Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… An integral part of that vision is the preservation of Arab heritage and Islamic culture.The UAE announcement of restoration of the Umayyad Mosque came during a visit by Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State, to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. …
With support from Sheikha Fatima, UAE to restore Umayyad Mosque in DamascusThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeAn Australian mother and daughter "kept a female slave" after travelling to Syria in 2014 to support the Islamic State group, police said Friday as the pair faced charges in Melbourne. …
IS-linked Australian women charged with keeping slave in SyriaThe Standard
… Subscribe to our newsletterThe biggest improvement in press freedom had been in Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.While it climbed 36 places in the rankings to 141 in the rankings, RSF warned that the press freedom situation there remained "very serious". …
Press freedom at lowest level in 25 years: RSFCitizen Digital
… onal capital, and every foreign partner that JNIM can operate at will inside the supposedly secure heart of the state." For now, the Islamists appear focused on consolidating their gains, recruiting fighters and gaining political traction in Mali - as Islamist rebels did in Syria …
Mali at risk of splintering after jihadi and separatist attacksSix French nationals went on trial in Iraq on Sunday as the country prosecutes thousands of suspected Islamic State group members. They are part of a larger group of 47 French citizens transferred from Syria last year.
20 September 2026 · The Standard →
Six French nationals went on trial in Iraq on Sunday as the country prosecutes thousands of suspected Islamic State group members. They are part of a larger group of 47 French citizens transferred from Syria last year.
20 September 2026 · The Standard →
The St Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship MV Sward was freed near Garacadin after nearly five months in pirate hands following payment of an undisclosed ransom, with crew comprising Syrian and Indian nationals unharmed. The release highlights how Somali piracy has adapted and professionalized, according to maritime security commentators concerned about the resurgence of attacks off the Somali coast.
17 September 2026 · The Standard →
A fire started by prisoners during a riot in Kobane, Syria's northern Kurdish-majority town, killed at least seven inmates according to state media, though the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported nine deaths. Violence erupted in the town this week as residents protested over the killing of a former Kurdish fighter.
12 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomed the United States' removal of his country from the state sponsors of terror list, saying it would allow Syria to embark on development and reconstruction. The decision came with sanctions relief and also revoked the US terrorist designation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, the group Sharaa led that ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
25 August 2026 · The Standard →
The UN has warned that more than 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed over the past three years as aid work becomes increasingly dangerous. Secretary-General António Guterres cited growing attacks in conflict zones, shrinking funding, access restrictions, and new weapons like armed drones as compounding security threats to aid personnel.
19 August 2026 · Capital News →
A federal judge in Boston cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip nearly 1,100 Somalis of Temporary Protected Status, allowing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to terminate their legal protections against deportation. The ruling followed a June Supreme Court decision that curtailed judicial review of administration efforts to end TPS designations for migrants from 13 countries.
15 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon on Wednesday, vowing to destroy infrastructure and keep troops in a so-called "security zone" in Lebanon as well as in Syria and Gaza. The comments came nearly two months after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-sponsored framework deal involving Hezbollah's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon's south.
13 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
U.S. President Trump responded to Iran's peace deal conditions by demanding compensation for deaths in wars, attacks, and protests over a 50-year period, a new proposal that threatens efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices rose 5% as the reparations demand dimmed prospects for a deal.
11 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Syrian court convicted former ruler Bashar al-Assad of crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, torture, and killing of children during the country's nearly 14-year civil war, and sentenced him to death in absentia. The ruling is the first under Syria's transitional leaders who ousted Assad in December 2024.
11 August 2026 · The Standard →
The United States has lifted sanctions on Iraq's Fly Baghdad airline and two of its aircraft, which it had previously designated for alleged support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The airline was removed after demonstrating major operational changes through the Treasury Department's administrative reconsideration process, though sanctions remain on a man previously identified as the company's owner.
6 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An opinion piece argues that Kenyans should be familiar with counter-terrorism laws, particularly the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2012, to support government efforts against terror and avoid inadvertently committing terrorism-related offences, which carry severe penalties.
4 August 2026 · The Standard →
Google announced a new feature allowing Google Earth users to generate AI visualizations on top of satellite imagery using its Nano Banana 2 image-generation technology, but researchers and open-source intelligence experts have warned it could enable bad actors to create realistic geospatial fakes and misuse a key fact-checking resource.
