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For four days after Islamist-led fighters entered Damascus, pubs and liquor stores remained shut but no crackdown emerged and now venues are tentatively reopening.

Syrian Pubs Cautiously Reopen After Islamist Victory

The citizens of Damascus largely celebrated the fall of Bashar al-Assad's hated regime with joy, after 13 long years of brutal civil war.

A Palace In Shock: Bashar Al-Assad's Final Moments In Syria

When Assad returned from Moscow, Syria's second city of Aleppo was no longer under his government's control

Hours before rebel forces seized Damascus and toppled his government on Sunday, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was already out of the country, telling hardly anyone, five former officials told AFP. The night before, Assad had even asked his close adviser Buthaina Shaaban to prepare a speech -- which the ousted leader never gave -- before flying from Damascus airport to Russia's Hmeimim air base in Syria, and from there out of the country.

Cyclone Batters French Indian Ocean Island Of Mayotte

The island of Grande Terre in February 2024

Cyclone Chido began battering the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, after authorities issued the highest alert and ordered everyone, including rescue workers, to seek shelter.

Thousands have taken to the streets of Seoul ahead of an impeachment vote for President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korean President Faces Second Impeachment Vote As Thousands Rally

Thousands took to the streets of South Korea's capital Saturday in rival rallies for and against President Yoon Suk Yeol, hours ahead of an impeachment vote over his failed martial law bid.

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Pro-EU demonstrators have staged daily mass rallies across Georgia for the last two weeks

Georgia Crisis Deepens As Government Set To Name Far-right President

Georgia's political crisis deepened Friday after new pro-Europe protests were announced ahead of the controversial nomination of a far-right government loyalist as president.

Suspense mounted over Emmanuel Macron's pick for prime minister

Suspense Mounts Over Macron's Pick For PM

Suspense mounted on Friday over Emmanuel Macron's pick for prime minister, with the president racing to name a new head of government to break political deadlock.

The German car industry -- a key sector of the economy -- is also in turmoil as VW plans to shutter factories at home for the first time

German Central Bank Cuts Growth Forecasts As Headwinds Intensify

Germany's central bank on Friday sharply downgraded its growth forecasts for next year and 2026, predicting a prolonged period of weakness for Europe's biggest economy as it battles multiple headwinds.

Chinese President Xi jinping will hold a welcome banquet for foreign leaders

Trump Invites China's Xi To Inauguration But Here Is Why He's Unlikely To Attend

President Xi Jinping isn't expected to attend Donald Trump's Inauguration Day even if the latter reportedly sent a personal invite to the Chinese leader.

Map of Golan Heights and surrounding region showing the reported approximate Israeli military advance into UN-patrolled buffer zone, as of December 10 at 1900 GMT

Israel Orders Troops To 'Prepare To Remain' In Syria Buffer Zone Through Winter

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to "prepare to remain" throughout the winter in the UN-patrolled buffer zone that is supposed to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

Afghan students take a test at an institute of health sciences in Ghazni

'Lives At Risk': Women's Medical Training Ban Threatens Afghan Health Sector

From her private hospital in Afghanistan's capital, doctor Najmussama Shefajo predicts a rise in maternal mortality rates "within three or four years", following the latest restrictions on women's education.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

'Imperative' To Work Against IS In Syria, Blinken Tells Turkey

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday told Turkey it was "imperative" to work against a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Wang Yi and Badr Abdelatty held a joint press conference at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse

China FM Says 'Deeply Concerned' About Syria In Talks With Egypt Counterpart

Ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled the country after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group and its allies, bringing a sudden end to decades of repressive rule by his clan.

A resident in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine -- Russia is pounding the country's energy grid as winter tightens its grip

Ukraine Facing 'Massive' Russian Attack On Energy Sector

Ukraine said Friday that it was fending off a new missile attack on its energy system, the latest in Russia's campaign targeting the war-torn country's power grid during the winter season.

France Gets New Helpline Amid Trauma Of Mass Rape Trial

Some callers are women fearful they have been drugged and sexually assaulted; others are doctors worried they have misdiagnosed them -- a helpline set up amid France's notorious mass rape trial has tapped a nation's unease.

Mikheil Kavelashvili played for Manchester City in the mid-1990s and represented Georgia internationally

Ex-Man City Striker Set To Be Georgia's New Far-right President

Georgian ex-footballer turned far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to become Tbilisi's next figurehead president in an indirect election denounced as "illegitimate" by the current pro-EU leader.

Leyla Hidir, 12, is going back Syria having left it when she was a baby

At Turkey-Syria Border, Returning Children Cross Into The Unknown

Eight-year-old Rayan Assani knows next to nothing about Syria, but in a few minutes, the little girl with long black hair and a Barbie backpack will cross the border and head for her family's native Aleppo.

