Blinken, in Turkey, stresses need to keep ISIS contained in Syria

Blinken, in Turkey, stresses need to keep ISIS contained in Syria

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed on Friday the need for continued efforts to counter any resurgence of ISIS in Syria following the fall of Bashar-al Assad. “Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS,…

Trump taps election denier to head global media operation Voice of America

Trump taps election denier to head global media operation Voice of America

US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed election denier Kari Lake to be the new director of Voice of America, the state-funded international media organization. VOA has reach around the world, with programming in a slew of African, Asian, and European languages, including Somali, Dari, and French. It receives US funding but is generally considered a reliable,…

Pentagon chief urges ‘close consultation’ between Israel and US on Syria

Pentagon chief urges ‘close consultation’ between Israel and US on Syria

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz that it was important for the United States and Israel to be in close consultation over events unfolding in Syria, the Pentagon said on Wednesday after their call. “Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of close consultation between the United States and Israel on events in Syria,”…

Israeli bombings on Gaza kill at least 35 Palestinians, including children

Israeli bombings on Gaza kill at least 35 Palestinians, including children

At least 35 Palestinians were killed early on Thursday in Israeli bombings of various areas in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Children and women were among seven killed when a residential building in Gaza City’s al-Jalaa Street was bombed, WAFA said. Another 15 were killed in the bombing of a house…

Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia kills 10

Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia kills 10

A Russian attack that struck two buildings in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region has killed 10 people, according to a new toll announced Thursday by the regional governor. The attack Tuesday was the latest in an intensifying series of strikes on southern Ukraine, reinforcing fears of a new Russian offensive in the area. The discovery of a…

S. Korea police launch second raid on presidential compound

S. Korea police launch second raid on presidential compound

South Korean police on Thursday launched a raid on the presidential office compound as part of a probe into Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid last week, Yonhap news agency said. Authorities dispatched police to the presidential office compound to “obtain documents and materials,” Yonhap said, a day after a similar attempt was blocked by security…

Israel begins withdrawing forces from Lebanon during top US general’s visit to Beirut

Israel begins withdrawing forces from Lebanon during top US general’s visit to Beirut

Israeli troops officially began their withdrawal from occupied parts of Lebanon today and were replaced by Lebanese soldiers, the US military said on Wednesday. “This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress,” the top US military general for the Middle East said. Gen….

Syria’s opposition leader says those involved in torturing detainees will not be pardoned

Syria’s opposition leader says those involved in torturing detainees will not be pardoned

Syria’s opposition leader said Wednesday that officials involved in torturing detainees will not be pardoned, after thousands were released while families hoped to find others who disappeared in the country’s notorious jails. “We will not pardon those involved in torturing detainees,” said Military Operations Administration leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmad…

More than 120, mostly civilians, killed in two days in Sudan bombardments

More than 120, mostly civilians, killed in two days in Sudan bombardments

More than 120 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan on Monday and Tuesday by barrel bombs and shelling from the warring sides, rights activists said. The 20-month-old war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been turning increasingly bloody as ceasefire efforts have stalled, and crises elsewhere have dominated world attention. The…

Opposition-backed figure takes charge as Syria’s interim prime minister

Opposition-backed figure takes charge as Syria’s interim prime minister

Syria’s new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former opposition forces who toppled president Bashar al-Assad three days ago. In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously ran an…

Yemen can’t wait ‘forever’ for peace roadmap: UN envoy

Yemen can’t wait ‘forever’ for peace roadmap: UN envoy

Yemen’s warring parties and beleaguered people cannot wait indefinitely for a roadmap to peace before the country slips back to war, the UN special envoy told AFP. Hans Grundberg insisted it was “still possible” to solve the conflict in impoverished Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis control much of the country. But any chance of implementing…

US imposes trade curbs on China, Russia firms over human rights

US imposes trade curbs on China, Russia firms over human rights

The US unveiled trade restrictions Tuesday on eight companies, including two Chinese firms and several from Russia, alleging human rights violations. The China-based companies identified include Zhejiang Uniview Technologies, which US officials accuse of enabling human rights violations such as surveillance of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups. The other firm named by the US…

Taiwan reports continued surge in Chinese military activity

Taiwan reports continued surge in Chinese military activity

Taiwan’s defense ministry reported a spike in Chinese military activity around the island on Wednesday, including 53 military aircraft, with Taiwan on high alert over Beijing’s latest pressure campaign. China’s military has yet to comment and has not confirmed it is carrying out any military exercises. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, had…

Trump picks Andrew Ferguson to chair Federal Trade Commissioner

Trump picks Andrew Ferguson to chair Federal Trade Commissioner

US President-elect Donald Trump tapped Federal Trade Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to lead the consumer protection and antitrust agency, Trump said on social media on Tuesday. Ferguson, one of two Senate-confirmed Republican FTC commissioners appointed by President Joe Biden, will be “the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History,” Trump said. “Andrew has…

US approves $300 mln potential sale of maintenance equipment to Kuwait

US approves $300 mln potential sale of maintenance equipment to Kuwait

The US State Department has approved the potential sale of vehicle maintenance equipment to Kuwait for an estimated $300 million, the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday. The prime contractors will be BAE Systems, Leonardo DRS, L3Harris Corporation, Northrop Grumman and RTX Corporation.