This is Beirut 27/02 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Turkey's leading pro-Kurd party said it was expecting a "historic declaration" Thursday from the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, amid efforts to end a decades-long conflict with Ankara. The pro-Kurdish DEM party will send a delegation Thursday to meet Ocalan at his prison on an island off Istanbul, it said in ...
This is Beirut 27/02 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, shortly after saying Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over coffins believed to contain the bodies of four hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel had received the coffins of "four fallen hostages", and a process to formally identify them had ...
Salam El Zaatari 27/02 09:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
There’s an old rule in business: if you keep doing favors for people, they’ll come to expect it, and stop doing the work themselves. That, in a nutshell, is what America’s foreign policy shift under President Donald Trump looks like. For decades, US allies in Europe and the Middle East have operated under a comfortable assumption: when ...
Marc Saikali 27/02 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump USA Uktaine EU Russia
Since Donald Trump’s rise to power, everything has accelerated. Geopolitical time has sped up. The Middle East, Ukraine... all fronts are moving rapidly. As if by magic, Donald Trump managed to make the Slavic enemies utter the words “ceasefire” to halt the senseless slaughter after three years of unprecedented violence, reminiscent of the ...
This is Beirut 26/02 22:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Emmanuel Macron USA
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out offering US security guarantees or NATO membership for Ukraine as his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to visit to seal a deal on handing over natural resources. Trump, who has upended US policy by reaching out to Russia and seeking a quick end to the three-year war, said that European allies ...
Natasha Metni Torbey 26/02 21:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Israel Ahmad al-Sharaa Benjamin Netanyahou Syria Suweida Quneitra Daraa
Israel has taken a firm stance on its plan for the “total demilitarization” of southern Damascus. “We will not allow forces from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (the group behind the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024) or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ...
This is Beirut 26/02 20:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Kurdish-led forces that control large areas of northern and northeastern Syria said 12 people were killed Wednesday in air strikes it blamed on Turkey. "Turkish occupation warplanes and UCAVs (drones) targeted a military position belonging to our forces" as well as civilian homes and a vehicle in the Al-Shaddadi area, the Syrian Democratic Forces ...
This is Beirut 26/02 19:14 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Volodymyr Zelensky Donald Trump Washington Kyiv Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, will be coming to Washington on Friday to finalize a framework agreement on the exploitation of Ukrainian minerals. "Zelensky is coming on Friday, it's confirmed now," Donald Trump said at the start of a cabinet meeting at the ...
This is Beirut 26/02 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump United Nations IAEA nuclear Iran
Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent months, according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by AFP on Wednesday. Tensions between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog have repeatedly flared since a 2015 deal curbing Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for ...
This is Beirut 26/02 17:17 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Gaza Israel Palestine Hostages
Hamas's armed wing said Wednesday that it would hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages "tonight" as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal. "Within the framework of the deal, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades has decided to hand over the bodies of four hostages tonight," the group said, providing the names of the captives. ...
This is Beirut 26/02 16:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Donald Trump Israel Middle East Saudi Arabia Washington
Steve Witkoff, appointed by President Donald Trump as the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, has been playing a pivotal role in advancing peace initiatives in the region. His strategic insights and diplomatic skills have solidified his reputation as a key figure in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. After voicing optimism at efforts to ...
This is Beirut 26/02 15:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Donald Trump Banks Europe New York United States
Asian and European stock markets rallied Wednesday, helped by renewed positivity over the tech sector, analysts said. Hong Kong closed up more than three percent, with investors snapping up stocks following a poor start to the week sparked by fresh concerns over US President Donald Trump's tariff plans. In Europe, Paris and Frankfurt led the ...