Paris, Sept. 17 (SANA)Jordan’s King Abdullah II and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks in Paris on Thursday on regional developments and ways to strengthen the longstanding relations between their countries.During talks at the Élysée Palace, King Abdullah stressed the importance of the Jordanian-French partnership in key sectors, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency. He said a defense cooperation agreement signed during the visit builds on continued coordination between the two countries to safeguard their shared security and support efforts to promote regional stability. The Jor…

Beirut, Sept. 17 (SANA)Lebanon has returned 37 Pharaonic artifacts toEgyptsix years after they were seized at Beirut port following their illegal removal from the country, Lebanese authorities said. Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh handed the artifacts to Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa during a ceremony at the National Museum of Beirut, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. Salameh said Lebanese authorities worked with Egypt, Interpol and Lebanon’s Public Prosecution Office to verify the ownership and authenticity of theartifacts. The collection includes two painted wooden coff…

Hasakah, Sept. 17 (SANA)Farmers inSyria’s Hasakah province have begun harvesting acottoncrop expected to yield about 45,000 tonnes after the planted area reached 11,898 hectares (118.98 square kilometers), roughly 63% above the season’s target, an agriculture official said. Cotton picking began in southern Hasakah on Sept. 16 and is expected to start in northern, northwestern and eastern parts of the province within about 10 days as the crop reaches maturity, Ezz al-Din al-Hassou, deputy director of the HasakahAgricultureDirectorate, told SANA. Farmers planted about 11,898 hectares (118.98 s…

Homs, Sept. 16 (SANA)The Homs Agriculture Directorate, Ernesto’s Sanctuary and the province’s Veterinarians Syndicate organized a free veterinary campaign for pets on Wednesday, providing medical examinations, sterilization procedures, parasite prevention and treatment for sick animals. Vet. Hassan Oyoun al-Soud, head of the Veterinarians Syndicate in Homs, told SANA that the campaign included anti-parasitic injections and various treatments for pets.He stressed the importance of regular and preventive veterinary check-ups to protect both animal health and the health of families who keep pets…

Tartous, Sept. 17 (SANA)A jointtraining campconcluded Thursday inTartousProvince with the participation of around 100 trainees, aiming to strengthen community preparedness and enhancevolunteers’ ability to respond to emergencies and disasters. The camp was organized by the Volunteer Management Department at theMinistry of Emergency and DisasterManagement in cooperation with theAga Khan Foundation. The training included theoretical and practical sessions on search and rescue, firefighting, first aid, and coordination between volunteer and civil defense teams. Director of Civil Defense in Syr…

Raqqa, Sept. 17 (SANA)The Social Affairs and Labor Directorate in Raqqa province inaugurated an institute for children with hearing and visual disabilities on Wednesday, aimed at providing specialized education and rehabilitation and helping children integrate into schools. The institute has capacity for 100 children with hearing and visual disabilities and a teaching staff of around 60 female teachers, providing students with specialized education and support. Alaa al-Hussein, a member of Raqqa province’s Executive Office for social affairs and labor, told SANA that efforts in the coming pe…

Damascus, Sept. 17 (SANA)Interior Minister Anas Khattab held talks with a French Senate delegation headed by Olivier Cigolotti on Thursday on ways to develop Syrian-French relations and strengthen bilateral cooperation. The Interior Ministry said in a statement posted on its Telegram channel that the talks focused on activating channels of cooperation in the security and administrative fields.FJ/HH

Riyadh, Sept. 17 (SANA)One person was killed and two others were injured, including a woman, after debris from a drone launched fromYemenfell inSaudi Arabia’s Taif governorate following its interception and destruction by Saudi air defenses, authorities said Thursday Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense spokesman said debris from a drone launched by the Houthi group fell after it was intercepted and destroyed, causing the death of a Yemeni resident and injuring a Saudi woman and a Pakistani resident who was in critical condition. The incident also caused material damage to several buildings and vehi…

Damascus-Paris, Sept. 17 (SANA)After 15 years during whichSyria’s nuclear non-compliance file remained open, the country has turned a page associated with the legacy of the ousted regime. On September 9, theIAEABoard of Governors unanimously adopted a decision to permanently remove the item concerning Syria’s non-compliance from its agenda.The decision not only closed a longstanding file inherited from the past, but also opened a new path based on transparency, cooperation andconfidence-building, paving the way for Syria to resume its normal role within the international nuclear non-proliferat…

Damascus, Sep. 17 (SANA)The International Cooperation Department at the Ministry ofForeign Affairsand Expatriates hosted Thursday a roundtable meeting with theWorld Banktechnical team to discuss the current state of Syria’s housing and mortgage finance sector and prospects for its development, with the participation of the Minister of Finance and representatives of relevant national institutions. The meeting explored ways to establish a sustainable and inclusive housing finance system based on market mechanisms and aligned with reconstruction priorities, as well as the needs of returning Syri…

Damascus, Sep.17 (SANA)Adviser for the European affairs atForeign Ministry, Hamza al-Mustafa met on Thursday with Swedish Ambassador in DamascusJessica Svärdström. During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations between Syria and Sweden and ways to develop them, as well as joint political cooperation to ensure the safe, dignified and sustainable return of Syrian refugees. Al-Mustafa reviewed several challenges facing the Syrian state, foremost among them the Israeli interventions in southern Syria which pose threat to the Syrian and regional security.

