The parents of the last hostage in Gaza have been waiting for over two years for the return of their son, whom they described as "fighting to the last bullet" during Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Now the mother of Ran Gvili says there is consensus in Israel that
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - A set of tough U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria under its former leader Bashar al-Assad could be lifted within weeks, after their repeal was included in a sweeping defense policy bill unveiled during the weekend and due for
The widow of slain Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi Monday filed a legal complaint in France accusing Saudi Arabia of using Israeli spyware to steal data from her phones before he was killed, her lawyers said. Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, whose husband was murdered at the kingdom's
Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost its railway infrastructure, and longstanding efforts to connect Gulf states by train are finally gaining momentum.
Dec 8 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned on Monday an Israeli raid on the East Jerusalem compound of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA. “This compound remains United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any
Conditions for medics and patients in Gaza are as severe as ever despite a nearly two-month truce in the territory, the president of medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in an AFP interview. Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed in October to a
BUDAPEST, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban have agreed that Turkey will guarantee that Russian gas can continue to flow to Hungary, Orban said on Monday. Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian energy
The US president is expected to press Netanyahu to advance the second phase of the Gaza plan, halt plans for a large-scale strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon and compromise on issues related to Syria.
The Heglig oil field is the largest in Sudan and a key facility for South Sudan, which relies heavily on Heglig to export its oil.
Despite President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s vows to protect all of Syria’s communities, sectarian violence has spiked against the minorities, namely against Alawites and Druze.
By Pesha Magid and Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Israeli authorities entered the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency's East Jerusalem offices on Monday and raised Israel's flag, in a raid they said was ordered over unpaid taxes but was condemned by the agency as a
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar energy ministers share a vision of vastly expanding liquefied natural gas exports to meet the growing global demand.
By Julia Payne BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - EU countries on Monday agreed their final negotiating positions for several proposed migration laws on new asylum rules, a common EU list of "safe countries of origin" and an EU-wide policy for illegal migrant returns, statements from
One year after a surprise offensive brought down Syria’s longtime dictator, the Kurdish-led entity and Damascus remain more estranged than ever as a US-brokered integration deal remains unimplemented.
By Alexander Dziadosz CAIRO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Quadcopters, electromagnetic rifles and an AI-powered navigation system were among the wares displayed at one of Africa and the Middle East’s biggest arms expos, as defence companies jostle to break into regional markets
DUBAI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on December 29, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Writing by Elwely Elwelly)
KINSHASA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in a speech to lawmakers on Monday that Rwanda is already violating its commitments under a peace deal mediated by Washington, undermining efforts to end fighting in the east. (Reporting by Ange Adihe
By Michal Yaakov Itzaki and Rami Amichay MEITAR, Israel, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The mother of the last hostage in Gaza says Israel will not heal until he or his remains are brought home, and that the next phase of a peace plan should not proceed until he is back. Police officer Ran
Dec 8 (Reuters) - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday it had taken control of the strategic Heglig oilfield in the South Kordofan province. Heglig, which lies along Sudan's southern border, houses the main processing facility for South Sudanese oil,
Dec 8 (Reuters) - Global leaders pledged $1.9 billion to advance polio eradication on Monday, accelerating efforts to protect 370 million children from polio each year amid significant funding cuts. The budget of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership that
By Lili Bayer, John Irish and Maya Gebeily BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The European Union is studying options for strengthening Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces to help free up the Lebanese army to focus on disarming the armed group Hezbollah, according to a document seen by
Tens of thousands took to the streets across Syria on Monday to celebrate a year since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa urging people to unite to rebuild the country. Sharaa's Islamist-led alliance launched a lightning offensive in
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed to usher in an era of justice and coexistence a year after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, with tens of thousands taking to the streets to mark the anniversary. Sharaa's Islamist-led alliance launched a lightning offensive in late
President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday urged Syrians to work together to rebuild their country, still marred by insecurity and divisions, as they marked a year since the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. The atmosphere in Damascus was jubilant as thousands of people took
DUBAI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The trial of a dual national holding European citizenship has begun in Iran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, saying they were indicted for "intelligence cooperation and espionage in favour of the Zionist regime (Israel)."
GENEVA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - More than 3 million Syrians have returned home since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's rule a year ago but a decline in global funding could deter others, the U.N. refugee agency said on Monday. Some 1.2 million refugees in addition to 1.9 million
DAMASCUS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - A year after dictator Bashar al-Assad's ouster in Syria, little has changed in Amina Beqai's desperate quest. She types her missing husband's name yet again into an internet search box, hoping for answers to a 13-year-old question. In vain. Beqai has
GENEVA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday appealed for an aid budget only half the size of what it had hoped for this year, acknowledging a plunge in donor funding at a time when humanitarian needs have never been greater. By its own admission, the $23 billion U.N.
The 'bromance' alliance between the Turkish and U.S. presidents aids Erdogan's ambition to become the driving force of the Gaza peace plan's next phase and could lead to an arrangement in which Hamas lays down its arms rather than turning them in
DAMASCUS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Syrians will mark the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and his iron-fisted rule on Monday, as the fractured nation struggles to find stability and recover after years of war. Official celebrations are planned for the central
