Middle East

Russia Downplays Swift Meeting to Prepare for Trump-Putin Summit

This is Beirut 21/10 11:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv Ukraine USA Vladimir Putin

Moscow on Tuesday doused hopes of a swift meeting of the Russian and US foreign ministers to prepare for a speedy summit between their leaders over the Ukraine war. Following a phone call last week, the Russian and US leaders Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump announced they would meet in Budapest for talks on resolving the war in Ukraine, which ...

Drone Attack Hits Khartoum Airport Area Ahead of Reopening

This is Beirut 21/10 11:37 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Sudan Khartoum Drone Airport

A drone attack struck the vicinity of Khartoum International Airport early Tuesday, witnesses said, one day before the army-backed government was due to reopen the facility for domestic flights for the first time in over two years. The airport has been shut since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid ...

Israel says Remains of Another Hostage Returned from Gaza Identified

This is Beirut 21/10 09:29 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Palestine Hostage

Israel said Tuesday that remains of a hostage held in Gaza, returned by Hamas a day earlier, had been identified as those of Tal Chaimi, a non-commissioned officer killed on October 7, 2023. "Following the completion of the identification process... representatives of (the army) informed the family of the hostage, Sergeant Major Tal Chaimi, ...

Internet Services Cut for Hours by Amazon Cloud Outage

This is Beirut 21/10 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Europe AWS Amazon Cloud Outage

Popular internet services ranging from streaming platforms to messaging services to banking were offline for hours Monday due to an outage in Amazon's crucial cloud network, illustrating the extent to which internet life depends on the tech titan. The disruption affected streaming platforms, including Amazon's Prime Video service and Disney+, as ...

China Hawk Takaichi Named Japan's First Woman PM

This is Beirut 21/10 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Sanae Takaichi Japan China Prime Minister

Japan got its first woman prime minister on Tuesday after Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk and social conservative, forged an 11th-hour coalition deal. Japan's fifth premier in as many years will lead a minority government and has a bulging in-tray, not least a scheduled visit by US President Donald Trump next week. The lower house of parliament ...

Trump Warns Hamas not to Breach Gaza Deal as Vance Heads to Israel

This is Beirut 21/10 09:02 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Gaza Hamas Palestine Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump threatened to "eradicate" Hamas if it breached its ceasefire deal with Israel, as Vice President JD Vance travelled to the region Tuesday to bolster the fragile Gaza truce. The Trump administration has redoubled its efforts to cement the fragile Gaza peace agreement it helped to broker, after Israel accused ...

Israel Says Forces Received Hostage Body from Red Cross in Gaza

This is Beirut 20/10 21:42 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Gaza Israeli Hostages

Israel said it had received on Monday the remains of another Gaza hostage handed over as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal. "Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffin of a missing hostage who was handed over to the [Israeli military] and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip," a statement from the prime minister's ...

Bolivia's President-Elect Says Will Resume Ties with US after Nearly Two Decades

This is Beirut 20/10 21:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bolivia United States Rodrigo Paz

Bolivia's new center-right president-elect said Monday he would seek to reinstate diplomatic ties with the United States that were broken off nearly two decades ago under leftist ex-leader Evo Morales. "In the specific case of the United States... that relationship will be resumed," economist-turned-senator Rodrigo Paz, 58, told reporters after ...

VideosIndians Celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights

This is Beirut 20/10 21:05 - Reading : less than a minute

India Diwali

Across India, millions gather to celebrate Diwali, a time of light, devotion and renewal. In Ayodhya, more than 2.6 million lamps illuminated the banks of the Saryu River, setting two world records at the Deepotsav festival. From Mumbai’s fireworks to homes glowing with candles and rangoli, Diwali reflects India’s enduring spirit of faith and ...

Lavrov and Rubio Discuss Putin-Trump Summit, Zelensky Seeks Invite

This is Beirut 20/10 19:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Russia United States Vladimir Putin Donald Trump Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov and US counterpart Marco Rubio discussed preparations for an upcoming summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in a call on Monday, both sides said. Rubio "emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the ...

US Envoys Meet Israel's Netanyahu after Gaza Violence

This is Beirut 20/10 18:24 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas United States

Two of the United States' top envoys to the Middle East met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after weekend violence threatened to wreck a fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza. The sit-down came as Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza for aid shipments, a security official and a humanitarian source ...

VideosA Daring Daylight Heist Has Shaken the Louvre in Paris

This is Beirut 20/10 17:15 - Reading : less than a minute

Louvre France Heist

Spectacular heist at the Louvre. Four suspects stole nine historic pieces from the Apollo Gallery, including France’s Crown Jewels. The crown of Empress Eugénie, abandoned during their escape, has been recovered. According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the investigation is ongoing.