Ukraine and Moldova Accession to the EU: Negotiations Begin

This Is Beirut 2024-06-25 10:29 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

The European Union formally launches accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday, setting the fragile ex-Soviet states off on a long path towards membership that Russia has tried to block. The landmark move is aimed in particular at sending a vote of confidence in Ukraine's future as Moscow has momentum on the battlefield almost ...

Macron Warns Far-Right, Hard-Left Policies Could Lead to ‘Civil War'

This Is Beirut 2024-06-24 22:02 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday warned that the policies of his far-right and hard-left opponents could lead to "civil war" as France prepared for its most divisive election in decades. French politics were plunged into turmoil by Macron calling snap legislative elections after his centrist party was trounced by the far-right National Rally ...

EU Unlocks 1.4 bn Euros from Russian Assets for Ukraine

This Is Beirut 2024-06-24 21:52 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union Ukraine

The EU on Monday agreed to start paying out a first chunk of funds worth 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) earned from Russian frozen assets to help arm Ukraine, bypassing blockages from Hungary. The money is part of roughly three billion euros a year in interest from immobilized Russian central bank funds that the EU agreed to use for Kyiv in ...

World Bank Approves $700 Million Loan for Egypt

This Is Beirut 2024-06-24 20:37 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The World Bank has approved a $700 million loan to help Egypt boost private sector participation in its economy, which has suffered from the fallout of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the organization said on Monday. The program is designed to help address short-term economic challenges, "unleash private sector growth," build macroeconomic and fiscal ...

Iran Sanctions Take Center Stage in Presidential Campaign

This Is Beirut 2024-06-24 13:44 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iranians broadly deplore Western sanctions that battered the economy, but the country's six presidential candidates offer differing solutions – assuming the winner gets a say on foreign policy. Punishing US sanctions, reimposed following Washington's withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, have brought years of economic hardships, ...

Iran and Bahrain Agree to Start Talks on Resuming Ties

This Is Beirut 2024-06-24 13:14 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bahrain Gulf Saudi Arabia

Iran and Bahrain have agreed to launch negotiations on how to restore diplomatic relations that have been severed for nearly eight years, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Tiny Gulf monarchy Bahrain cut ties with Iran in 2016, following in the footsteps of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia after Riyadh's diplomatic missions in Iran were ...

Gunmen in Dagestan Kill Police and Priest in ‘Terror’ Attack

This Is Beirut 2024-06-24 09:41 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gunmen attacked churches and synagogues in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday, killing at least 15 police and national guard officers and a priest, officials said. The unidentified gunmen launched simultaneous attacks in Dagestan's largest city of Makhachkala and in the coastal city of Derbent. Russia's Investigative Committee ...

The World Stage and Its Circumlocutions

2024-06-24 08:52 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

G7

The G7 summit is a manifest success. The Western powers and their circumstantial partners have demonstrated their ability to engage crucial strategic and security issues, outmaneuver the emerging monolithic blocs, and confront the rising totalitarianism and its incipient power architecture. The invitation of Pope Francis, as a religious leader, a ...

Macron Pledges to 'Act' Until End of Second Term

This Is Beirut 2024-06-23 22:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Emmanuel Macron

Amid promises of "change," Emmanuel Macron and his team assured on Sunday that governance will be more collaborative in case of victory, while the New Popular Front is mired in leadership battles for the prime minister's seat. Despite his camp struggling in the polls, Macron vowed to "act until May 2027," countering suggestions from some ...

Germany's Scholz 'Concerned' About Possible French Far-Right Election Win

2024-06-23 17:24 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that he was “concerned” about the prospect of a victory for the far-right in France's upcoming parliamentary elections. President Emmanuel Macron's party is trailing badly with less than two weeks to go before the first round of the snap elections he called in response to the far-right drubbing his ...

Several Dead in Russian and Ukrainian Strikes in Crimea and Kharkiv

This Is Beirut 2024-06-23 11:31 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ukraine

Two people were killed and around fifty injured in Russian strikes in Kharkiv on Saturday. Two other people died and twenty-two were injured in Ukrainian missile attack in Crimea the same day.  Russian strikes left two people dead and around 50 injured on Saturday in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and a regular target of bombardment, ...

Merchant Ship Damaged by Drone Attack in Red Sea: UK Agency

This Is Beirut 2024-06-23 09:43 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

A merchant ship was damaged by a drone attack in the Red Sea near Yemen early Sunday morning, though no injuries were reported, according to a British maritime security agency.Vessels in and around the Red Sea have come under repeated attack for months by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during ...