World

Russia Accuses France of Excluding Kyiv in Ukraine Talks
Russia Accuses France of Excluding Kyiv in Ukraine Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said France had tried to establish "dialogue" with Moscow on Ukraine but without Kyiv's participation -- a claim that was dismissed by Paris as "intemperate". Western countries have called for a united front in support for Ukraine and have constantly said that no decisions could be taken without ...

Gaza Hospital Reports Three Infant Deaths Due to 'Severe Temperature Drop'
Gaza Hospital Reports Three Infant Deaths Due to 'Severe Temperature Drop'

The chief paediatric doctor at a southern Gaza hospital told AFP that three babies had died of "severe temperature drop" this week, as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory grapples with winter cold. In the most recent case, Dr. Ahmed al-Farra of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younes city said a three-week-old girl "was brought to the emergency room ...

'No More Fear': Stand-Up Comedy Returns to Post-Assad Syria
'No More Fear': Stand-Up Comedy Returns to Post-Assad Syria

In post-Assad Syria, stand-up comedians are re-emerging to challenge taboos, mocking the former president and his regime and even testing the waters with Damascus's new rulers. Melki Mardini, a performer in the Syrian capital's stand-up scene, is among those embracing newfound freedoms. "The regime has fallen," he declares from the stage, ...

Syria Forces Carry out Operation against Pro-Assad Fighters in Tartus
Syria Forces Carry out Operation against Pro-Assad Fighters in Tartus

Syria's security forces launched an operation on Thursday against pro-Assad fighters in the western province of Tartus, state media said, a day after deadly clashes with gunmen affiliated with the former government. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHH) monitor said three people were killed in the operation in coastal Tartus city, ...

5 Killed in an Israeli Strike on Media Broadcast Truck
5 Killed in an Israeli Strike on Media Broadcast Truck

Five members of the Palestinian TV channel "Al-Quds Today", which is affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, were killed Thursday in an Israeli strike on their vehicle, the outlet said in a statement. The missile hit their broadcast truck as it was parked in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to the statement. The channel ...

Turkey: The Arabs... Pawns Caught in Power Play
EditorialTurkey: The Arabs... Pawns Caught in Power Play

Erdogan seems to be indomitable and relentless in pursuing his ambitions. He just pulled off a remarkable masterstroke: toppling the Assad regime, with an American green light and a tacit Russian approval. Once shunned and labeled the gravedigger of Ataturk’s secular legacy – not to mention contested in the ballot box – he has now staged a ...

Russia Launches Massive Strike On Ukraine's Energy Network On Christmas Day
Russia Launches Massive Strike On Ukraine's Energy Network On Christmas Day

Russia launched more than 170 missiles and drones at Ukraine's energy system on Wednesday, an ‘inhumane’ attack that Kiev said killed one person and left hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity or heating on Christmas Day. Russian President Vladimir ‘Putin consciously chose Christmas for his attack. What could be more ...

Syria Monitor Reports 9 Dead in Clashes Over Attempted Arrest of Assad-Era Official
Syria Monitor Reports 9 Dead in Clashes Over Attempted Arrest of Assad-Era Official

A Syria war monitor said nine people were killed Wednesday in clashes in Tartus province after security forces sought to arrest an officer under deposed leader Bashar al-Assad who was linked to a notorious prison. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said "six members of the General Security force" of Syria's new ...

Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack on Israel
Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack on Israel

Yemen's Houthis said Wednesday that they had fired a ballistic missile and drones at Israel, days after an attack on Tel Aviv wounded 16 people. Israel's military said it intercepted the missile before it entered Israeli territory, but did not immediately comment on the drone attacks which the Houthis said hit their targets. "The ...

Azerbaijani Jet Crash in Kazakhstan Leaves 38 Dead
Azerbaijani Jet Crash in Kazakhstan Leaves 38 Dead

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, officials said. The Embraer 190 aircraft that was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia but instead flew across the Caspian Sea and went down ...

Hamas, Israel Trade Blame Over Gaza Truce Delay
Hamas, Israel Trade Blame Over Gaza Truce Delay

Hamas and Israel traded accusations on Wednesday over delays in finalising a ceasefire and hostage release deal, after both had reported progress in the latest round of Gaza truce talks. Indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have taken place in Doha in recent days, rekindling hope for an agreement between the two ...

Erdogan Warns Kurdish Militia in Syria to Lay Down Arms
Erdogan Warns Kurdish Militia in Syria to Lay Down Arms

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria must either surrender their weapons or “be buried,” amid ongoing hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and Kurdish militants following the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month, according to a report on Reuters. Since Assad's departure, Ankara ...