Middle East

Syrian Parliamentary Elections Postponed in Sweida, Raqqa and Hasakah Due to ‘Security Challenges’

This is Beirut 2025-08-23 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The Supreme Committee for the People’s Assembly (Parliament) Elections in Syria announced on Saturday the postponement of parliamentary elections in the provinces of Sweida (south), Raqqa and Hasakah (northeast) due to “security challenges.” Nawar Najma, the spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections, reported ...

Texas Adopts Electoral Map aimed at Preserving Trump's Congress Grip

This is Beirut 2025-08-23 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States U.S. Congress Elections Donald Trump

Texas legislators approved early Saturday a new electoral map aimed at carving out five new Republican-leaning seats in the state to help the party retain control of Congress in next year's midterm elections. President Donald Trump had pressured Republican-run Texas to create the new map to help prevent Democratic opponents from taking over the ...

Russia Says Captured Two Villages in Ukraine's Donetsk Region

This is Beirut 2025-08-23 14:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine

Russia on Saturday said its forces in east Ukraine had taken two villages in the Donetsk region, upping military pressure on the ground as world leaders struggle to broker an end to the conflict. Russian forces are slowly advancing in the embattled eastern region, grinding closer to Kyiv's key defensive line in costly meter-for-meter ...

Trump, Intel Announce Deal Giving US a 10% Stake in Chipmaker

This is Beirut 2025-08-23 12:04 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Intel

Chipmaker Intel has agreed to give the US government a 10-percent stake in its business, the company and President Donald Trump announced Friday. The deal came after Trump's administration said Intel should give Washington an equity stake in exchange for large grants committed when Joe Biden was president. Under the agreement, the US government ...

Trump May 'Do Nothing' If Putin, Zelensky Fail to Meet

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Ukraine Vladimir Putin Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said Friday he would make an "important" decision in two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts -- specifying that Moscow could face massive sanctions or he might do nothing. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he was "not happy" about a Russian strike Thursday that hit a US-owned factory in Ukraine "and I'm not happy ...

Suicide Bombing Kills Syria Police Officer: State Media

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 20:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus IS

A suicide attack on Friday at a security checkpoint in Syria's east killed one police officer, state media said, blaming the bombing on the Islamic State group (IS). A second would-be assailant was killed by security forces, the official news agency SANA reported. "A suicide bomber of the terrorist organisation Daesh attacked the Siyasiyeh ...

Russia Rejects Zelensky Meeting as Diplomatic Tension Simmers

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 18:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine USA

Russia Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "no meeting" between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as NATO chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss ...

Iran, Europeans to Meet as Snapback Sanctions Loom

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 18:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union United Nations Iran Nuclear

Iran will meet next week with Britain, France and Germany on its nuclear programme, the parties said Friday, as the European powers warned Tehran to engage swiftly to avoid snapback sanctions. The Islamic republic suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in July in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel, citing the UN ...

NATO Chief Calls For 'Robust Security Guarantees' on Ukraine Visit

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 16:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia Conflict NATO

The head of NATO on Friday called for "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure Russia upholds any potential peace deal and "never again" attempts to invade Ukraine. The question of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine has been front and centre during the latest US-led diplomatic push to broker a peace deal to end the conflict, now ...

AI Helps UK Woman Rediscover Lost Voice After 25 Years

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 15:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

New York United Kingdom Smartbox AI

A British woman suffering from motor neurone disease who lost her ability to speak is once again talking in her own voice thanks to artificial intelligence and a barely audible eight-second clip from an old home video. Sarah Ezekiel, an artist, was left without the use of her voice after she was diagnosed at the age of 34 with MND while pregnant ...

Deadly Clashes as Iraqi Kurdistan Opposition Figure Arrested

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 15:08 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iraq Kurdistan

Three members of the security forces in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region were killed and 19 wounded during the arrest of an opposition figure on Friday, security officials said. Lahur Sheikh Jangi surrendered after barricading himself in a luxury hotel with his guards, said one official who requested anonymity due to ...

Norma Nolan, First Miss Universe from Argentina, Has Passed Away

This is Beirut 2025-08-22 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Norma Nolan Miss Universe Argentina Death

A discreet yet iconic figure has passed away in Miami, Florida, at the age of 87: Norma Nolan, the first and only Argentine woman ever to win the Miss Universe crown in 1962, leaves behind a legacy of grace, determination, and inspiration for generations of young women. Born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, on April 22, 1938, Norma Beatriz Nolan was ...