I have still no access to social media platforms including X, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram after the Mayer of Istanbul was detained yesterday. Bluesky is still not labeled as a threat to Erdogan apparently.

In times like this - look for the beautiful. Istanbul morning sky

Donald Trump threatens Denmark over Greenland, Panama regarding the canal, Canada, Mexico, China…I wonder how he will react if Norway doesn’t award him the Nobel Peace Prize.

“The remarkable life of Iberline” had a profound effect on those who saw a man in a wheelchair, and only later knew the whole story. The documentary about Mats is remarkable. But can it be nominated for “Best picture”, as the New York Times suggests? www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The iranian regime continues its «hostage diplomacy»- a day before Sala was arrested in Iran, the police in Milan said they had arrested a 38-year-old Iranian man whom the United States accused of providing drone components to the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/w...

What began as small attempts to seize aid by hungry Gazans, has now become «systematic, tactical, armed, crime-syndicate looting» by organized groups. And the UN does not allow Israeli soldiers to protect aid convoys, fearing that would compromise its neutrality. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/23/w...

«The situation is horrible , intensive bombing over the night at Al Mawasi»my friends in Gaza wrote this morning. In the shadow of Syria's turmoil, the situation in Gaza remains dire.

Sterk sak om massegravene i Syria: I Tadamon sier lokale at de innåndet støv fra de døde, at de alltid visste når regjeringsstyrker brente lik. En som er redd for å stå frem, viser et sted hvor han i 2013 så 23 lik ligge stablet i en illeluktende bunke. jyllands-posten.dk/internationa...

I have just returned from Syria where people are filled with optimism for a brighter future. However, they are concerned that if a stable civilian government does not follow the current transitional administration, things could go wrong. The Syrian people are yearning for lasting peace and stability

As a journalist, I find myself waiting impatiently for Turkey to grant us entry to Syria. However, this wait pales in comparison to the significance it holds for the countless Syrians at the border. Many of the Syrian children have never been in the country that will become their homeland.

Syrias Assad defeated www.axios.com/2024/12/08/s...

The rebels have declared that they have captured Homs. Not long ago, the Syrian military denied that rebel fighters had entered the city. The Assad regime is on brink of collapse

Iran is starting to evacuate its forces and military personnel from Syria «because we cannot fight as an advisory and support force if Syria’s army itself does not want to fight,” Mehdi Rahmati, a prominent Iranian analyst who advises officials on regional strategy, said.

Everyone was taken by surprise when the jihadists conjured Aleppo, Even HTS had been spoiling for a big fight. This article is pretty accurate about what happened according to a source newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani fought the American invasion of Iraq and was in an American-run prison camp for 5 years before he returned to Syria in 2011 with bags full of cash, and a mission to take the extremist movement global. Last week he conquered Aleppo and says he has other plans now

Photo of all the workers who have spent the last five years restoring the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Trump sends a message to Hamas - about the hostages held in Gaza

The Syrian rebels have managed to break the status quo. This reminds us that the Syrian war was far from over. There are millions of displaced people, many of them living in inhumane conditions. They have been left alone for years. Time will show if president Assad will be forced to negotiate

It may seem that the region's wars have been separated: with Lebanon becalmed, Gaza is now an isolated conflict. That is an illusion. If Trump wants to pursue any sort of grand bargain, it starts with ending the Gaza war and reining in Israel's coalition. www.economist.com/leaders/2024...

Netanyahu is interested in pushing for a partial hostage deal that would not oblige him to agree to an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The IDF seized masses of Hezbollah weapons. What do they tell us? www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

When in Turkey - women try to protest against violence against women and end up in prison

“The government doesn’t really protect women’s rights”, young Turkish women told me tonight. They tried to arrange a protest against violence towards women, but the police stopped them on every corner.

According to the UN more than 550,000 fled from Lebanon to Syria amid israeli attacks - and not only Syrians. The UN calls it an absurd situation they never saw before. jyllands-posten.dk/internationa...

No blue sky in sight in #Istanbul

«Are those fireworks or something?” asked a passenger on Emirates flight EK146 from Amsterdam to Dubai last month, in a video posted to social media. In fact, what she was watching through her cabin window was a barrage of Iranian missiles headed to Israel.

Diplomacy has failed. No ceasefire negotiations and no UN resolutions.

The situation has rapidly become worse. Lina, who’s herself displaced in southern #Gaza, wrote this to me yesterday: “The displaced population in south Gaza are suffering from the risk of famine , as the bakeries shut down causs there is no wheat flour to make bread”.

My first ever post - a ferry crossing over from Europe to Asia and a ship on its way to the #Blacksea at dawn #Istanbul