Middle East

Syrian War Photographer Killed in Air Strike Near Hama
Syrian War Photographer Killed in Air Strike Near Hama

Award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who worked for German press agency DPA, was killed Wednesday in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama, his employer said. "Our photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who documented the civil war in Syria in a unique visual language, has been killed in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama. ...

Russia Finds Itself Caught Off-Balance in Syria
Russia Finds Itself Caught Off-Balance in Syria

Syria’s 12-year Civil War has surged to the top of global news bulletins this week after rebel fighters – largely under the banner of Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – seized control of Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, advancing to the outskirts of Hama, a key node linking Damascus to Syrian President Bashar ...

French Government Faces Collapse as Macron Wraps Up Saudi Tour
French Government Faces Collapse as Macron Wraps Up Saudi Tour

President Emmanuel Macron completed his state visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as France's government faced being ousted in a no-confidence vote. Macron flew out after viewing the ancient AlUla heritage site, a cornerstone of the conservative country's nascent tourism industry, at the end of his three-day tour. The first French state visit to ...

Aleppo Loss Marks a Turning Point for Assad’s Regime
AnalysisAleppo Loss Marks a Turning Point for Assad’s Regime

The ease with which rebel groups captured Aleppo (North) and advanced toward central Syria has shaken Bashar al-Assad’s legitimacy, fueling the ambitions of his opponents, analysts unanimously say. The capital remains well-defended, with the army launching a counteroffensive on Wednesday, aided by Russian airstrikes. However, the blow dealt in ...

South Korean President Accused of Major Constitutional Violations in Impeachment Motion
South Korean President Accused of Major Constitutional Violations in Impeachment Motion

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol violated the constitution by declaring martial law in a move aimed at evading criminal investigations, according to an impeachment motion seen by AFP. Yoon "gravely and extensively violated the Constitution and the law", the motion filed by opposition parties earlier Wednesday says. It also said his ...

Iran Grants Nobel Laureate Mohammadi Temporary Release on Medical Grounds
Iran Grants Nobel Laureate Mohammadi Temporary Release on Medical Grounds

Iran has released Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, jailed since November 2021, for three weeks on medical grounds, her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, posted on social media. Over the past quarter century, Mohammadi, 52, has been repeatedly tried and jailed for her vocal campaigning against Iran's widespread use of capital punishment and its ...

NATO Chief Says Russia Supporting North Korea in Exchange for Soldiers
NATO Chief Says Russia Supporting North Korea in Exchange for Soldiers

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday that Russia was giving support to North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes in exchange for Pyongyang sending troops to fight in the war with Ukraine. He urged NATO members to send enough arms to Ukraine to change the course of the conflict as Russian forces make gains along the frontline. "In return for ...

Syrian Government Launches Counteroffensive Against Rebels
Syrian Government Launches Counteroffensive Against Rebels

A Syrian war monitor said Wednesday that government forces have launched a counteroffensive near Hama, pushing back Islamist-led rebels seeking to advance on the key central city. Hama was a bastion of opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad early in the country's civil war, which erupted in 2011. It was also the scene of a ...

UN Warns \
UN Warns "World on Fire", As it Seeks $47bn for Aid

The UN appealed Wednesday for more than $47 billion to deliver vital aid next year, warning surging conflicts and the climate crisis will leave hundreds of millions of people in need. "The world is on fire," the United Nations' new humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told reporters in Geneva, acknowledging he was looking ahead to 2025 with ...

Syria's Rebels About to Invade Central City Hama
Syria's Rebels About to Invade Central City Hama

Syrian rebel forces arrived at the gates of the key city of Hama on Tuesday, as their fighting with the military sparked "a large wave of displacement", a war monitor said. The Islamist-led rebels were advancing on Syria's fourth-largest city, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four ...

Iran Declares Readiness To Study Any Syrian Request For Troops
Iran Declares Readiness To Study Any Syrian Request For Troops

Iran will consider any request from its Syrian ally for troops to help tackle a sweeping rebel offensive in the north, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday. "If the Syrian government asks us to send forces to Syria, we will study their request," Araghchi said in an excerpt from an interview published on his official Telegram ...

South Korea President Yoon Announces Martial Law To Be Lifted
South Korea President Yoon Announces Martial Law To Be Lifted

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday martial law would be lifted and troops withdrawn, hours after he made the shock declaration. "Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations. We will accept ...