Syria: ICC chief prosecutor meets de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) chief prosecutor has made an unannounced visit to Syria to meet with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new de facto government, to discuss how…

Qatar: PM Sheikh Mohammed calls for Gaza ceasefire agreement to be ‘fully implemented’

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has called for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement to be fully implemented and said hopes the next phase…

Palestine: Gazans anxiously await ceasefire, fearing last-minute catastrophes

Civilians in Gaza were waiting anxiously on Friday for a pause after 15 relentless months of war, as Israel’s cabinet met in Jerusalem to finalise a temporary ceasefire deal with…

USA: Donald Trump’s inauguration moved indoors due to ‘dangerous’ cold

President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural address on 20 January will take place indoors due to dangerously cold weather being forecast next week in Washington, he has confirmed. The address, as well…

Israel: Cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal

Israel’s government has approved the new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for it to take effect on Sunday. The decision came after hours of…

Canada: Chrystia Freeland to run for leader of Liberal Party

Former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland intends to run to lead the country’s governing Liberal Party. In a statement posted on Friday to X, formerly known as Twitter, Freeland expressed…

USA: Man gets eight years for ramming truck into White House barriers

A Missouri man who crashed a rental truck into the security barriers near the White House in 2023 has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison. Sai Varshith Kandula,…

USA: Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban law

The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok nationwide unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells the platform by this Sunday. TikTok had challenged the law, arguing…

Russia: Moscow and Tehran move to strengthen military ties

Russia and Iran have agreed to closer military co-operation, in a move announced during a visit to Moscow by President Masoud Pezeshkian. The two countries signed a 20-year “strategic partnership”…

Russia: Authorities jail lawyers who acted for late opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Three lawyers who acted for late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been given jail terms of up to five-and-a-half years on charges of taking part in an “extremist organisation”.…