This is Beirut 2025-02-18 15:50 - Reading : less than a minute
Homs Syria War Bashar al-Assad
Once dubbed the capital of the revolution against Bashar al-Assad, Homs saw some of the fiercest fighting in Syria's civil war. Now, displaced people are returning to their neighborhoods, only to find them in ruins.
This is Beirut 2025-02-18 14:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Pope Francis breakfasted and read the papers as usual on Tuesday on his fifth day in hospital but appears no closer to being discharged, with the Vatican cancelling his weekend events. The 88-year-old was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital last Friday for bronchitis, but the Holy See said Monday it was changing his treatment to deal with a ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-18 14:10 - Reading : less than a minute
An extraordinary Arab League meeting on Gaza, initially set for next week, has been postponed to March 4, host Egypt said on Tuesday. The Egyptian foreign ministry said the new date was agreed with Arab League members as part of "substantive and logistical preparations" for the summit. The meeting was called in response to US President Donald ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-18 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
European Union Ukraine USA Ursula von der Leyen
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told US envoy Keith Kellogg on Tuesday that Europe wants to work with Washington for peace in Ukraine, and is ready to do more to arm Kyiv. "Financially and militarily, Europe has brought more to the table than anyone else. And we will step up," von der Leyen wrote on X after meeting Kellogg in Brussels. "We want to ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-18 09:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A pariah under the former US administration, Saudi Arabia has returned to the diplomatic fold, hosting breakthrough US-Russia talks and an Arab leaders' summit on Gaza in a complete reversal of fortunes for the monarchy. Top Russian and US officials are meeting on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for discussions aimed at restoring relations and laying the ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-18 05:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United States New York Justice
The head of New York's city council on Monday called for the resignation of Mayor Eric Adams, days after the US Justice Department moved to dismiss a corruption case against him. Adams, who pleaded not guilty in September to charges of fraud and bribery, has denied allegations he asked for the case to be dropped in exchange for enforcing ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-17 22:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
United Kingdom Ukraine Keir Starmer
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday warned that a "US security guarantee" would be the "only way" to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again in the event of peace. "I'm prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others if there is a lasting peace agreement, but there must be a US backstop, because a US ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-17 21:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
United States Marco Rubio Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman
Top US and Russian diplomats will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting the countries' fractured relations and making a tentative start on trying to end the Ukraine war. Both sides played down the chances that the first high-level meeting between the countries since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022 would result in a ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-17 21:40 - Reading : less than a minute
Sergei Lavrov Marco Rubio Russia United States Saudi Arabia
A Russian delegation including foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has arrived in Saudi Arabia for high-level talks with US officials, Russian state TV reported Monday. The Rossiya 24 news channel showed the officials disembarking a plane in the Saudi capital Riyadh. "The main thing is to begin a real normalisation of ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-17 17:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
USA Saudi Arabia Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Russia
Top US and Russian diplomats will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting the countries' fractured relations and possibly paving the way to ending the Ukraine war. Kyiv said it was not invited to the discussions in Riyadh, while European leaders -- reeling from Washington's dramatic change in policy towards Moscow -- hosted ...
This is Beirut 2025-02-17 17:05 - Reading : less than a minute
The inhabitants of the Greek island of Amorgos, in the Aegean Sea, have been in a state of constant anxiety since the end of January due to the seismic tremors that keep shaking the land. All schools are closed and a state of emergency has been declared.
This is Beirut 2025-02-17 16:41 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Ukraine USA Donald Trump European Union Russia
The EU is pressing its member states to bolster supplies of key weaponry to Ukraine this year, including air defences, missiles and at least 1.5 million artillery shells, a proposal seen by AFP Monday said. Europe is scrambling to offer backing to Kyiv after US President Donald Trump blindsided allies by launching peace efforts with Russia over ...