Trump envoy suggests allied zones of control in Ukraine

This is Beirut 12/04 10:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Russia US Keith Kellogg

Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, suggested British and French troops could adopt zones of control in the country, in an interview with The Times newspaper published Saturday. Kellogg suggested they could have areas of responsibility west of the Dnipro River, as part of a "reassurance force", with a ...

Op-edAmerican-Iranian Talks Spring Eternal

David Hale 12/04 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Iran USA Donald Trump United States

President Trump prides himself on his mastery of the art of the deal. On April 12, those skills will begin to be tested for the first time in the arena of the 45-year-old contest between America and Iran. All who care about stability and peace in the Middle East should wish him well and hope he and his team come to the negotiation prepared and in ...

Judge Says US Can Deport Pro-Palestinian Student Protester Mahmoud Khalil

This is Beirut 12/04 05:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States New York Palestine Israel Columbia

An immigration judge ruled Friday that a pro-Palestinian student protester, a US permanent resident detained by the Trump administration, can be deported, his lawyer said. Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamee Comans, based in the state of Louisiana, said the federal government had met its burden to prove it had grounds to deport Mahmoud ...

Iran Says Seeks "Real and Fair" Deal as US Insists on Direct Negotiations

This is Beirut 11/04 22:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran United States Nuclear Donald Trump

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt insisted Friday that the upcoming talks between the United States and Iran in Oman would be direct. “I want to make that very clear,” she told reporters in Washington. “The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, and talking directly in the same room,” she said. Her comments ...

Witkoff: Muscat Talks with Iran to Focus on Trust-Building, Not Deal Terms

This is Beirut 11/04 22:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Steve Witkoff Iran Nuclear

US President Donald Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who met with president Vladimir Putin, in Moscou, said Friday that the initial meeting with Iranian officials in Muscat will focus on rebuilding trust rather than hashing out the fine details of a nuclear deal. “The initial meeting in Muscat will be centered on building ...

Erdogan Accuses Israel of Destabilizing Syria

This is Beirut 11/04 17:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Erdogan Syria Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Israel of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to "dynamite" the "revolution" that toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad. Turkey is a key backer of Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition which ousted Assad in December. "Israel ...

Trump Envoy Witkoff in Russia on Third Visit

This is Beirut 11/04 16:42 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine United States Steve Witkoff Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday for talks on the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said, cautioning they were unlikely to reach a breakthrough. US President Donald Trump is pressing Moscow and Kyiv to end the more than three-year conflict but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin ...

Paramilitary Attack on Sudan Famine-Hit Camp Kills 25: Activists

This is Beirut 11/04 15:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Friday killed 25 civilians including women and children, in an attack on a famine-stricken camp in Sudan's North Darfur state, activists said. The attack, which involved shelling and intense gunfire, "targeted Zamzam displacement camp from both the southern and eastern directions", ...

Europe Vows More Arms for Ukraine as US Takes Backseat

This is Beirut 11/04 15:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Donald Trump Washington Germany Britain

Ukraine's European allies vowed Friday to step up weapons deliveries as support from the United States dries up under President Donald Trump. The US leader has switched Washington's focus from backing Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion to trying to negotiate a peace deal with President Vladimir Putin to halt the war. Britain and Germany took ...

Recovering Pope 'Happy' to Get Out and About: Vatican

This is Beirut 11/04 14:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Pope Francis USA

Pope Francis was "happy" to get out and about this week but while his health is improving, it is too soon to confirm his participation in Easter celebrations, the Vatican said Friday. The 88-year-old Catholic leader, who is recovering from life-threatening pneumonia, has appeared at three unscheduled events in recent days -- including a ...

Germany Urges 'Diplomatic Solution' Ahead of Iran-US Nuclear Talks

This is Beirut 11/04 13:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tehran United States

Germany urged Friday a "diplomatic solution" ahead of this weekend's nuclear talks between Iran and the United States after President Donald Trump said military action was possible if negotiations fail. Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Saturday in Muscat on Tehran's nuclear programme. The ...

Rebuilding Lebanon, Preserving Its Diversity

This is Beirut 11/04 13:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Italy Order of Malta

Shining a spotlight on Lebanon, one of the most fragile and symbolic countries in the Middle East, to support its recovery. This is the objective of Rebuilding Lebanon, preserving its diversity, a workshop organized by the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Holy See and the Order of Malta scheduled ...