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Humeyra Pamuk
Damascus seen from Mount Qasioun on Jan. 7
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2025
Syria makes bid to meet Trump, hoping for sanctions relief and reset with Israel
Syria has struggled to implement conditions set out by Washington for relief from U.S. sanctions, while Israel has escalated air strikes and occupied Syrian territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a G20 summit in Japan on June 28, 2019.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025
Prospects of Saudi ties to Israel elusive as Trump seeks $1 trillion bonanza
Supporters of normalizing relations say it would bring stability and prosperity to the region, while countering Iran's influence.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in which Trump announced nuclear talks with Iran, in Washington on April 7.
WORLD
May 3, 2025
How Trump blindsided Netanyahu with his Iran nuclear gamble
In just three weeks, the U.S. and Iran have held three rounds of talks aimed at preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon in return for sanctions relief.
Demonstrators gather outside offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development for a nationwide "Hands Off!" protest against U.S. President Donald Trump and his adviser, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 9, 2025
U.S. moves to restore some terminated foreign aid programs, sources say
The World Food Programme awards in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador have been ordered to be restored.
The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump is looking to shrink the federal workforce and revamp the diplomatic corps to ensure a dedicated implementation of his "America First" policies.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 6, 2025
Trump administration appoints junior officer to oversee U.S. Foreign Service
The move comes as Trump shrinks the federal workforce and looks to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to ensure a dedicated implementation of his "America First" policies.
A man stands near the remains of a building destroyed in a strong earthquake, in Amarapura, Myanmar, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2025
U.S. aid response in Myanmar faces hurdles after staff cuts
Response hobbled by the huge fund cuts, contractor terminations and plans to fire nearly all USAID staff, source says.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Europe talks up more defense spending as Ukraine peacekeeper plan divides
The leaders also said they were ready to provide security guarantees to Kyiv "depending on the level of American support."
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2025
U.S. embassies told to brace for staff cuts amid Trump overhaul, sources say
Some embassies have been asked to look into reducing both U.S. staff as well as locally employed staff by 10% each.
Displaced Palestinians arrive in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2024
Trump's Mideast envoy in push to reach Gaza ceasefire before inauguration
Steve Witkoff met the prime ministers of Israel and Qatar separately in late November.
Live fire tests of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range American missiles, such as ATACMS, against military targets inside Russia.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2024
Biden allows Ukraine to use U.S. arms to strike inside Russia
The change comes largely in response to Russia's deployment of North Korean troops, a development that has caused alarm in Washington and Kyiv.
Tulsi Gabbard's nomination has raised alarm among the ranks of intelligence officers.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 15, 2024
Trump's choice of Gabbard as U.S. intelligence chief vexes spy world
Donald Trump’s nomination of Tulsi Gabbard is among several high-level picks that suggest he may be prioritizing personal allegiance over competence.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands before attending a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on July 16, 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 11, 2024
Trump and Putin speak as Biden set to ask president-elect to back Ukraine
Donald Trump has criticized the scale of U.S. military and financial support for Kyiv, vowing to end the war quickly, without saying how.
A congratulatory billboard for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Jerusalem on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 8, 2024
Biden plans final Mideast peace push but will leaders ignore him?
Officials in the region will likely be reluctant to take big steps, preferring instead to wait for Trump's inauguration in January.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine (center) on Aug. 1. Widely touted as potentially the group's next leader, Safieddine was killed in an Israeli attack.
WORLD
Oct 23, 2024
Israel confirms death of heir apparent to slain Hezbollah leader
The Israeli military said Hashem Safieddine was killed in a strike three weeks ago in Beirut's southern suburbs, following earlier reports of his probable death.
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 16, 2024
Israel strikes Beirut as U.S. says it opposes scope of air assault
Israel issued an evacuation order before the strike that mentioned only one building.
Children at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2024
U.S. tells Israel to improve situation in Gaza or risk military aid
It is Washington's strongest warning since Israel's war with Hamas began a year ago.
People search for survivors and the bodies of victims after an Israeli bombardment in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 26, 2023.
WORLD
Oct 5, 2024
Emails show early U.S. concerns over Gaza offensive and risk of Israeli war crimes
The emails show the Biden administration’s struggle to balance internal concerns over rising deaths in Gaza with its public support for Jerusalem.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the press at David Kempinski Hotel in Tel Aviv on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2024
Blinken says Israel accepts Gaza proposal and urges Hamas to do the same
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier said this latest push for a cease-fire was probably the best and possibly last opportunity for a deal.
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview at The Hague, in the Netherlands, in February.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 6, 2024
ICC prosecutor opted for warrants over visit to Gaza
The sudden cancellation of a planned visit to the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and Ramallah has angered Washington and London.
Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip in January.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 8, 2024
Diminished Hamas switches to full insurgent mode in Gaza
The militant group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according U.S. officials familiar with battlefield developments.

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