Assad

Assad in Exile: A Test for International Justice

National healing must start with justice before any talk of sanctions relief, reconstruction, and pluralism.

Poisoning of Assad Rumoured in Moscow

The former Syrian president’s purported poisoning in Russia, though not unprecedented, sparks intrigue as his clan unravels.

On One Knee: HTS Looks to Riyadh

The Syrian Foreign Minister's visit to Riyadh represents a strategic effort by Syria's transitional government, under Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with the Kingdom as shuttle diplomacy takes hold.

Al-Sharaa Seeks Support in Meeting with Christian Clerics

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with Christian clerics in Damascus to reassure the country's dwindling Christian community, amid growing concerns over religious tolerance and the influence of radical militias following his rise to power.

The Fall of Assad: A New Era for Syria’s Drug Trade

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 marked the end of Syria's Captagon trade, a major source of regime revenue, creating both challenges for the country's economic recovery and opportunities for regional stability.

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Starlink, Grok and the Price of Private Infrastructure

As UK regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into X on 12 January 2026 over Grok's generation of sexualised deepfakes, including images of children, the case exposed how everyday life runs on systems voters never designed.

Cloudflare Pulls the Plug on the Italy’s Winter Games

Cloudflare quits Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics security after Italy fine, sparking US-EU clash over piracy laws and censorship

Mudejar Ruins in Spain: Brickwork on the Edge

At 8:00 on Monday morning, a wall of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Muriel de Zapardiel collapsed, sending 12th-century Romanesque-Mudejar brick crashing onto the ground and turning a quiet Valladolid village into the latest symbol of Spain's heritage crisis.

Poland’s Catholic Football Pilgrimage: Unity, Faith and a Hard Line on Migration

At a Marian shrine where football supporters gather to pray, a presidential call for “Poland without illegal immigrants” turned a devotional event into a political stage.

AfDB Turns to Gulf as Western Funders Step Back

The African Development Bank has installed a president with ingrained Gulf experience as Washington pulls back hundreds of millions