Sunday, 15 Dec, 2024

International

Bashar al-Assad and family given asylum in Moscow: Russian media 

Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and been granted asylum "out of humanitarian considerations", Russian news agencies are quoting a Kremlin source as saying. Russian state TV also reported the news, which put an end to speculation about the whereabouts of

Ukrainian war dead reaches 43,000, Zelensky says

Some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia's full-scale invasion began, Volodymyr Zelensky has said in a rare admission of the extent of the nation's casualties. In a post on social media, the Ukrainian president said 370,000 injuries had been reported, though

South Korea orders travel ban for President Yoon

The chief prosecutor of the South Korea's corruption investigation bureau has ordered a travel ban to be imposed on President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently under investigation in the wake of his shock martial law declaration last week. Travel bans have also been imposed on

Int'l community seeks stability in Syria after Assad overthrow

World leaders are hoping that stability can be preserved in Syria after former president Bashar al-Assad's regime was overthrown by rebels. US President Joe Biden vows support for partners in the region, diplomacy and, if necessary, military force to prevent the country descending

Prince William and Trump meet after Notre-Dame reopening

The Prince of Wales met US President-elect Donald Trump while visiting France for the ceremonial reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral. Prince William joined other world leaders in Paris to mark the restoration of the world-famous landmark, which was devastated by a fire five years ago.

At least 34 killed in Gaza as Qatar holds hope for ceasefire

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 34 Palestinians on Saturday, health officials in the enclave said, as Qatar voiced hope of fresh momentum in efforts to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The health officials said that an Israeli strike hit a house in Gaza City

Assad's rule has ended: Syrian army command

Syrian President Bashar Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving

At least 16 dead in Ecuador road accident

An accident in southern Ecuador involving a passenger bus Friday left at least 16 people dead and eight others injured, rescue officials said.  "So far the toll is 16 dead and eight injured" from the crash, which involved another vehicle and took place in Loja Province

More than 50 killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza

More than 20 people, including six children and five women, have been killed in Israeli strikes on central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, the Wafa news agency reports. Gaza’s civil defence agency said the Indonesian Hospital came under Israeli attack in northern Gaza’s

New Delhi-Washington tensions: Modi's BJP targets US State Department

India-US relations have hit another low as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the US State Department, accusing "deep state" elements conspiring to destabilise India. The Hindu far-right BJP claimed on Friday that

Local rebels take most of key southern Syrian region

Rebel forces in southern Syria have reportedly captured most of the Deraa region - the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. A UK-based war monitor reports that the "local factions" were able to take control of many military sites there following

UN says Syria fighting has displaced 280,000 so far

The escalation in fighting in Syria has displaced around 280,000 people in just over a week, the United Nations said on Friday, warning that numbers could swell to 1.5 million. “The figure we have in front of us is 280,000 people since November 27,” Samer AbdelJaber, head

Arsonists set Melbourne synagogue ablaze

Mask-wearing arsonists set a synagogue ablaze in a pre-dawn attack Friday in the Australian city of Melbourne, police said, sparking widespread condemnation. The fire broke out at 4:10 a.m. (1710 GMT) in the Adass Israel Synagogue when some congregants were already inside, police said,

Palestinian security forces clash with militants in West Bank

Gunfights erupted in Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank on Thursday between militants and Palestinian security forces following the theft of vehicles belonging to the Palestinian Authority, according to AFP journalists in the city. The intense exchanges of fire began around

French government collapses in no-confidence vote

The French government has collapsed after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a no-confidence vote. MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion against him - just three months after he was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron. Opposition parties had tabled the motion

Iran releases Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi for 21 days

Iran has released Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, jailed since November 2021, for three weeks on medical grounds, her lawyer posted on social media. “Based on the advice of the examining doctor, the public prosecutor suspended the jail sentence against Narges Mohammadi for

North Korea, Russia defense treaty comes into force

A landmark defense pact between North Korea and Russia, signed by its leaders in June, has gone into effect after the two sides exchanged ratification documents, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said Thursday. The formalization of the treaty comes as the United States and

France, Saudi to co-chair June conference on creating Palestinian state: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, would co-chair a conference on the establishment of a Palestinian state in June. "We have decided to co-chair a conference for the two states in

Nobel Peace Prize winner says UN failing to bring IS to justice

In a courtroom in Munich, Nora sat across from the person who had bought her as a slave, abused her and murdered her five-year old daughter. Nora and Reda were being held captive in Iraq by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in 2015, the year after IS began what the UN says was a

Israel kills 23 people in north Gaza, orders evacuations in south

Israeli military strikes killed at least 23 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, most of them in the town of Beit Lahiya on the northern edge, medics said, as the army issued new evacuation orders in the south of the small enclave. Medics said eight people had been killed in