This is Beirut, 2024-12-16 10:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus European Union Syria HTS
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc's envoy to Syria was going to Damascus to talk to the new Islamist-led rulers, as Western powers stepped up engagement after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. The outreach from Brussels comes after the United States and Britain said they had made contact with the new authorities in Damascus, ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-15 23:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
European Union United Nations Mayotte Cyclone Chido France
A senior official said Sunday that the death toll from cyclone Chido's passage across Mayotte would be in the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, as France rushed in rescue workers and supplies. Their efforts will likely be hindered by the damage to airports and electricity distribution in the French Indian Ocean territory. Even before the ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-14 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
European Union Turkey United Nations USA Syria
A UN envoy on Saturday urged foreign powers to work to avoid a collapse of vital Syrian institutions following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, as diplomats gathered in Jordan for a conference on the crisis. Geir Pedersen, the UN's special envoy for Syria, also backed a "credible and inclusive" political process to form the next government as he ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-14 09:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Antony Blinken European Union Gulf Israel Turkey USA
Jordan will host US, EU, Turkish and Arab diplomats on Saturday for high-level talks on Syria, a day after celebrations in Damascus and nationwide rejoicing at the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. Syrians celebrated the day they called the "Friday of victory" with fireworks heralding the fall of the Assad dynasty. More than half a century of ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 11:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
EU states on Thursday cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year, officials said. "It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania," said Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency. The two countries, both members ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
EU countries agreed on Wednesday to blacklist around 50 additional oil tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet," which have been used to circumvent Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, officials said. The move, which is set to be formally approved by foreign ministers on Monday, is part of the EU's 15th sanctions package since Russia's ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-09 20:39 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and several Nordic countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Vienna signalled it would soon deport ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-09 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
European Union Germany HTS Syria Bachar el-Assad
Germany said on Monday it would judge Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the offensive to oust president Bashar al-Assad, by the actions it takes in government. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would "certainly play a role in the future of Syria", foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-06 16:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
European Union Mercosur South Americain Von der Leyen
The EU and four South American countries have concluded a huge, but controversial trade deal that is opposed by France and many European farmers, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday. "This is a win-win agreement," von der Leyen said in Uruguay, where she was attending a summit of the Mercosur bloc involved ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-06 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Europe's new Vega-C rocket launched Thursday from French Guiana and put a satellite into orbit in its first takeoff since a failed flight two years ago. After two days of delays, the rocket -- crucial to Europe's autonomy in reaching space -- took off without problems, carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite for the European Union's Copernicus Earth ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-04 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
European Union Kyiv Ukraine Russia
Russia and Ukraine will send their foreign ministers to Malta this week for a summit of the OSCE, officials said Wednesday, in one of the few events attended by both countries since Moscow's Ukraine offensive began. The trip marks Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's first to an EU member since the start of the conflict in February 2022, and ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-03 10:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
European Union United States USA Syria HTS
The Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized Aleppo in a shock offensive over the weekend, is an Islamist movement that has long ruled swathes of the country's northwest. The group has sought to moderate its image in recent years, including by cutting ties with its one-time sponsor Al-Qaeda, but it faces an uphill battle ...