This is Beirut - United States

Harvard Sees $2.2 Billion in Funding Frozen After Defying Trump

This is Beirut, 15/04 05:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Harvard Donald Trump Israel Palestine

Elite US university Harvard was hit with a $2.2 billion freeze in federal funding Monday after rejecting a list of sweeping demands that the White House said was intended to crack down on campus anti-Semitism. The call for changes to its governance, hiring practices and admissions procedures expands on a list Harvard received on April 3, which ...

US Opens Door to Tariffs on Pharma, Semiconductors

This is Beirut, 15/04 05:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Tariffs Markets

The United States opened the door Monday to tariffs targeting high-end technology and pharmaceuticals, feeding the uncertainty gripping the global economy in a trade war that Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned can have "no winner." After weeks of indications such a move was coming, the US Commerce secretary formally announced ...

Ukraine-US Hold 'Constructive' Talks on Minerals Deal

This is Beirut, 14/04 22:38 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump United States Minerals

Talks last week between the United States and Ukraine on a proposed minerals deal were "constructive," a senior official familiar with the discussions told AFP on Monday. "The meeting was normal, no problems; everyone says that they talked constructively," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, after a meeting in Washington on ...

EU Tariffs on US Goods Suspended Until July 14

This is Beirut, 14/04 19:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States European Union Tariffs

The EU's retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth 21 billion euros will be on hold until July 14, Brussels said on Monday, to give time for negotiations with Washington. The European Union was hit with a 20 percent rate as part of Trump's sweeping tariffs on April 2, before he suspended the measures for 90 days a week later. To give breathing room ...

Aoun Highlights LAF Role and Reform Progress

This is Beirut, 14/04 17:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanese Army UN Security Council Joseph Aoun United Nations United States

President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Monday that the Lebanese Army (LAF) is “fully carrying out its responsibilities” in the areas vacated by Israeli forces, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, emphasizing the army’s capability to ensure the safety and protection of Lebanese citizens. Speaking during a meeting at Baabda ...

Trump Says no One 'Off the Hook' on Tariffs but Markets Rise

This is Beirut, 14/04 11:48 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump China Market Tariffs

Markets on Monday welcomed a US tariffs reprieve for electronics, but President Donald Trump warned no country would get "off the hook" in his trade war -- especially China. The world's two largest economies have been locked in a fast-moving game of brinkmanship since Trump launched a global tariff assault that particularly targeted ...

China Calls on US to 'Completely Cancel' Reciprocal Tariffs

This is Beirut, 13/04 17:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States China Tariffs Donald Trump

China on Sunday called on the United States to "completely cancel" its reciprocal tariffs after Washington announced exemptions for consumer electronics and key chipmaking equipment. "We urge the US to... take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of 'reciprocal tariffs,' and return to the ...

US Trade Secretary Says Semiconductor Tariffs Coming in 'Month or Two'

This is Beirut, 13/04 17:15 - Reading : less than a minute

United States China Semiconductors Technology

The US commerce secretary said Sunday that tariffs on semiconductors would probably be coming "in a month or two." "We can't be relying on China for fundamental things that we need: our medicines and our semiconductors need to be built in America," Howard Lutnick told ABC's "This Week." With AFP

U.S. Confirms Plan to Sign Civil Nuclear Accord with Saudis

This is Beirut, 13/04 15:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Saudi Arabia Chris Wright Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Energy Nuclear Program

The United States and Saudi Arabia are set to sign a preliminary agreement to collaborate on Saudi Arabia's plans to establish a civil nuclear industry, according to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Speaking in Riyadh and cited by Reuters, Wright mentioned that both countries are on “a pathway” towards an agreement that would support the ...

US in Hurry for Nuclear Deal, Iran Says After High-Stakes Talks

This is Beirut, 12/04 19:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Iran Oman

The United States wants a nuclear agreement "as soon as possible", Iran said after rare talks on Saturday, as US President Donald Trump threatens military action if they fail to reach a deal. The long-term adversaries, who have not had diplomatic relations for more than 40 years, are seeking a new nuclear deal after Trump pulled out of ...

US Exempts Smartphones and Computers from Global Trump Tariffs

This is Beirut, 12/04 17:37 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Tariffs

The Trump administration has exempted smartphones, computers, and other electronics from its punishing "reciprocal" tariffs -- lessening the cost impact on American consumers for a host of popular high-tech products. The exemptions, published late Friday in a notice by the US Customs and Border Protection office, cover various ...

Trump Replaces Obama Portrait with Painting of... Himself

This is Beirut, 12/04 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Barack Obama

Donald Trump took his rivalry with Barack Obama to the walls of the White House Friday, replacing a portrait of the former US president with one of himself surviving an assassination attempt. The 78-year-old Republican moved the picture of the Democrat, the only Black US president, to the opposite side of the famed residence's grand entrance ...

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