World

Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — The Assad regime in Syria came toppling down in lightning speed after rebel forces led a days-long offensive across the country and captured the capital, Damascus, on Sunday, with President Bashar Assad ultimately fleeing to Russia. How did it happen so quickly? Some Syrian analysts, as well as […]

Sadi Dubeysi/Anadolu via Getty Images (LONDON) — After dedicating his life to fighting the regime of Assad, Mazen Al-Hamada did not live to see it fall. A symbol of resilience and courage, the famous Syrian activist was found dead in the “slaughterhouse” prison of Saydnaya in Damascus, as confirmed by the Syrian Emergency Task Force to ABC News. An […]

SimpleImages/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now and affecting what matters most to us. Hurricanes intensified by a warming planet and drought-fueled wildfires are destroying our communities. Rising seas and flooding are swallowing our homes. And record-breaking heat waves are reshaping our way of life. […]

omersukrugoksu/Getty Images (LONDON) — A man seen in a video circulating online is believed to be Travis Pete Timmerman, an American who went missing from Hungary earlier this year, two officials familiar with the matter told ABC News. One official said the United States government was able to make contact with the man after he […]

Parastoo Ahmadi/Youtube (TEHRAN, Iran) — A captivating video of an Iranian woman singer went viral in Iran, showing her performing in an empty venue for an imaginary audience. Parastoo Ahmadi, a singer and composer, held the performance in one of Iran’s traditional venues while wearing a long black dress and showing her hair — without […]

Alex Wong/Getty Images (DAMASCUS, Syria) — The parents of Austin Tice, the American freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria more than a decade ago, spoke out in an interview with ABC News Live Prime on Thursday as the U.S. works to uncover their son’s whereabouts after the collapse […]

Delil Souleiman via Getty Images (DAMASCUS, SYRIA) — Rebel forces in Syria captured the capital Damascus and toppled the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country. Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by […]

urii Stefanyak/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Oleksandra Matviichuk works to expose stories about the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian human rights lawyer leads advocacy group the Centre for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Matviichuk acknowledged the severe personal impact of Russia’s war crimes. She sees opportunities […]

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images (LONDON) — The U.S. is communicating with rebel groups inside Syria amid the search for missing American journalist Austin Tice, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday, as the prisons of former President Bashar Assad empty and more evidence of alleged atrocities emerges. Miller told journalists at […]

John M Lund Photography, Inc./ Getty (ITALY) — An 11-year-old girl was miraculously rescued after three days of being stranded at sea when a shipwreck off Italy’s Lampedusa island is believed to have killed the remaining passengers on the vessel. Germany’s CompassCollective, the charitable organization that rescued the girl at 3 a.m. on Wednesday, said […]