Global News

By Maher al-Mounes AFP | Posted by TOE A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death after a trial in absentia, convicting him of atrocities committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war. It is the first such ruling under Syria’s transitional leaders, who ousted Assad in December 2024, vowing to provide justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule. Assad fled to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus after a lightning offensive. At a court in Damascus on Tuesday, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad of crimes including “premeditated murder, the intentional killing of more than one person, the intentional killing of children under 15 years… torture, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty on multiple occasions — classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes”. “He is therefore sentenced to death,” the judge said. Syria in ...

BY ASTRID SUÁREZ, MANUEL RUEDA and MEGAN JANETSKY AP | Posted by TOE Search and rescue efforts were underway early Tuesday in dozens of cities and towns in western  Colombia  after a powerful  earthquake  struck the region, killing at least 132 people and leaving many trapped under the debris of damaged and destroyed buildings. Monday’s 7.4 magnitude earthquake  rattled Cali, Quibdo, Pereira and numerous other cities and towns. Around 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or collapsed. Soldiers, rescue personnel and families picked through the rubble, removing and passing large pieces of concrete by hand down lines of volunteers. President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday afternoon at least 132 people had died. Families posted information about  missing loved ones  on citizen-run websites. By Monday night, more than 2,700 people had been reported missing. Dana Carolina Zamora posted an image of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zam...

By The Associated Press | Posted by TOE A Ukrainian drone attack Monday on the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk killed 12 people and wounded 39 others, authorities in the Tatarstan region said. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities with long-range drones almost daily in recent months. The barrage has caused fuel shortages in Russia, eaten into Russian refining capacity, and unsettled the Russian public. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it is a campaign to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and stop his more than 4-year-old invasion. Nizhnekamsk came under a “massive” drone attack targeting industrial and civilian facilities on Monday morning, according to the press service of Tatarstan’s head, Rustam Minnikhanov. No further details were immediately available. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Nizhnekamsk is roughly 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east of the Ukrainian border and has a population of about 240,0...

By Associated Press | Posted by TOE Shanghai’s two airports canceled more than 1,300 flights and authorities relocated some 300,000 people in surrounding regions as China prepared for  Typhoon Dolphin , after the storm brought heavy rains to northern Taiwan. The outer bands of the storm on Saturday hit northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, bringing rain. Some Taiwanese airlines also canceled their flights to China Sunday. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were estimated at about 162 kilometers per hour (101 mph) as of Sunday morning. It is bringing heavy rains, creating a risk of severe flooding as well as landslides and is expected to hit Zhejiang province and northern parts of neighboring Fujian province late Sunday. Forecasters in China predicted that areas could see 200-400 mm (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the next few days. Authorities are warning of severe landslide risks in Zhejiang. Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports re...

By Associated Press | Posted by TOE Yemen’s Houthis  said they attacked an oil facility Sunday in southwestern Saudi Arabia, the latest attack by the Iranian-backed rebels on the kingdom. Meanwhile,  Iran  has made new demands about the reopening of the  Strait of Hormuz , and the  Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry  to accelerate production of weapons. Here’s a look at developments across the Middle East on Sunday. Full coverage can be found  here . Houthis target Aramco refinery Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, said they targeted an Aramco refinery in the city of Jazan with a drone. The attack was in response to Saudi drones’ breaching Yemen’s airspace over the provinces of Hajjah and Saada, he said. Early on Sunday, the Saudi Energy Ministry reported a fire at a facility belonging to the Aramco refinery without casualties. The ministry said the fire was extinguished but it...

By Associated Press | Posted by TOE  Authorities in eastern China shut schools and tourist sites as Typhoon Dolphin made its way toward land on Saturday. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were estimated at about 162 kilometers per hour (101 mph). It will bring heavy rains, creating a risk of severe flooding as well as landslides and is expected to hit Zhejiang province and northern parts of neighboring Fujian province late Sunday. Shanghai is also in the path of the storm. Forecasters predicted that areas could see 200-400 mm (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the next few days. National authorities declared a level III emergency response, the second lowest level. Many tourist destinations in Zhejiang are shut Saturday and Sunday, as well as all water-based activities, including ferries and cruises. Authorities in the city of Ningbo, one of the province’s largest, ordered schools and other educational facilities shut this weekend and all water-related act...