World

Ceasefire Order Fails to Halt Fighting in Syria's Druze Heartland

This is Beirut 19/07 17:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day Saturday despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. AFP correspondents reported clashes in the west of the provincial capital as Druze fighters battled ...

Crisis in Sweida: Syrian President Denounces Foreign Interference

This is Beirut 19/07 12:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Druzes Syria

In a televised address this morning, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa described the recent clashes in the Sweida province as "a dangerous turning point in Syria’s security and political situation," while accusing foreign powers of fueling instability. The president stated that "the violent clashes between armed groups nearly spiraled out of ...

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Attacks Kill 26 Near Two Aid Centers

This is Beirut 19/07 11:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel United Nations USA Gaza

Gaza's civil defense agency on Saturday said Israeli attacks killed 26 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centers in the south of the Palestinian territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that 22 were killed near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near another center northwest of Rafah, blaming "Israeli ...

Trump Sues Murdoch, Newspaper Over Epstein Sex Bombshell

This is Beirut 19/07 05:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Wall Street Journal Jeffrey Epstein

US President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal on Friday for at least $10 billion over the publication of a bombshell report on his friendship with the infamous alleged sex trafficker of underage girls, Jeffrey Epstein. The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, saw the 79-year-old Republican ...

New Clashes Rock Syria's Druze Heartland as Tribal Fighters Reinforce Bedouin

This is Beirut 19/07 00:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Sweida Syria Druze SOHR

Armed tribes supported by Syria's Islamist-led government clashed with Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure. The United Nations called for an end to the "bloodshed" and demanded an "independent" investigation of the ...

Iraq Says Drones that Struck Military Radars Are Foreign-Made

This is Beirut 18/07 20:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iraq Oil

Iraq said Friday that drones, which hit several military radar systems last month, were launched from within the country but manufactured abroad, without identifying the perpetrators. On June 24, the Iraqi government said that several small suicide drones targeted multiple Iraqi military sites and bases, including the radar systems at Camp Taji, ...

Hamas Armed Wing Says Israel Blocking Ceasefire and Hostage Release Talks

This is Beirut 18/07 19:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday accused Israel of blocking a deal in talks for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. Negotiators from both sides have been in indirect talks in Qatar since July 6 to try to agree on a 60-day truce in the conflict, which would see 10 captives freed. But after ...

G20 Nations Agree Central Bank Independence 'Crucial'

This is Beirut 18/07 19:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

G20 Central Banks

The G20 finance ministers stressed Friday that central banks must remain independent, after months of escalating attacks by US President Donald Trump on Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell. It was the first communique under South Africa's G20 presidency and marked a rare consensus reached by a bloc jolted by the drastic trade policies of its ...

Top Holy Land Clerics Visit Gaza after Deadly Church Strike

This is Beirut 18/07 19:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Gaza Israel Hamas Pierbattista Pizzaballa Theophilos III

Two of the most senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem made a rare visit to Gaza on Friday, a day after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory's only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation. The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, ...

SpotlightCatherine, Princess of Wales: Her Wardrobe Speaks Volumes

Bélinda Ibrahim 18/07 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Kingdom Kate Middleton Princess of Wales Catherine Fashion Wardrobe

On official visits, Catherine, Princess of Wales, engages in a silent yet strategic diplomacy through her style. From national colors and local designers to heirloom jewelry, every element is deliberate. Her wardrobe becomes curated art, a refined dialogue between nations. Catherine, Princess of Wales, applauds from the Royal Box on Centre ...

UK Joins New EU Sanctions Targeting Russia Oil Exports

This is Beirut 18/07 17:45 - Reading : less than a minute

United Kingdom Europe Russia Ukraine Energy

The UK on Friday joined the EU's sweeping new package of sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, targeting its energy sector by lowering a price cap for Moscow's oil exports. "We're striking at the heart of the Russian energy sector alongside the EU. Together we will continue to apply relentless pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, ...

UN Rights Chief Urges Prompt Probe Into Syrian Violence

This is Beirut 18/07 14:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Sweida UN Syria

The United Nations rights chief demanded on Friday that Syria's interim authorities ensure accountability after days of deadly clashes in the southern city of Sweida that reportedly left hundreds dead. "This bloodshed and the violence must stop and the protection of all people must be the utmost priority," Volker Turk said in a ...