Daily News

Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, spoke to Al Jazeera about the Palestinian Authority’s operations in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. “There is no justification for this escalation, and I think the last thing that Palestinians need is now a violent confrontation between Palestinians and Palestinians,” he said. “We have a big number of political parties, civil society structures, human rights organisations that have interfered and is trying to mediate to end this situation” he said.

International flights to and from the Syrian capital have resumed. Qatar Airways is one of the first major airlines to restart commercial services into Damascus, since the overthrow of Bashar al Assad. Returning Syrians were among the first passengers to touch down on Tuesday.

US President-elect Donald Trump has been holding a press conference in Florida where he addressed some questions about the Gaza ceasefire talks. He said if the captives are not back by the time he gets into office, “all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone”. He was speaking at a news conference alongside Steve Witkoff, his new envoy to the Middle East. Wittkoff says he's upbeat after returning from the latest round of negotiations on a potential deal to free the Israeli capitves held in Gaza. Trump has used this line previously, saying in a December 2 social media post that there will be “hell to pay” if a ceasefire deal isn’t inked by the time he is in office. Donald Trump will be inaugurated for his second term on January 20, 2025.

Austria could soon join a growing number of European Union countries led by the far right. Months of negotiation led by the conservative Austrian People's Party ended with no coalition and the president, a left-wing former Greens leader, has been left with little choice but to look even further to the right. The Freedom Party, or FPO, is anti-immigration and pro-Russian. Its leader, Herbert Kickle, is due to begin negotiations with the conservatives and is hoping to emerge as Chancellor. Will he succeed? And if he does, what does the future look like for Austria's ailing economy and it's significant immigrant population.

Identity politics has become a defining buzzword in US politics, coming under fire for being a type of political representation without real change. But what was the intention of the people who first came up with the term – and what kind of power does that original intention wield today?

Israel’s war on Gaza brought immediate loss and destruction, but another significant impact on Palestinians is the long-term health risks from exposure to war-related environmental pollutants. We explore the consequences that will affect Palestinian communities for years to come.

Salah, a Somali asylum seeker in his mid-twenties, lives on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, United Kingdom, alongside 411 other men. As waits for a Home Office interview, his small, shared room becomes a battleground for depression. To cope, Salah starts running and joins a local club, which offers him a brief respite from isolation. He also volunteers at a youth centre, where he learns that the UK isn’t what he expected. When his interview appointment finally arrives, Salah’s future hangs in the balance, as does the Bibby Stockholm’s. Last Days of the Bibby Stockholm is a documentary film by Sue Sudbury and Dave Young.

After nearly 60 years of rule by the al-Assad family, and years of war, people are questioning what the future holds for Syria. Journalist Nour Qormosh shares his experience covering the war in the days leading up to Bashar al-Assad’s fall, his own personal losses and what Syrians hope for in this new year.

The US Treasury has announced it will temporarily ease some sanctions on Syria. The six-month reprieve will focus on the delivery of humanitarian aid and the provision of essential services, such as electricity and water. But sanctions on the government, the central bank and financial transfers will remain in place. The new administration has made it a priority to push for the lifting of sanctions. Its foreign minister, who's on a tour of the Middle East to drum up support, has repeatedly said, the sanctions are harming the Syrian people.

The United States has condemned North Korea after it fired a ballistic missile during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Seoul. South Korea has been in political turmoil since the now-suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed a short-lived martial law last month.