This is Beirut 2024-12-20 15:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
United States Iran sanctions oil
The United States has intensified sanctions against a growing number of oil tankers and companies accused of being involved in the trade of Iranian oil, Bloomberg reported,. Nine ships and eight companies have been added to the sanctions list, according to a government statement released on Thursday. Among the vessels targeted is the MS Enola, ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 14:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Hamas Israel Palestine United Nations West Bank
Sweden announced plans Friday to stop funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in response to an Israeli ban, but pledged to increase its aid to Gaza via other groups. The government said funding earmarked for Gaza would total 800 million kronor ($72 million) in 2025, but aid to UNRWA, which totalled 451 million kronor in 2024, would ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United Nations Amy Pope Syria IOM
The raft of international sanctions on Syria must be reassessed to help the country rebuild following the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, the head of the UN's migration agency said Friday. Amy Pope also said Syria's women must be empowered to play a full role in building a new society and bringing stability to the shattered nation. The ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 12:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israel Palestine Tehran Turkey
Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdogan said Friday it was time to destroy "terrorist" groups that posed a threat to Syria's survival, in reference to Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish fighters. "Daesh, the PKK and their affiliates -- which threaten the survival of Syria -- must be eradicated," he told journalists while returning from a ...
Natasha Metni Torbey 2024-12-20 11:41 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
International Criminal Court UN Security Council Vladimir Putin Bashar al-Assad
War crimes, crimes against humanity, the use of chemical weapons against civilians… The accusations directed at former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad raise pressing questions, particularly following the fall of his regime on December 8: can he be brought to justice? If so, through what legal mechanisms? And what about the status he enjoys in ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Antony Blinken Barbara Leaf Damascus Donald Trump United States
US diplomats have arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new rulers, hoping to encourage a moderate, inclusive path and to find clues on missing Americans, the State Department said Friday. It is the first formal US diplomatic mission to Damascus since the early days of the brutal civil war that broke out in 2011 and culminated in a surprise ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 09:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
One person was reported killed on Friday in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where AFP staff saw smoke rise over parts of the city after a series of explosions. "According to preliminary reports, one person was killed," the head of the city's military administration, Sergiy Popko, said on Telegram. Popko said Russian forces ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 04:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Democrats Donald Trump Republicans US Congress US House of Representatives White House
On Thursday, the US House of Representatives largely rejected a new Republican budget proposal aimed at avoiding a paralysis of the federal government, in a stinging defeat that increases the uncertainty before the fateful midnight hour on Friday. The Republicans, despite having a majority in the lower house, had put this new proposal to the vote ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 01:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Gulf Hamas Hezbollah Houthi Israel
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed responsibility for firing two missiles and a drone at Israel after Israeli raids on Yemeni ports and energy infrastructure, which left nine people dead according to their leader. The Israeli army announced that it had struck ports and energy infrastructure belonging to the Houthis, more than 1,500 ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-20 00:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Banks Hamas International Court of Justice Israel Palestine United Nations West Bank
On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards the Palestinians, at a time when the Israeli government is accused of obstructing access to aid in Gaza. The resolution, submitted by Norway, was adopted by a large ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-19 20:58 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Women's Rights Syria HTS
In Damascus's Ummayad Square, hundreds gathered Thursday, demanding a democratic state that includes women in public life, marking the first such demonstration since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Women and men, young and old, chanted slogans including "No to religious rule", "God is for religion ...
This is Beirut 2024-12-19 19:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israel Palestine Tehran Turkey UN Security Council
The leaders of Turkey and Iran called on Thursday for unity in Syria at a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries after the ouster of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad. Turkey historically backed Assad's opponents, while Iran supported his rule. The gathering of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as the ...