Author: HeraldStar

In a ruined Soviet-era apartment block in Pisky, near the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk, huge chunks of roof and walls lie scattered about the floor where Maria Seryogova once played with her baby grandson. Seryogova and others who once lived here hope they can claim some kind of compensation from the Russians in charge, and have returned to snap photos of the rubble to back up their claims. “Oh my god, it’s horrible,” said Seryogova, 49, gesturing at the graffiti scrawled on the walls as the wind whistled through what was once the living room. “It’s scary to look…

President Donald Trump reversed course on Friday and said Russia did in fact invade Ukraine, and that Kyiv would soon sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war. Trump had said on Tuesday that Ukraine “should have never started” the war three years ago, prompting a wave of criticism both domestically and internationally. Pressed on the subject in an interview with Fox News Radio on Friday, he acknowledged Russia had invaded Ukraine on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” Trump said, adding that Ukraine…

On a wintry night in Damascus, hundreds of people packed into a courtyard in the Old City, dancing and singing during a joyful evening of music – a concert held with the approval of Syria’s new, Islamist-led authorities. It was the kind of scene that the singer, Mahmoud al-Haddad, feared might be in jeopardy as Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group with origins in global jihad, were advancing on the city in December. “Everyone was afraid,” Haddad said. “Would we be able to have a concert or not?” The downfall of President Bashar al-Assad ended more…

Hamas freed five hostages and was set to release one more from Gaza on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, after Israel confirmed that a body handed over hours earlier was that of hostage Shiri Bibas. Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Omer Wenkert, 23, all seized from the site of the Nova music festival in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, were handed over to the Red Cross to be transported to Israeli forces. Dozens of masked militants stood guard in a crowd that had gathered to watch the handover, as…

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – February 13, 2025 – General Abdullah A. Alzahrani of the Royal Saudi Air Forces hosted a dinner in honor of Mr. Qaiser Nawab, Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD), and Mr. Pegasus Wong, Chairman of The Belt and Road Group, in Riyadh. During the meeting, the leaders discussed various avenues for cooperation across multiple sectors. General Alzahrani welcomed both distinguished guests to the Kingdom and commended their efforts to foster business opportunities in Saudi Arabia. He assured them of his unwavering support and guidance in their endeavors. General Alzahrani…

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – [February 05, 2025] – Qaiser Nawab, Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD), participated in the closing ceremony of the 2025 Annual Meeting of the RLC Global Forum in Riyadh, a premier platform for global retail, trade, and investment leaders. During the closing ceremony, Mr. Nawab engaged with several prominent Saudi business leaders, exploring opportunities for collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Discussions focused on strengthening trade ties, promoting digital commerce, and fostering sustainable economic partnerships between Saudi Arabia and BRI countries. The exchange highlighted the growing role of regional…

President Xi Jinping held talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi said China and Pakistan enjoy ironclad friendship and are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. In recent years, the two countries have provided firm political support for each other, maintained close high-level exchanges, and advanced the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and cooperation in various fields, setting a good example for relations between countries, he said. China stands ready to work with Pakistan to advance their respective modernization drives, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on course to secure a decisive victory in the Delhi capital territory elections, according to exit polls released on Wednesday. If confirmed, the win would mark a significant political rebound for the ruling party after its unexpected setbacks in last year’s general elections. The projections suggest that BJP will clinch an absolute majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, unseating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has governed the capital for the past decade. The defeat would mark a major blow for AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, a vocal critic of Modi,…

The Council on Canada-U.S. Relations will hold a summit in Toronto on Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement on Wednesday after a 30-day pause on the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs went into effect this week. The summit will look at ways to grow Canada’s economy, expand trade within the country, diversify export markets and address productivity, Trudeau’s statement said, adding that it would also seek to increase coordination between partners.

Argentina will pull out of the World Health Organization (WHO), the presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump’s executive order last month to pull the United States out of the global health group.