Dec 16 Ukraine claims North Korean troops were killed fighting alongside Russian forces By Samya Kullab, Associated Press This is the first reported casualties since the Pentagon and Ukraine announced North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. Continue reading
Dec 16 One of India's most accomplished classical musicians, Zakir Hussain, dies at 73 By Sheikh Saaliq, Associated Press Zakir Hussain, one of India's most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on Sunday. He was 73. Continue reading
Dec 16 Assad says he had no plans to leave Syria, was evacuated by Russians By Associated Press Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack. Continue reading
Dec 15 Watch 5:14 Syrians begin piecing their lives back together a week after rebels overthrow Assad By John Yang, Leila Molana-Allen, Andrew Corkery Signs of normalcy are starting to return a week after life inside Syria was upended as rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. As the country’s new leaders begin to chart a path forward, the UN envoy to Syria called for… Continue watching
Dec 15 Watch 2:23 News Wrap: Displaced Gazans struggle to escape fighting between Israel and Hamas In our news wrap Sunday, dozens of people were killed in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, Israel said it wants to double the population of Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights along the border with… Continue watching
Dec 15 West Africa regional bloc approves exit timeline for 3 member nations hit by coups By Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press In a first in the 15-nation bloc’s nearly 50 years of existence, the military juntas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced in January that they decided to leave ECOWAS, accusing it of “inhumane and irresponsible” coup-related sanctions and of… Continue reading
Dec 15 Israel decides to close its embassy in Ireland as tensions rise over Gaza war By Wafaa Shurafa, Natalie Melzer, Associated Press Israel said Sunday it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials said new Israeli airstrikes killed over 30 people including several children. Continue reading
Dec 15 Analysis: What to know about HTS, Hezbollah and Iran after Assad's fall in Syria By Bruce Hoffman, Council on Foreign Relations The ascendance of Sunni Islamist rebels in Syria should be viewed with great caution by Western powers, but the Assad regime’s collapse disables a critical node in Iran’s regional proxy network, a counterterrorism expert explains. Continue reading
Dec 15 Pope Francis makes first-ever papal visit to French island of Corsica in the Mediterranean By Paolo Santalucia, Silvia Stellacci, Associated Press On the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica, Pope Francis on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between… Continue reading
Dec 15 Cyclone Chido causes hundreds of deaths on Mayotte islands in Indian Ocean, officials say By Gerald Imray, Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may be close to 1,000, the island’s top government official told the local broadcaster Sunday. Continue reading