Trump and von der Leyen set for pivotal trade talks in Scotland
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Scotland on Saturday ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump scheduled for S...
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday formally ending U.S. sanctions on Syria, in a major foreign policy reversal that follows a series of diplomatic overtures between Washington and Damascus.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision was intended to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace”. While the general sanctions regime will be lifted, targeted restrictions will remain in place against former President Bashar al-Assad, his associates, and others involved in rights abuses, chemical weapons activity and terror operations.
“This is another promise made and promise kept,” Leavitt told reporters, referring to Trump’s remarks during his visit to Saudi Arabia last month.
The move follows the Biden-era sanctions carve-out granted in May, which eased restrictions on certain transactions. Trump had used that opening to push forward on a broader rollback of punitive measures imposed during Syria’s long civil war.
During a landmark meeting in Riyadh on 14 May, Trump met interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa for the first time. He pledged to lift sanctions and explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic ties — a step not seen in U.S. policy toward Syria for decades.
The encounter came a day after Trump addressed the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, calling the sanctions “crushing and counterproductive”.
The European Union has also announced plans to lift nearly all of its remaining sanctions on Syria, aligning with the U.S. shift.
Al-Sharaa, who now leads a transitional government following the flight of Bashar al-Assad to Russia in December 2024, has vowed to end Syria’s isolation and rebuild relations with former adversaries. Assad's departure marked the fall of the Baathist regime that had held power since 1963.
The executive order is expected to take effect immediately upon signing.
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Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Scotland on Saturday ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump scheduled for Sunday evening. Officials from both sides have indicated that a trade agreement is within reach.
Firefighters across Greece and the Western Balkans are battling widespread wildfires as southern Europe endures its third heatwave of the summer. Several villages and settlements in Greece and Albania were evacuated on Saturday as flames spread rapidly due to high temperatures and strong winds.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday that its forces had captured two villages in eastern Ukraine, including one located in the Dnipropetrovsk region — a new front where Moscow claims its troops are advancing.
The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it has resumed airdropped humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, just days after more than 100 international aid agencies warned of spreading mass starvation in the besieged enclave.
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to meet for ceasefire talks after days of deadly border fighting that has killed more than a dozen people and forced over 150,000 civilians to flee.
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