World

Turkey Blocks Access to Instagram
Turkey Blocks Access to Instagram

Turkey on Friday blocked access to the Instagram social media network, the national communications authority said without explanation, following censorship accusations against the US company by a high-ranking Turkish official. The BTK communications authority said in a post on its website that "instagram.com has been blocked by a decision on the ...

Venezuela Opposition Calls Mass Protests over Disputed Election
Venezuela Opposition Calls Mass Protests over Disputed Election

Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, called Thursday for protests "in every city" in the nation on Saturday to denounce the disputed reelection of President Nicolas Maduro. The oil-rich Latin American nation was plunged into political crisis after Maduro was announced the victor of Sunday's election, a result that defied ...

Australia: Israeli Strike on Aid Convoy Due to \
Australia: Israeli Strike on Aid Convoy Due to "Serious Failures"

An Israeli strike that killed seven charity workers in a Gaza aid convoy was the result of "mistaken identification" and a raft of other serious failures, the Australian government found in a report released Friday. Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed when their convoy, ...

Russia Frees US Reporter in Major Prisoner Swap with West
Russia Frees US Reporter in Major Prisoner Swap with West

Jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich and a Russian intelligence colonel jailed for a Berlin murder were among two dozen prisoners freed Thursday in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. The prisoners were flown to Turkey's capital Ankara from Russia, the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus under the ...

US Says Plea Deal Reached With 9/11 Mastermind
US Says Plea Deal Reached With 9/11 Mastermind

US prosecutors have reached a deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the Pentagon said Wednesday, reportedly involving a guilty plea in exchange for avoiding a death penalty trial. The agreements with Mohammed and two other accused moves their long-running cases toward resolution. These have been bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings ...

Harris Unchallenged as Democrats Vote for White House Nominee
Harris Unchallenged as Democrats Vote for White House Nominee

Kamala Harris will be confirmed as the Democratic US presidential nominee in an electronic vote starting Thursday that replaces the fanfare of in-person balloting that usually kicks off the party's national convention. Less than two weeks after Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, his 52-year-old vice president is in full control of the party, ...

Trump Accuses Harris of “Turning Black” for Political Gain
Trump Accuses Harris of “Turning Black” for Political Gain

Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that Vice President Kamala Harris had decided to "turn Black" for political gain, as he attacked his Democratic White House rival during a combative interaction with African American journalists in Chicago. The Republican former president's inflammatory comments marked an escalation of the 78-year-old's vitriol ...

Where Does the Saudi-Iranian Agreement Stand Now?
Where Does the Saudi-Iranian Agreement Stand Now?

It's been nearly a year and a half since the Saudi-Iranian agreement, brokered under China's auspices, which surprised many observers. The decision by the two longtime rivals to turn to Beijing to settle their differences was unexpected. This agreement underscored the emerging role of Chinese diplomacy in a complex issue that had troubled the ...

US Sanctions Houthi Weapons Procurement Network
US Sanctions Houthi Weapons Procurement Network

The United States sanctioned two people and four firms on Wednesday for facilitating the procurement of weapons on behalf of Yemen's Houthis. The group began launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, forcing many shipping companies to alter their routes and triggering retaliatory strikes by ...

The World Reacts to the Death of Ismail Haniyeh
The World Reacts to the Death of Ismail Haniyeh

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas' political bureau, was killed Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike in Iran. [readmore url="https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/israel-hamaswar/277344"] Reactions are flooding in from across the globe. Haniyeh's son, Abdoul Salam Ismail Haniyeh, stated that his father had “gotten what he wanted. We are in a state of ...

US Strikes Kill Four Pro-Iran Fighters in Iraq
US Strikes Kill Four Pro-Iran Fighters in Iraq

American forces carried out a "defensive" air strike on combatants who were attempting to launch drones that were deemed a threat to US and allied troops, a United States official said. The strike – which Iraqi sources said left at least four people dead – was the first by American forces in Iraq since February, when the US military said it ...

US Sanctions Iranian and Chinese Firms for Aiding Tehran's UAV Program
US Sanctions Iranian and Chinese Firms for Aiding Tehran's UAV Program

The United States sanctioned five people and seven companies in China and Iran on Tuesday, accusing them of aiding Tehran's ballistic missile and drone programs. The sanctions targeted individuals and companies in China, Hong Kong and Iran involved in procuring key components for "subordinates" of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces ...