Assad
EUROPE
Türkiye Warns Kurdish Fighters in Syria
Turkish President Erdogan has warned the Syrian Peshmerga of military action unless they disarm, citing their links to the PKK, while emphasising Türkiye's commitment to securing its borders and expanding its influence in Syria amidst growing regional tensions.
WORLD
Protests in Syria Over the Burning of a Christmas Tree
Protests erupted across Syria after a Christmas tree was burned in Suqaylabiyah, raising doubts about the ability of the Islamist-led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to protect minorities as they transition from a Islamist group to the halls of power in post-Assad Syria.
EUROPE
From Terrorists to Rebels: Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham differs to Daesh in ideology and ambition. International efforts to moderate, HTS, continue in Damascus with shuttle diplomacy.
Popular
Winter Storm Research Rewrites a Witch Trial Tragedy
As new research published in Smithsonian Magazine this week connects a 1617 Arctic storm to Norway's deadliest witch trials, climate historians reveal how weather shock fed decades of persecution.
Prediction Takes Politics: Prophets and Polymarkets Collide
As 11 Peruvian shamans predicted Nicolás Maduro's fall on 29 December 2025, crypto traders were placing similar bets online—five days before U.S. forces extracted the Venezuelan leader to New York.
Mladenov Takes Over Gaza Board After Regional Veto
Nickolay Mladenov becomes Gaza peace board head after Arab states blocked Tony Blair, raising questions about whose interests guide Washington's selection.
Abu Dhabi Rebuffs British Universities Over Campus Radicalisation
The world’s wealthiest patrons now view Western campuses as hazards, forcing a costly inversion of the traditional hierarchy that once defined global education.
Bury the Lead: MTV ‘Death’ and the Way We Read Now
As MTV continued broadcasting across the United States and most of Europe on 1 January 2026, millions of social media tributes mourned a channel that had never actually shut down.
