World

Hamas Officials Say 'Ready' for Negotiations on Phase Two of Gaza Truce

This is Beirut 03/02 17:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hamas is ready to begin talks on the details of a second phase of the ongoing truce in Gaza, two officials from the Palestinian militant group told AFP on Monday. "Hamas has informed the mediators, during ongoing communications and meetings held with Egyptian mediators last week in Cairo, that we are ready to start the negotiations for the second ...

Car Bomb Kills 15 in Northern Syria

This is Beirut 03/02 16:07 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria

A car bomb on Monday killed 15 people, mostly women farm workers, in the northern Syrian city of Manbij where Kurdish forces are battling Turkey-backed groups, state media reported. Citing White Helmet rescuers, SANA news agency said there had been a "massacre" on a local road, with "the explosion of a car bomb near a vehicle transporting ...

Syrian Leader in Turkey on Tuesday on Second International Trip

This is Beirut 03/02 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Sryria Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa will visit Turkey on Tuesday on his second international visit since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in December, the Turkish presidency said. He went to Saudi Arabia on Sunday. War-ravaged Syria is looking to wealthy Gulf countries to finance reconstruction and revive its economy. Sharaa "will pay a ...

Turkey’s Deadly Quake: Two Years On

This is Beirut 03/02 15:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Turkey

Nearly two years after Turkey's deadly quake, displaced residents are gradually settling into government housing. #Turkiye

The Vatican Calls for a Unified Easter Date

Fady Noun 03/02 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union Pope Francis USA

During the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, observed from January 18 to 25, Pope Francis voiced his support for unifying the date of Easter. "The Catholic Church is willing to accept the date that everyone agrees on: a date of unity," he stated. Catholics and Orthodox Christians traditionally celebrate Easter on different dates due to ...

Q&AHow China Allegedly Contributes to the Deadly Fentanyl Crisis

This is Beirut 03/02 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States USA Washington Fentanyl

US President Donald Trump has slapped new tariffs on Chinese goods, partly in response to Beijing's alleged role in a deadly opioid epidemic in the United States. Washington has long accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to the deadly fentanyl trade, which US authorities estimate caused tens of thousands of deaths a year. China denies ...

VideosTime Travel: Murder of Belle Starr

Chelsea Al Arif 03/02 10:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Time Travel Belle Starr

Travel back in time to 1889. What happened in the United States on February 3, 1889? Join us weekly on Time Travel as we explore historical events under a different theme every month. This February, we're exploring the USA in the 19th century!

AnalysisMitigated or Stifled Transitions?

Charles Chartouni 03/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Gaza Iran Israel USA

The transitions in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza are still controversial, and their actors are undecided about their outcomes. Observers ask whether the various actors are genuinely interested in the transformative courses and to what extent. The newly set dynamics that have taken place throughout the Near East have not yet been relayed by steadier, ...

US Threatens Panama Over Canal

This is Beirut 03/02 05:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Panama Panama Canal China

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country's leader insisted he was not afraid of a US invasion and offered talks. On his first trip overseas as the top US diplomat, Rubio took a guided tour of the canal accompanied by its ...

Elon Musk brands USAID as 'criminal organization' in growing row

This is Beirut 02/02 21:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Covid-19 Republicans US Congress USA

Elon Musk attacked the US Agency for International Development on Sunday, calling it a "criminal organization" after Donald Trump moved to freeze the bulk of Washington's foreign assistance for three months. The Trump administration has since issued waivers for food and other humanitarian aid. But aid workers say uncertainty reigns -- and that ...

Israeli Military Says 50 Killed in Weeks-Long West Bank Operation

This is Beirut 02/02 19:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israeli Army Israel West Bank Hamas Islamic Jihad

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had killed at least 50 militants during more than two weeks of operations in the occupied West Bank. "As part of the operation to thwart terrorism, the [military] recently destroyed several buildings in Jenin," the military said in a statement, adding that the structures "were used as terrorist ...

Syria Leader Says Saudis Want to Help Rebuild War-Torn Country

This is Beirut 02/02 18:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said Saudi Arabia had a "genuine desire" to help rebuild his war-torn country, after meeting on Sunday with the oil-rich Gulf state's crown prince. Accompanied by his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Sharaa was greeted by Saudi officials on arrival in Riyadh, images from state ...