Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt steps down

Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over civil war atrocities

A Syrian court sentences former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him over charges of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” during the country’s civil war.
The ruling against Assad, who fled with his family to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus in December 2024, is the first under the transitional authorities who this year began trying figures from the former government, both in person and in absentia.


The court also sentenced Assad-era official Atif Najib, who was arrested in January last year, to death for “crimes against humanity” committed when he was head of political security in Daraa province, the cradle of the country’s 2011 uprising.


The court convicted Najib, a cousin of ousted ruler Assad, of crimes including murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15,” and “torture leading to death.”

Envoy condemns France’s attempts to blame Russia for wildfires in Europe

French officials show disrespect for their own people by accusing Russia of links to wildfires in the country, Russian Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said.


"Some French officials and journalists claim that Russia is somehow involved in the massive wildfires in France. They simply do not respect their own population," he wrote on X.


Wildfires in Europe, particularly in Spain and France, have reached record levels this year. The European Commission previously said that 13 aircraft, 4 helicopters and hundreds of firefighters from across the European Union were mobilized to help fight the fires through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.


https://thinktank.x-pulse.org//posts/5704