USA

Turning 80, UN Faces Fresh Storm of Doubts

With its influence discredited and its budget in tatters, the United Nations is weathering a firestorm of criticism as it celebrates its 80th anniversary -- and tries to convince a polarized and conflict-wracked world it is more vital than ever. The UN's 193 member states will mark Thursday the signing of the organization's foundational treaty, ...

NBA: Suns Trade Star Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets

Two-time NBA champion forward Kevin Durant has been traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets for eight players in a blockbuster deal, ESPN reported on Sunday. The swap, which can be completed when the league begins the 2025-26 year in July, would send the 36-year-old American to Houston in exchange for guard Jalen Green and swingman ...

US Officials Declare Success After Iran Strikes

Senior White House officials hailed the recent air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a turning point, claiming they have dealt a significant blow to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and restored American deterrence on the global stage.   Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the military operation as a success that brought ...

Maaloula: The Silent Exile of an Ancient Language

Nestled on the cliffsides at the foothills of the Qalamoun mountains, Maaloula gazes out over the void. Behind the picturesque façade of its alleys and its millennia-old language lies a harsher reality: a language and culture under siege. A minority identity caught in the grip of centralizing nationalism, institutionalized othering and a century ...

Maaloula: The Last Sanctuary of the Language of Christ

Nestled on the mountainside of Syria’s Qalamoun range, the village of Maaloula clings to time as it does to stone. Its sand-colored houses blend into the rock, its winding alleys read like pages from an ancient tale and women greet you with “Shlomo,” a traditional Aramaic salutation. In the dry air of this Christian enclave, a language the ...

Belarus frees jailed opposition leader after appeal from US

Belarus freed top opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky and over a dozen other political prisoners on Saturday following an appeal from the White House, Minsk said, a sign of warming ties between Washington and Belarus-ally Moscow. The release came just hours after US special envoy Keith Kellogg met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in ...

Haliburton Warns Pacers Ahead of NBA Finals Game 7

Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton says the Pacers must keep their focus firmly on the Oklahoma City Thunder and block out the "poison" of narratives popping up around game seven of the NBA Finals. The Pacers pushed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder to a winner-take-all game seven with a stunning blowout victory on Thursday, Haliburton ...

Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments

Here are the latest developments: Iran Arrests 22 Over Israeli Spy Links Police in Iran's Qom province said 22 people "linked to Israeli spy services" had been arrested since June 13. "22 people were identified and arrested on charges of being linked to the Zionist regime's spy services, disturbing public opinion and supporting the criminal ...