Middle East

Russia and Ukraine Confirm Swap of 372 War Prisoners

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 16:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump United Arab Emirates Kyiv

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 372 soldiers in a prisoner swap brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Moscow and Kyiv said Wednesday. Prisoner swaps and the exchange of remains of killed soldiers is one of the only areas of cooperation between the warring countries since the Kremlin launched the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The ...

Turkey Detains Istanbul Mayor, Erdogan's main rival

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 15:31 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish police detained Istanbul's powerful Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Wednesday in connection with two investigations into graft and "supporting terror," a move that the main opposition party slammed as a politically-motivated "coup". Imamoglu is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and his detention came ...

VideosIranians Celebrate Chaharshanbeh Suri, Welcoming Spring with Fire and Tradition

Chelsea Al Arif 2025-03-19 15:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Nowruz Chaharshanbeh Suri Iran

On March 18, 2025, Iranians took part in Chaharshanbeh Suri, a vibrant fire festival marking the eve of Nowruz, with fireworks, flames and festive rituals to purify the soul and bring good fortune for the new year.

Zelensky Warns Against Slowing aid, says will Speak to Trump

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Kyiv Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Wednesday against heeding a Kremlin call to halt military aid for his country and announced he would speak with US President Donald Trump later within hours. Russian leader Vladimir Putin issued the demand during a call with Trump on Tuesday, part of a rapprochement initiated by Washington that seeks to broker ...

Rocked by Trump, EU Seeks to Kickstart Defense Push

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 11:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump European Union Europe Ukraine

The EU on Wednesday will look to fire the starting pistol on plans to help member states bolster their defences, as Europe grapples with an aggressive Russia and the potential loss of US security protections. US President Donald Trump has turbocharged calls for Europe to rearm by casting doubt on Washington's central role in NATO and making ...

Rwanda, DRC Presidents Hold Surprise Ceasefire talks in Qatar

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ceasefire Qatar DRC

The presidents of Rwanda and DR Congo have expressed their support for a ceasefire after holding surprise talks in Qatar, hours after peace talks in Angola failed. Rwandan leader Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi met Tuesday with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, a statement from the three countries said. The ...

ReportStench of Death as Sudan Army, Paramilitaries Battle for Capital

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Khartoum famine Ramadan

In a war-ravaged neighbourhood of Sudan's capital Khartoum, the stench from a gaping sewage pit is unbearable as Red Crescent workers pull a bloated body from deep underground. The volunteers say 14 more remain below. "They were shot in the head, some have crushed skulls," Hisham Zein al-Abdeen, head of forensic medicine at Sudan's health ...

Smiles, Thumbs ups and a Safe Return for 'Stranded' NASA Astronauts

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nasa astronauts

Home at last: After an unexpected nine-month stay in space, a pair of NASA astronauts finally returned to Earth on Tuesday, concluding a mission that captured global attention and became a political flashpoint. A SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship carrying Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – alongside fellow American Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut ...

Houthis Claim fourth Attack Against US Warships

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam USA Gulf Hamas Houthis

Houthis claimed on Wednesday to have carried out a fourth attack in 72 hours on an American fleet in the Red Sea, as the US military said its campaign against the Iran-backed rebels was ongoing. The Houthis' military spokesperson said cruise missiles and drones targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group in an attack that was "the fourth ...

Ben Gvir Back in Government as Israel Intensifies Gaza Offensive

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 09:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas

The Israeli government has approved the return of firebrand politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as national security minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Wednesday. A statement said the government had "unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to reappoint" Ben Gvir, who resigned on January 19 to protest a Gaza ...

Zelensky Accuses Russia of New Strikes on Ukraine

This is Beirut 2025-03-19 04:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia United States Volodymyr Zelensky Vladimir Putin

Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of effectively rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure hours after Moscow agreed only to pause attacks on the energy grid. Washington has been pushing for a full, 30-day ceasefire as a first step towards a wider settlement of the grinding ...

Houthi Media Reports US Strikes on Stronghold City Saada

This is Beirut 2025-03-18 23:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Houthi Movement Yemen United States

The media channels of Yemen's Houthis reported late Tuesday strikes by the United States on the city of Saada, the birthplace of their movement in the country's north. "A strike by the US aggression" targeted the Saada governorate, said the Iran-backed Houthis' Saba news agency and Al-Masira TV, while witnesses told AFP there were three strikes ...