Latest news with #SANA
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
India's first outreach to Syria after Assad fall: MEA official meets ministers in Damascus
In its first official outreach to the new dispensation in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime last year, India has sent a senior official to Damascus to meet with ministers in the transitional government led by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa. An Indian delegation led by M Suresh Kumar, Joint Secretary in charge of West Asia and North Africa Department at the Ministry of External Affairs, met Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad Al-Shaibani on Monday, according to Syrian news agency SANA. Kumar was earlier India's charge d'affaires at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan. 'Talks during the meeting dealt with issues of mutual concern and ways of enhancing relations between the two countries in the interests of both peoples,' SANA reported, quoting a Syrian Foreign ministry statement. The Indian delegation also held discussions with Syrian Health Minister Musab Al-Ali on Monday. Sources said the focus of the dialogue was on enhancing collaboration in health care, particularly in 'pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical training'. Both sides also deliberated on the implementation of a 'scholarship program for Syrian students' and the development of a 'specialised engineering cooperation initiative tailored for Syrian government employees'. According to SANA, Al-Ali emphasised Syria's keenness to build a lasting partnership with India in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors and noted it would strengthen the country's national health system and improve the availability of essential medicines. Kumar reaffirmed New Delhi's commitment to support Syria through funding specialised training programs for Syrian professionals. He also said India would continue coordinating the training of Syrian doctors at Indian institutions while fostering deeper collaboration in nursing, pharmaceuticals and drug exports. India had strong and robust ties with the Assad regime — led primarily by Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar al-Assad — for more than five decades until last December, when al-Sharaa led a rebel coalition to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime and took over as the country's leader. According to officials, India has been monitoring the situation after the departure of Bashar al-Assad on 8 December 2024. In the immediate aftermath of the political change in Syria, India carried out the evacuation of 77 Indian nationals from Syria on 10-11 December 2024. On December 9, India had called for a 'peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process' which respects the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society. It was India's first statement since Bashar al-Assad's fall. 'We hope that the new constitution, due to be drafted, takes into account the interests of all the sections of the Syrian society,' an Indian official said. Syria adopted a new interim constitution on March 13. The country is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the al-Sharaa administration in September. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
LBCI
10 hours ago
- General
- LBCI
First voluntary Syrian refugee convoy returns from Lebanon through Jdeidet Yabous crossing
The first convoy of Syrian refugees returning voluntarily from Lebanon crossed into Syria on Tuesday, according to Abdul Razzaq al-Masri, director of the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing. Speaking to Syrian state news agency SANA, al-Masri said 72 refugees were part of the convoy and that full coordination had taken place with the Lebanese authorities to ease their return. He confirmed that the returnees were exempted from all border fees and were provided with necessary services upon arrival, including an organized reception.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Indian diplomat visits Syria for meetings with regime led by al-Sharaa
New Delhi: India has made a formal outreach to Syria's provisional government led by former Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, with a middle-ranking diplomat visiting Damascus for meetings with Syrian ministers. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. (REUTERS) This was the first official visit to Damascus from the Indian side since al-Sharaa, whose group was once affiliated to al-Qaeda, assumed power after ousting the regime of Bashar al-Assad following a lightning offensive last December. There was no official word from the Indian side on the visit by Suresh Kumar, director of the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) division of the external affairs ministry. Kumar's meetings with Syria's foreign and education ministers in Damascus on Monday were reported by State-run SANA news agency. 'A beginning had to be made and India had to register its presence. You have to open the door at some point,' a person familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Syria's foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and the Indian delegation led by Kumar discussed 'issues of mutual concern and ways of enhancing relations between the two countries in the interests of both peoples', SANA reported. The meeting between Kumar and Syrian health minister Musab Al-Ali focused on enhancing health cooperation, particularly in the fields of pharmaceutical industries and medical training, according to another report by SANA. The two sides also discussed a mechanism for implementing a scholarship for Syrian students, and allocating a specialised engineering cooperation programme for government employees. Al-Ali stressed Syria's aspiration to establish a strong partnership with India in pharmaceutical industries and health technologies in order to support the national health sector and provide medicines. Kumar said India will continue funding specialised training courses for Syrian personnel, coordinate the training of Syrian doctors in Indian centres, and enhance cooperation in nursing, pharmaceutical industries and pharmaceutical exports, the report said. India has had strong political ties with Syria and both countries were key members of the Non-Aligned Movement. India's traditional support for Arab causes such as the issue of Palestine was appreciated by Syria. India also backed Syria's right to the Golan Heights, currently occupied by Israel, and its full return to the country. Under the Assad family, the Syrian government usually backed India at multilateral forums, including on the issue of Kashmir. In response to a request from Damascus for emergency humanitarian aid in 2021, the Indian government gifted 2,000 tonnes of rice to Syria. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India sent 10 tonnes of medicines to Syria. This was the largest medical assistance from any country to Syria during the pandemic. India has been monitoring the situation in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. At the time, India evacuated 77 Indian nationals from Syria. 'We hope that the new constitution, due to be drafted, takes into account the interests of all the sections of the Syrian society,' the external affairs ministry said in a statement around the time of the change of government. In January, al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who went by the name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, became president of the provisional government. People familiar with the matter said the outreach to Damascus was influenced by Syria's strategic location in West Asia – the country shares borders with five key regional actors, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon – and the long-standing ties between the two sides. The outreach also follows the US decision to end sanctions on Syria after a meeting between al-Sharaa and President Donald Trump in May.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- General
