Wed 18 December 2024: UK businesses are cutting staff numbers at the fastest rate since the global financial crisis, according to a closely watched business survey blaming the government’s tax-raising budget. The latest snapshot from the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) survey, which is monitored by the Treasury and the Bank of England, showed employment levels […]
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Wed 18 December 2024: Russia’s parliament passed a law that would allow for the suspension of bans on groups that Moscow has designated as terrorist organisations on Tuesday – paving the way for it to normalise relations with the Afghan Taliban and potentially with the new rulers of Syria. No country currently recognises the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which […]
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Wed 18 December 2024: The Israeli army plans to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza, according to Israeli media on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports. The Israeli army “forcibly displaced around 65,000 out of 70,000 residents to Gaza City, while a few thousand civilians remain in large shelters such as schools and clinics”, Yedioth […]
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Twelve mass graves have been discovered in southern Syria [Sam Hariri/AFP] Tue 17 December 2024: Burial sites are emerging across Syria after the ousting of al-Assad, accused of widespread extrajudicial killings. A mass grave that could contain the remains of thousands of people has been found outside Syria’s capital Damascus, as the new interim government promises to […]
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Tue 17 December 2024: Israel and Hamas were closer than ever to concluding a prisoner swap and ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz said yesterday. Speaking during a closed meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Katz said the proposed deal will be implemented in stages, adding that “there will […]
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Tue 17 December 2024: The EU is to reopen its mission in Damascus following “constructive” talks with Syria’s new leadership after the toppling of ruler Bashar al-Assad, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday. “This is a very important step, that we will reopen the delegation in Syria,” the EU’s Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament. The EU’s top diplomat for Syria […]
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Tue 17 December 2024: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accsued the West of pushing Russia to its “red lines” – situations it has publicly made clear it will not tolerate – and said Moscow had been forced to respond. Putin told a meeting of defence officials that Russia was watching the U.S. development and potential deployment of short […]
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Tue 17 December 2024: Photos captured by a Syrian military police officer known by the alias “Caesar” documenting torture and deaths in detention centers are poised to become critical evidence in legal proceedings against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The Caesar files, which consist of tens of thousands of images, expose systematic human rights violations. The images […]
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Tue 17 December 2024: China has expanded its visa-free transit policy, extending stays and travel options for citizens from 54 countries, officials announced Tuesday. The permitted stay for eligible travelers has been increased to 10 days, or 240 hours, up from the previous limits of 72 and 144 hours, according to the National Immigration Administration. […]
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Mon 16 December 2024: US President-elect Donald Trump said Türkiye is “very smart” Monday as he hailed his personal relationship with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Turkey is a major force, by the way, and Erdogan is somebody I got along with great but he has a major military force. And his has not […]
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