World

Israel Approves Plan to Seize Gaza, Citing Push to ‘Defeat’ Hamas

This is Beirut 08/08 12:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations

Israel's military will "take control" of Gaza City under a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by his security cabinet, his office said in a statement Friday. Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the territory's more than two ...

Thousands Evacuated as Wildfire Spreads North of Los Angeles

This is Beirut 08/08 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Los Angeles Fire Canyon

A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles triggered evacuations in two US counties, scorching nearly 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares), authorities said Friday. At least 10 zones in Los Angeles and Ventura counties were under evacuation orders, with 2,700 residents displaced as of 11 pm (0600 GMT) Thursday, Ventura County Fire Department ...

Trump to Host Armenia, Azerbaijan for Historic 'Peace Signing'

This is Beirut 08/08 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Azerbaijan Trump Armenia

US President Donald Trump will host the leaders of sworn enemies Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday, touting the prospect of sealing a long-sought peace deal between the two regional rivals after decades of conflict. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev will attend a "Peace Signing Ceremony" at the White ...

Trump Says Would Meet Putin Without Zelensky Sit-Down

This is Beirut 08/08 05:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Volodymyr Zelensky Vladimir Putin Russia United States Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would meet with Vladimir Putin for upcoming talks on the Ukraine war even if the Russian leader had not sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The statement, which contradicted earlier reports that a Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for the summit, came after Trump gave Moscow ...

Former Hostages Rally for Gaza War to End as Israel Mulls Updated Plan

This is Beirut 07/08 21:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Gaza War

Hundreds of demonstrators including Israelis released from captivity in Gaza rallied on Thursday in Jerusalem as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his cabinet to review new plans for the war. Waving Israeli flags and holding portraits of hostages still held by Palestinian militants in Gaza, the protesters gathered outside Netanyahu's ...

Hamas Accuses Israel PM of Sacrificing Hostages for Personal Interest

This is Beirut 07/08 21:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Hostages Gaza

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government was debating expanding military operations in Gaza, of sacrificing the Israeli hostages held there. "Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in ...

OpenAI Releases ChatGPT-5 as AI Race Accelerates

This is Beirut 07/08 20:15 - Reading : less than a minute

ChatGPT AI

OpenAI on Thursday released a keenly awaited fifth generation of its hallmark ChatGPT, touting it as smarter and faster than predecessors, as artificial intelligence edges closer to outthinking people. ChatGPT-5 is rolling out free to all users of the AI tool, which is used by nearly 700 million people weekly, OpenAI said in a briefing with ...

Putin Meets India's Security Chief Amid US Tariffs Row

This is Beirut 07/08 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Russia India Tariffs

Russian President Vladimir Putin met India's national security advisor on Thursday, a day after Washington hiked tariffs on New Dehli over its purchases of Moscow's oil. US President Donald Trump imposed the additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, coming into place in three weeks, as part of a campaign to pressure Russia into ending its ...

Israel Seeks Control of Gaza, Won't 'Keep it': Netanyahu

This is Beirut 07/08 19:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Palestine Hamas Gaza

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza but does not want to keep or govern it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ahead of a security cabinet meeting on Thursday. "We intend to," Netanyahu replied, when asked in a televised Fox News interview if Israel will take control of "all of Gaza." Fox News said the interview occurred just before ...

Israeli Minister Vows 'Return' to Evacuated West Bank Settlement

This is Beirut 07/08 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Palestine West Bank Gaza Benjamin Netanyahu

An Israeli minister announced on Thursday plans to rebuild Sa-Nur, a settlement in the occupied West Bank that was evacuated two decades ago, as the far right spearheads a major settlement expansion push. Sa-Nur's settlers were evicted in 2005 as part of Israel's so-called disengagement policy that also saw the country withdrawing troops and ...

Trump Demands New US Census Excluding Undocumented Immigrants

This is Beirut 07/08 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Republicans Democrats Immigrants

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered officials to work on a new census excluding undocumented immigrants, as the White House presses Republican states to draw more favorable voter maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump called for a "new and highly accurate" census that he wanted based on "modern day facts and figures" gleaned ...

SpotlightNeedle Attacks: Between Collective Rumor and Stalled Investigations

Bélinda Ibrahim 07/08 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Needle Attacks Concerts World Investigations

Concerts, festivals, nightclubs and crowded subway carriages – these lively, bustling venues have, in recent years, become the alleged sites of a phenomenon as disturbing as it is elusive. Since autumn 2021, hundreds of people across France have reported sudden needle pricks in their legs, arms or backs, followed by nausea, dizziness, fainting ...