Category: 2. Middle East

Donald Trump enjoyed a lavish welcome in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as he opened the first state visit of his second term, with the US president eyeing major business deals even as progress on the Middle East’s hotspots will likely be harder to reach.

Saudi fighter jets escorted Air Force One as Trump landed in Riyadh, the first stop on a tour of oil-rich Gulf monarchies that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump pounded his fist in the air as he looked out on a military…

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday promised billions of dollars in deals with the United States from defence to artificial intelligence as it threw a lavish welcome for President Donald Trump on the first state visit of his second term.

The Saudis escorted Air Force One into the kingdom with fighter jets before bringing out long-stretching guards of honour and sending flag-waving cavalry to accompany Trump’s motorcade to the palace.

Under imposing chandeliers, Trump welcomed a promise by Saudi Arabia’s…

Donald Trump will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the first leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, eyeing business deals even as accords on the Middle East’s hotspots will likely be harder to reach.

The trip marks the US president’s first major visit abroad of his second term, with the White House saying he looked forward to a “historic return” to the region.

Eight years ago Trump also chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president…

Donald Trump enjoyed a lavish, royal welcome in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the first state visit of his second term, with the US president foremost focused on business deals at the start of a Gulf tour.

Saudi Arabia escorted Air Force One with fighter jets before bringing out long-stretching honour guards both at the airport and a palace decked out with imposing chandeliers.

With cameras rolling, a lengthy procession of Saudi royalty and business figures waited their turn to shake hands with…

It is arguably the world’s most iconic plane, an instantly recognizable symbol of the US presidency.

But now Air Force One — like many other American institutions once considered sacred — is getting the Donald Trump treatment.

– A name, not a plane –

Technically Air Force One is the callsign for whichever US Air Force plane, no matter how small, is carrying the US president.

But most people identify it with the two heavily modified versions of the Boeing 747-200 jet liner that usually…

The Cannes film festival kicked off Tuesday with a highly political ceremony that included a tribute to a slain Palestinian photojournalist from Juliette Binoche and a fresh attack on US President Donald Trump from Robert De Niro.

Binoche, who heads this year’s Cannes jury that will award the Palme d’Or top prize, lamented the death of Gaza photographer Fatima Hassouna to the star-studded audience.

Hassouna, 25, was killed in an Israeli air strike last month along with her family, a day after…

More than 380 figures from the cinema world including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published on Tuesday ahead of the Cannes Festival opening.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and US magazine Variety.

The signatories — which include Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, as well as…

The Cannes film festival kicks off on the French Riviera Tuesday, with organisers facing pressure to take a stance on Israel’s siege of Gaza after a letter from hundreds of top cinema figures denouncing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.

More than 380 film insiders including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes and four former Cannes-winning directors said they were “ashamed” of their industry’s “passivity”.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the…

More than 350 figures from the cinema world including Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published Monday on the eve of the Cannes Festival.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and US magazine Variety.

The signatories, which include acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and former Cannes…

The Cannes film festival kicks off on the French Riviera on Tuesday, with organisers facing pressure to take a stance on Israel’s siege of Gaza after a letter from hundreds of top cinema figures denouncing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.

More than 380 film insiders including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes and four former Cannes-winning directors said they were “ashamed” of their industry’s “passivity”.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the…