Eddie Howe's Newcastle are in the bottom half of the Premier League table

Man City Host Man Utd In Crisis Derby, Newcastle Need Win

Manchester's crisis-hit clubs face off in the Premier League when City host United on Sunday while Newcastle boss Eddie Howe badly needs a win against Leicester at St James' Park.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk greets French President Emmanuel Macron in Warsaw, where the pair discussed Russia's war in Ukraine

Macron, Tusk Discuss Idea Of Foreign Peacekeepers In Ukraine

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday said he discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the possibility of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine in case of a ceasefire, but that Warsaw was not currently "planning any such actions".

A Taiwanese coast guard ship (L) sails near a Chinese vessel a few nautical miles from Taiwan's northeastern coast

Taiwan Says Chinese Ships Have Left, Signalling Drills Over

Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signalling the end of a massive maritime exercise, Taiwanese authorities said Friday.

At an elevation of 2,600 meters (8,500 feet), Bogota might seen an unlikely place to start a biking revolution

'Part Of Bogota's Soul': How Colombia Fired Up The Car-free Movement

Fifty years ago, a 28-year-old Colombian with a bushy beard, flares and vintage Raleigh bicycle led a revolution on the streets of Bogota.

Syrians have flocked to prisons since the fall Bashar al-Assad's regime, searching for loved ones who disappeared during decades of repression

US Charges Ex-head Of Syrian Prison With Torture

The former head of a notorious Syrian prison was charged Thursday in the United States with torturing opponents of the now-collapsed government of Bashar al-Assad, the Justice Department said.

Japan's Okinawa prefecture, where poverty rates are double the national average, is listed as a blue zone

The Secret To Living To 110? Bad Record-keeping, Researcher Says

Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the "blue zones" famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher.

Macron cut short a day-long trip to Poland

Macron To Finally Name New French PM After Deadlock

President Emmanuel Macron is set to name a new prime minister on Friday after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.

People gather at the notorious Saydnaya prison in Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, hoping for news of missing love ones

Rapes, Torture, Killings -- A Litany Of Abuses Blamed On Assad Forces

Bashar al-Assad's government has been accused of carrying out torture, rape, summary executions and other abuses since since Syria's civil war started in 2011.

Police have fired tear gas at protests

Escalation Feared As Georgia Pro-EU Protests Enter Third Week

Georgia's pro-EU protests entered their third week Thursday, amid fears the post-electoral crisis could further escalate with the ruling party set to appoint a loyalist as the country's next president.

Afghan men offered prayers around the grave of Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, during his funeral ceremony in Sarana village in Paktia province, south of the capital Kabul

Thousands Attend Funeral Of Afghan Minister

Thousands of Afghans on Thursday attended the funeral of the refugees minister, AFP journalists saw, after he was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul the day before in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Travis Timmerman released from Syrian jail

American Freed From Syrian Prison After Assad Toppled Found In Damascus Suburb

Travis Timmerman said he had been held since being detained after entering the country from Lebanon seven months ago

Left-wing voters are seen mostly backing Economy Minister Fernando Haddad if Lula does not run for re-election in 2026

Brazil's 2026 Elections, Without Lula Or Bolsonaro?

Brazil's 2026 presidential election may offer a field of candidates featuring neither incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva nor far-right rival Jair Bolsonaro.

Vaccine

'Tidal Wave' Of Flu Cases Straining Hospitals In England

A "tidal wave" of the flu has hit the United Kingdom, with health officials delivering 28 million vaccines to Christmas markets, football clubs and Kroger supermarkets as a precaution for Britons.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia Is Now The Cause Of 1 In 20 Deaths In Canada

An annual report by the Canadian government showed that utilizing euthanasia has steadily grown in the past five years.

A ransacked office at the Syrian Defence Ministry's military security headquarters

UN Investigators Say 4,000 Syrian Rights Abusers Identified

UN investigators say they have compiled secret lists of 4,000 perpetrators of serious crimes in Syria and hope the fall of Bashar al-Assad will help ensure accountability up to the highest level.

Zurabishivil quickly fell foul of Mikhail Saakashvili, who was then president

Salome Zurabishvili: Defiant Champion Of Georgia's EU Dream

Salome Zurabishvili was a French diplomat before entering the turbulent politics of her ancestral homeland, where she was elected Georgia's first woman leader in 2018 and became the beacon of Tbilisi's EU aspirations.

Rebel fighters set fire to the tomb of Assad's father and predecessor Hafez in their home village of Qardaha

US Hoping For 'Inclusive' Transition In Syria

The United States was pushing Thursday for an "inclusive" transition in Syria from president Bashar al-Assad's brutal rule, after the country's new leaders pledged to protect minority rights.

Emmanuel Macron is presented with no easy choices as he seeks a new prime minister

Suspense Mounts As Macron Expected To Name New French PM

French President Emmanuel Macron was expected Thursday to name a new prime minister a week after MPs toppled the government, with politicians across the spectrum holding their breath while he conducts a day visit to Poland.

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