United States

What we Know About the Killing of Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event in the western US state of Utah. This is what we know. At a university  Kirk, the head of the largest conservative youth movement in the United States, which he co-founded in 2012 at the age of 18, was speaking around noon on the ...

Trump Blasts ‘Radical Left’ After Killing of Influencer Charlie Kirk

Donald Trump lashed out at the "radical left" on Wednesday after the apparent assassination of his right-wing ally Charlie Kirk, vowing a crackdown after a killing that has sparked fears of worsening political violence in the United States. Kirk, a powerful voice in conservative politics at just 31 years old, had been dead only a few ...

Qassem Signals Defiance as Lebanon Faces Political and Security Challenges

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem used his Wednesday speech to reiterate the group’s role in Lebanon, framing its organization as an indispensable “shield” against Israel while sidestepping calls for disarmament. In complete denial of ground reality, Qassem described Hezbollah as an “impenetrable barrier” against Israel, claiming ...

Trump ready to match EU tariffs on China, India to pressure Putin

The United States is ready to broaden tariffs targeting buyers of Russian oil -- if the EU takes similar moves -- to hit at revenue Moscow needs for the war in Ukraine, a US official told AFP Tuesday. Dialing in to talks between United States and European Union officials on Tuesday, President Donald Trump raised the possibility of tariffs between ...

Trump Backs Hamas Targeting, Not Israel's Qatar Strike

The White House distanced itself Tuesday from Israel's strikes against Hamas in Doha, reiterating President Donald Trump's support for ally Qatar, while declining to confirm if Israel had pre-notified Washington of its attack. While eliminating Hamas was a "worthy goal," a strike in the Qatari capital Doha "does not advance Israel's or America's ...

Lebanon Moves Toward Gradual Disarmament of Hezbollah

Anyone who believes Hezbollah will announce the handover of its weapons to the Lebanese Army is mistaken. The party is unlikely to do so for two main reasons. First, its arsenal remains closely tied to the strategic agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Second, Hezbollah uses the issue to rally Lebanese Shia, portraying itself as a protector ...

Salam Reaffirms Government Support for Army’s Plan, Cooperation with Parliament

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reaffirmed on Tuesday, following a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri, the government’s commitment to implementing the army’s plan for the disarmament of militias, which would be accompanied by a monthly follow-up report. He stressed that the government would not go back on its decisions regarding the monopoly of ...

Will Lebanon Disarm Hezbollah, or Not?

The Lebanese cabinet heard, on Friday, a presentation from Army Chief Rodolphe Haykal on a confidential plan to monopolize arms, as tasked by the government on August 5. The cabinet then issued a statement, and Information Minister Paul Morcos held a press conference. The vague responses left observers divided, with each side interpreting the ...

Maduro Deploys 25,000 Troops to Venezuela Borders

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he had deployed 25,000 troops along the Caribbean coast and the border with Colombia amid soaring tensions with US President Donald Trump. In a message Sunday night on social media, Maduro said he had deployed "25,000 men and women from our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces" to the frontier with ...

US Court Upholds $83 Million Sex Assault Defamation Order against Trump

A US appeals court upheld Monday a jury's $83.3 million penalty against President Donald Trump for defaming author E. Jean Carroll, whom he was found to have sexually assaulted. The January 2024 order consisted of $65 million in punitive damages after the jury found Trump acted maliciously in his many public comments about Carroll, $7.3 ...

Trump Threatens Russia with Sanctions after Biggest Aerial Attack on Ukraine

US President Donald Trump threatened Sunday to impose more sanctions on Russia, after the Kremlin unleashed its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine. Russian missiles and drones rained down across Ukraine early Sunday, killing four people and setting government offices in the capital Kyiv ablaze. Trump told reporters after the assault he was ...