Ahmed al-Sharaa'

Rails Across Continents: The Orient Express and Hejaz Line Revived

Two legendary railway lines, one in Europe and one crossing the Middle East, are being restored in 2025, proving that infrastructure can tell stories across time.

Tartus: Syria Eyes Up European and Emirati Integration

UAE's $800M Tartus port deal signals Syria’s shift from Russian military reliance to Gulf-European economic integration.

End of an Era: Hope and Anxiety for the Kurds

In a stunning about-face, the Kurds via the PKK, lay down their guns... leaving hopes of peace and political questions hanging in the mountain air.

On the Back Foot: Israel Targets Turkish T4 Base

Türkiye’s missile deployment at Syria’s T4 base sparks Israeli airstrikes, escalating tensions over defense, trade, and regional power.

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Uneven Protection: Religious Freedom in Belgium

A country can guarantee religious freedom by law and still let how visibly someone practises it decide whether they get a job or a seat at the table.

Venice Rewards Israeli Gaza Documentary Amid Domestic Backlash

An award can celebrate a film's craft without settling what its allegations actually prove, a distinction Venice has now put under real pressure.

Celtic Pact: Is a Post-UK Future Inevitable?

The pact signed in Cardiff dares Westminster to defend a fragile union which Trump's transactional treatment of old allies has left looking suddenly negotiable.

The Houthi Movement Already Uses Frontier Software

A cell in northern Yemen tried building guided missiles with Claude weeks before Houthi forces took the Bab al-Mandeb coast, and no slowdown pledge undoes that.

UAE Capital Backs Germany’s Technology Pivot

Germany's old industrial economy and its emerging digital one are being asked to share the same factory floor, backed by Gulf capital betting both can work.