Damascus, Sep. 17 (SANA)Head of theGeneral Authority for Borders and CustomsQutaiba Badawi discussed Thursday withUNHCRRepresentative in Syria Kevin James Allen and his accompanying delegation ways to strengthen cooperation and support the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrian refugees and displaced people. The meeting covered measures to facilitate the passage of returnees through border crossings and enhance field coordination to provide assistance to the most vulnerable groups. The discussions also addressed requirements for developing infrastructure, services and equipment at bor…

New York, Sep.17 (SANA)Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations,Ibrahim Olabisaid that Syria will come to New York this year having seized the opportunity and matched words with actions, becoming an indispensable partner in ensuring security and stability in the region. “Let us write a different chapter together, one defined by stability and development, not wars and attacks. We can take pride in having seized this opportunity and in history recording that we chose construction over destruction, cooperation over conflict, and prosperity over suffering,” Olabi said at asecurity c…

Damascus, Sept. 17 (SANA)Deir Ezzor province showcased a package of investment projects at Emaar 2026 International Exhibition in Damascus, focusing on rubble removal, reconstruction, housing and urban expansion. Haitham al-Ayyad, director of properties and investment atDeir Ezzorprovince, told SANA that the investment opportunities have been officially documented and are being promoted to potential investors.Among the flagship projects is “Fajr al-Furat,” an 18-month initiative launched on Sept. 10 to remove and recycle about 10 million tons of rubble, equivalent to 4.2 million cubic meters,…

London, Sepr.17 (SANA)Football Association (FA) chair Debbie Hewitt has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to release all documents related to his abandoned plan to sell a stake in a new commercial company managing World Cup and other tournament rights. In a letter sent to Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, requested that the FIFA Council receive a written explanation for the decision to suspend the one-match ban imposed on US forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. Hewitt asked FIFA to make the documents available …

Damascus, Sept. 17 (SANA)Syria will introduce subsidized diesel at 115 Syrian pounds ($0.94) per liter for heating, agriculture and eligible consumers, while a second grade will be sold at 150 pounds ($1.23) per liter for some productive and service sectors, Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said Thursday. Standard-specification diesel will remain at 175 Syrian pounds ($1.43) per liter, below its actual cost of 206 pounds ($1.69) per liter, al-Bashir told a press conference in Damascus alongside Syrian Petroleum Company CEO Youssef Qablawi. The measures came a day after President Ahmad al-S…

Hasakah, Sept. 17 (SANA)On the balconies of Rabab Issa’s home, vegetables hang beneath the late-summer sun. Weeks of drying are nearly over. Soon, they will be packed away for winter. September, Issa says, isal-mounehmonth. Al-mouneh is the traditional Levantine practice of preserving seasonal produce for the months ahead.Across Hasakah, families are preserving the season while it lasts: drying okra and mulukhiyeh, pickling vegetables, making jams and cheeses and preparing staples such as makdous and kishk.The ritual is old. The calculations behind it are decidedly practical.“September is kn…

Brussels, Sept. 17 (SANA)The European Commission said Thursday that its proposal to strengthen partnership between the European Union and Canada is not directed against the United States. European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said in response to remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump: “Our proposal to strengthen our partnership with Canada is not directed against anyone,” according to Agence France-Presse. Trump threatened Wednesday to impose “very severe” tariffs or halt trade with the European Union if the bloc moves forward with a proposal to grant Canada “associate member” status. …

Washington, Sept. 17 (SANA)Researchers at Children’s HospitalLos Angeleshave developed a non-invasive imaging approach that may help identify molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma in children before surgery, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The technique can be performed alongside a standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and adds about five minutes to the examination, according toMedical Xpress. The researchers analyzed MRS data from 95 children with medulloblastoma to identify metabolic differences among the tumor’s four molecular groups. The study’s findings were publis…

Cairo, Sept. 17 (SANA)Egypt and Algeriastressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and coordination amongArab countriesto address shared challenges and safeguard regional security and stability, during a phone call between their foreign ministers on Thursday. Egyptian ForeignMinister Badr Abdelattyand his Algerian counterpartAhmed Attafexchanged views on regional and international developments and their implications for Arab national security, according to a statement published by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry. The two ministers emphasized the importance of consultation, mutual understan…