Asma Assad, wife of ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad, is barred from returning to the UK after her passport expired, amid reports of her critical illness in Russia.
Asma Assad, the British-born wife of former Syrian leader Bashar Assad, has been barred from returning to the UK after her British passport expired, Sunday Times reports.
Now in Russia, where she and her family fled following the fall of Damascus, Asma is reportedly in critical condition with leukemia, with a 50% chance of survival.
Her father, Dr. Fawaz Akhras, left his medical practice in London to care for her in Moscow.
It is unclear whether her passport expired due to a deliberate government decision or neglect on her part.
UK officials confirmed she no longer has a valid British travel document, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper denying her entry, despite her health issues. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has also stated she is unwelcome in the UK.
Asma has faced sanctions since 2012, including a travel ban and asset freeze. Her expired passport means the UK no longer needs to consider revoking her citizenship.
Bashar Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia with his family earlier this month after anti-regime forces swiftly seized Damascus, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long control.
An unknown projectile struck a tanker 68 nautical miles northeast of Saudi Arabia on Friday according to a report released by the United Kingdom Ma...
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy and water systems, combined with damaged homes and rising living costs, could force more people to flee t...
The AnewZ documentary “Counterpoint: Two Centuries of German-Azerbaijani Shared History” investigates the story of German settlers who ...
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continuing from Russia and Ukraine as media reports say Ukraine has almost run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
An unknown projectile struck a tanker 68 nautical miles northeast of Saudi Arabia on Friday according to a report released by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Saturday.
Nationwide protests are set to begin in France on Saturday with students, trade unionists and remnants of the Yellow Vest movement expected to demonstrate against rising living costs amongst others.
Romanian rescuers resumed their search for seven missing sailors on Friday (16 October) after a drone strike set a chemical tanker ablaze near the country’s Black Sea coast. The attacks have raised fresh security concerns along a vital regional trade route.
A former gang leader was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on Tuesday for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, capping the prosecution of a long-unsolved murder that shaped the golden age of rap music.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 14 October 2026, featuring the top five culture and entertainment stories from around the world.
Two paintings by French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir worth millions of dollars have been recovered a month after they were stolen from a French Riviera museum. Four men have been charged in connection with the theft, while two other suspects have been released without charge.
Iran has unveiled the restored mausoleum of 13th-century mystic Shams Tabrizi in the northwestern city of Khoy, with plans for a cultural tourism route linking the site to the shrine of renowned Persian poet Rumi in Konya, Türkiye.
AnewZ has premiered its new documentary film Kontrapunkt in Berlin, exploring more than two centuries of shared German-Azerbaijani history and the legacy of German communities in Azerbaijan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment