This is Beirut 18/07 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Turkey has arrested 153 presumed members of the Islamic State group (IS) in nationwide raids, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday. The arrests took place from Izmir and Mugla in the west and southwest, to Hatay and Mardin in the southeast and Samsun on the northern Black Sea coast. "In the course of operations in 28 provinces over the ...
This is Beirut 18/07 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Syria Druze bedouin mobilization Israel
Tensions continue to rise in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in southern Syria. A spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry said that government forces were preparing to redeploy to the city of Sweida in order to put an end to the ongoing clashes between Druze and Bedouin communities. Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon ...
This is Beirut 18/07 10:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Environment Climate Mining Oceans Jamaica
After two weeks of negotiations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is still far from finalizing rules for extracting coveted metals on the high seas despite heightened pressure triggered by US efforts to fast-track the controversial practice. Following a meeting in March and the current session in Jamaica, the 36 members of the ISA's ...
This is Beirut 18/07 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
European Union Sanctions Russia
EU countries on Friday signed off on a new package of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, including lowering a price cap on Moscow's oil exports. The 18th round of economic punishment against Russia since its 2022 invasion was approved after Slovakia dropped a weeks-long block following talks with Brussels over separate plans to phase ...
This is Beirut 18/07 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Netflix reported stronger than expected second-quarter results Thursday, with profit jumping 45 percent year-over-year as the streaming giant benefited from subscription price increases and a growing advertising business. Revenue climbed 16 percent to $11.1 billion in the quarter ended June 30, beating analyst estimates and the company's own ...
This is Beirut 18/07 09:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal, France's foreign ministry said. The diplomats, from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of "their determination to use the ...
This is Beirut 18/07 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret after Israeli tank fire killed three people at a Catholic church in Gaza on Thursday, blaming a "stray" round for the deaths after a phone call with US President Donald Trump. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said 10 others were also wounded in the attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City ...
This is Beirut 18/07 09:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
US Congress Donald Trump USA Cuts Aid
US Republicans early Friday approved President Donald Trump's plan to cancel $9 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, vowing it was just the start of broader efforts by Congress to slash the federal budget. The cuts achieve only a tiny fraction of the $1 trillion in annual savings that tech billionaire and estranged Trump ...
This is Beirut 18/07 05:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United States Donald Trump Jeffrey Epstein Politics
US President Donald Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal Thursday over a story about an alleged off-color letter he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, amid lingering political fallout over his administration's handling of the late financier's sex trafficking case. The Journal story says the letter featuring a sketch of a naked woman and ...
This is Beirut 18/07 05:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United States Iraq Iran Diplomacy
The United States said Thursday it would allow its diplomats to return to Iraq, nearly a month after they were ordered out as a precaution following US strikes on neighboring Iran. While the State Department did not explain its reasons, such shifts in staffing generally indicate Washington sees a lower risk of conflict. "Personnel who are ...
This is Beirut 17/07 23:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a long-term but benign vein condition, the White House said Thursday following speculation about his heavily bruised hand and swollen legs. The 79-year-old was found to have "chronic venous insufficiency" after he "noted mild swelling in his lower legs" in recent weeks, White House Press Secretary ...
This is Beirut 17/07 21:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
A giant cloud of acrid smoke caused by a forest fire enveloped Madrid on Thursday in a summer expected to spark increasingly fierce blazes in Spain. The uncontrolled fire in the municipality of Mentrida, around 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of the capital, prompted local authorities to urge nearby residents to stay at home and shut their ...