Barcelona ends twin city agreement with Tel Aviv, citing Israeli 'apartheid' Barcelona’s Mayor Ada Colau said that thousands of residents in her city signed a petition to sever ties with Tel Aviv so as to pressure Israel on Palestinian human rights. Israel
Syrian refugees in Lebanon turn to TikTok 'begging' for money TikTok has allowed thousands of refugees in Lebanon to beg for money from donors online by exposing their children and poor conditions to the outside world, a method that heightens the risk of exploitation and human-trafficking. Lebanon
Double blow: Syria braces for historic drought after earthquake For the third consecutive year, delayed rains have left the land scorched and farmers reeling from the impact of a historic drought. Syria
Palestinians join earthquake rescue efforts in Syria, Turkey The Palestinian Authority joins more than 60 countries sending rescue teams to Turkey and Syria in response to the earthquake. Palestine
Analysis Can Syria's Assad leverage earthquake to come in from the cold? Aid for disaster recovery could provide an excuse for some countries in the region to resume normal relations with the Syrian regime. By Amberin Zaman In Paris, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Turkey's politicians play blame game as earthquake death toll hits 20,000 The ruling AKP and its ally MHP approved the bill on declaring a state of emergency for Turkey’s quake zone while opposition parties voted against it, saying the president already has sufficient powers for disaster management. Turkey
'We are forced to dig our mass graves': Syrians fend for themselves after earthquake Al-Monitor has toured devastated towns in Syria, following the deadly earthquake that has killed over 3,000 Syrians. International humanitarian aid has yet to reach the area. Syria
Iran intel official says China in line to buy Tehran's drones Despite growing Western alarm over the Islamic Republic's drone shipments to Russia, the Iranian official said 90 countries were "queuing up" for purchases of the same products. Iran
US unveils new sanctions on Iran's petroleum industry The sanctions targeted nine entities the Treasury Department said were involved in producing, shipping and selling Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum. Iran
