united states

Syrian Leader to Discuss Sanctions, Reconstruction in US Visit

Syria's president will discuss issues including lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction, and counter-terrorism when he becomes the country's first leader to pay an official visit to Washington later this month, the foreign minister said Sunday. Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in the US capital in early November, Syria's top diplomat Asaad ...

US Strike on Alleged Drug Vessel in Caribbean Kills Three

A US strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, the latest such attack in international waters. The United States has deployed Navy ships to the Caribbean and sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, part of a massive military force that Washington insists is ...

Syrian Leader Sharaa to Head to Washington in November

The United States envoy for Syria said on Saturday that Damascus's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is to travel to Washington to sign an agreement to join an international US-led alliance against the Islamic State. Asked by reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain whether Sharaa would head to Washington this month, Tom ...

The Filibuster: A Key Tool of Obstruction in America’s Political Crisis

At the end of October, as the U.S. federal government entered its 30th day of shutdown, President Donald Trump made a forceful call to eliminate the filibuster, arguing that Republicans should be able to pass legislation without Democratic support. He claimed it was time to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” and revert to a simple majority ...

Trump Awakens Old Nuclear Testing Fears

Despite deliberately vague statements about resuming nuclear weapons testing, U.S. President Donald Trump is raising the specter of renewed nuclear proliferation, with China potentially the main beneficiary, according to experts. This comes at a time when the international arms control framework is already fragile. “We are already in the ...

Key Dates in the Fall of Britain's Former Prince Andrew

Key dates in the life of Andrew, King Charles III's younger brother, who has been stripped of his royal titles over allegations stemming from his friendship with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein: - February 19, 1960: Born Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward at Buckingham Palace in London, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

Palestinian Weapons Test Lebanon’s Credibility on Disarmament and Security

The killing of Elio Abu Hanna by Palestinian gunmen in Beirut’s Shatila refugee camp this past weekend is not just another crime. His murder is a serious test for a Lebanese government dragging its feet on its commitment to disarm Hezbollah and other militias. There is no reason the Shatila refugee camp should remain off-limits to the ...

Trump Returns to U.S. After Ordering Nuclear Tests

US President Donald Trump landed back in Washington Thursday after a surprise directive to begin nuclear weapons testing that raised the specter of renewed superpower tensions. The announcement on social media was issued just before Trump, who boasts frequently about being a peace president, went into a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in ...

Graham: Disarm Hezbollah to End Israeli Attacks in Lebanon

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday that Israeli military operations in Lebanon would end “if Hezbollah were disarmed,” describing the ongoing cross-border strikes as a direct response to the militant group’s continued armed presence. Graham argued that Israel’s incursions into Lebanese territory are intended to “suppress ...

Donald Trump’s Rare Earth Diplomacy

Donald Trump is taking aim at China’s dominance over rare earths, the invisible metals that power everything from smartphones to missiles. His goal: to free the global economy from its dependence on Beijing and secure US access to these critical resources. What Are Rare Earths? Despite their name, rare earths are 17 metals, including ...

How Venezuela Became America’s Next Battleground — And Why Iran Is in the Room

There has been no formal declaration of war, no vote in Congress, and no rousing call to liberate a people from tyranny. Yet one of the largest U.S. military build-ups in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War is sitting a few miles off Venezuela’s coastline. Washington calls it a counter-narcotics mission. Caracas fears it is a slow-motion ...