World news

World news

At around midnight on December 8, 2024, the 20-year-old Yamen was on his phone as news poured in that the regime might be on its last legs. A rebel operation from the north of Syria had overtaken Aleppo, Hama and Homs, and word was that they were on their way to Syria's capital city. Yamen told a few friends and joined them in the streets of Damascus.

Israeli forces have raided the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem, seizing items and replacing the UN flag with Israel's flag. In a statement on X, the agency's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said Israeli police, accompanied by municipal officials, forcibly entered its compound in Sheikh Jarrah early on Monday morning.

"The security alert, issued on Nov. 25, tells Americans to be aware of "recent property crimes, financial crimes, and robberies that have impacted foreigners in Costa Rica, including U.S. citizens." "Tourists have reported break-ins and armed robberies at Airbnbs and other rental properties," the embassy wrote. "Criminal gangs have targeted foreign-owned businesses and residences for crimes that included robberies, break-ins, and extortion."

When the al-Assad regime falls, Ammar, a Syrian lawyer and former Sednaya prison detainee, is determined to uncover the truth about Syria's missing. Haunted by the disappeared and his own imprisonment, he searches for answers in the ruins of Sednaya prison. Among classified documents, he discovers records of enforced disappearances and deaths, exposing the regime's brutality. With each case, Ammar pursues justice and closure, offering families a chance to grieve and heal.

China's exports rebounded in November after an unexpected contraction the previous month, pushing its trade surplus past $1 trillion for the first time, according to data released Monday. Exports climbed 5.9% from a year earlier in November while imports rose just under 2%. The customs data released on Monday also showed that shipments to the U.S. dropped nearly 29% year-on-year. But as trade with the U.S. weakens, China is diversifying its export markets throughout Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.

China's exports to the United States dropped sharply this year in the face of President Trump's tariffs but the country is still finding plenty of customers elsewhere around the world. Customs data on Monday showed the country's trade surplus for the year topped a trillion dollars for the first time. The all-time high came as China's overall exports in November were up 5.9% from a year ago, even as exports to the United States plunged by nearly 29%.

The United Nations has launched its 2026 appeal for aid by asking for just half the amount it says it needs, despite humanitarian needs globally being at an all-time high. The international institution appealed for $23bn on Monday, while acknowledging that, due to a plunge in donor funding, the figure would shut out tens of millions of people in urgent need of help.

As the chapter closes on Yasser Abu Shabab, 32, the Popular Forces militia leader who appeared in Rafah during the war and was widely viewed as a collaborator with Israel, Ghassan al-Duhaini has been named his successor. Soon after Abu Shabab was killed last Thursday, reportedly during a family dispute mediation, al-Duhaini, who was said to be injured in the same altercation, appeared in a video online dressed in military fatigues and walking among masked fighters under his command.

Israeli operatives are conducting widespread surveillance of US forces and allies stationed at a new US base in the country's south, according to sources briefed on disputes about open and covert recordings of meetings and discussions. The scale of intelligence gathering at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) prompted the US commander of the base, Lt Gen Patrick Frank, to summon an Israeli counterpart for a meeting to tell him that recording has to stop here.

No. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israel has broken it more than 590 times, killing at least 360 Palestinians, and sending the total death toll in Gaza from two years of attacks above 70,000. Under the first phase based on US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan Israel was required to halt its genocidal war on Gaza, pull back its troops, allow aid in, and exchange hundreds of Palestinian detainees for the remaining captives still held in Gaza.

The move by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday was to protest against what it called the dangerous and extremely regrettable behaviour of the Chinese J-15 fighter jets over international waters southeast of Okinawa's main island the previous day. list of 4 itemsend of list It said China's Liaoning aircraft carrier fighter jets aimed radar beams at Japanese aircraft scrambled to shadow the vessel claims denied by the Chinese embassy.

The massive blaze broke out at just before midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane, a buzzing bar, restaurant and nightclub in north Goa's Aporna district. Most of the hundreds of guests inside the venue were able to escape but 20 members of staff mostly working in the kitchen area were killed after they were trapped in the basement and suffocated to death.

Lilian, a 35-year-old Kenyan living in Qatar, was scrolling on TikTok in April when she saw posts from a recruitment agency offering jobs overseas. The Kenya-based WorldPath House of Travel, with more than 20,000 followers on the social media platform, promised hassle-free work visas for jobs across Europe. They were showing work permits they'd received, envelopes, like: We have Europe visas already,' Lilian recalls.

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Jimmy Story, a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, about the American military buildup in the region and pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: President Trump is ramping up the pressure on Venezuela's leader, President Nicolas Maduro, and has been for weeks now. He's sent warships to the region. The U.S. has carried out strikes on what it says are drug boats, and he's linked Maduro to drug trafficking.

Maria Cordero should be preparing for her arrival in Caracas for the Christmas holidays, but she's at home in Spain, checking her airline's notifications every few hours. Her direct flight to Venezuela was canceled, and the only alternative they're offering her now is to land in Bogota and, from there, continue to the border and cross on foot into Cucuta, the Colombian city that has become the de facto new international gateway for Venezuelans.

Donald Trump has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn't ready to sign off on a US-authored peace proposal aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, at the end of three days of talks between Washington and Kyiv in Florida. I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn't yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it, but he hasn't, Trump claimed as he spoke with reporters on Sunday night.

The pugnacious Western Australian, who had the reckless bravery of a bare-knuckle fighter at a travelling agricultural show, revolutionised world cricket because he was the first player to be selected for Australia for his batting ability rather than his glovework. It's a template that most cricketing nations have been copying ever since, with varying degrees of success. Before Marsh, keepers resembled buttoned-up bureaucrats selected for being skilled artisans capable of perhaps crafting a few valuable runs alongside the tail.

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have rallied in countries around the world to celebrate her Nobel Peace Prize win ahead of Wednesday's award ceremony Thousands of people marched through Madrid, Utrecht, Buenos Aires, Lima, Brisbane and other cities on Saturday in support of 58-year-old Machado, who won the Nobel award for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in Venezuela.

The political fate of Palestinians is bound to the personal fate of Marwan Barghouti. After more than two decades in an Israeli jail for murder, the charismatic 66-year-old is by far the most popular Palestinian leader, widely regarded as the only figure capable of uniting factions riven by ideology and enmity. Though a member of Fatah, Mr Barghouti has criticised abuses by the Palestinian Authority and has won respect within Hamas ranks.

In just a few weeks, the United Nations' special mission to Iraq will leave the country for good. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, known as UNAMI, has been in the country for 22 years and was set up shortly after the US invasion of Iraq back in 2003. UNAMI's exit marks "the start of a new chapter rooted in Iraq's leadership of its own future," UNAMI boss Mohamed al-Hassan said earlier this week, as he delivered the organization's final briefing.