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Erdogan meets al-Sharaa in Istanbul

Erdogan meets al-Sharaa in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa, at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.Anadolu Agency reported that the meeting was attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Intelligence Director Ibrahim Kalin, and Defense Industries Directorate Chairman Haluk Gurgun.

5/24/2025 3:17:00 PM

Australia begins clean-up after floods kill 5, damage 10,000 properties

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday the clean-up had begun in the country's southeast after floods killed five people and inundated more than 10,000 properties."We’re continuing to work closely across federal, state and local governments to make sure Australians get the support they need now and through recovery," Albanese said on social media platform X.Damage assessments were under way in New South Wales' hard-hit mid-north coast region after floods this week cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, the state's emergency services agency said. It estimated that at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged.Conditions had improved since Friday in the affected areas of Australia's most populous state, the agency said.Even so, hundreds of flood-hit residents were still in evacuation centres, State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing said at a media conference in Sydney, with 52 flood rescues being made overnight.The latest flood-linked death was that of a man in his 80s, whose body was found at a flooded property about 50 km (31 miles) from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said.Albanese, forced on Friday to cancel a trip to Taree due to floodwaters, said it was "awful to hear the news of more loss of life". Taree sits along the Manning River more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Sydney."All of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time," Albanese said in a statement.The floods, sparked by days of incessant rain, submerged intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covered cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks. At their peak, the floods isolated around 50,000 people.Australia has been hit with more extreme weather events that some experts say are the result of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.

5/24/2025 11:30:18 AM

US issues orders easing Syria sanctions after Trump pledge

The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after President Donald Trump this month pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.The Treasury Department issued a general license that authorizes transactions involving the interim Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.The general license, known as GL25, "authorizes transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria," the Treasury said in a statement."GL25 will enable new investment and private sector activity consistent with the President’s America First strategy," the statement said.Secretary of State Marco Rubio also issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Act to ensure that sanctions do not obstruct investment and to facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation and enable humanitarian efforts, he said in a statement."Today’s actions represent the first step in delivering on the President’s vision of a new relationship between Syria and the United States," Rubio said, adding that Trump had made clear his expectation that sanctions relief would be followed by action by the Syrian government.The White House said after Trump met Sharaa last week that the president asked Syria to adhere to several conditions in exchange for sanctions relief, including telling all foreign militants to leave Syria, deporting what he called Palestinian terrorists, and helping the U.S. prevent the resurgence of ISIS."President Trump is providing the Syrian government with the chance to promote peace and stability, both within Syria and in Syria’s relations with its neighbors," Rubio said.

5/24/2025 11:06:37 AM

Judge temporarily blocks Trump admin from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students

A U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, a policy the Ivy League school called part of President Donald Trump's broader effort to retaliate against it for refusing to "surrender its academic independence."The order, opens new tab provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university called a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders."Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the 389-year-old school said in its lawsuit, opens new tab filed earlier on Friday in Boston federal court. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27% of total enrollment.The move was the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White House, as Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias.Harvard has pushed back hard against Trump, having previously sued to restore nearly $3 billion in federal grants that had been frozen or canceled. In recent weeks, the administration has proposed ending Harvard's tax-exempt status and hiking taxes on its endowment, and opened an investigation into whether it violated civil rights laws.Leo Gerden, a Swedish student set to graduate Harvard with an undergraduate degree in economics and government this month, called the judge's ruling a "great first step" but said international students were bracing for a long legal fight that would keep them in limbo."There is no single decision by Trump or by Harvard or by a judge that is going to put an end to this tyranny of what Trump is doing," Gerden said.In its complaint, Harvard said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown "countless" academic programs, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation. It said the revocation was a punishment for Harvard's "perceived viewpoint," which it called a violation of the right to free speech as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.The Trump administration may appeal U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs' ruling. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, "unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy.”Since Trump's inauguration on January 20, his administration has accused several universities of indifference toward the welfare of Jewish students during widespread campus protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.Harvard's court challenges over the administration's policies stand in contrast to its New York-based peer Columbia University's concessions to similar pressure. Columbia agreed to reform disciplinary processes and review curricula for courses on the Middle East, after Trump pulled $400 million in funding over allegations the Ivy League school had not done enough to combat antisemitism.In announcing on Thursday the termination of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party."Harvard says a fifth of its foreign students in 2024 were from China. U.S. lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the influence of the Chinese government on U.S. college campuses, including efforts by Beijing-directed Chinese student associations to monitor political activities and stifle academic speech.The university says it is committed to combating antisemitism and investigating credible allegations of civil rights violations.

5/24/2025 9:47:05 AM

UAE hits highest May temperature on record

The United Arab Emirates recorded a sweltering 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, its highest temperature for May since it began documenting them in 2003, according to the National Center of Meteorology.

