Author: Olive Metuge

Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has called for peace after days of clashes where Syrian security forces allegedly killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority.The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) – which monitors fighting in Syria – said about 745 civilians were killed in 30 “massacres” targeting Alawites on the west coast on Friday and Saturday. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the death toll of the escalating violence, believed to be the worst since the fall of the Assad regime.President Sharaa said: “We must preserve national unity and civil peace as much as…

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa called for peace on Sunday after hundreds were killed in coastal areas in the worst communal violence since the fall of Bashar al Assad.”We have to preserve national unity and domestic peace, we can live together,” al-Sharaa, the interim president, said as clashes continued between forces linked to the new Islamist rulers and fighters from Assad’s Alawite sect.”Rest assured about Syria, this country has the characteristics for survival,” al-Sharaa said in a circulated video, speaking at a mosque in his childhood neighbourhood of Mazzah in Damascus. “What is currently happening in Syria is within the expected…

WHAT WE’RE READING By Ellena Erskine on Mar 4, 2025 at 9:40 am We are expecting one or more opinion from the court this morning at 10 a.m. EST. Join us for live coverage. Following the opinion announcements, the court will consider the Mexican government’s effort to hold U.S. gun manufacturers liable for cartel violence committed with U.S.-made weapons. Listen to Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos live just after 10.   Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read: Recommended Citation: Ellena Erskine, The morning…

Home Daily News Expected noncompliance with court orders… U.S. Supreme Court Expected noncompliance with court orders shouldn’t defeat standing, Kavanaugh says in DNA-test arguments By Debra Cassens Weiss February 25, 2025, 11:08 am CST Texas death row inmate Ruben Gutierrez. (Photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice via the Associated Press) The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided Monday in arguments over a death row inmate’s quest for a DNA test to show that he wasn’t inside a trailer where robbery accomplices killed an 85-year-old woman. Justice Brett Kavanaugh was among the justices appearing sympathetic to Texas inmate Ruben…

Sponsored: A true Dubai institution…As the sun dips below the Dubai skyline during Ramadan, a special seasonal ritual begins – a moment of reflection, connection, and, at Atlantis, The Palm’s iconic Asateer Tent, iftar takes the form of a regal fast-breaking feast. The quintessential iftar experience is back, bigger and more poetically-nuanced than ever before, welcoming an astonishing 1,730 guests each night. That’s not just a crowd; it’s a true gastronomical gathering.Inside the tent, the Arabian Nights’ tale unfolds… Ornate, yet effortlessly contemporary. Elegant chandeliers cast a golden glow over plush seating, the shoreline locale offers privileged blue Arabian Gulf…

For decades, Republican lawmakers and industry lobbyists have tried to chip away at the small program in the Environmental Protection Agency that measures the threat of toxic chemicals. Most people don’t know IRIS, as the program is called, but it is the scientific engine of the agency that protects human health and the environment. Its scientists assess the toxicity of chemicals, estimating the amount of each that triggers cancer and other health effects. And these values serve as the independent, nonpartisan basis for the rules, regulations and permits that limit our exposure to toxic chemicals. Now IRIS faces the gravest…

Nadine YousifBBC News, TorontoWatch: ‘It’s frustrating’ – How Trump’s tariffs are being received in CanadaIf you had asked Canadians a few months ago who would win the country’s next general election, most would have predicted a decisive victory for the Conservative Party.That outcome does not look so certain now.In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s threats against Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has surged in the polls, shrinking the double-digit lead their Conservative rivals had held steadily since mid-2023.The dramatic change in the country’s political landscape reflects how Trump’s tariffs and his repeated calls to make Canada…

The death toll from two days of clashes between security forces and loyalists of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and revenge killings that followed has risen to more than 1,000, including nearly 750 civilians, a war monitoring group said Saturday, making it one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence since Syria’s conflict began 14 years ago.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that in addition to 745 civilians, 125 members of the government security forces and 148 militants with armed groups affiliated with Assad were killed.The observatory also said that electricity and drinking water were cut off in large areas…

ARGUMENT ANALYSIS By Amy Howe on Mar 4, 2025 at 2:33 pm The justices heard Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos on Tuesday. (Katie Barlow) The Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled that it was likely to shut down a lawsuit brought by the Mexican government, seeking to hold seven major U.S. gun makers and a gun wholesaler responsible for violence committed by Mexican drug cartels with U.S.-made weapons. A majority of the court appeared to agree with the gun makers that the Mexican government’s suit is barred by a 2005 law intended to shield the gun industry from…

Home Daily News Former law firm partner censured over sex… Ethics Former law firm partner censured over sex with associate and legal assistant, stay-quiet offers By Debra Cassens Weiss February 26, 2025, 8:55 am CST A former partner at an Idaho law firm has been publicly censured after he allegedly tried to entice an associate and a legal assistant to keep quiet about an incident in which he had sexual relations with them at the office. (Image from Shutterstock) A former partner at a Boise, Idaho, law firm has been publicly censured after he allegedly tried to entice an associate…