This is Beirut - United States

US President-Elect Trump Holds Phone Talks with Chinese Leader Xi

This is Beirut, 17/01 17:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Xi Jinping United States China

Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks Friday with US president-elect Donald Trump, Chinese state media reported. CCTV said the phone call happened "on the evening of January 17", without providing any immediate further details. Earlier on Friday, China announced Xi would send Vice President Han Zheng to attend Trump's inauguration next ...

Blinken 'Confident' Gaza Ceasefire Implementation to Start Sunday

This is Beirut, 16/01 19:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Antony Blinken United States Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced confidence that the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza would begin Sunday, after Israel held off on a cabinet vote and accused Hamas of backtracking. "I am confident, and I fully expect that implementation will begin, as we said, on Sunday," Blinken said at a farewell news conference ...

IEA Forecasts Record Nuclear Electricity Production in 2025

This is Beirut, 16/01 10:35 - Reading : less than a minute

United States

Nuclear-powered electricity generation is set to hit a record level in 2025, accounting for nearly 10 percent of global production, the International Energy Agency forecast on Thursday. The leading energy monitor said in a report that 70 gigawatts of new generating capacity were under construction worldwide – one of the highest levels in 30 ...

Biden Worries About An ‘Oligarchy’ Taking Over America

This is Beirut, 16/01 05:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Democrats Republicans United States White House Joe Biden

In a sombre farewell speech on Wednesday, Joe Biden expressed concern that America was falling into the hands of an ‘oligarchy’, targeting Donald Trump and the tech multi-billionaires now lining up behind him. It was a far cry from the ‘optimism’ professed by the outgoing president over the last four years, during this short address of ...

Trump's Diplomatic Chief to be Heard by US Senate

This is Beirut, 15/01 12:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Tehran United States Washington

Marco Rubio, Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, will say Wednesday that China cheated its way to superpower status and that the "liberal world order" long cherished by the US elite should be discarded. Rubio will face fellow senators at his confirmation hearing in what is likely to be among the least contentious sessions for Trump's ...

Private US, Japanese Lunar Landers Launch on Single Rocket

This is Beirut, 15/01 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Europe United States USA

One rocket, two missions: lunar landers built by US and Japanese companies launched their "rideshare" to the Moon on Wednesday, showcasing the private sector's growing role in space exploration. On board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience ...

US Removes Cuba From State Sponsors of Terror List

This is Beirut, 14/01 23:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Joe Biden Cuba United States

President Joe Biden is removing the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House said Tuesday, in a deal that will see imprisoned protesters released in the communist country. The move will likely be overturned after the return to office next week of Republican Donald Trump, who reinstated the designation in the last ...

Qatar Says Gaza Truce Talks in 'Final Stages'

This is Beirut, 14/01 21:58 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Palestine Hamas Israel Middle East United States

Key mediator Qatar said negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, adding that it was hopeful an agreement could be reached "very soon". Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza since ...

Blinken Claims Hezbollah Is Now 'Just a Memory'

This is Beirut, 14/01 18:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Gaza Israel Antony Blinken Hezbollah

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday, referred to "Hezbollah's retreat to the north of the Litani River," noting that "Iran has lost the ability to supply the party with weapons." "Hezbollah has lost and is now a thing of the past. His attacks have harmed the Lebanese and the Israelis," he said at a press conference on the situation ...

Trump's Cabinet Hearings Kick Off With Controversial Pentagon Pick

This is Beirut, 14/01 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Pete Hegseth United States US Senate Donald Trump

Confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet nominees kicked off Tuesday with his controversial Pentagon pick, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host dogged by sexual assault allegations and no experience leading large organizations. Senate Republicans are keen for Trump's national security nominees to be confirmed quickly and Democrats may ...

Why Does Donald Trump Want to Buy Greenland?

Yara Germany, 14/01 18:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Denmark Greenland

During a press conference held on Tuesday, January 7, in his residence in Florida, US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his wish to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, as well as the Panama Canal. He did not dismiss the option of using force to achieve these objectives, stating that both regions are “crucial for the ...

Search for Bodies as LA Firefighters Brace for More Wind

This is Beirut, 14/01 10:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Los Angeles Donald Trump United States US Congress USA

Search teams with dogs fanned out looking for victims in Los Angeles on Monday, as firefighters girded for hurricane-force winds that could spark new blazes. With the disaster in America's second biggest city in its seventh day, 24 people are known to have died -- a toll expected to rise -- and more than 90,000 people remain displaced. But the ...