World

Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa named president for transitional period

Thursday, January 30, 2025 
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for a transitional period, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) has reported. Sharaa was also authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase which will carry out its task until a new constitution is adopted, SANA reported on Wednesday, citing commander Hassan Abdel Ghani.

Al Jazeera's Osama bin Javaid joins live from Damascus.

UNRWA ban removes two-state solution dream of Palestinians: Israeli political analyst

Wednesday, January 29, 2025  
The humanitarian aid entering Gaza is providing desperately needed relief to Palestinians after 15 months of Israel's war.

But the lifeline provided by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees is at risk.

An Israeli ban on UNRWA is due to come into effect on Thursday.

Akiva Eldar is a Political analyst and the Author of "Lords of the Land: The War Over Israel's Settlements in the Occupied Territories". He says that the ban on UNRWA, therefore, satisfies Netanyahu’s far-right coalition’s desire to push Palestinians out from Gaza.

How will US tech firms react to DeepSeek?

Wednesday, January 29, 2025  
Investors have poured billions of dollars into artificial intelligence research and development over the past year, hoping to capitalise on this rapidly advancing technology.

Generative AI could automate countless tasks and change how many sectors do business.
 
The US has largely led this revolution but now a Chinese rival has emerged.

DeepSeek's models are faster, smaller and a lot cheaper.

Will investors still be willing to put up billions if a more cost-effective alternative exists?

And who is in the best position to benefit from AI's vast potential?

Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam

Guests:
R Ray" Wang -- CEO and principal analyst of Constellation Research, a technology research and advisory firm in Silicon Valley

Toby Walsh -- Professor of AI at the University of New South Wales and author of "Faking It: AI in a Human World".
 
Brian Wong - Independent geopolitical strategist and fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World.

Protesters attack foreign embassies in Kinshasa over M23 rebel advance

Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Violence has erupted on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Multiple embassies have come under attack from protesters angry at the advance of M23 rebels in the east of the country.

The embassies of France, Rwanda, Belgium, Uganda and the US were all targeted.

A fire also broke out at the French embassy.

The government says the police are back in control of the capital, and security has been boosted at the embassies.

In the country's east, M23 rebels say they have captured the region's largest city Goma.

Thousands of people have fled the area.

The head of the UN peacekeeping mission says there's no question that Rwandan troops are supporting the M23 in Goma.

The number of peacekeepers killed in the last week has risen to 17.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb is following developments from Nairobi, Kenya. 

Rohingya refugees in Malaysia support local economy but face legal and social challenges

Tuesday, January 28, 2025
For years hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees have been fleeing persecution in Myanmar for other Southeast Asian countries in search of safety.

But sometimes they find they are unwelcome.

Earlier this month, authorities in Malaysia turned away two boats carrying hundreds of refugees off the coast of Langkawi.

Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington reports from Langkawi Island in Malaysia's north.

Does US-Colombia deportation row have wider implications?

Monday, January 27, 2025  
An explosive diplomatic row between the US and Colombia over the deportation of unauthorised immigrants on military planes.

It has been quickly defused for now, but threats of further action are being made.

What does this signal about the new Donald Trump presidency?

Presenter:

Elizabeth Puranam

Guests:

Niall Stanage - Political analyst and White House columnist for The Hill newspaper in Washington, DC.

Sergio Guzman - Director of Colombia Risk Analysis, a political consultancy in Bogota.

Rachel Schmidtke - Senior advocate for Latin America at Refugees International in the US.

Trump’s ethnic cleansing idea unlikely to come to fruition: Analysis

Monday, January 27, 2025  
US President Trump’s idea of the mass expulsion of Palestinians in Gaza to Jordan and Egypt is unlikely to ever happen, says Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani.

"Even if he applies pressure on Jordan and Egypt, I think their leaderships will recognise the price of going along with Trump is going to be much greater than the price of resisting him – in terms of the survival of their leaderships for participating in something like this," Rabbani told Al Jazeera, referring to Trump’s plan as "ethnic cleansing".

"This isn’t going to happen because Israel is not going to succeed in ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip after a war, after having failed to do so during a war."

When former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went on a tour of Arab states to promote this idea late last year, he was met with a "blanket refusal", Rabbani added.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is feeling the heat from his coalition partners over the ceasefire deal who view the Israeli leader as succumbing to US demands, the analyst said.
“I think there’s a kind of a mix of personal, political and ideological factors at play. But ultimately, I think the key relationship to look at here is not that between Netanyahu and his coalition partners, or between Israelis and Palestinians, but between Washington and Israel – because Washington is the one calling the shots, and Israel has no choice but to comply.”

Turkiye ski resort fire: At least 66 people killed in blaze at hotel

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

At least 66 people have died in a fire at a popular ski resort in Turkiye.

Panicked guests have jumped to their deaths as it was engulfed in flames.

It's happened in Kartalkaya, which is in the Koroglu Mountains in the northwest.

The blaze engulfed a 12-storey hotel with wooden cladding.

At least 51 people have been injured, some in a critical condition.

The fire started in the kitchen of the hotel - which backs onto a cliff, making it a difficult for firefighters to get to.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu has more from Istanbul, Turkiye.

Trump’s inauguration: Key takeaways as Trump sworn in as 47th US president

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, returning to the White House four years after his defeat.

In his inaugural speech on Monday, January 20, 2025 the 78-year-old took an aggressive stance, using his platform in the Capitol Rotunda to criticise outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump vowed a "revolution of common sense" and condemned Biden’s presidency.

He signed multiple executive orders to reverse key Biden policies and pardoned around 1,500 individuals charged over the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021.

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reports from Washington, DC.

Trump’s Panama Canal threat would breach UN Charter: Analysis

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor James Bays says:
Trump is the president of the United States and he says he is going to take the Panama Canal back. Now, if he did that, that would be a breach of the UN Charter, that’s the governing document that has framed international relations since World War II. Not just a matter of history though, this sets a precedent.