This is Beirut, 14/03 19:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Steve Witkoff Hamas Gaza Israel United States
The White House accused Hamas on Friday of making "entirely impractical" demands and stalling on a deal to release a US-Israeli hostage in exchange for an extension of the Gaza ceasefire. "Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not," a statement from the office of President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the US ...
This is Beirut, 14/03 17:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
United Nations United States Migration
The UN migration agency, which has been hit hard by US foreign aid cuts, has launched more mass layoffs, impacting around a fifth of staff at its Geneva headquarters, employees said Friday. Fresh cuts at the International Organization for Migration are expected to impact at least 20 percent of the more than 1,000 current headquarters staff, ...
This is Beirut, 14/03 05:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
United States New York Trump Tower Palestine Protest
Hundreds of Jewish demonstrators overran New York's Trump Tower on Thursday in support of Palestinians as well as detained Palestinian student campaigner Mahmoud Khalil. Wearing matching red T-shirts emblazoned with "Jews say stop arming Israel," the group protested for over an hour inside the Manhattan skyscraper, where President ...
This is Beirut, 13/03 22:31 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
United States US Treasury Department Iran Sanctions
The US Treasury Department on Thursday issued sanctions against Iran's oil minister Mohsen Paknejad, as President Donald Trump seeks to increase pressure on Tehran. "The Iranian regime continues to use the proceeds from the nation's vast oil resources to advance its narrow, alarming self-interests at the expense of the Iranian people," US ...
This is Beirut, 13/03 21:36 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Ukraine United States Russia Steve Witkoff
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said he had "serious questions" about how it would be implemented that he wanted to discuss with Donald Trump. He was responding to a joint US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is due to present to ...
This is Beirut, 13/03 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump European Union United States France Tariffs
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to impose 200-percent tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic products from France and other European Union countries in retaliation against the bloc's planned levies on US-produced whiskey. "If this tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all wines, ...
This is Beirut, 13/03 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
United States China Tehran Russia Iran Nuclear Weapon
China called on Thursday for a "diplomatic" resolution to the Iran nuclear issue as it prepared to host diplomats from Tehran and Moscow for talks. The United States withdrew from a landmark deal, which had imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, during President Donald Trump's first term. Tehran ...
This is Beirut, 13/03 05:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
United States Environment Donald Trump Joe Biden
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday announced a wave of environmental rollbacks targeting Biden-era green policies, including carbon limits on power plants, tailpipe emissions standards and protections for waterways. The 31 actions are part of what Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin called "the ...
This is Beirut, 12/03 22:44 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Qatar Gaza United States Steve Witkoff
Arab foreign ministers met in Qatar on Wednesday with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss reconstruction for Gaza, devastated by war with Israel, the Gulf state said. "The Arab foreign ministers discussed the Gaza reconstruction plan, which was approved during the Arab League Summit held in Cairo on March 4, 2025," Qatar's foreign ...
This is Beirut, 12/03 21:36 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United States Ukraine Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Russia
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that envoys were headed to Moscow and expressed optimism for a 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war but officials said the United States wants Russia to agree an unconditional halt to the conflict. The Kremlin said it was awaiting details of a proposal agreed by Ukrainian and US officials this week, and gave ...
This is Beirut, 12/03 19:32 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran Abbas Araghchi Donald Trump United States Ali Khamenei
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday that US threats were "unwise" after President Donald Trump sent him a letter urging negotiations and warning of possible military action if Tehran refused. "The US is threatening militarism. In my opinion, this threat is unwise," Khamenei said in a meeting with ...
This is Beirut, 12/03 17:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United States European Union Tariffs
Major US trading partners announced countermeasures Wednesday to President Donald Trump's blanket steel and aluminum tariffs, hours after the levies took effect in a salvo that fueled trade tensions globally. The steep 25-percent levies came into place after midnight with no exemptions despite countries' efforts to avert them, in an escalation of ...