96 m. ago Trump signs $200bn Qatar deal after hailing meeting with Syria’s ‘young, attractive’ president in Middle East tour

Donald Trump said ending sanctions on Syria would give the country a ‘chance for greatness’ after meeting with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

Politics

4 h. ago Trump meets Syria’s ‘attractive, tough’ president after lifting US sanctions

US president meets Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia as lifting of sanctions is met with jubilation in DamascusUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has met Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia, telling the former jihadist he had an “extraordinary opportunity”, and said Washington is exploring normalising ties with Damascus, a day after an announcement that all US sanctions on Syria would be lifted.The US president met Sharaa, a former militant who fought against US forces in Iraq and had a $10m US bounty on his head until December 2024, alongside the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for about half an hour before a conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as part of his four-day visit to the Middle East. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Trump signs $200bn Qatar deal after hailing meeting with Syria’s ‘young, attractive’ president in Middle East tour: Live

Donald Trump said ending sanctions on Syria would give the country a ‘chance for greatness’ after meeting with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

Politics

6 h. ago US and Qatar sign defense and aviation deal as Trump says of emir: ‘we just like each other’ – live

US president says $200bn Boeing order is ‘largest order of jets’ in its history and is full of praise for Qatar’s leader and country’s marble palacesThe meeting between Donald Trump and Syria’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia was the culmination of months of diplomacy by the Syrians, as well as their Turkish and Saudi allies, who believed face time with Trump would help end Syria’s international isolation, writes William Christou.Damascus had prepared a pitch to Trump that included access to Syrian oil, reassurances of Israel’s security and a proposal to build a Trump tower in Damascus. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago US and Qatar sign defense and aviation deal as Trump say of emir: ‘we just like each other’ – live

US president says $200bn Boeing order is ‘largest order of jets’ in its history and is full of praise for Qatar’s leader and country’s marble palacesThe meeting between Donald Trump and Syria’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia was the culmination of months of diplomacy by the Syrians, as well as their Turkish and Saudi allies, who believed face time with Trump would help end Syria’s international isolation, writes William Christou.Damascus had prepared a pitch to Trump that included access to Syrian oil, reassurances of Israel’s security and a proposal to build a Trump tower in Damascus. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Donald Trump praises Syrian leader as ‘attractive guy, tough guy’ as trip continues in Qatar – US politics live

US president met Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia before heading to Doha amid growing controversy over Qatar luxury plane gift The meeting between Donald Trump and Syria’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia was the culmination of months of diplomacy by the Syrians, as well as their Turkish and Saudi allies, who believed face time with Trump would help end Syria’s international isolation, writes William Christou.Damascus had prepared a pitch to Trump that included access to Syrian oil, reassurances of Israel’s security and a proposal to build a Trump tower in Damascus. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Trump arrives in Qatar after hailing meeting with Syria’s ‘young, attractive’ president in Middle East tour: Live

Donald Trump said ending sanctions on Syria would give the country a “chance for greatness” after meeting with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

Politics

11 h. ago Trump meets Syria’s president after lifting US sanctions on country

Meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia seen as key towards recognition of new Syrian authority’s legitimacyUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has met Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia and said that Washington is exploring normalising ties with Syria, a day after an announcement that all US sanctions on Syria would be lifted.The US president and Sharaa met before a conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), part of Trump’s four-day visit to the Middle East, where he is expected to court Gulf allies for investments in the US. Trump is due to land in Doha next, where he will meet with Qatari leader, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Trump claims ‘it was an honor’ to lift Syrian sanctions after meeting president in Middle East visit: Live

Donald Trump said ending sanctions on Syria would give the country a “chance for greatness” after meeting with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

Politics

12 h. ago Syria offered to build Trump Tower in Damascus before presidents’ meeting

Syria also offered the US president a Ukraine-style mineral deal

Politics

12 h. ago Donald Trump says lifting sanctions on Syria ‘gives them a chance of greatness’ – US politics live

Donald Trump meets Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia after agreeing to lift sanctions on SyriaThe meeting between Donald Trump and Syria’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia was the culmination of months of diplomacy by the Syrians, as well as their Turkish and Saudi allies, who believed face time with Trump would help end Syria’s international isolation, writes William Christou.Damascus had prepared a pitch to Trump that included access to Syrian oil, reassurances of Israel’s security and a proposal to build a Trump tower in Damascus. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Donald Trump meets Syrian president in Saudi Arabia before Gulf tour resumes – US politics live

Donald Trump meets Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia after agreeing to lift sanctions on SyriaDonald Trump has said he wants to make a deal with Iran, but it can only go ahead if the regime stops “supporting terror” and abandons its nuclear plans.In related news, Iran’s deputy foreign minister will meet with European diplomats for nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Trump meets Syrian president after lifting sanctions during Middle East visit: Live

The meeting came after Trump announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria, offering the country a ‘chance at peace’

Politics

13 h. ago Trump to meet Syrian president imminently after lifting sanctions during Middle East visit: Live

Trump announces plans to lift sanctions on Syria, offering the country a ‘chance at peace’

Politics

26 h. ago US and Saudi Arabia sign $142bn arms deal as Trump to meet Syrian leader

White House touts deal made on first stop of US president’s four-day diplomatic tour to Gulf statesUS politics live – latest updatesThe United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a $142bn arms deal touted by the White House as the “largest defence sales agreement in history” in the first stop of Donald Trump’s four-day diplomatic tour to the Gulf states aimed at securing big deals and spotlighting the benefits of Trump’s transactional foreign policy.During the trip, the White House also confirmed that Trump would meet with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former rebel commander whose forces helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The informal meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting between a US president and a Syrian leader since 2000, when Bill Clinton met with the late leader Hafez al-Assad in Geneva. Continue reading...

Politics

31 h. ago Zelenskyy to wait for Putin in Turkey, saying: ‘If he does not arrive, he does not want to end war’ – Europe live

Ukrainian president to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday and wait to see if Putin joins themGérard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during a film shoot in 2021.Depardieu, France’s biggest film star, who has made more than 200 films and TV series, is the highest-profile figure in the French film industry to be convicted of sexual assault since the #MeToo movement. Continue reading...

Politics

32 h. ago Trump live updates: President and Musk set to speak in Saudi after heaping praise on crown prince

The Tesla CEO joined President Donald Trump in meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but did not travel to Saudi Arabia on Air Force One

Politics

33 h. ago Trump live updates: Elon Musk joins US president in meeting Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia

The Tesla CEO joined President Donald Trump in meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but did not travel to Saudi Arabia on Air Force One

Politics

46 h. ago Sean Penn says he’d work with Woody Allen again ‘in a heartbeat’

The actor, who was speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, also cast new light on his meeting with former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and had harsh comments on both Donald Trump and Elon MuskSean Penn has reiterated his defence of Woody Allen, saying he would “work with him in a heartbeat”.Penn was speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, and told Theroux that while he felt he didn’t know Allen well enough to know for certain that “100% this didn’t happen”, he said: “The stories are mostly told by people that I wouldn’t trust with a dime. It just seems so heavily weighted in that way.” Continue reading...

Economics

60 h. ago Russia bombards Ukraine with drone attacks after European leaders joined Zelensky in demanding ceasefire

The assault came hours after the Ukrainian president agreed to meet Vladimir Putin ‘personally’ in Turkey this week

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