- L'Orient-Le Jour
New aid convoy enters Sweida
A new humanitarian aid convoy reached southern Syria's Druze heartland on Monday, official media said, as the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation in Sweida province was critical after deadly violence. Clashes in Druze-majority Sweida province, which began on July 13 and ended with a cease-fire a week later, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, who have been at loggerheads for decades. But government forces intervened on the side of the Bedouin, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, which said the violence killed more than 1,400 people, mostly Druze, and accused government personnel of summarily executing more than 250 Druze civilians. State television said Monday's Syrian Red Crescent convoy was the third of its kind to reach the province, publishing images of trucks crossing into the region. State news agency SANA said the 27-truck convoy "contains 200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits, 1,000 food baskets" as well as medical and other food supplies. The effort was a cooperation between "international organisations, the Syrian government and the local community". Although the cease-fire has largely held, the U.N.'s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said Monday that the humanitarian situation in Sweida province "remains critical amid ongoing instability and intermittent hostilities". "Humanitarian access, due to roadblocks, insecurity and other impediments (...) remains constrained, hampering the ability of humanitarians to assess need thoroughly and to provide critical life-saving assistance on a large scale," OCHA said in a statement. It said the violence, which resulted in power and water outages and shortages of food, medicine and fuel, had displaced at least 176,000 people. An AFP photographer in Sweida city said residents were waiting in long lines outside bakeries that were still open. Local news outlet Sweida 24 reported that "the humanitarian needs in Sweida are dire", saying many more aid convoys were needed for the stricken province. On Sunday, the outlet published a warning from local civil and humanitarian groups of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Sweida, adding that the province "is under a suffocating, escalating siege imposed by the authorities" that has led to a severe lack of basic supplies. The Observatory said Monday that government forces were deployed in parts of the province but said that goods were unable to enter due to the ongoing closure of the Sweida-Damascus highway as government-affiliated armed groups were obstructing traffic. On Sunday, SANA quoted Sweida provincial governor Mustafa al-Bakkur as saying that aid convoys were entering Sweida province normally and that "the roads are unobstructed for the entry of relief organisations to the province".
Newsweek
a day ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Startup Creates Pill That Makes Fat Cells Burn Calories While You're at Rest
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In the coming years, losing weight might be as simple as taking a pill. A biotech startup based in Uruguay has successfully completed early-stage human trials for a first-in-class drug that targets fat cells to burn more calories, even while the body is at rest. Developed by Eolo Pharma, the compound—known as SANA—could be a crucial breakthrough in metabolic therapy. Unlike traditional obesity drugs that suppress appetite, SANA stimulates energy expenditure in fat tissue. In the June 2025 edition of Nature Metabolism, researchers reported that the drug led to reduced body mass index (BMI) and improved blood glucose levels in just 15 days, with no serious side effects observed. Stock image of someone standing on weighing scales. Stock image of someone standing on weighing scales. Photo by Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images Why It Matters Obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to strain healthcare systems worldwide. Current treatments, like GLP-1 agonists, offer weight loss by reducing appetite but have been linked to gastrointestinal side effects. SANA, by contrast, works by improving the body's ability to burn energy through a novel mechanism that activates creatine-dependent thermogenesis in fat tissue. "Instead of telling the body to eat less, this drug tells the body to burn more," Carlos Escande, a researcher at the Institut Pasteur and a founding member of Eolo Pharma, said in a press release. "It opens a completely new therapeutic pathway for obesity and metabolic disorders." What To Know The phase 1A/B clinical trial was conducted in healthy lean volunteers and individuals with overweight or obesity. Over 15 days, participants receiving SANA at the highest dose (200 mg twice daily) experienced a weight reduction of up to 3% and improvements in insulin sensitivity. According to the trial's registry, no severe adverse events occurred, and only minor side effects such as headache and soft stools were reported. According to the release, SANA is the first drug developed entirely within Uruguay to reach this stage of testing. In an email to Newsweek, Escande explained, "There were two main drivers of our work. First, the fact that when we started our research in 2014, there were no available treatments, and we were convinced that our molecules could provide an answer. "Second, we were aware that developing a drug from South America was a challenge by itself. There are no records of this as far as we know. "This challenge gave us the inspiration to follow this dream, to try to defeat the odds that were against us. The rest is a combination of extraordinary teamwork, good science and perseverance." What People Are Saying Escande told Newsweek that the accomplishment was a matter of pride for their international team: "The main reason for this feeling is that Uruguay—as well as many other countries in South America, especially Brazil and Argentina—have a strong scientific community that is capable of generating high-quality science. "However, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of adding value to our knowledge. Indeed, the vast majority of our income comes from commodity exports. "We believe that Eolo and the development of MVD1 might be a proof of concept that we are capable of more, and that the global industry should start paying attention to our region." What's Next The drug's success in phase 1 trials has paved the way for a broader phase II trial, scheduled to begin by the end of 2025. That study will include more participants and incorporate patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. If future trials confirm the results, SANA could become the first clinically approved drug to induce thermogenesis in humans by activating the creatine cycle, offering a novel treatment for a global epidemic with few sustainable solutions. "Our dream is that MVD1 will, sooner or later, be able to reach the patients that may need it," Escande told Newsweek. "The path that we have ahead of us is still challenging, and [there is] no doubt that we will need to partner with global companies to achieve our final goal. We are confident that we will be able to make it."
