Thousands of pilgrims and visitors normally flock to Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank during the Christmas holidays. But celebrations have been quiet for the second year in a row as Israel continues its onslaught on Gaza.
Đức – quốc gia được đánh giá có nền chính trị ổn định nhất châu Âu – đang rơi vào khủng hoảng với những khó khăn chồng chất, với đỉnh điểm là sự sụp đổ của chính phủ ông Olaf Scholz.
Khi nhà báo Anna Sauerbrey người Đức của tờ New York Times tới Mỹ để đưa tin về bầu cử tổng thống, bà đã thuê một chiếc xe. Nhân viên cho thuê xe nhất quyết cho bà “thăng hạng” thành chiếc BMW sau khi nhìn thấy giấy phép lái xe Đức.
“Để bà cảm thấy như đang ở nhà”, anh nói, mỉm cười. Bà Sauerbrey cầm chìa khóa và lẩm nhẩm trong đầu: Với người nước ngoài, nước Đức vẫn vẹn nguyên giá trị.
Với người nước ngoài, Đức vẫn là một cường quốc sản xuất ôtô, một nền kinh tế phát triển mạnh mẽ. Với người nước ngoài, Đức vẫn là một quốc gia thịnh vượng, nơi người dân lái BMW đầy đường. Với người nước ngoài, Đức vẫn là một nước có an ninh trật tự, ổn định về mặt chính trị và xã hội.
Bà Sauerbrey cười với nhân viên cho thuê xe, nhưng bên trong, nhà báo đang nhăn mặt: Với người Đức, nước Đức không còn là nước Đức nữa.
TTCT – Chủ nhật 8-12, Thông tấn xã Tass (Nga) cho biết chuyến bay Syrian Air chở gia đình Tổng thống Syria Bashar al Assad đã đến Matxcơva và ông được Nga cho tị nạn vì lý do nhân đạo.
Thủ lĩnh HTS Abu Mohammad al Julani phát biểu ở đền Hồi Umayyad, thủ đô Damascus, Syria, ngày 8-12. Ảnh: AFP
Vậy là sau 54 năm và hai đời, họ Assad chấm dứt trị vì Syria, 13 năm sau khi đất nước này rơi vào nội chiến và hỗn loạn.
Trước hết, sự sụp đổ của gia tộc Assad cũng là sự sụp đổ của phái Hồi Shia Alawi, vốn chiếm 15% dân số Syria, với 2-3 triệu người ở trong nước, khoảng 1 triệu người đang tị nạn ở Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ (và 100.000-200.000 người nữa mang quốc tịch Lebanon).
Vào thời thuộc địa, Pháp tuyển giáo phái Alawi vào lực lượng an ninh và quân đội, dùng họ làm công cụ chia rẽ, đàn áp và cai trị Syria, có lúc lập ra một quốc gia riêng cho giáo phái này.
In this image made from a video provided by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), a Chinese coast guard vessel, left, fires a powerful water cannon on a Philippine bureau of fisheries vessel near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea Wednesday Dec. 4, 2024. (National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea via AP)Read More
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In this image taken from a video provided by National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), a Chinese coast guard vessel, right, fires a powerful water cannon on a Philippine bureau of fisheries vessel near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (NTF-WPS via AP)Read More
By DIDI TANGUpdated 6:55 AM GMT+7, December 6, 2024 AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. severely lags behind China in shipbuilding capacity, lawmakers and experts have warned, as the Biden administration tries to build up the country’s ability to develop and produce weapons and other defense supplies to fend off war.
Speaking at a congressional hearing Thursday, Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said the country lacks the capacity to “deter and win a fight” with China and called for action.
“Bold policy changes and significant resources are now needed to restore deterrence and prevent a fight” with China, Moolenaar said.
More travellers are visiting an unusual destination – Afghanistan. Since 2021, the war-torn nation has seen tourism rise more than 900 per cent. Some attribute the change to official data reporting a sharp drop in violence and increased flight connections from major cities like Dubai. Most foreign visitors are from China, reportedly because of proximity and relative ease of obtaining tourist visas. The tourism buzz has undoubtedly brought economic benefits, but others worry the nation’s efforts to draw visitors amount to propaganda hiding the dark side of Taliban rule.
Sefa Secen Assistant Professor of International and Global Studies, Nazareth University
Disclosure statement
Sefa Secen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under Creative Commons licence.
