World

Trump says to reinstate 'maximum pressure' on Iran, Tehran promises “failure”

This is Beirut 05/02 11:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA White House Iran Nuclear weapons

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was planning to reinstate what he called the "maximum pressure" policy against Iran over allegations that it is trying to develop nuclear weapons. However, Trump also said he hoped the policy will "hardly have to be used." Trump made the comment as he signed a memorandum reimposing the tough policy of ...

Iran's Khamenei names Hezbollah leader as Lebanon 'representative'

This is Beirut 05/02 11:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel USA Naïm Qassem

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem as his "representative" in Lebanon, Iranian media reported Wednesday. "The leader of the revolution, in a decree, introduced Sheikh Naim Qassem, secretary general of Hezbollah, as his representative in Lebanon," Tasnim news agency said. Tasnim carried a copy of ...

Saudi Arabia Says no Israel Normalization Without Palestinian State

This is Beirut 05/02 09:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Saudi Arabia Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu

Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it will not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established, after Israel's prime minister remarked that he thought normalisation with the Gulf kingdom was "going to happen". "Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its ...

USAID, a Soft Power Tool That Does Not Serve Trump’s Policy

Samar El-Kadi 05/02 08:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Washington USAID George Soros

Insubordination, waste of taxpayers’ money and promotion of agendas that run counter to US national interests are some of the reasons spelled out by US President Donald Trump’s administration for freezing foreign aid and targeting the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in particular. Trump, a long-term critic of overseas ...

Trump Wants to Jail American Citizens in Salvador

This is Beirut 05/02 04:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States US Secretary of State USA

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law. "If we had the legal right to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's no different than our prison system, except ...

Trump Signs Order Withdrawing US from UN Human Rights Council

This is Beirut 04/02 23:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump UNHCR UNRWA UNESCO

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization. The executive order said it withdrew Washington from UNHRC and the main UN relief agency for ...

Erdogan Hails Syria Leader's 'Strong Commitment' to Fighting Terror

This is Beirut 04/02 21:21 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Ahmad al-Sharaa Recep Tayyip Erdogan Syria

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa for his "strong commitment" to fighting terror as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkey. Sharaa flew to Ankara from Saudi Arabia where he had sought Riyadh's support to fund Syria's reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil ...

'Around 10' Dead in Sweden School Shooting, Including Assailant

This is Beirut 04/02 20:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sweden Shooting

Around 10 people were killed in a shooting at an education center in central Sweden on Tuesday, including the suspected assailant, police officials said. The shooting was the deadliest school attack in the country's history. "Around 10 people have been killed today," Örebro police chief Roberto Eid Forest told reporters, adding that police ...

Thousands Leave as Fresh Tremors Shake Greece's Santorini

This is Beirut 04/02 19:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Santorini Greece Earthquake

Thousands of people fled the Greek island of Santorini by sea and air for a third day on Tuesday, as more earthquakes shook the top travel destination. Some 7,000 people have left the island, known for its spectacular cliffside views and dormant volcano, which has been hit by hundreds of tremors since last week, officials said. One quake with a ...

Mexico Begins Deployment of 10,000 Troops on US Border

This is Beirut 04/02 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Mexico United States Donald Trump Claudia Sheinbaum

Mexico began Tuesday the 10,000-strong border troop deployment it had promised US President Donald Trump in exchange for delaying a 25-percent tariff on exported goods, President Claudia Sheinbaum said. "The deployment has already started,"she told reporters a day after announcing a last-minute deal with Trump to tighten measures against illegal ...

Where Things Stand in China-US Trade Tensions

This is Beirut 04/02 12:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump China

China has made good on its threats to retaliate in the escalating trade war with the United States, imposing tariffs on American imports of energy, cars and machinery parts. That came just minutes after a 10 percent tariff hike on Chinese goods, announced by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, came into effect. Here's the state of play in the ...

Israeli Military Reports Fatally Shooting Gunman in West Bank

This is Beirut 04/02 10:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

West Bank Hamas Israel Palestine

The Israeli army said Tuesday that its troops had killed a gunman who critically wounded two soldiers when he opened fire at a military post in the occupied West Bank. "A terrorist fired at soldiers at a military post in Tayasir. The soldiers exchanged fire with the terrorist and killed him," the military said in a statement. Israeli emergency ...