This is Beirut - Washington

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 ...

Fueling the Los Angeles Fires: the Santa Ana Winds

This is Beirut, 13/01 09:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Helping drive the wildfires in the US city of Los Angeles are the so-called Santa Ana winds, a weather phenomenon known to dry out "the hills and the nerves to flash point." The windstorms occur when cold air gathers in the neighboring states of Nevada and Utah. As it moves west and then rushes down California's mountains, it heats up -- and ...

Qatar in Talks to Fund Syria Public Wage Hikes

This is Beirut, 09/01 16:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Qatar is weighing a plan to provide Syria's new rulers with funds to increase public sector salaries, a diplomatic source said Thursday, as the interim government in Damascus seeks to rebuild state institutions. "Discussions are taking place, but an agreement is yet to be concluded," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because ...

Former US President Carter Lies in State After Somber Washington Procession

This is Beirut, 08/01 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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The body of late US president Jimmy Carter was transferred Tuesday in a grand and solemn military ceremony to the US Capitol, where it will lie in state until a national funeral later this week. Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100, served a single term from 1977-1981 and was widely praised for his post-presidential humanitarian ...

National Funeral Service, Flyover and 39 Bells for Carter Sendoff

This is Beirut, 04/01 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Washington White House Carter

Mourners are to begin paying their respects to Jimmy Carter on Saturday, kicking off a carefully choreographed six-day farewell for America's longest-lived president. Flags have been flying at half-mast around the country since Carter died on December 29 at the age of 100 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Carter's state funeral officially ...

Asia stocks begin year on cautious note

This is Beirut, 02/01 17:27 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Asian stocks began 2025 mostly in the red on Thursday after worries about US interest rates, tariffs and China's economy gave Wall Street the holiday blues for a fourth straight session. Equities mostly had a bumper 2024 on the back of enthusiasm about artificial intelligence (AI), cuts in borrowing costs by central banks and Donald Trump's ...

Former US President Jimmy Carter Has Died Aged 100

This is Beirut, 2024-12-30 17:37 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter passed away on Sunday at the age of 100 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, in the southeastern United States, prompting a wave of tributes from his successors at the White House and leaders around the world. Outgoing President Joe Biden declared a national day of mourning on ...

Syria: 31 Dead in Clashes Between Kurdish and Pro-Turkish Forces

This is Beirut, 2024-12-30 12:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A Syria war monitor said 31 combatants had been killed since Sunday in ongoing battles between Turkey-backed groups and Kurdish-led forces. Swathes of northern Syria are controlled by a Kurdish-led administration whose de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded the fight that helped defeat the Islamic State group in the ...

Mikati Denies Having Been Informed of Israel's Refusal to Withdraw From South Lebanon

This is Beirut, 2024-12-27 11:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The press office of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati denied media reports that “Lebanon has been officially informed by intermediaries that Israel will not withdraw from South Lebanon after the sixty-day truce period has expired.” In a statement issued on Friday, Mikati said he had communicated “his firm position to all parties ...

Ukraine Reports Massive Christmas Day Attack by Russia

This is Beirut, 2024-12-25 09:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ukraine USA Volodymyr Zelensky Washington

Russian missiles killed at least one person and damaged energy infrastructure across Ukraine, according to officials, who reported a massive Christmas attack. Air raid sirens rang out over Ukraine on Wednesday morning, while the air force reported Russian Kalibr cruise missiles had been launched from the Black Sea. Ukraine faces its toughest ...

American Strike Killed Islamic State Group Leader in Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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American forces killed an Islamic State (IS) group leader and another of the group's members in a strike in Syria, the US military said on Friday. Washington has stepped up military action against the jihadist group since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government earlier this month, hitting areas that were shielded by Syrian and Russian air ...

Syria: Turkey Promises to Press On, Demands Kurdish Fighters Disarm

This is Beirut, 2024-12-19 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)