World

Syria's New Rulers Urge Russia to Fix Past Mistakes
Syria's New Rulers Urge Russia to Fix Past Mistakes

Syria's new leadership on Wednesday urged Moscow to "address past mistakes" during talks with visiting Russian officials -- the first since former president Bashar al-Assad, a Kremlin ally, was toppled last month. The visit came with Russia keen to secure the fate of two military bases in Syria and after Russian President Vladimir Putin denied ...

Syria Demands Israel Pullout from Buffer Golan Zone
Syria Demands Israel Pullout from Buffer Golan Zone

Syria's new authorities on Wednesday urged Israel's withdrawal from Syrian territory it occupied in the Golan Heights after president Bashar al-Assad's ousting, during talks with UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix, state media reported. During Lacroix's meeting with Syria's foreign and defense ministers, "it was confirmed that Syria is ...

Ukrainian Drone Barrage on Russia Kills two, Hits oil Refinery
Ukrainian Drone Barrage on Russia Kills two, Hits oil Refinery

A Ukrainian drone attack killed a mother and her toddler in a Russian border region on Wednesday, Russian officials said, as Kyiv launched a major overnight barrage that set an oil refinery ablaze and targeted a nuclear facility. Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged almost daily drone or missile attacks over the nearly three-year war, targeting energy ...

Rubio Widens Exemption for US Aid After Freeze
Rubio Widens Exemption for US Aid After Freeze

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday widened exemptions in a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance, saying the United States would keep funding humanitarian items such as shelter and medicine. President Donald Trump on returning office last week ordered a 90-day pause to review assistance by the United States, the world's largest donor in ...

Rwanda, DR Congo Leaders in Crisis Summit as Goma's Fate Hangs in Balance
Rwanda, DR Congo Leaders in Crisis Summit as Goma's Fate Hangs in Balance

The president of crisis-hit Democratic Republic of Congo was set to meet his Rwandan counterpart at an emergency summit on Wednesday, as fighters backed by Kigali appeared on the brink of seizing the key city of Goma. The M23 armed group took control of Goma's airport on Tuesday, a security source said, following days of intense clashes that ...

15 Dead in India Stampede at Hindu Mega-Festival
15 Dead in India Stampede at Hindu Mega-Festival

A pre-dawn stampede at the world's largest religious gathering killed at least 15 people in India Wednesday, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders. Deadly crowd incidents are frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts tens of millions of ...

Syria: Senior Russian Officials In Damascus For The First Time Since The Fall Of Assad
Syria: Senior Russian Officials In Damascus For The First Time Since The Fall Of Assad

Two senior Russian officials met new government leaders in Damascus on Tuesday, a first since the fall of the Kremlin's ally, ex-president Bashar al-Assad, in December. Moscow wants to keep its two major military bases in Syria. Quoted by the Russian press agencies, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that he and his delegation had ...

Ukraine: Putin Says He Is Ready to Negotiate but Rules Out Zelensky
Ukraine: Putin Says He Is Ready to Negotiate but Rules Out Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that talks with Ukraine were possible but not with its President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he deemed "illegitimate". US President Donald Trump has put pressure on both sides to end the nearly three-year conflict, saying last week that Zelensky wanted to negotiate a "deal" to stop the fighting. "If ...

Netanyahu to Meet Trump on February 4
Netanyahu to Meet Trump on February 4

US President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House on Tuesday on February 4, the Israeli premier's office said. "Prime Minister Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House during US President Trump's second term," the statement said. The Trump-Netanyahu ...

Turkish Airstrikes Kill 12 Civilians in Northern Syria
Turkish Airstrikes Kill 12 Civilians in Northern Syria

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Tuesday that two days of Turkish strikes had killed 12 civilians in Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria. Turkish-backed forces launched an offensive against the SDF in November that has seen them capture several Kurdish-held enclaves in the north despite US efforts to broker a ceasefire. The ...

Israel Ends All Relations with UNRWA, Citing Security Concerns
Israel Ends All Relations with UNRWA, Citing Security Concerns

Israel will cease all contact with the UN's Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and any other body acting on its behalf, its UN envoy said Tuesday, after repeatedly accusing the organization of undermining its security. UNRWA's offices and staff in Israel play a major role in the provision of healthcare and education to Palestinians, but ...