Syria and Saudi Arabia said Saturday they aim to boost economic cooperation to for their mutual benefit and create jobs for Syrians after Western sanctions imposed on the war-torn country were eased earlier this month. The announcement was made during a visit to Damascus by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials. The easing of Western sanctions is likely to open the way for foreign investors into the country, where a civil war has been ongoing since March 2011. In early December, 54 years of Assad family rule came to an end, when gunmen opposed to then-president Bashar Assad captured his seat of power in Damascus.

North Korea deploys mystery balloon-like objects to stricken warship, satellite photos show New satellite images show that North Korea has deployed what appear to be balloons alongside its damaged 5,000-ton warship that has been laying on its side and partially submerged since a botched launch last week. While the purpose of the objects is unclear, experts said they could be used to help get the ship back upright, or protect it from the prying eyes of drones. The stricken destroyer was the country’s newest warship and was meant to be a triumph of North Korea’s ambitious naval modernization effort.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) Rabbi Avraham Yosef, the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztsl, criticized worshippers who drink coffee inside the shul during Shacharit. In his remarks, he responded to someone who asked whether a tired person is permitted to sip coffee during the Korbanot section before “Baruch She’amar.” “It’s unthinkable,” he said on Kol Chai radio. […]

Palestinians report that IDF troops planted an Israeli flag on the roof of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque, in the heart of the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarm, in the northern West Bank.

The government on Monday approved the joint proposal of Health Minister Uriel Busso and Jerusalem Minister Meir Porush to establish an inter-ministerial team to formulate a plan to promote the integration of Charedim into medical studies. The proposal was formulated in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor. The team will be established under the leadership of the Directors-General of the Health and Labor Ministries, and in cooperation with the Jerusalem Ministry, the Authority for Economic-Social Development in the Chareidi sector, and the Council for Higher Education.

Paramount Global, the corporate owner of CBS News, has reportedly offered President Donald Trump a $15 million payout in an attempt to resolve a lawsuit claiming the network’s “60 Minutes” program deliberately edited a Kamala Harris interview to portray her more favorably.
However, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, Trump’s attorneys have rejected the offer and are demanding over $25 million, along with a public apology from CBS News. The legal team has also warned of a separate lawsuit targeting what it claims is biased reporting by the network. Wednesday marked the deadline for Trump’s team to formally respond to Paramount’s request to have the suit dismissed.

In a wide-ranging interview marking the halfway point of his term, Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Kikar HaShabbat at the Presidential Residence for a frank conversation with journalist Yishai Cohen. The discussion covered some of the most urgent and divisive issues in Israeli society today, including the chareidi draft law, judicial reform, the ongoing hostage crisis, and Herzog’s role as a unifying figure in a fractured nation.

The United States and 10 allies on Thursday said the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea flagrantly violates U.N. sanctions and has helped Moscow increase its missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. They made the accusations in their first report since joining forces to monitor sanctions against North Korea after Russia vetoed a resolution in March 2024 to continue the monitoring by a U.N. Security Council panel of experts. It had been issuing reports of Pyongyang’s sanctions violations since 2010.

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