Dozens of Nobel Prize winners are urging the US Senate to oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services, according to a letter dated Monday, and published by the New York Times. The letter – signed by 77 laureates in chemistry, economics, medicine and physics – cites Kennedy’s opposition to vaccines, his criticism of the fluoridation of drinking water, his promotion of…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday (today) for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as he wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges. Netanyahu is on trial at home on accusations of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate matters.…

The United Kingdom (UK) and other European countries have said they will suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, with Austria already preparing a “repatriation and deportation” programme to the country. In London, a Home Office spokesperson said it had “temporarily paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst we assess the current situation.” The spokesperson added, “We keep all country…

In the wake of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s bungled attempt to impose martial law, the government has banned more top officials from leaving the country Tuesday, Yonhap reported, A day after Yoon himself was hit with a travel ban, his party was forging a “resignation roadmap” that reportedly could see him step down in February or March before fresh elections. Yoon suspended civilian rule a week ago and…

…Sends troops over the border Israel said it has struck chemical weapons stockpiles, and Israeli troops crossed into Syrian territory for the first time in 50 years after an Islamist rebel force seized the capital, Damascus, on Sunday and toppled President Bashar al-Assad. Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, told reporters Israel attacked Syria’s “strategic weapons systems,” including stockpiles of chemical weapons and long-range missiles and rockets, “in order that they…

….Floats role for foreign troops President Volodymyr Zelensky made the case on Monday for a diplomatic settlement to Russia’s war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the NATO military alliance. The remarks at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kyiv’s increasing openness to war negotiations, with Donald Trump preparing…

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has put a hold on asylum applications from Syria on Monday, according to local media. A spokespeson reportedly said the decision was made as Syria’s politicial future is currently too uncertain. Local authorities said 47,270 applications were impacted by the application freeze, but that existing applications, which were already decided on, have not been impacted. Reacting to the news, CDU’s Johann Wadephul said…

President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East. Biden spoke at the White House hours after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country following more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by…

Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House. Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose who takes the seat through the remainder of…

Incoming US President, Donald Trump has declared that he would pardon individuals jailed for their involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot on his first day in office. The former president, in his first network TV interview since securing electoral victory, discussed several key campaign promises, including those on immigration, healthcare, and his vision for the Justice Department, during an interview with NBC News. Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker on…

As Asma Assad and deposed dictator husband arrive in Moscow where family ‘owns £30m portfolio of luxury flats’ – after pair fled Damascus through secret tunnels President Assad, his British-born wife and their three adult children have left behind their Syrian palaces and will begin a new life in Russia after being granted asylum by Vladimir Putin.Asma Al-Assad, a London-born doctor’s daughter who married into the brutal autocratic dynasty, has…

The UN Security Council is to convene for an emergency session on Monday after Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster and seized control of Damascus on Sunday. The meeting, requested by Russia, will take place behind closed doors, diplomatic sources told dpa. Syrians were facing a new political reality on Sunday after rebels took the capital Damascus, ending the two-decade regime of al-Assad, who was reported to have fled…