Middle East

Why Did Trump Pick Hungary for His Next Summit with Putin?

Mario Chartouni 22/10 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Volodymyr Zelensky European Union International Criminal Court Hungary Vladimir Putin

In a move that surprised European capitals and drew sharp criticism from Kyiv, Donald Trump confirmed that his next summit with Vladimir Putin will be held in Budapest, hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Far from being a neutral choice, this decision reflects a political alignment among three nationalist leaders and highlights ...

JD Vance Voices ‘Great Optimism' for Gaza Truce on Israel Visit

This is Beirut 22/10 08:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United States JD Vance Gaza Hamas

US Vice President JD Vance expressed "great optimism" that the Gaza truce would hold, ahead of a meeting Wednesday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Vance is in Israel to shore up support for the US-brokered ceasefire and post-war reconstruction plans. Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to ...

North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles, First Launch in Months

This is Beirut 22/10 05:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

North Korea South Korea Nuclear Diplomatie

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, its first such launch in months and just a week before world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, descend on South Korea for a summit. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had "detected several projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles". The ...

Trump and Putin's Budapest Summit Shelved

This is Beirut 21/10 23:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Russia

US President Donald Trump put plans to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest on hold Tuesday, as efforts to end the war in Ukraine ran into yet another roadblock. Trump said just days ago that he would meet Putin within two weeks, while at the same time pressuring Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace, a ...

OpenAI Unveils Search Browser in Challenge to Google

This is Beirut 21/10 22:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Tuesday announced an "Atlas" search browser, leveraging its artificial intelligence prowess in a direct challenge to Google Chrome. "This is an AI-powered web browser built around ChatGPT," OpenAI chief Sam Altman said in a streamed presentation. OpenAI has ramped up its challenge to Google, which has responded by rapidly ...

Israel Says Received Two Gaza Hostage Bodies from Red Cross

This is Beirut 21/10 22:37 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam Hamas Gaza Israeli Hostages

Israel said its security forces in the Gaza Strip received the remains of two hostages from the Red Cross on Tuesday, returned as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal. "Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffins of two hostages who were killed, which were handed over to an [Israeli military] and Shin Bet force inside the Gaza ...

UK Removes Syria's HTS from 'Terrorist' Organizations List

This is Beirut 21/10 22:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Kingdom Syria Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

The UK on Tuesday removed Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of banned "terrorist" organizations after the group ousted Bashar al-Assad last December and took control of the government. The move comes after the United States announced in July it would revoke HTS's "terrorist" designation. HTS was proscribed by the UK in 2017 over ...

Prince Andrew Faces New Pressure Following Virginia Giuffre’s Memoirs

This is Beirut 21/10 20:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Virginia Giuffre Prince Andrew Jeffrey Epstein

The posthumous memoirs of American Virginia Giuffre, the main accuser of Prince Andrew in the Epstein case, went on sale Tuesday, increasing pressure on the disgraced brother of King Charles. In Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, recounts in detail being exploited as a sex slave by the late financier and sex offender ...

Trump Urged Ukraine to Give Up Land in 'Tense' Talks

This is Beirut 21/10 19:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Ukraine Donald Trump Donbas

US President Donald Trump pressured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to give up the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace during "tense" talks last Friday in Washington, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP. The source added that the talks with Trump were "not easy" and that diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war felt ...

Saudi de Facto Ruler to Meet Trump in Washington Next Month

This is Beirut 21/10 18:54 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Mohammed bin Salman Saudi Arabia United States Donald Trump

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler will meet US President Donald Trump during a three-day visit to Washington next month, a source close to the government told AFP on Tuesday. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will arrive on November 17 and discuss political, economic, and security files with Trump the following day, the source said on condition of ...

JD Vance in Israel: Washington Reasserts Control over the Ceasefire

This is Beirut 21/10 18:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Washington Ceasefire Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump

Vance’s trip is part of a broader American diplomatic push. Since Monday, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been holding a series of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Together, they are working to secure an agreement designed not only to end hostilities, but also to lay the groundwork for a new regional security ...

Trump Says Middle East Allies Ready to 'Straighten out Hamas' If Asked

This is Beirut 21/10 17:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Hamas Gaza

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that allied nations in the Middle East were prepared to send troops into Gaza, at his request, to confront Hamas if the group did not cease its alleged violations of his peace plan. The threat comes a day after Trump warned Hamas would be "eradicated" if the group did not meet expectations of the agreement, ...