This is Beirut 2025-07-04 10:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Pakistan's army said Friday it had killed 30 militants attempting to cross the border from Afghanistan over the last three days, after a suicide attack killed 16 soldiers in the same region. The militants belonged to the Pakistan Taliban or its affiliated groups, the military said in a statement, accusing arch foe India of backing them. "The ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-04 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
In Africa's turbulent Sahel region, the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM jihadist group is expanding its influence by repeated massacres, food distribution and signing pacts with local authorities to position itself as a key political player. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has not ruled out governing states and has condemned bloody ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-04 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Pope Leo XIV Vatican Catholic Church
Pope Leo XIV heads off on holiday on Sunday, having spent his first two months as Catholic leader rebuilding unity and bolstering tradition after his predecessor's unorthodox papacy. "Prudent", "methodical" and "listening" are some of the words used by Vatican insiders who spoke to AFP to describe the approach of the first American pope, who took ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-04 09:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Gaza Iran
Even for a man who once boasted that his supporters would get "tired of winning," US President Donald Trump is on a roll. The 79-year-old's victory on his "One Big, Beautiful" bill is the latest in a series of consequential successes at home and abroad in the past two weeks. From US airstrikes that led to an Iran-Israel ceasefire, to a NATO ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-04 08:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump United States China Canada Tariffs
With sweeping tariffs on friend and foe, US President Donald Trump has roiled financial markets and sparked a surge in economic uncertainty -- and tensions are mounting days before a fresh volley of higher duties are due to kick in. Here is a rundown of what Trump has implemented in his second presidency, with levies on dozens of economies set to ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 23:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
A drone was intercepted late on Thursday near Arbil airport, which houses US-led anti-jihadist coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, Kurdish security forces said. "At 21:58 (1858 GMT) an explosive-packed drone was downed near Arbil International Airport, without causing casualties or damage," said the ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 22:55 - Reading : less than a minute
Nawaf Salam Tehran airspace Iran
Iran announced Thursday that it has reopened its airspace, including over Tehran, after closing it on June 13 due to the war with Israel, according to state media. "Tehran's Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini international airports, as well as those in the north, east, west and south of the country, have been reopened and are ready to operate flights," ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
An elderly man and a forestry worker died on Thursday in wildfires in Turkey, as firefighters battled high winds fanning two blazes in the western province of Izmir, lawmakers said. Turkey, which was spared the recent heatwaves that gripped the rest of Southern Europe, has been battling the effects of a long-term drought brought on by climate ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 20:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Palestine Hostages Gaza
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday visited the community that saw the most hostages seized in Hamas militants' 2023 attacks, promising to bring home "all" those still held in Gaza. "I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them," Netanyahu told inhabitants of the Nir Oz ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 20:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Emmanuel Macron European Union USA Donald Trump Europe
France's President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he wanted an EU-US trade deal "as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible", with a Washington-set deadline looming to reach an accord. "The right deal for me is the deal that is struck as soon as possible, with the lowest tariffs possible, and that must be fair and firm," Macron ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 20:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Nawaf Salam USA Middle East Tehran United States
A senior Iranian diplomat said Thursday his country remains open to diplomacy provided the United States offers guarantees it will not resort to military action against the Islamic republic. The remarks came as US news website Axios, citing two unidentified sources, reported that White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was planning to meet ...
This is Beirut 2025-07-03 19:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump USA Republicans Tax bills
US President Donald Trump secured a major political victory on Thursday, when Congress narrowly passed his flagship tax and spending bill, cementing his radical second-term agenda and boosting funds for his anti-immigration drive. The bill underlined the president's dominance over the Republican Party, which had been wracked by misgivings ...