Politics
Lebanon’s cabinet on Thursday held a second meeting within days to discuss the thorny task of disarming Hezbollah, a day after the Iran-backed group rejected the government’s decision to take away its weapons. The more than four-hour meeting tackled a US proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah’
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South Korea and the United States will launch their annual large-scale military exercise this month to bolster readiness against North Korean threats, the allies said Thursday, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. The exercise also comes against the backdrop of concerns in Seoul
Politics
US President Donald Trump is open to meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House said Wednesday. The meeting could take place as early as next week, The New York Times newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. The possibility was discussed in a call between
Politics
Lebanon’s cabinet has told the army to draw up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms in a challenge to the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, which rejects calls to disarm. WHY IS THERE A PUSH TO DISARM HEZBOLLAH NOW? Israel pummelled Hezbollah last year in a
Politics
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The tariff, set to take effect in three weeks, comes on top of a separate 25
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Judges have requested permission from Italy’s parliament to bring proceedings against two government ministers over the release of a Libyan wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), reports said Wednesday. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio is accused of failing to perform his official duties and also, alongside Interior Minister Matteo
Politics
Hezbollah said on Wednesday the Lebanese government was committing a “grave sin” by tasking the army with establishing a state monopoly on arms, sharpening a national divide over calls for the Shiite Muslim group to disarm. The cabinet on Tuesday authorized the Lebanese army to draw up a plan to
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Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed that the Justice Department move forward with a probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation following the recent release of documents aimed at undermining the legitimacy of the inquiry that established that Moscow interfered on the Republican’s behalf in the 2016 US
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Iran on Sunday announced the establishment of a new National Defense Council, tasked with centrally reviewing defense strategies and enhancing the country’s military capabilities. The new body will “review defense plans and enhance the capabilities of the armed forces in a centralized manner,” state media reported, citing the Secretariat
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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday vowed that “justice is coming,” five years after a catastrophic explosion at Beirut’s port for which nobody has been held to account. The blast on August 4, 2020 was one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions, devastating swathes of the Lebanese capital,
Politics
President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday his special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Russia in the coming week, ahead of a looming US sanctions deadline and escalating tensions with Moscow. Speaking to reporters, Trump also said that two nuclear submarines he deployed following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry
Politics
US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs. Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, have been sparring on social
Politics
In a warning to Russia, President Donald Trump said Friday he’s ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines “based on the highly provocative statements” of the country’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who has raised the prospect of war online. Trump posted on his social media site that,
Politics
Russia’s top diplomat on Thursday met with his Syrian counterpart during the first formal to Moscow by an official of the new government in Damascus since former Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted in a rebel offensive last year despite years of Russian support. Opening the talks, Foreign Minister
Politics
US President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine by August 8, the United States told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. “Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace. It is time to make a
Politics
Some nations reacted with relief Friday after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs that in some cases were lower than threatened, and delayed by a week to August 7. But others — including Switzerland and chip powerhouse Taiwan — still hope to negotiate lower rates, and uncertainty remains over transshipments and levies