World

FBI Identifies New Orleans Attacker as US Citizen Shamsud-Din Jabbar

This is Beirut 01/01 20:49 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

New Orleans New Year United States Accident

The man who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers in New Orleans on Wednesday was a US citizen named Shamsud-Din Jabbar and was carrying the flag of international jihadist group Islamic State, the FBI said. "An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and ...

Zelensky Hails the End of Russian Gas Transit Through Ukraine

This is Beirut 01/01 19:41 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Oil & Gas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday hailed the end of Russian gas transit across his country as a significant "defeat" for Moscow amid its near three-year invasion. Flows of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine stopped on Wednesday morning after Zelensky refused to prolong decades of cooperation that had earned billions of ...

Saudi Arabia Executes 6 Iranians for Drug Trafficking

This is Beirut 01/01 19:24 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Iran Drug trafficking

Saudi Arabia has put six Iranians to death for drug trafficking, the interior ministry said Wednesday, after a year in which it carried out a record number of executions, according to an AFP tally of official reports. The six were executed in Dammam, on the Gulf coast, for having "clandestinely introduced hashish" into the kingdom, the ministry ...

Syria: Over 528,500 Deaths in 14 Years of War

This is Beirut 01/01 18:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

syria Bashar al-Assad

The war in Syria has claimed more than 528,500 lives, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Wednesday, marking nearly 14 years of a devastating conflict triggered by the regime of Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising. Assad was overthrown on December 8 2024. More than 181,939 civilians are among ...

Gaza: 25 Killed as Israeli Strikes Devastate Families at the Start of 2025

This is Beirut 01/01 18:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Palestine United Nations

Gaza's civil defense agency said an Israeli air strike killed at least 25 people in the territory's north on Wednesday, in what it called the first deadly attack of the New Year. "The world welcomed the New Year with celebrations and festivities, while we witnessed 2025 begin with the first Israeli massacre in the town of ...

In Moscow, Russians Hope for Peace in 2025 but Avoid Talk of Concessions

This is Beirut 01/01 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine War New Year

Some Russians ushering in the New Year said they wanted the conflict with Ukraine to end in 2025 and for a return of "peace" and "stability". But on the streets of Moscow there was no mention of Russia withdrawing its troops or giving up territory seized during the nearly three-year offensive. "Of course, we would like the country to finally end ...

Iran to Hold Nuclear Talks With 3 European Powers in Geneva on January 13

This is Beirut 01/01 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Nuclear IAEA Tehran

Iran will hold nuclear talks with France, Britain, and Germany on January 13 in Switzerland, local media reported on Wednesday, quoting a foreign ministry official. "The new round of talks between Iran and three European countries will be held in Geneva on January 13," said Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International ...

ReportGaza Babies Freeze to Death in Makeshift Tents

This is Beirut 01/01 12:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gaza Hamas Khan Younes Cold

Yahya al-Batran clutched the tiny clothes of his dead newborn son Jumaa, just days after the baby died from the cold in their tent in war-torn Gaza. "We are watching our children die before our eyes," said the 44-year-old. Their baby was one of the seven children who died from the cold within the span of a week, the Hamas-run territory's health ...

Saudi Arabia Launches Humanitarian Air Bridge to Syria

This is Beirut 01/01 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Saudi Arabia Air bridge Damascus

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday launched a humanitarian air bridge to Syria, delivering food, shelter, and medical supplies, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. The air bridge, established by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), aims to "alleviate the effects of the difficult conditions currently facing the Syrian ...

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Syria's New Information Minister Promises "Free" Press

This is Beirut 01/01 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

HTS Syria Bashar al-Assad Freedom of expression

Syria's minister of information in the country's transitional government told AFP he is working towards a free press and committed to "freedom of expression" after decades of tight control under the country's former rulers. "We are working to consolidate freedoms of the press and expression that were severely restricted" in areas controlled by ...

Syria Welcomes the New Year With Hope After Assad's Fall

This is Beirut 01/01 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Damascus Bashar al-Assad New Year

Umayyad Square in Damascus hummed to the throngs of people brandishing "revolution" flags as Syria saw in the new year with hope following 13 years of civil war. Gunshots rang out from Mount Qasioun overlooking the capital, where hundreds of people gazed up at fireworks, an AFP reporter at the square saw. It was the first new year's celebration ...

Milan Bans All Outdoor Smoking in Italy's Toughest Prohibition

This is Beirut 01/01 11:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Milan Italy Prohibiton Smoking

Smokers in Italy's financial and fashion capital of Milan risk being fined for lighting up on city streets or crowded public areas after the country's toughest ban comes into effect Wednesday. Those who defy the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city could be fined between 40 to 240 euros ($41 to $249), a punishment that does not ...