Many Palestinians in Gaza cheered the scenes in Syria this week, as rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Last month they watched the war in Lebanon end; now Syria’s 13-year civil war might be at a close too. But Israel’s war in Gaza drags on. At least 28 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday, according to Palestinian medics.
Category: World Brief
A Nudge for Europe’s Economy
The European Union’s (EUs) economy is only about 1 percent bigger than it was a year ago. And inflation, at 2.3 percent in November, is close to the European Central Bank’s target of 2 percent. The prices of services across various member countries among EU have been rising by around 4 percent a year and there is sustained pressure from growing wages – the Netherlands, which has the most up-to-date figures, estimates these as rising at 6.5 percent.
The Caretaker Prime Minister of Syria
On 8 December 2024, the Syrian Arab Republic under Bashar al-Assad collapsed amid major offensives by the Syrian opposition (led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – HTS and supported by other rebel groups, including the Turkish backed Syrian National Army) as part of the Syrian civil war which began in 2011. The fall of Damascus marked the end of the Assad’s regime, which had ruled Syria as a totalitarian hereditary dictatorship since 1971.