The brutal 54-year reign of the Assad family in Syria looks to be over.
In a matter of days, opposition forces took the major city of Aleppo before advancing southward into other government-controlled areas of Hama, Homs and finally, on Dec 7, 2024, the capital, Damascus.
For decades, the Middle East has been a central focus of US foreign policy. But today, America is scaling down its involvement in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Vying to fill the vacuum are China and India. Billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure projects from Asia have moved to the Middle East. Cross border investment from the region to Asia has also gained momentum. The region is counting on trade with China and India for its post-oil future. At the same time, the gulf countries are strategically important to the superpowers. For example, China and India are looking to expand military cooperation with Oman.
With the war in Gaza and the spreading Lebanon conflict, the Middle East is leaning even further away from the American pole. How will the pivot to Asia change the dynamics of the region?
The Axis of Resistance is a network of groups that have been a key part of Iran’s defence strategy for years. But we’ve now seen Israel and Iran attack each other directly, while Israel has invaded Lebanon to go after the biggest group in the Axis, Hezbollah. So what does this mean for the balance of power in the region, and where does the Axis of Resistance fit into it now? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains. Chapters:
THIS WEEK: U.S.-China tensions at APEC 2024, PLA Navy flexes muscles in Hong Kong, videos boost agrotechnology, overtures to overseas Chinese, and Beijing updates dual-use export control list
People walk by the entrance of the Lima Convention Center, part of the government complex where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit took place, in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Cris Bouroncle / AFP via Getty Images)
FILE – Members of the House of Commons and Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, in the House of Lords, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP, File)Read More
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FILE – Member of the House of Lords take their seats in the Lords Chamber, ahead of the State Opening of Parliament, in the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/POOL via AP, File)Read More
By JILL LAWLESSUpdated 3:48 AM GMT+7, October 16, 2024Share
LONDON (AP) — Like his ancestors for centuries, the Earl of Devon serves in Parliament, helping to make the laws of the land. But not for much longer.
British lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve in principle a bill to strip hereditary aristocrats of the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords after more than 700 years. The Labour Party government says the decision will complete a long-stalled reform of Parliament’s upper chamber and remove an “outdated and indefensible” relic of the past.
“In the 21st century, there should not be places in our Parliament, making our laws, reserved for those who are born into certain families,” Constitution Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said Tuesday as he opened debate on the bill in the House of Commons.
“History books will be written on this and countries will have to reckon—media agencies will have to reckon—with their major role in the genocide,” said Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan.
Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan (left) pushes back on CNN anchor Kate Bolduan’s (center) description of the Gaza genocide as a “humanitarian crisis” during an October 7, 2024 interview.
(Photo: CNN screen grab)
Oct 11, 2024
Human rights advocates on Friday highlighted a rare instance in which a U.S. corporate media outlet allowed a pro-Palestinian voice to set the record straight about Israel’s crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Earlier this week, CNN “News Central” aired a panel segment on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory war. Anchor Kate Bolduan noted that around 1,200 people were killed during the Hamas attack—although she did not say that at least some of them were slain by Israeli forces in “friendly fire” incidents and under the Hannibal Directive—and that 250 others were kidnapped.
Published: The Conversation, October 10, 2023 7.16pm BST Updated: October 12, 2023 4.17pm BST
Author
Maha Nassar Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona
Disclosure statement
Maha Nassar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The focus on conflict in the Middle East has again returned to the Gaza Strip, with Israel’s defense minister ordering a “complete siege” of the Palestinian enclave.
A doctor, first responder, social media content creator and a child share their experiences of the war on Gaza. From October 2023, they survive under Israeli bombardment, revealing moments of strength and vulnerability. Continue reading One Year in Gaza: Nowhere Safe | Witness Documentary→
TTCT – Vòng xoáy bạo lực mới ở Trung Đông đang tạo ra gánh nặng khủng khiếp cho cả hai xã hội Lebanon và Israel.
Ảnh: Newsweek
Ngày 17-9, trong hơn 1 tiếng và từ 15g30 trở đi, trên 3.000 máy nhắn tin ở Lebanon đồng loạt phát nổ. Ngày hôm sau, thêm khoảng 300 bộ đàm cầm tay cũng phát nổ cùng một số bình điện xe con và tấm pin mặt trời. Số tử thương trong hai ngày lên đến 37 và số bị thương nặng nhẹ lên đến gần 3.000.