logo
Israel says 'very dangerous' to be minority in Sharaa's Syria

Israel says 'very dangerous' to be minority in Sharaa's Syria

LBCI19-07-2025
Israel on Saturday dismissed a renewed pledge by Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect minorities after deadly sectarian clashes, saying it was "very dangerous" to be a minority in the country.
"Bottom line: In al-Sharaa's Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority -- Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X.
"This has been proven time and again over the past six months," he said, adding the international community had "a duty to ensure the security and rights of the minorities in Syria and to condition Syria's renewed acceptance into the family of nations on their protection."
AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UN starts new bid to forge plastics treaty amid 'global crisis'
UN starts new bid to forge plastics treaty amid 'global crisis'

L'Orient-Le Jour

time2 hours ago

  • L'Orient-Le Jour

UN starts new bid to forge plastics treaty amid 'global crisis'

Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of U.N. talks told negotiators from 180 countries gathered in Geneva on Tuesday to forge a landmark treaty on eliminating the life-threatening waste. "We are facing a global crisis," Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso said at the start of 10 days of negotiations. "Plastic pollution is damaging ecosystems, polluting our oceans and rivers, threatening biodiversity, harming human health, and unfairly impacting the most vulnerable," he said. "The urgency is real, the evidence is clear, and the responsibility is on us." Three years of negotiations hit the wall in Busan, South Korea in December when oil-producing states blocked a consensus. Key figures steering the negotiations at this new attempt said they were not expecting an easy ride this time, but insisted a deal remained within reach. "There's been extensive diplomacy from Busan till now," U.N. Environment Programme executive director Inger Andersen told AFP. UNEP is hosting the talks, and Andersen said conversations between different regions and interest groups had generated momentum. "Most countries, actually, that I have spoken with have said: 'We're coming to Geneva to strike the deal'. "Will it be easy? No. Will it be straightforward? No. Is there a pathway for a deal? Absolutely." Human bodies riddled Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. In 2022, countries agreed they would find a way to address the crisis by the end of 2024. However, the supposedly final negotiations on a legally-binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the seas, flopped in Busan. One group of countries sought an ambitious deal to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals. But a clutch of mostly oil-producing nations rejected production limits and wanted to focus on treating waste. Valdivieso insisted that an effective, fair and ambitious agreement was within reach. "Our paths and positions might differ; our destination is the same," he said Monday. "We are all here because we believe in a shared cause: a world free of plastic pollution." 'Plastic-free future' More than 600 non-governmental organisations are in Geneva. NGOs and civil society have access to the discussions tackling the thorniest points, such as banning certain chemicals and capping production. "To solve the plastic pollution crisis, we have to stop making so much plastic," Greenpeace delegation chief Graham Forbes told AFP. The group and its allies want a treaty "that cuts plastic production, eliminates toxic chemicals, and provides the financing that's going to be required to transition to a fossil fuel, plastic-free future", he said. "The fossil fuel industry is here in force," he noted, adding: "We cannot let a few countries determine humanity's future when it comes to plastic pollution." Dumped, burned and trashed More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items. While 15 percent of plastic waste is collected for recycling, only nine percent is actually recycled. Nearly half, 46 percent, ends up in landfills, while 17 percent is incinerated and 22 percent is mismanaged and becomes litter. A report in The Lancet medical journal warned Monday that plastic pollution was a "grave, growing and under-recognised danger" to health, costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year in health-related economic losses. The new review of existing evidence, conducted by leading health researchers and doctors, compared plastic to air pollution and lead, saying its impact on health could be mitigated by laws and policies. To hammer home the message, a replica outside the U.N. of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture "The Thinker" will be slowly submerged in mounting plastic rubbish during the talks. The artwork, entitled "The Thinker's Burden", is being constructed by the Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong. "If you want to protect health, then we need to think about the toxic chemicals that are entering our environment," he told AFP. But Matthew Kastner, spokesman for the American Chemistry Council, said the plastics industry and its products were "vital to public health", notably through medical devices, surgical masks, child safety seats, helmets and pipes delivering clean water.

Israel intercepts Houthi missile fired from Yemen
Israel intercepts Houthi missile fired from Yemen

LBCI

time3 hours ago

  • LBCI

Israel intercepts Houthi missile fired from Yemen

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for firing a missile at Israel's main airport on Tuesday, as the Israeli military said it intercepted it. The Iran-backed rebels targeted Ben Gurion airport "using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile" in support of Palestinians in Gaza, their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement. The Israeli military posted on X that "a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted by the Israeli air force." Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel. Most of them have been intercepted, but they have prompted Israeli air strikes on rebel targets in Yemen. The rebels have also attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden alleged to be linked to Israel, prompting several rounds of U.S.-led air strikes. AFP

US links $1.9 billion in state disaster funds to Israel boycott stance
US links $1.9 billion in state disaster funds to Israel boycott stance

LBCI

time6 hours ago

  • LBCI

US links $1.9 billion in state disaster funds to Israel boycott stance

U.S. states and cities that boycott Israeli companies will be denied federal aid for natural disaster preparedness, the Trump administration has announced, tying routine federal funding to its political stance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency stated in grant notices posted on Friday that states must follow its "terms and conditions." Those conditions require them to certify they will not sever 'commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies' to qualify for funding. The requirement applies to at least $1.9 billion that states rely on to cover search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries and backup power systems among other expenses, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters. The requirement is the Trump administration's latest effort to use federal funding to promote its views on Israel. Reuters

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store