World

EU Skewers Google, Apple over Tech Rules Despite Trump Threats

This is Beirut 19/03 17:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union Technology Apple Google United States Digital Markets Act (DMA)

The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules -- which could trigger hefty fines -- and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals' devices. The moves risk opening up a new front in the already fraught relationship between the EU and President Donald Trump, who ...

Israeli Army Advances Along Netzarim Axis Amid a 'Final Warning'

This is Beirut 19/03 17:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Gaza Netzarim Corridor

In a significant escalation of military operations on Wednesday, Israeli forces have launched a new ground incursion into the central Gaza Strip along the Netzarim corridor, military sources confirmed Wednesday. The operation involves tanks moving to close Salah al-Din Street—Gaza's main north-south thoroughfare—cutting off movement between ...

Op-edMaking Sense of Trump 2.0 and The Middle East

David Hale 19/03 17:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA United States Middle East

Elections matter. Only a few months ago, the Biden Administration struggled to assert its relevance amidst dramatic events in the Middle East. It had plenty to say, much of it contradictory, as it attempted to deal with the Democratic Party's split personality on Israel and the Palestinians while losing an election. The fragile ceasefires that ...

Russia and Ukraine Confirm Swap of 372 War Prisoners

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

USA Gulf Hamas Israel 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 ...