Asia
Syria: head of HTS meets Christian leaders
Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader and head of HTS, has met senior Christian leaders in Damascus to reassure minorities about their safety under his administration. The meeting follows protests over attacks on Christian…
Gaza: closer to a ceasefire deal?
After months of deadlock, there are new signs that Israel and Hamas could be moving closer to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. The USA, Qatar, and Egypt are reporting greater willingness…
Myanmar: bloody battle ends army control of western border
The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic insurgent group, has captured the Myanmar military’s border guard base in northern Rakhine State, marking a significant victory in the country’s civil war. After months of intense…
Syria: the role other nations played in Assad’s overthrow
On 8 December, Syrian rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad, ending his 24-year rule and his family’s half-century grip on power. Their victory caps a devastating 13-year civil war which killed over 500,000 people, displaced…
Syria: Israel launches airstrikes on military targets
Israel has launched a series of airstrikes and naval operations in Syria, targeting military assets and creating a buffer zone near the Golan Heights. Defence minister Israel Katz stated the actions aim to…
Nepal: activists trying to halt mass slaughter of animals
Animal rights activists are urging the Nepali government to halt the mass slaughter of animals during the Gadhimai festival, a tradition held every five years in a village near the Nepal-India border. Despite…
Iran: released from death sentence
Marziyeh Amirizadeh spent her first 33 years under a restrictive regime that curtailed freedoms following the 1979 revolution. Raised as a Muslim, she experienced a profound spiritual transformation after encountering God in a…
South Korea: president faces impeachment after failed declaration of martial law
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol faces political turmoil after his controversial declaration of martial law on 3 December triggered calls for impeachment and police investigations into alleged insurrection. Opposition lawmakers accuse him…
Syria: rebel forces capture Aleppo, now targeting Hama
Buoyed by their lightning capture of Aleppo and swathes of northern Syria, rebel forces – led by Islamist factions – are now targeting the strategically important town of Hama. This offensive, ending four…
Israel: soldiers refusing to serve in Gaza
Yuval Green, a 26-year-old Israeli reservist and medic, answered the call to defend his country after the devastating Hamas attack in October 2023. Witnessing the aftermath in Gaza, he encountered unimaginable horrors, including…
