Author: Daily Sabah With DPA

The Russian government distanced itself from ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on Monday. Al-Assad, who ruled Syria for more than two decades, fled to Russia as rebels advanced on the capital Damascus earlier in December. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state news agency TASS that the swift overthrow was due in part to al-Assad’s inability to address the country’s social problems. “We can already say that one of the reasons for the deterioration of the situation was the inability of the former government to meet the basic needs of the population amid the protracted civil conflict,” Lavrov told TASS.…

Pro-Western demonstrators have continued their anti-government protests in Georgia into Sunday evening. Hours after the controversial swearing-in of former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili as Georgia’s new president, large crowds gathered in the centre of the capital, Tbilisi, to protest against the government’s anti-European course. There were no initial reports of clashes with police. For weeks, thousands of people have been demonstrating daily for a return to the country’s pro-EU course and for a repeat of the parliamentary elections in October, in which the national-conservative ruling party Georgian Dream was declared the winner. The party, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, had put…

The Israeli military killed seven people in a missile attack on a hospital in the eastern part of Gaza City, Palestinian civil defence officials said on Sunday. The Israeli missile was reported to have hit the fifth floor of the Al-Wafa Hospital, injuring others and prompting an evacuation of the building in panic. Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has repeatedly hit Gaza’s hospitals, school buildings and refugee camps with missiles. On Saturday the Israeli military ended a three-day operation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern city of Beit Lahia. The patients were…

Pope Francis has spoken of creating “a world full of hope and kindness” in a recorded message broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The head of the Catholic Church wished listeners “peace, fellowship and gratitude” in the new year as he gave the Thought for the Day on Saturday. It comes after Francis began celebrations for the Church’s Holy Year jubilee, a centuries-old tradition that now occurs every 25 years and involves the faithful heading to Rome on pilgrimages. Thought for the Day is a regular segment on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme which welcomes people from all the major faiths…

Israel’s Attorney General has called for an investigation into the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The background to this is the suspicion that Sara Netanyahu is alleged to have obstructed the judiciary and influenced witnesses, several Israeli media outlets reported Thursday, citing the office of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. Sara Netanyahu is alleged to have instructed demonstrators to harass the house of an important witness in the criminal case against her husband. The witness filed a complaint against Mrs Netanyahu. A television report by the Israeli channel Channel 12 recently published text messages between Sara Netanyahu and one of…

Israel’s Attorney General has called for an investigation into the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The background to this is the suspicion that Sara Netanyahu is alleged to have obstructed the judiciary and influenced witnesses, several Israeli media outlets reported Thursday, citing the office of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. Sara Netanyahu is alleged to have instructed demonstrators to harass the house of an important witness in the criminal case against her husband. The witness filed a complaint against Mrs Netanyahu. A television report by the Israeli channel Channel 12 recently published text messages between Sara Netanyahu and one of…

NATO will strengthen its presence in the Baltic Sea following the outage of the Estlink 2 submarine power cable, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Friday after speaking to Finnish President Alexander Stubb. “I expressed my full solidarity and support,” the head of the 32-country military alliance wrote on X after their talks. Earlier, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said his country would also secure the Estlink 1 power line with patrol ships following disruptions to cables in the Baltic Sea in recent days. NATO is assisting Finland and Estonia in their investigations into possible sabotage, a spokesman for the…

The German pharmaceutical company BioNTech announced on Friday that it has reached settlements in the US to resolve a royalties dispute with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Pennsylvania. BioNTech said it will pay a total of a €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) to the US health agency and the University of Pennsylvania. The university and the NIH are cooperation partners. Approximately €759 million will go to the agency, while the university will receive up to about €448 million, it said. BioNTech had partnered with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to launch a coronavirus vaccine. According to…

The Azerbaijani government has publicly made reference to a weapon used against the passenger plane that crashed earlier this week near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. “The investigation will clarify what kind of weapon was used to cause the external impact,” Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev said on Friday, according to the Azerbaijani state news agency Azertag. Nabiyev said that the wreckage and witness statements suggested that the aircraft had been damaged from the outside above the original destination airport in Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya. “According to these [statements], there was an…

Pep Guardiola recently admitted Manchester City are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification this season after a shocking run of form. City, who have won the Premier League for the last four seasons, are experiencing their worst streak in recent memory – losing nine of their last 12 matches across all competitions. They have dropped six of their last eight Premier League games and are currently seventh, 12 points behind Liverpool with one game more played. They are four points shy of the top four and one point behind fifth place, which could still lead to Champions…