Syria’s Golani vows to punish those responsible for torture under Assad; Pope calls for rebels to stabilise country
Updated: 11:45am (AEDT) Damascus, Syria Reuters The main commander of the fighters who toppled Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, close its prisons and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees. Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa – better known as Abu […]
Rebel-backed figure takes charge as Syria’s interim Prime Minister
Damascus, Syria Reuters 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 rebels 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 […]
South Korean lawmakers call to impeach President Yoon after back-track on martial law
Seoul, South Korea Reuters South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering the biggest political crisis in decades in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The surprise declaration late on Tuesday ignited a standoff with parliament which rejected his […]
After Vatican visit, Blinken praises Pope Francis’s work on LGBTQ rights
Vatican City Reuters US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday praised Pope Francis for his work on LGBTQI issues after meeting the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church and other senior officials at the Vatican. “The Secretary commended the Pope’s commitment to advancing the basic rights and dignity of LGBTQI persons,” US State […]
Israeli forces kill 22 people in Gaza, force new displacement in the north
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Israeli military strikes killed at least 22 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as Israeli forces deepened their incursion into Beit Hanoun town in the north, forcing most remaining residents to leave. Residents said Israeli forces besieged shelters housing displaced families and the remaining population, which some estimated at a few […]
Blinken tells Israel it must show improvement in Gaza humanitarian crisis
Washington DC, US Reuters US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday told a senior Israeli official that the steps Israel has taken to better the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza must lead to actual improvement on the ground, the State Department said on Tuesday. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to their Israeli […]
Blinken expects North Korea troops to enter fight against Ukraine in coming days
Washington DC, US Reuters The United States expects North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region to enter the fight against Ukraine in the coming days, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday as he pressed China to use its influence to rein in Pyongyang. Blinken spoke after North Korea conducted its longest-ever intercontinental […]
Journalists killed as Israel and Hezbollah trade fire across Lebanon border, Blinken calls for urgent resolution
Beirut, Lebanon/Jerusalem/London, UK Reuters An Israeli strike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon on Friday, Lebanese officials said, while Hezbollah killed two people in northern Israel and violence raged in Gaza as Washington pressed for a way out of the conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was an urgent need to get […]
US warns against long Israeli campaign in Lebanon, Gaza ceasefire efforts back on
Doha. Qatar/Beirut, Lebanon/Paris, France Reuters The United States does not want a protracted Israeli campaign in Lebanon, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, as efforts got underway to hold fresh talks over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. A month into Israel’s military onslaught against the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, Blinken […]
Blinken urges halt to Middle East conflict as Israel bombs historic Lebanese city
Tyre, Lebanon/Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed on Wednesday for a halt to fighting in Gaza and a diplomatic solution to conflict in Lebanon, but Israeli strikes on an historic Lebanese port city proved there was no respite yet. Huge clouds of smoke billowed above residential buildings in Tyre, a […]