World

Ukraine says Four Killed in Massive Russian Drone, Missile Attack

This is Beirut 12/07 13:14 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky drones

Russia fired more than 620 drones and long-range missiles overnight killing four people, Ukraine said Saturday, calling for fresh sanctions on Moscow to halt its record barrages. Kyiv and Moscow have stepped up aerial strikes over recent months and US-led ceasefire talks aimed at pausing the over three-year war have stalled. "Twenty-six ...

Gaza Truce Talks in the Balance as Israel and Hamas Trade Blame

This is Beirut 12/07 12:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Gaza Hostages

Gaza ceasefire talks hung in the balance as Hamas and Israel on Saturday accused the other of blocking attempts to strike a deal, nearly a week into an attempt to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Palestinian territory. A Palestinian source with knowledge of the indirect talks in Qatar told AFP that Israel's proposals to keep its ...

Erdogan says 'Turkey Has won' After Kurdish PKK Fighters Disarm

This is Beirut 12/07 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Turkey Erdogan PKK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday his country had achieved victory after Kurdish rebels destroyed their weapons, ending their decades-long armed struggle against Ankara. Friday's symbolic weapons destruction ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan marked a major step in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from ...

AnalysisSyrian-Israeli Relations: The Emergence of Complex Dialogue

Amal Chmouny 12/07 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Syria Washington United States

A significant shift is unfolding in the Middle East's diplomatic landscape as dialogue between Syria and Israel begins to take shape. This budding interaction has garnered substantial international attention, particularly as the United States and the United Arab Emirates assume pivotal roles as facilitators. Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to ...

US Sanctions Cuban President Four Years After Historic Protests

This is Beirut 12/07 05:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Cuba Sanctions Diplomacy

The United States announced its first sanctions on Friday against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel for his role "in the Cuban regime's brutality toward the Cuban people." It is the latest in a series of measures by US President Donald Trump's administration to increase pressure on the Cuban government. The United States was ...

Over 1,300 State Department Employees Laid Off in Trump Government Downsizing

This is Beirut 11/07 22:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States State Department Donald Trump Layoffs

The US State Department began laying off more than 1,300 employees on Friday as part of President Donald Trump's campaign to massively downsize the federal government workforce. A State Department official said 1,107 members of the civil service and 246 Foreign Service employees were being informed that they were being fired. The layoffs at ...

Two-State Solution Conference Rescheduled for Late July at UN

This is Beirut 11/07 21:45 - Reading : less than a minute

United Nations Gaza Israel Two state solution

An international conference meant to revive work on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been rescheduled for July 28-29, diplomatic sources told AFP. Originally set for mid-June, the conference at UN headquarters in New York was postponed at the last minute due to Israel's surprise military campaign against Iran. It has ...

UN: Nearly 800 Killed Seeking Aid in Gaza, Most Near GHF Sites

This is Beirut 11/07 21:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gaza United Nations Israel Aid

Nearly 800 people have died trying to access aid in Gaza since late May, with most killed near the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's sites, the UN said Friday. An officially private effort, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations on May 26 after Israel halted supplies into the Gaza Strip for more than ...

Death Toll in Houthi Attack on Liberian-Flagged Ship Rises to 4

This is Beirut 11/07 18:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Yemen Houthis Red Sea Eternity C

Four crew members of a cargo ship attacked and sunk by the Houthis earlier this week are presumed dead, an EU naval force said Friday, with search operations ongoing in the Red Sea. "Fifteen crew members are missing. The four presumed casualties are among the missing crew members," the European Union's Operation Aspides naval task ...

Top Russian Diplomat Arrives in Pyongyang for Working Visit

This is Beirut 11/07 18:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sergei Lavrov Russia North Korea

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in North Korea on Friday for a working visit, Russian state media reported, the latest in a series of high-profile trips by top Moscow officials. "The minister's plane landed at the airport in Wonsan," news agency TASS reported, adding that Lavrov was due to meet his North Korean ...

PKK Militants Want to Participate in Turkish Politics, Says Top Commander Bese Hozat

This is Beirut 11/07 18:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Bese Hozat Turkey PKK Kurds

Kurdish PKK militants want to return to Turkey and enter democratic politics, one of the group's joint leaders told AFP on Friday after the fighters began destroying their arms at a ceremony in Iraq. In an interview with AFP, Bese Hozat, one of the Kurdish militant group's two top leaders, also warned the fragile peace process risked being ...

France Launches Inquiry Into Musk’s X Over Threats to Democracy

This is Beirut 11/07 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Twitter France Elon Musk

French police are investigating claims social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, skewed its algorithm to allow "foreign interference," the Paris prosecutor said Friday. Investigators will be examining the actions of the company and its senior managers after two complaints were filed in January, prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, without ...