CATEGORIES

'We paid a high price for this' Refugees in UK cheer the fall of a long-despised dictatorship

Refugees in UK cheer the fall of a long-despised dictatorship

Assad is the 'rat of Damascus', says Lammy as ousted leader enters exile

Bashar al-Assad was the \"rat of Damascus fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs\", the foreign secretary said yesterday after Islamist rebels took control of Damascus at the weekend.

Golan Heights Concern as Israel seizes buffer zone

Israeli forces have seized control of a previously demilitarised buffer zone in Syrian-controlled territory in the Golan Heights and attacked what it said were regime weapons depots with airstrikes, as the shock victory of Syrian rebels over Bashar al-Assad reshapes the region's frontlines.

Iran Latest setback adds to pressure on president

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the latest in a string of foreign policy reversals for Iran including the weakening of its allies in Lebanon and Gaza, has coincided with growing domestic frustration over a rising number of executions, planned petrol price increases, and a proposed law that imposes heavy fines and the loss of access to public services on any woman not wearing the hijab.

Double identity Will Syria's new leader rule as a moderate or a jihadi extremist?

On Sunday morning, a bearded 42-year-old man wearing a plain green military uniform walked into the famous Umayyad mosque in Damascus and addressed a small crowd, the Syrian nation, the region and the world.

Russian power Moscow turns to diplomacy to secure key military sites

Moscow is seeking to secure the future of its key military bases in Syria while making inroads with the country's new rebel leadership, after the dramatic collapse of the Assad regime threatened to erode Russia's influence in the Middle East.

Assad assets Crowds loot homes filled with luxury trappings

Crowds loot homes filled with luxury trappings

Airstrikes hit sites across Syria as global powers seek to shape its future

Bombing raids have hit sites across Syria as regional actors in the Middle East scrambled to defend their interests in the country after the sudden fall of its president, Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow.

UK suspends Syrians' asylum applications

The UK and other European countries have said they will suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, with Austria already preparing a \"repatriation and deportation\" programme to the country.

Hope and despair in Assad's 'human slaughterhouse'

Race to free prisoners of brutal regime tortured in underground prison

Undermined Ashworth makes shock United exit

Dan Ashworth has left his position as Manchester United's sporting director after only five months at the club.

'We are not ready' Maresca plays down title talk after Chelsea fightback

Enzo Maresca continued to play down Chelsea's title chances after they fought back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-3 yesterday.

Welcome to the new world order with Cucurella centre stage

With 61 minutes gone at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Cole Palmer buried his first penalty kick of the game to make the score 2-2, Marc Cucurella could be seen banging himself violently in the head with both hands close to the left touchline, curls flying cinematically, like a loveable dog in an advert for floor detergent.

Spluttering Spurs undone by Palmer's masterclass

It was Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham in microcosm. A couple of steps forward; more in the opposite direction.

Late Vardy heroics steal point against Brighton

Where there's Jamie Vardy, there's hope. Ruud van Nistelrooy has jokingly asked reporters to stop pointing out Leicester's living legend stole the Dutchman's record for scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League games in late 2015, but late in 2024 he is delighted the veteran striker has scored in successive games to kickstart a new era at the King Power Stadium.

Arteta rues slip as Fulham puncture title momentum

The good news is that it was better for Arsenal than last season. The bad news is that their run of successive wins was ended at four and they spurned an opportunity to apply pressure to the leaders Liverpool.

Ouattara lands cruel blow to shatter Ipswich

Yet more cruelty on Ipswich, for whom Premier League reality once again bit brutally. Belief can only be bruised by repeated reverses and bitter blows such as Bournemouth's late equaliser through Enes Unal and then Dango Ouattara's winner, the latter coming five minutes beyond the 90.

West Ham fight back in style after taking early double blow

There was a moment for mutual respect after the final whistle between the West Ham head coach, Rehanne Skinner, and her Crystal Palace counterpart, Laura Kaminski, with the former expressing confidence in Palace's chances of Women's Super League survival, after her side came from two goals down to win 5-2.

Prendergast steals show for dominant Leinster

Much is expected of Leinster's new All Black recruit Jordie Barrett but it was the Irish province's young home-reared fly-half Sam Prendergast who stole the show in the West Country last night.

Emotional Hamilton signs off Mercedes career on a high

Lewis Hamilton described his time with Mercedes as the greatest honour of his life after the seven-time champion bowed out with his final race for the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Norris holds nerve to end McLaren's long wait for team title

The wait has been long and torturous for McLaren, but by the close of a victory for Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was worth it as the team celebrated their first Formula One constructors' championship for 26 years—opening perhaps a new era for them, just as another came to an end for Lewis Hamilton.

Bowlers finish off Black Caps after Root's relentless century

England could scarcely have been made to feel more welcome in New Zealand, be it a warm-up game tailored to their specifications in Queenstown, those eight dropped catches in Christchurch, or the cheery ground announcer regaling spectators with Harry Brook's eye-popping statistics throughout the two Tests.

'He's class' Bethell proved No 3 was right call, says Stokes

After securing a win inside three days in a gale, the series victory against New Zealand also claimed with a Test match to spare, Ben Stokes was himself blown away.

Dean's hat-trick helps level ODI series against South Africa

Charlie Dean revealed she was unaware she had claimed a hat-trick as England beat South Africa by six wickets in Durban to level the one-day international series at 1-1.

Culture of fear Time to look beyond toxic win-at-all-costs approaches

Danny Care's stories about the England rugby environment under Eddie Jones reveal important insights into the ways that sport is experienced, organised and led.

UK 'needs to play catch-up' in global race to upgrade power grids

The UK is lagging behind in the race to rewire the world's power grids by investing four times more on renewable energy projects than on the electricity cables needed to connect them to the grid and consumers, according to a report.

Political funding Musk's rumoured millions for Farage may spur real reform

Elon Musk has denied he is gearing up to chuck $100m at Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, as it pushes to take on the Tories.

Media Breakup drama continues at ITV despite long run of profitable hit shows

Carolyn McCall enters her eighth year as boss of ITV; she might be forgiven for wondering if she should have taken the chance to run Marks & Spencer instead.

Christmas party dips under threat as food workers' strike continues

It could be crunch time for party nibbles amid fears of further shortages of cheese and chive dips, soups and pasta sauces after hundreds of workers at a food production site voted for three months of further strike action.

Double blow as job vacancies and business mood slump

The number of job vacancies in November fell at the fastest rate since the start of the pandemic, as UK business confidence slumped to its lowest level in almost two years, according to two new reports.