Page 323 - Ap/pti Reuters

Syrian army launches counterattacks to curb insurgency; Iran offers help

Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country's long-running civil war, but it was unclear how Tehran would support Damascus in the latest flareup

Negotiators disagree on plastic pollution pact; talks to resume next yr

They are at an impasse over whether the treaty should reduce the total plastic on Earth and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics

New Belgium law gives sex workers contracts, benefits, safety protection

Under the new regulations, sex workers will have access to health insurance, paid leave, maternity benefits, unemployment support and pensions

Syria launches counterattacks in attempt to halt insurgents' advance

The insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over most of Aleppo on Saturday and claimed to have entered the city of Hama

UN halts aid via Gaza's main crossing after looting; blames Israel for it

Experts were already warning of famine in the territory's north, which Israeli forces have almost completely isolated since early October

President Putin signs off record Russian defence spending Budget for 2025

Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website Sunday has been allocated for national defense, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (over $145 billion), up from a reported 28.3% this year

Israeli strikes on Gaza's Muwasi kill at least 6, including 2 children

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 44,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of dead were combatants

Barcelona lose at home for 1st time this season, falling 2-1 to Las Palmas

Madrid, despite its own troubles especially in the Champions League, can now move ahead of Barcelona in the Spanish league. It trails Barcelona by four points with two games more to play.

Who is Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead FBI: All you need to know

Patel has for years been a loyal ally to Trump, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and deep state a pejorative catchall used by Trump to refer to bureaucracy

Canadian news publishers sue OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement

The outlets said in a joint statement on Friday that OpenAI regularly breaches copyright by scraping large amounts of content from Canadian media

Climate change case to open at UN court as island nations fear rising seas

In the decade up to 2023, sea levels have risen by a global average of around 4.3 centimeters (1.7 inches), with parts of the Pacific rising higher still

Heavy snow blankets parts of US during busy holiday travel weekend

Travel will be extremely difficult and hazardous this weekend, especially in areas where multiple feet of snow may accumulate very quickly, the National Weather Service said

Canada's Trudeau returns home after meeting Trump without tariff assurances

Trump called the talks 'productive' but signalled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States

Trump threatens 100% tariff on Brics nations if they act to weaken dollar

While US dollar is by far most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges, members of Brics, and other developing nations say they are fed up with America's dominance

Israeli strike in Gaza kills WCK workers; Israel says 1 was Oct 7 attacker

The charity's work in Gaza was temporarily suspended earlier this year after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers, most of them foreigners

Had an excellent conversation with Trump, says Trudeau after Florida meet

The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don't stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders

Israel strikes Hezbollah smuggling sites in Syria, testing ceasefire

The repeated bursts of violence with no reports of serious casualties reflected the uneasy nature of the ceasefire that otherwise appeared to hold. While Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating the

Iceland heads for Parliamentary polls; immigration, inflation key issues

This is Iceland's sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability

Lebanese fishers hope ceasefire with Israel means a return to normal life

During the last two months of its year fighting Hezbollah, Israel imposed a siege on southern Lebanon that kept hundreds of fishers at this ancient Phoenician port on shore

'Manosphere' intensifies misogynistic threats, language after US election

The fact that I feel like I have to carry around pepper spray like this is sad, said Perez, a 19-year-old political science student in Wisconsin. Women want and deserve to feel safe