5/23/2025 6:48:18 PM

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Erdogan meets al-Sharaa in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa, at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.Anadolu Agency reported that the meeting was attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Intelligence Director Ibrahim Kalin, and Defense Industries Directorate Chairman Haluk Gurgun.

5/24/2025 3:17:00 PM

Australia begins clean-up after floods kill 5, damage 10,000 properties

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday the clean-up had begun in the country's southeast after floods killed five people and inundated more than 10,000 properties."We’re continuing to work closely across federal, state and local governments to make sure Australians get the support they need now and through recovery," Albanese said on social media platform X.Damage assessments were under way in New South Wales' hard-hit mid-north coast region after floods this week cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, the state's emergency services agency said. It estimated that at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged.Conditions had improved since Friday in the affected areas of Australia's most populous state, the agency said.Even so, hundreds of flood-hit residents were still in evacuation centres, State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing said at a media conference in Sydney, with 52 flood rescues being made overnight.The latest flood-linked death was that of a man in his 80s, whose body was found at a flooded property about 50 km (31 miles) from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said.Albanese, forced on Friday to cancel a trip to Taree due to floodwaters, said it was "awful to hear the news of more loss of life". Taree sits along the Manning River more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Sydney."All of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time," Albanese said in a statement.The floods, sparked by days of incessant rain, submerged intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covered cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks. At their peak, the floods isolated around 50,000 people.Australia has been hit with more extreme weather events that some experts say are the result of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.

5/24/2025 11:30:18 AM

US issues orders easing Syria sanctions after Trump pledge

The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after President Donald Trump this month pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.The Treasury Department issued a general license that authorizes transactions involving the interim Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.The general license, known as GL25, "authorizes transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria," the Treasury said in a statement."GL25 will enable new investment and private sector activity consistent with the President’s America First strategy," the statement said.Secretary of State Marco Rubio also issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Act to ensure that sanctions do not obstruct investment and to facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation and enable humanitarian efforts, he said in a statement."Today’s actions represent the first step in delivering on the President’s vision of a new relationship between Syria and the United States," Rubio said, adding that Trump had made clear his expectation that sanctions relief would be followed by action by the Syrian government.The White House said after Trump met Sharaa last week that the president asked Syria to adhere to several conditions in exchange for sanctions relief, including telling all foreign militants to leave Syria, deporting what he called Palestinian terrorists, and helping the U.S. prevent the resurgence of ISIS."President Trump is providing the Syrian government with the chance to promote peace and stability, both within Syria and in Syria’s relations with its neighbors," Rubio said.

5/24/2025 11:06:37 AM

Judge temporarily blocks Trump admin from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students

A U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, a policy the Ivy League school called part of President Donald Trump's broader effort to retaliate against it for refusing to "surrender its academic independence."The order, opens new tab provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university called a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders."Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the 389-year-old school said in its lawsuit, opens new tab filed earlier on Friday in Boston federal court. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27% of total enrollment.The move was the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White House, as Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias.Harvard has pushed back hard against Trump, having previously sued to restore nearly $3 billion in federal grants that had been frozen or canceled. In recent weeks, the administration has proposed ending Harvard's tax-exempt status and hiking taxes on its endowment, and opened an investigation into whether it violated civil rights laws.Leo Gerden, a Swedish student set to graduate Harvard with an undergraduate degree in economics and government this month, called the judge's ruling a "great first step" but said international students were bracing for a long legal fight that would keep them in limbo."There is no single decision by Trump or by Harvard or by a judge that is going to put an end to this tyranny of what Trump is doing," Gerden said.In its complaint, Harvard said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown "countless" academic programs, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation. It said the revocation was a punishment for Harvard's "perceived viewpoint," which it called a violation of the right to free speech as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.The Trump administration may appeal U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs' ruling. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, "unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy.”Since Trump's inauguration on January 20, his administration has accused several universities of indifference toward the welfare of Jewish students during widespread campus protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.Harvard's court challenges over the administration's policies stand in contrast to its New York-based peer Columbia University's concessions to similar pressure. Columbia agreed to reform disciplinary processes and review curricula for courses on the Middle East, after Trump pulled $400 million in funding over allegations the Ivy League school had not done enough to combat antisemitism.In announcing on Thursday the termination of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party."Harvard says a fifth of its foreign students in 2024 were from China. U.S. lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the influence of the Chinese government on U.S. college campuses, including efforts by Beijing-directed Chinese student associations to monitor political activities and stifle academic speech.The university says it is committed to combating antisemitism and investigating credible allegations of civil rights violations.

5/24/2025 9:47:05 AM

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