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A year on from the ousting of Assad

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  Damascus, Syria — “Hold your head high, you’re a free Syrian.” The refrain of this Arabic song—now widely embraced as the unofficial anthem of a new Syria—echoes throughout Damascus. It blares from market loudspeakers, rings out during celebrations in the central square, and is even sung by the man offering traditional coffee to new arrivals at the airport. For decades, many Syrians lived with lowered gazes under the authoritarian rule of the Al-Assad family. The regime maintained an expansive surveillance system in which the feared Mukhabarat , the intelligence network, kept the population in check. Remaining silent was often the safest choice—until the Arab Spring ignited an uprising, and Assad’s fierce response plunged the nation into a ten-year civil war. Today, Syrians are openly and energetically marking the first anniversary of what they regard as their liberation from Assad’s government. The celebration follows a rapid rebel offensive on December 8 last year, led by fo...
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UN rights council orders probe of ‘appalling’ abuses in Sudan’s el-Fasher

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  The United Nations ’s top human rights body has ordered a probe into abuses in Sudan ’s el-Fasher , where mass killings have been reported since the city fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month.  During a special session in Geneva on Friday, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution ordering the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan to urgently investigate violations in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state . The resolution also called on the investigative team to “identify, where possible,” suspected perpetrators in an effort to ensure they are “held accountable”.  The move comes weeks after the RSF, which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan since April 2023 , took full control of el-Fasher on October 26 after an 18-month siege on the city.  Nearly 100,000 people have fled el-Fasher since the RSF’s takeover, with displaced Sudanese civilians saying they faced indisc...
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Location: Sudan
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Pakistan partially reopens Torkham border crossing to allow Afghan refugees to leave

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  PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan to allow thousands of stranded Afghan refugees to return home, officials said.  All other cross-border movements, including trade, remain restricted. On October 12, Pakistan closed all Afghan border crossings due to deadly clashes in which both sides claimed to have killed dozens of troops. Hundreds of goods-transporting trucks and thousands of Afghan refugees were left stranded during the nearly three-week closure, which shut down important trade routes between the two nations. The reopening came after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to maintain a ceasefire following nearly weeklong negotiations facilitated by Turkiye and Qatar aimed at preventing a wider conflict in the region.  Since the ceasefire along the Durand Line, a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border that Afghanistan has never formally recognized, authorities stated that no new firefights had occurred. Whil...
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Location: Afghanistan
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Fisherman from Pakistan arrested

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  Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that a fisherman from Pakistan was arrested by the Indian Coast Guard and was coerced into carrying out tasks for the neighbouring country’s intelligence agency.  Tarar stated that the Indian media was fabricating a false narrative in the wake of the four-day conflict with Pakistan in May while addressing a press conference in Islamabad with Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhary. The minister stated that Ijaz Mallah, a fisherman, had recently been captured by authorities while he was out fishing in the sea. He stated, "In September this year, he was arrested by the Indian Coast Guard while he was out fishing, and after the arrest, he was taken to an undisclosed location and was coerced and forced to do some tasks for the Indian intelligence agency." “He was told that he would be compensated and if he did not comply, he would have to stay imprisoned for two to three years,” the minister said.  He continued, ...
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Location: Pakistan
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Trump says will get Pak-Afghan conflict ‘solved very quickly’

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  United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would get the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan “solved very quickly”, calling Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir “great people”.  Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul flared up earlier this month over accusations of terrorism, as border clashes killed 23 Pakistani troops as well as 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists after an attack by Kabul, which it claimed was retaliation for Islamabad conducting air strikes in its territory.  A first round of talks in Doha last weekend led to a ceasefire agreement, with both governments seeking to firm up the agreement in more talks yesterday.  Trump arrived in Malaysia today to co-sign a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia and to attend a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Kuala Lumpur. He was also involved in brokering a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May of this year as well ...
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Location: United States
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US and China ease trade tensions on first day of Trump’s Asia diplomacy tour

 Where things stand  • As President Donald Trump kicks off a diplomacy tour in Asia, the US and China have reached a “basic consensus” in trade talks, Chinese negotiators said.  The announcement eases tensions ahead of Trump’s high-stakes sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week.  The threat of a 100% tariff on China is now “off the table,” according to the US Treasury Secretary.  • Trump has spent the first day of his trip in Malaysia, where he oversaw the signing of a peace agreement between the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand.  Southeast Asian leaders lavished him with praise, jokes, and applause upon his arrival. • Before he arrived in Asia, Trump announced a hike in tariffs on Canada, addressed peace efforts in Gaza and Ukraine, and previewed meetings with key leaders in comments made during the long-haul flight.
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Location: Malaysia
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Trump thanks Qatar for mediation efforts as talks on Gaza plan continue

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  United States President Donald Trump has thanked Qatar for its efforts in securing a ceasefire deal in Gaza as Israeli forces continued attacks on the Palestinian territory, killing at least one person and wounding four others.  Trump made the comments on Saturday as he welcomed Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on board Air Force One on Saturday, as the US president’s plane stopped to refuel in the Gulf country on its way to a summit in Malaysia. Trump, who was speaking with the leaders of Qatar, said, "We've done a lot together, especially in the last year." "What we've done is incredible—bringing peace to the Middle East—and they were a very big part of it, so I just want to thank you," she said. The Qatari Emir, on the other hand, wrote in a post on X that he was pleased to meet Trump and that their meeting was a "good opportunity to discuss peace plans in the Middle East, f...
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Location: United States
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