World

Fate of Major Trade Deal with EU Hangs Over Mercosur Summit

This is Beirut 03/07 10:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union Mercosur Buenos Aires Lula Milei

The fate of a landmark trade deal with the European Union, which France is trying to block, loomed over a gathering of South America's Mercosur bloc which began Wednesday in Buenos Aires. Brussels in December struck a deal with Mercosur's founding members -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- to create a free trade zone of around 700 ...

Ailing S.Sudan President Prepares Volatile Succession

This is Beirut 03/07 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Nations South Sudanese Salva Kiir

With South Sudan's President Salva Kiir undergoing medical tests abroad after years of rumors about his health, analysts say a long-gestating plan has been set in motion to secure his succession. Kiir returned from at least 10 days in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, with state media saying he had been "exploring new avenues for ...

Op-edThe Final Red Line: Can Lebanon Avoid the Consequences?

Salam El Zaatari 03/07 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Israel Iran Hezbollah United States

As the dust settles from the most consequential Israel–Iran confrontation in decades, attention is shifting sharply to a more familiar, but no less volatile, battleground: Lebanon. The war may have moved west, but its logic remains the same. Deter, dismantle, destroy. The question no longer is whether Hezbollah will disarm, it’s what Israel ...

China, EU Should not 'Seek Confrontation': FM Wang

This is Beirut 03/07 09:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union China Wang yi

China's top diplomat warned his EU counterpart against "confrontation", his foreign ministry said Thursday, after she urged Beijing to stop undermining Europe's security. Meeting Kaja Kallas in Brussels on Wednesday, Wang Yi said China and the European Union "should not be regarded as opponents because of differences, nor should they seek ...

Third- Ever Confirmed Interstellar Object Blazing Through Solar System

This is Beirut 03/07 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Astronomers Solar System ATLAS NASA Interstellar

Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through our Solar System -- only the third ever spotted, though scientists suspect many more may slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. "It ...

Thailand Set for Another Acting PM After Cabinet Reshuffle

This is Beirut 03/07 09:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Thailand Cabinet

Thailand's king is scheduled Thursday to swear in a new cabinet in a reshuffle that will see a third person in a week take on the role as the country's prime minister. The Southeast Asian nation's top office was plunged into turmoil on Tuesday when the Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pending an ethics probe ...

French Detainees in Iran Charged With Spying for Israel

This is Beirut 03/07 05:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

France Iran Israel

Two French nationals detained for more than three years in Iran have been charged with spying for Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, diplomatic and family sources told AFP on Wednesday. They have also been charged with "conspiracy to overthrow the regime" and "corruption on earth", the Western diplomatic source and the ...

$U.S. Labels Iran’s Halt of IAEA Cooperation as \$

U.S. Labels Iran’s Halt of IAEA Cooperation as "Unacceptable"

This is Beirut 02/07 23:31 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Iran IAEA United States

Iran's suspension of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is unacceptable, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Wednesday. Tehran officially suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, a move triggered by the unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities over 12 ...

US Strikes Set Back Iran Nuclear Program by Up to Two Years

This is Beirut 02/07 23:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Pentagon Iran Iran Nuclear Program

US intelligence assessments indicate that strikes on Iranian nuclear sites set the country's atomic program back by up to two years, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. "We have degraded their program by one to two years at least; intelligence assessments inside the (Defense) Department assess that," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told journalists, ...

Ukraine Left Scrambling after US Says Halting Some Arms Shipments

This is Beirut 02/07 22:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ukraine United States Russia

Ukraine appealed to the United States for clarity on Wednesday after it was caught off guard by a White House announcement that Washington was halting some arms shipments to the war-battered country. The Ukrainian defense ministry, which is deeply dependent on US arms, said it had not been prior notified about the reduction in aid announced one ...

Syria State Media Says Talk of Peace Deal with Israel 'Premature'

This is Beirut 02/07 22:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Syria Lebanon

Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace agreement with Israel were "premature," days after Israel said it was interested in striking normalization agreements with Syria and neighboring Lebanon. "Statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered ...

Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed

This is Beirut 02/07 21:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Hamas Gaza Israel US Donald Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to eradicate Hamas, even as the Palestinian militant group said it was discussing new proposals from mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against ...