World

Paramilitary Drone Attacks Target Town in Northern Sudan
Paramilitary Drone Attacks Target Town in Northern Sudan

Sudanese paramilitary forces on Thursday launched several drone strikes on the northern town of Merowe, targeting a major dam in army-held territory, the army and other sources said. Drones "targeted the army headquarters, the airport and the Merowe Dam", an army statement said, adding that it had intercepted the attacks that it blamed ...

Syria to Help US Fight Iran-Backed Armed Groups, Envoy Says
Syria to Help US Fight Iran-Backed Armed Groups, Envoy Says

Syria will play an active role in assisting the United States in fighting armed groups including Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah, US special envoy Tom Barrack said on Thursday. Islamist interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former jihadist, became the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since his country's ...

Benzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s: The Lingering Question of Memory Loss
SpotlightBenzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s: The Lingering Question of Memory Loss

In the dim aisles of pharmacies, small boxes of benzodiazepines change hands almost furtively, daily companions for millions of people living with anxiety, insomnia, or age-related fragility. Sedatives, anxiolytics, and muscle relaxants, they calm restless minds, ease worry, and help induce sleep. Yet for over a decade, unease has grown: could ...

Joseph Aoun Must Become Lebanon’s Sadat
Op-edJoseph Aoun Must Become Lebanon’s Sadat

In early November 2025, Israeli bulldozers began erecting a concrete wall on Lebanese soil—a seven-meter-high scar from Maroun al-Ras to Aitaroun—cutting through farmland, razing homes, and casting a shadow over what remains of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel calls it “defensive fortification,” while Lebanon calls it “occupation.” But ...

Trump Signs Bill to End Record-Breaking US Shutdown
Trump Signs Bill to End Record-Breaking US Shutdown

President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in US history -- 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a ...

Ten Years After Paris Attacks, Jihadist Threat Has Evolved
Ten Years After Paris Attacks, Jihadist Threat Has Evolved

A decade on from deadly attacks in Paris, the world's two most notorious jihadist groups Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda have significantly evolved and their branches still pose a global security threat, especially from Africa, analysts say. With strong central leadership, the groups were once able to train and then send commandos into Europe ...

Iraq PM Sudani Claims Election Win after Early Results Show Decisive Lead
Iraq PM Sudani Claims Election Win after Early Results Show Decisive Lead

Incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani claimed victory for his coalition on Wednesday in Iraq's general election after preliminary results showed it had secured a decisive lead. Supporters of Sudani, who is vying for a second term, flocked late in the evening to Tahrir Square in Baghdad to celebrate with fireworks and music, ...

House Vote on Ending US Government Shutdown
House Vote on Ending US Government Shutdown

Congress looked set Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Donald Trump's Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The House of Representatives was expected to rubber-stamp a contentious Senate-passed funding ...

Ukraine Ministers Resign over Major Corruption Scandals
Ukraine Ministers Resign over Major Corruption Scandals

Ukraine's energy and justice ministers resigned on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in a sweeping corruption scandal in the country's energy sector. Investigators alleged a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky orchestrated a $100 million kickback scheme to siphon off funds, triggering public anger at a time of widespread power ...

Austria Charges Two Syrian Ex-officials over Civil War Crimes
Austria Charges Two Syrian Ex-officials over Civil War Crimes

Prosecutors in Austria on Wednesday said they have charged two officials of Syria's former government for allegedly abusing detained civilians during the country's brutal civil war. Austria hosts one of the biggest Syrian diasporas in Europe, and several similar cases related to crimes committed during the Syrian civil war have been heard in the ...