World

Stocks Fall as US Restricts Nvidia Chip Exports to China

This is Beirut 16/04 21:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Europe New York United Kingdom

Wall Street shares fell but European stocks diverged Wednesday after the US government imposed restrictions on exports of a key Nvidia chip to China, the latest trade war salvo between the world's biggest economies. After a relatively peaceful couple of days on markets following tariff-related volatility last week, investors were once again on ...

Macron to Meet Rubio, Witkoff amid Transatlantic Tensions

This is Beirut 16/04 19:11 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

US Secretary of State Paris Ukraine War

French President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff, the Elysee Palace said, as transatlantic tensions soar over the war in Ukraine. Witkoff, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Rubio are heading to Paris for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, the State ...

Kremlin Says Ready to Help with Iran-US Nuclear Talks

This is Beirut 16/04 19:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Iran Russia Nuclear

The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russia was ready to do "everything" in its power to help find a diplomatic resolution to the standoff between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program. Moscow, which commands the world's largest confirmed arsenal of nuclear weapons, has deepened its military ties with Iran since it launched its ...

Charity Says 400,000 Children in Syria Risk 'Severe Malnutrition' after US Cuts

This is Beirut 16/04 18:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Save the Children USAID

Save the Children said on Wednesday that more than 400,000 children in Syria were at risk of "severe malnutrition" after the United States suspended aid, forcing the charity to slash operations in the war-torn country. Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children's Syria director, in a statement called on the international community to urgently fill the ...

Kremlin Refuses to Say If Halt on Ukraine Energy Strikes Would be Extended

This is Beirut 16/04 17:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Energy

The Kremlin on Wednesday declined to specify when a 30-day moratorium on strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure would end -- or whether it would be extended -- just hours before the agreement was set to expire. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 18 he had ordered his army to halt attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 ...

Iran Confirms Next Round of US Talks to Be in Italy not Oman

This is Beirut 16/04 17:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran IAEA Iran Nuclear Program Rafael Grossi

The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will be held on Saturday in Italy and not Oman, Iranian state media reported. "The second round of Iran-US nuclear talks will be held next Saturday in Rome... and the Omani foreign ministry will be hosting the talks," Iran's state TV said. European officials had earlier said the ...

Istanbul’s Jewel Hagia Sophia Undergoes Major Restoration

This is Beirut 16/04 16:15 - Reading : less than a minute

Istanbul Hagia Sophia Restoration

The former basilica Hagia Sophia, converted into a mosque in 2020, is undergoing a comprehensive renovation, including its main dome and mosaics, to better withstand future earthquakes expected in Istanbul.

Trump Says Harvard a 'Joke' Undeserving of US Federal Funding

This is Beirut 16/04 15:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Harvard Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump doubled down Wednesday on a funding standoff with top university Harvard that has become a focal point of his war against elite educational institutions. Harvard has stood out for defying Trump's attempts to force it to submit to wide-ranging government oversight, in contrast to several other universities that have ...

Trump to Meet Japan Envoy for Tariff Negotiations

This is Beirut 16/04 14:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

US Treasury Japan Tariffs Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said he will join negotiations on Wednesday with Japan's envoy for tariffs, after both countries expressed confidence in striking a mutually beneficial outcome. Trump issued a 90-day pause last week on his 24-percent tariffs on Japan, the biggest investor into the United States and its close strategic and economic ...

Iran FM Says Uranium Enrichment 'Non-Negotiable' After Trump Envoy Urged Halt

This is Beirut 16/04 13:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Nuclear Negotiations USA

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Iran's enrichment of uranium as part of its nuclear programme was "non-negotiable" after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff called for a halt. "Iran's enrichment is a real, accepted matter. We are ready to build confidence in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is ...

US-Ukraine Minerals Deal Talks Progressing 'Quite Fast': Senior Official

This is Beirut 16/04 12:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Kyiv Washington Minerals Volodymyr Zelensky

Long-running and fraught talks between Kyiv and Washington on a deal that would give the United States preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources are progressing quickly, a senior official told AFP Wednesday. Ukraine and the United States had planned to sign a deal on extracting Ukraine's strategically important minerals, until a ...

Gaza Rescuers Say Children Among 11 Killed in Israeli Air Strikes

This is Beirut 16/04 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gaza Israel

Gaza's civil defense agency reported that Israeli air strikes in the early hours of Wednesday killed at least 11 people, including women and children. Israel resumed its aerial and ground offensive across Gaza from March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities in the territory. A pre-dawn air strike in Gaza City ...