Middle East

Israel Accuses Hamas of Truce Breach After Partial Hostage Remains Returned

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 15:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hamas Conflict Hostages Gaza

Hamas on Tuesday faced accusations of breaching the Gaza ceasefire after returning partial remains of a previously recovered hostage instead of the body of another deceased captive, as demanded by Israel. Hamas handed over late on Monday what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the US-brokered ceasefire deal, ...

One Week After the Louvre Heist: What Do We Know?

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 14:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Louvre France Heist Investigation

The men, both in their thirties and from Seine-Saint-Denis, were detained over the weekend as part of the investigation into the high-profile robbery. Police sources say the two are already known to law enforcement for previous thefts and are suspected of taking part in the team that carried out the bold operation at the museum. The suspects were ...

Amazon Says Cutting 14,000 Jobs Globally

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 13:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Amazon AI Jobs economy

US online retail giant Amazon said Tuesday that it is eliminating 14,000 jobs to streamline its operations as it invests in artificial intelligence, without saying where the cuts will come. Amazon said in a statement the reductions were a "continuation" of its efforts "to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and ...

SpotlightRussia's New Nuclear-Powered Missiles Not a Threat for Now

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 12:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Military Nuclear Missile

Russia's President Vladimir Putin this weekend reported the successful final test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, amid Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine. Experts say the very-long-range weapon aims to skirt Western air defenses with its terrain-hugging and low-flying capabilities, but its strategic impact is likely ...

White House Withdraws Joel Rayburn’s Nomination for Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

White House Donald Trump Middle East US Secretary of State Joel Rayburn

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, according to the American media outlet Axios. Rayburn’s nomination had stirred controversy over his alleged role in concealing U.S. troop levels in Syria from then-President Donald Trump during his first term, ...

Sudan Army-Aligned Group Accuses RSF of Executing 2,000 in El-Fasher

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 10:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations Sudan Conflict Darfur RSF

Sudanese army allies, the Joint Forces, accused paramilitaries of having "executed more than 2,000 unarmed civilians" since taking control of the western city of El-Fasher on Sunday, as alarming reports of atrocities emerge. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the army for over two years, "committed heinous crimes against innocent ...

Syrian Authorities Seize 11 Million Captagon Pills Smuggled from Lebanon

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 10:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Syria captagon Homs

Anti-narcotics units in Syria’s Homs province intercepted a vehicle carrying roughly 11 million Captagon pills smuggled from Lebanese territory, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced Tuesday. The shipment was seized in the southern rural area of Homs. Security forces confiscated both the drugs and the vehicle used in the operation. According ...

Iraq Heads to the Polls Amid Tension, Fear, and Hope

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tehran US Supreme Court Washington

Baghdad is preparing to vote. On November 11, nearly 21.5 million registered Iraqis will elect the 329 members of the Council of Representatives. This is a decisive vote in a country caught between political gridlock and hopes for change. Iraq is searching for a new balance, away from sectarian tensions, corruption, and foreign influence. But the ...

Musk Launches Grokipedia to Rival 'Left-Biased' Wikipedia

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA AI Internet Elon Musk

Elon Musk's company xAI launched Grokipedia on Monday to compete with online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which he has accused of ideological bias. The site dubbed version 0.1 had more than 885,000 articles by Monday evening, compared to Wikipedia's more than seven million in English. The launch came with the promise of a newer version, 1.0, which ...

SpotlightBeef, Defence Deals and Rare Earths: How Japan's New Leader Wooed Trump

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Takaichi USA Japan Diplomacy

Japan pulled out all stops for this week's visit by US President Donald Trump -- his first with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The US president's visit was a major diplomatic test for Takaichi, who has only been in office for a week. From pledges that Tokyo will spend much more on its defense to supporting Trump's Nobel Peace Prize bid, ...

Saudi Hosts World's Business Elite with Eyes on Gigaprojects, AI

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 09:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gulf Middle East Saudi Arabia Investment Economy FII

Saudi Arabia welcomes heads of state and the global business elite at a major investment conference this week as it seeks support for its sprawling "gigaprojects" and sky-high AI ambitions. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, joined by several ministers and more than 150 business leaders, and Syria's interim president are among the guests at the ...

Takaichi, Trump Swap Praise for ‘New Golden Age’ of Ties

This is Beirut 2025-10-28 05:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

United States Japan Donald Trump Diplomacy

Japan's new premier Sanae Takaichi lavished US leader Donald Trump with praise and vows of a "golden age of ties" on his visit to Tokyo Tuesday, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi, Japan's first woman prime minister, lauded Trump's involvement in mediating conflicts and will ...