Syria Iranian foreign minister opposes "any military action" in Syria Iran's foreign minister vows on a visit to Damascus "to prevent any military operation from happening," after Turkey threatened to launch a new offensive on Kurds in the country's north. "We oppose any military action under any justification in Syria," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tells the press. 03/07/2022
Spain NATO summit to highlight growing influence of Russia, China in Africa The Kremlin-linked Wagner mercenaries have established a strong presence in conflict-stricken African countries, while China is quietly building its overseas military network, officials believe. 26/06/2022
Destinations Syrian monastery on the edge of a cliff opens its doors for tourists A lone Syrian monastery that was once a hub for interfaith dialogue has reopened to visitors after more than a decade of war. 22/06/2022
Uncovering Europe From anti-vax to pro-Putin, conspiracy theorists now back Russia's war Known for their large and sometimes violent anti-COVID-19 vaccination protests, some vaccine sceptics in Austria, encouraged by the extreme right, are now supporting Putin's Russia and its war against Ukraine. 13/05/2022
Europe News Don't forget Syria, says EU foreign policy chief as €6bn is raised The sixth annual conference on supporting the future of Syria was held in Brussels on Tuesday. 10/05/2022
View Biden foresaw Russia's invasion of Ukraine. So did Syrians | View "Russian forces entered Syria on 30 September 2015. I have not lost memory of the harrowing events. I knew Putin would invade Ukraine." 09/05/2022
Russia Putin authorises Russia to use volunteer foreign fighters in Ukraine Moscow says it was aware of 16,000 applications to fight alongside Russian forces. 11/03/2022
Europe News EU freezes Putin's assets in response to Ukraine invasion The bloc has also extended the sanctions to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 25/02/2022
Syria Syrian doctor goes on trial in Germany accused of torture It is the second such case in Germany after a former Syrian colonel was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity last week. 19/01/2022
View I'm fighting for justice after surviving Syria's torture jails | View Today Anwar Raslan, a colonel and torturer within Bashar al-Assad's prison system, was jailed for life in Germany for crimes against humanity. A doctor who was tortured in custody for 40 days and gave evidence in the case tells us what it means to him. 13/01/2022
Germany Ex-colonel given life jail term over torture and murder in Syria Anwar Raslan was found guilty of crimes against humanity for his role in murder and torture committed by Bachar al-Assad's government. 13/01/2022
Belgium EU sanctions Russia's Wagner Group over human rights abuse claims It accused those targeted of "serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, or in destabilising activities in some of the countries they operate in." 14/12/2021
Australia Australia adds Hezbollah and neo-nazi group The Base to terror list The Australian government listed Hezbollah as a "terrorist organisation", extending an existing ban on armed units to the entire organisation. It also listed the far-right group "The Base" as a terror group. 24/11/2021
View Europe should take action against Hezbollah's growing strength | View Europe as well as Lebanon is under threat from Hezbollah and must fully designate the group as a terrorist entity, argues the Counter Extremism Project's Hans-Jakob Schindler 15/10/2021
Biztech news Pandora Papers: Everything you need to know about the bombshell leak Involving 29,000 offshore companies and €9.7 trillion in hidden wealth, the explosive Pandora Papers have exposed attempts by 330 politicians and personalities to avoid tax. 07/10/2021
Germany Four indicted in Germany over links to Islamic extremist group German citizen Marius A. is alleged to have travelled to Syria in 2013 to fight with the Al-Qaida splinter group, while three other men are accused of collecting funds on his behalf. 16/09/2021
no comment Syria army shells rebel bastion killing seven Syrians mourn the victims of a regime shelling on the village of Iblin, south of Idlib, in which seven civilians, three of them children, were killed and several wounded, in the army's third deadly bombardment of the rebel bastion in a week. 22/07/2021
