for the international forces, scheduled for August 31, coincides with the Lebanese Army’s deadline to submit a plan aimed at limiting weapons possession exclusively to the state. This plan is to be presented to the Cabinet. According to US sources, Washington is closely watching the outcome of this process to decide ...

Israel Prepares to Take Control of Gaza

This is Beirut 08/08 17:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a Thursday interview on Fox News that Israel intends to take control of the Gaza Strip, though it does not plan to directly govern or maintain long-term control. He said the goal is to eventually transfer authority to Arab forces who would pose no threat to Israel and ensure a decent quality ...

Indian PM Modi Says Had 'Good' Conversation with Putin

This is Beirut 08/08 16:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Modi Russia India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had "a very good" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, during which they discussed Ukraine and ways to strengthen bilateral ties. "Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine," Modi posted ...

Gaza: Israel Approves Controversial Military Plan, International Community Reacts

This is Beirut 08/08 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Palestine United Kingdom UN

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday asked Israel to reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City, which he branded as "wrong". "This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," he said, warning that it "will only bring more bloodshed". The ...

Iraq Divided Over Future of Pro-Iran Armed Alliance

This is Beirut 08/08 13:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

US Secretary of State Hezbollah Israel Palestine

A bill in Iraq that would further formalise the role -- and perhaps, the autonomy -- of a powerful coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries has sparked a heated debate, fanned in part by US pressure. Few details of the bill that could decide the future of the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance have been made public. Formed in 2014 when Iraqis were ...

Abidjan: From Landfill to Lush Park

This is Beirut 08/08 13:10 - Reading : less than a minute

park Abidjan Landfill

Once filled with 53 million tons of waste, Akouedo has been transformed into a 100-hectare urban park. With biogas energy, sports fields, gardens, and more, this $221 million project brings new life to a once-toxic site.

SpotlightPutin-Trump Summit: What we Know so Far

This is Beirut 08/08 12:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Volodymyr Zelensky Vladimir Putin Ukraine

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to hold talks in a bid to end the war in Ukraine, triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion. Trump has spent his first months in office trying to broker peace -- after boasting he could end the war in 24 hours -- though multiple rounds of peace talks, phone calls and ...

Iraq Denies any Role in Sanctioned Iran Oil Smuggling

This is Beirut 08/08 12:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Washington Irak oil

Iraqi authorities denied on Friday that the country had played any part in Iranian efforts to evade US sanctions on oil exports after Washington last month linked a local businessman to the practice. In early July, the US State Department sanctioned six entities and identified four vessels as having "knowingly engaged in a significant transaction ...

Israel Approves Plan to Seize Gaza, Citing Push to ‘Defeat’ Hamas

This is Beirut 08/08 12:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations

Israel's military will "take control" of Gaza City under a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by his security cabinet, his office said in a statement Friday. Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the territory's more than two ...