Arab World

Trump Says Not Firing Fed Chair, but Not Ruling Out

This is Beirut 16/07 20:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Federal Reserve Jerome Powell

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was not currently planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell but added that he did not rule it out. Trump's mixed messaging, after months of escalating attacks on the independent central bank chief, sent the yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond surging above five percent. Asked about ...

Israel Strikes Near Syrian Army HQ: State TV

This is Beirut 16/07 19:03 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Damascus Benjamin Netanyahu Syria

An Israeli strike on Wednesday hit near the Syrian army and defense ministry headquarters in Damascus, the state-run Alekhbariya channel reported on Telegram, after Israel's military said it had struck there. AFP correspondents heard a loud explosion echoing throughout much of the capital shortly after a first air strike had targeted the same ...

Syria: Israeli Strikes Hit Presidential Palace and Syrian Army HQ in Damascus

This is Beirut 16/07 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria

Israel bombed the Syrian army's headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the country's Druze minority alone, as authorities announced a ceasefire in the community's southern heartland after deadly sectarian clashes. Syrian government forces entered the majority-Druze city of Sweida on ...

Sweida Caught Between Damascus and Israel

Mario Chartouni 16/07 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Damascus Syria Sweida Druzes

The majority-Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria has been thrust into an unprecedented spiral of violence since Sunday, as fierce clashes between the Syrian army, backed by Bedouin militias, and local Druze armed groups have escalated dramatically. The fighting has been marked by intense combat, summary executions, a deepening humanitarian ...

Astronomers Observe Birth of a Solar System for First Time

This is Beirut 16/07 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Astronomy Solar System Space

Astronomers said Wednesday they had observed the moment when planets start forming around a distant star for the first time, revealing a process that sheds light on the birth of our own solar system. The new planetary system is forming around the baby star HOPS-315, which resembles our own Sun in its youth, 1,300 light years from Earth in the ...

Erdogan Rival Gets Jail Term for 'Threatening' Prosecutor

This is Beirut 16/07 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu Erdogan

Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkey's leading opposition figure, got a 20-month prison sentence for insulting and threatening the city's public prosecutor Wednesday, according to a court document obtained by AFP. The case is one of a number lined up against Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is already ...

Khamenei Says Israel War Meant to 'Overthrow System' in Iran

This is Beirut 16/07 14:36 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Khamenei Ali Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel's attacks during last month's 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic's system and spark unrest to topple it. "The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in ...

Syria Promises to Punish those who Committed Abuses in Sweida

This is Beirut 16/07 14:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Sweida Druze

The Syrian presidency vowed to punish those who committed violations against Druze-majority Sweida's residents, as government forces were accused of summary executions and other abuses by right groups, witnesses and local factions. In a statement, the presidency said they "strongly condemn these heinous acts and affirm our full commitment to ...

VideosMultinational Crew Returns to Earth on SpaceX Capsule After ISS Mission

Lyne Sammouri 16/07 14:15 - Reading : less than a minute

United States

A SpaceX capsule with astronauts from India, Poland, Hungary and the United States safely landed off the coast of California, concluding Axiom Mission 4 after 20 days in orbit.

VideosRenewed Violence in Sweida Raises Concerns for Druze Civilians

This is Beirut 16/07 13:43 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Syria NGO Sweida

In southern Syria, the city of Sweida has descended into chaos. An NGO accuses government forces of executing Druze civilians following their deployment in the region. Fighting broke out after intercommunal violence that left over 200 people dead. Israel responded with airstrikes on Syrian forces, claiming to protect the Druze population. Despite ...

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Says 20 Dead at Aid Point

This is Beirut 16/07 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Hamas United Nations USA

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said 20 people died at an aid point in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, blaming armed "agitators" in the crowd. "Our current understanding is that 19 of the victims were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge," the US- and Israel-backed organisation said ...

Nvidia's Huang says 'Doing Our Best' to Serve Chinese Market

This is Beirut 16/07 12:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Washington Nvidia China

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday his firm was "doing our best" to serve China's vast market for semiconductors after meeting Beijing officials. Huang is in the Chinese capital this week to attend the China International Supply Chain Expo, a forum for the country to boost its image as the global defender of free trade in contrast to the ...