World

Trump's Controversial Gaza Proposal Sparks Global Opposition

This is Beirut 06/02 16:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Riviera of the Middle East Gaza Palestinian

US President Donald Trump revealed on Wednesday, February 5, a controversial plan during his joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan involves placing the Gaza Strip under US authority, citing the purpose of rebuilding the region, a move that has ignited widespread global backlash. Trump described the ...

Suspension of USAID: An Opportunity for China?

Christiane Tager 06/02 15:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump China USAID

The Trump administration has suspended USAID, freezing billions of dollars in funding and humanitarian aid. The United States could offer China a real opportunity to expand its influence, particularly in Africa, Latin America and Asia — regions where American aid has always been essential. Since taking office on January 20, President Donald ...

Israel Orders Army to Plan for 'Voluntary' Exit of Gazans

This is Beirut 06/02 15:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Gaza Donald Trump

Israel's defense minister ordered the army on Thursday to prepare for "voluntary" departures from Gaza, after US President Donald Trump proposed moving Palestinians out of the territory. The idea sparked uproar from leaders in the Middle East and beyond. On Wednesday, the Trump administration appeared to walk back on some of the ...

Iran Revolutionary Guards Unveil First Drone Carrier in Gulf

This is Beirut 06/02 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gulf Donald Trump USA Iran

Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveiled the country's first drone carrier on Thursday in Gulf waters, state media reported. The carrier, called the Martyr Bahman Bagheri, is a commercial vessel that was repurposed as a drone carrier over the past two-and-a-half years, Guards naval commander Alireza Tangsiri said during the unveiling ...

SpotlightTrump Power Play Triggers Showdown with Courts, Congress

This is Beirut 06/02 11:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump US Congress

With his dizzying moves to slash spending, abolish government departments and lay off much the federal workforce, Donald Trump has upended the US constitutional order in an unprecedented assertion of executive might. Critics complain that Congress has been slow to react in the face of a full frontal assault on the Founders' vision of the ...

M23, Rwandan Troops Launch Fresh DR Congo Offensive

This is Beirut 06/02 10:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United Nations Republic of Congo Goma

The M23 armed group and allied Rwandan forces launched a new offensive on Wednesday in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, days before the Rwandan and Congolese presidents are due to attend a crisis summit. The United Nations meanwhile said the battle for the key city of Goma, which the M23 and Rwandan troops seized last week, had left at ...

US Claims Free Passage Through Panama Canal

This is Beirut 06/02 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Panama Canal

The United States said Wednesday that its government vessels would sail for free through the Panama Canal following heavy pressure from President Donald Trump, but authorities at the waterway swiftly issued a denial. "US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year," ...

Pain and Anger as Turkey Marks Two Years Since Quake Disaster

This is Beirut 06/02 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Earhtquake

Tens of thousands of survivors held torchlit vigils across southern Turkey at 4:17 am Thursday, expressing pain and anger as they marked the exact moment two years ago when a devastating earthquake struck, claiming more than 53,000 lives in Turkey and some 6,000 in neighbouring Syria. The 7.8 magnitude quake struck before dawn when people were ...

January Sets 'Surprising' Heat Record: EU Monitor

This is Beirut 06/02 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Climate Change Copernicus

Last month was the hottest January on record, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday, despite expectations that cooler La Nina conditions might quell a streak of record-breaking global temperatures. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said January was 1.75C hotter than pre-industrial times, extending a persistent run of history-making highs ...

Op-edThe Golden Pager and the Irony of Espionage in the Middle East

Salam El Zaatari 06/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump USA Israel Hezbollah

History is often written in treaties. Sometimes, it’s forged in war. And sometimes, apparently, it’s written in golden pagers. Yes, you read that correctly. In a moment that blended Middle Eastern geopolitics with the aesthetics of a 1990s tech museum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted US President Donald Trump a golden pager, ...

US Administration Backtracks on Trump's Plan for Gaza

This is Beirut 06/02 05:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Gaza

US President Donald Trump's administration appeared to backtrack Wednesday after his proposal to take over Gaza sparked uproar, with the United Nations warning against "ethnic cleansing" in the Palestinian territory. Facing a wave of criticism from Palestinians, Arab governments and world leaders, Trump's Secretary of State ...

Rubio Says Trump Meant Only Temporary Gaza Move for Rebuilding

This is Beirut 05/02 21:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Marco Rubio Donald Trump Gaza

US President Donald Trump only wants Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily while the territory is reconstructed, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. Trump stunned the world and drew condemnation when he proposed Tuesday at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States could take over war-battered ...