1 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Tuesday for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began in late February. The closed-door meeting, described by the White House as "positive and productive," lasted about an hour and a half and was dominated by discussion of the conflict, which is currently paused as Washington seeks to give negotiations a chance.
29 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday for the first time since the Iran war began in late February, with the war expected to dominate discussions despite public disagreements between the two leaders.
28 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A white minivan struck people near Berlin's Christopher Street Day Pride event on Saturday evening, killing one woman and injuring 29 others. Police identified the chief suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese origin and alleged Islamic State supporter with a May criminal conviction.
26 July 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece argues that literature serves as an archive of political wisdom, demonstrating that violence accepted as legitimate in public life gradually reshapes a nation's character. The author uses Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart to illustrate how moral decay precedes societal collapse, citing historical examples from Rome, Rwanda, Somalia, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
25 July 2026 · The Standard →
Ukraine said Russian missile strikes on the Turkish-owned cargo ship Golden Leo carrying grain killed six crew members, with four more missing and eight rescued, hours after Moscow fired two dozen ballistic missiles at Kyiv killing one person and wounding 16.
19 July 2026 · The Standard →
The United States and Iran traded drone and missile strikes on Friday, with Tehran claiming it targeted American assets across the region and accusing US forces of hitting civilian infrastructure including an airport, railway station, and bridges; Iranian state media reported at least eight dead and 20 wounded. This represents the biggest escalation since the two countries returned to outright war a month after agreeing a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their conflict.
18 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Bombing intensified in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive night, with Iran threatening a "full-scale offensive" and hitting several US military sites in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain in response to American strikes. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz and said they "stopped" four ships transiting the waterway, though the US military denied the tanker claims.
18 July 2026 · The Standard →
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would remove Syria from the United States' list of designated state sponsors of terrorism, following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Turkey. Trump previously signed an executive order terminating U.S. sanctions on Syria, and Saudi firms are planning billion-dollar investments to support the country's post-civil war recovery.
9 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a visit to Damascus that France will return more than 50 million euros confiscated from Rifaat al-Assad, the family of the former ruler, to finance development and reconstruction projects in Syria.
8 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An Austrian court sentenced a Syrian ex-general and former police officer to eight years in jail for torturing opponents of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad. The trial used universal jurisdiction, allowing European courts to rule on serious crimes committed abroad.
6 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Viennese court on Monday sentenced a Syrian ex-general and former police officer each to eight years in jail for torturing opponents of Bashar al-Assad. The trial used universal jurisdiction, a legal tool enabling European courts to prosecute serious crimes alleged to have been committed abroad.
6 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Syria's health ministry said the death toll from a bomb attack at a Damascus cafe rose to 10, with 21 people wounded. The bombing, described as the deadliest since a suicide attack on a church last year, occurred near the Palace of Justice and was caused by a homemade explosive device packed with metal fragments.
4 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed the final 70 members of the country's new 210-seat parliament, with 15 women and 13 former political detainees included to address imbalances from regional electoral college selections.
2 July 2026 · Capital News →
Israel's defence minister said Israeli forces would remain in security zones established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza "until further notice" to protect Israel's residents from jihadist terrorists. Israeli officials have repeatedly ruled out withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon, where forces continue to clash with Hezbollah fighters.
2 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An opinion piece argues that while the Gen Z-led Occupy Parliament movement successfully forced the government to withdraw the Finance Bill 2024, it failed to consolidate those gains into sustained political influence by rejecting negotiation and leadership structures needed to institutionalize demands.
24 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An opinion piece argues that while Kenya's Gen Z-led Occupy Parliament movement successfully compelled the government to withdraw the Finance Bill 2024, it failed to convert that victory into lasting political influence because it rejected negotiations and leadership structures, and lacked organization to institutionalize its gains beyond the streets.
24 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
G7 leaders agreed to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions on gas and oil to end the war in Ukraine, with US President Trump saying Moscow should "make a deal." Ukrainian President Zelensky attended the summit at Evian-les-Bains, where he met with Trump and other G7 leaders.
19 June 2026 · The Standard →
The Trump administration plans to deport a number of Iranians and other migrants to Central African Republic under a recent deal with that country. Two of the Iranian deportees—a Christian convert and a pro-democracy activist—face potential torture and persecution if returned to Iran, according to their lawyer.
12 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →