Arab World

Germany Set for Massive Rearmament as Divide with US Widens

This is Beirut 05/03 20:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Germany Defense Europe Russia Ukraine

Germany is set to ramp up defense spending with the incoming government saying it wants to invest hundreds of billions of euros to bolster Europe's security as US guarantees look increasingly fragile. Likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he planned to reform the country's strict constitutional "debt brake" to pump up defense ...

ExplainerThe Arab League: Striving for Unity Amidst De Facto Divisions

Malo Pinatel 05/03 19:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Middle East Arab League Gaza

Countering the plans of Trump and Israel regarding the future of the Gaza Strip was the backdrop for the Arab League leaders’ gathering on Tuesday at the organization's headquarters in Cairo. At the end of the summit, they adopted a new reconstruction plan for the enclave, presented by Egypt, valued at $53 billion. This marked a rare moment of ...

Syria Monitor Reports 11 Killed in Ex-Assad Bastion, Clashes in South

This is Beirut 05/03 17:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Latakia SOHR

A Syria war monitor said Wednesday that four civilians had been killed in a security operation in a former pro-government bastion this week, while clashes in the south had left at least seven security personnel and gunmen dead. Restoring and maintaining security across Syria remains one of the most pressing challenges for the country's new ...

Mexico Warns US It Is Ready to Seek Other Trade Partners

This is Beirut 05/03 17:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Mexico United States Tariffs Claudia Sheinbaum Donald Trump

Mexico will look for other trading partners if needed in the face of US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum warned Wednesday. Mexico has to take "important decisions for the future of the country" and "if necessary, other trading partners will be sought," she said at her morning news ...

VideosHighlights from the Cairo Summit on Gaza

Élie-Joe Kamel 05/03 16:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Palestine Gaza Cairo Arab summit

Arab leaders endorsed a plan on Tuesday to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority.

S.Africa Accuses Israel of Using 'Starvation' in Gaza

This is Beirut 05/03 15:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Hamas

South Africa on Wednesday denounced Israel's restriction of aid into war-ravaged Gaza since the weekend, saying it amounted to using starvation as a weapon of war. A fragile ceasefire since January saw an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, before Israel on Sunday announced it was blocking deliveries until Hamas accepted its terms for an ...

Ailing Pope 'Rested Well' but Misses Start of Lent

This is Beirut 05/03 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Pope Francis

Pope Francis's condition was stable on Wednesday as he neared three weeks in hospital battling pneumonia, a Vatican source said, with celebrations for the Lent religious season starting without him. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church has suffered a worrying series of respiratory attacks since his admission to the Gemelli in Rome on ...

Israel's Mission Against Hamas 'Not Accomplished': New Military Chief

This is Beirut 05/03 14:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine

New armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said during his inauguration Wednesday that Israel's mission to defeat Palestinian militant group Hamas was "not accomplished". "I accept command of the (Israeli military) with modesty and humility... Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not ...

Macron to Address France Over Global 'Uncertainty'

This is Beirut 05/03 14:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump USA European Union

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would address the nation on Wednesday regarding the current global uncertainty following the radical shift in U.S. policy on Ukraine under Donald Trump. "My dear compatriots — I will address you tonight at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) at this moment of great uncertainty when the world is facing its greatest ...

ExplainerThe Druze: Riding the Tide in a Turbulent Middle East

Samar El-Kadi 05/03 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Middle East Druze Syria

The Druze question has reemerged at the forefront of the current regional scene, following the regime change in Syria and Israel’s incursion into Syrian territory through the demilitarized zone in the occupied Golan Heights. All this is compounded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that Israel would intervene in Syria to ...

SpotlightGlobal Markets Shaken by Trump’s Tariff Policies

Christiane Tager 05/03 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Economy World China USA

Shortly after assuming office, US President Donald Trump announced in February the imposition of a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods, bringing the total to 20%. He criticized Beijing, Ottawa and Mexico for not doing enough to “combat the flow of fentanyl (a potent opioid) into the ...

Belarus President Proposes Hosting Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks

This is Beirut 05/03 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Middle East

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered in an interview published on Wednesday to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks that could involve US officials. "Tell (US President Donald) Trump that I expect him here with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky," Lukashenko proposed in a video interview with ...