Damascus, Sep. 16 (SANA)The People’sAssemblyunanimously approved Wednesday a bill to abolish the Terrorism Court and nullify the legal effects of its rulings during the third session of the first extraordinary legislativeterm. People’s Assemblymember Nour Arabo told SANA that the bill provides for the formation of specialized judicial committees by the Supreme Judicial Council to annul the effects of unjust rulings issued by the court. The committees will also oversee the restitution of confiscated property and either preserve pending cases or refer them to the competent judicial authority, a…

Damascus, Sept. 16 (SANA)Chairman of theFederation of Syrian Chambers of CommerceAlaa al-Ali discussed with Turkish Ambassador to DamascusNuh Yilmazon Wednesday prospects for developing and strengthening trade relations betweenSyriaandTürkiye. During a meeting at the Turkish Embassy in Damascus, the two sides discussed challenges and obstacles affecting investment and bilateral trade and ways to address them to facilitate a faster flow of goods and capital between the two countries. The talks focused on facilitating procedures for traders and businesspeople from both countries and encouragin…

Damascus, Sept. 16 (SANA)Director of International Cooperation at theMinistry of Foreign Affairsand ExpatriatesQutaiba Kadishmet with Naif al-Shammari, director of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) office inSyria, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two sides. The two officials stressed the importance of translating the current momentum in cooperation into a clear and structured institutional framework, with the International Cooperation Department serving as the main channel for coordinating and following up on cooperation. They…

Damascus, Sept. 16 (SANA)Director of the European Affairs Department at theForeign and Expatriates MinistrySally Shobat met on Wednesday with theNetherlands’ Chargé d’AffairesAlexander Geerts, accompanied by a delegation from the Dutch ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice and Security. The meeting focused on bilateral relations betweenSyriaand the Netherlands and ways to further develop them, as well as joint political cooperation aimed at ensuring the safe, dignified and sustainable return of Syrian refugees. Both sides stressed the importance of coordinating efforts to support stabili…

Damascus, Sept. 16 (SANA)Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights FadelAbdul Ghanysaid Wednesday that thePeople’s Assembly’s approval of a bill repealing Law No. 22 of 2012, which established the Terrorism Court, represents a necessary constitutional and rights-related step toward addressing the legacy of one of the ousted regime’s most prominent exceptional judicial institutions used to prosecute opponents and participants in the Syrian revolution. In a statement to SANA, Abdul Ghany said the Terrorism Court was not an ordinary court whose proceedings were merely marred by procedural …

London, Sept. 16 (SANA)LiverpoolknockedTottenham Hotspurout of the League Cup with a 3-1 third-round win at Anfield on Tuesday as Alexis Mac Allister,Cody Gakpoand Dominik Szoboszlai scored for a much-changed home side. Mac Allisteropened the scoring in the 21st minute, firing into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area after Tottenham goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had earlier denied Lucas Bergvall at the other end. Gakpo doubled Liverpool’s lead nine minutes after the break, finishing a move set up by Mac Allister. Tottenham pulled one back through Conor Gallagher in the 69th m…

New York, Sept. 16 (SANA)Saudi ArabiaandPakistanwarned theUN Security Councilthat escalatingHouthi attacksthreatened shipping through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, posing risks to global trade and supply chains.Saudi Arabia’s UN Ambassador Abdulaziz Al-Wasil told a Security Council meeting on Yemen on Tuesday that protecting maritime routes and freedom of navigation was a shared international responsibility requiring adherence to international law and relevant UN resolutions.Al-Wasil condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia, commercial vessels and maritime routes, and said the Kingdom had the right …

Homs, Sept. 16 (SANA)Syriansecurity forcesarrested a group inHoms provinceaccused of receiving money from abroad to operate fake sectarian social media accounts and gather information on security checkpoints, the Internal Security Forces said Wednesday. The arrests inal-Rastan, 25 km north of Homs city, followed electronic surveillance and an investigation, the forces said on Telegram. According to the statement, the suspects created fake social media accounts carrying sectarian content under instructions from handlers abroad, published fabricated material glorifying thedeposed regime, and m…

Idlib, Sept. 16 (SANA)Idlib’s ancientheritage, from the Kingdom of Ebla to the province’s archaeological cities, took center stage at a seminar during a seven-day book fair bringing together more than 32 publishers and around 100,000 titles.The seminar, titled “The Cultural and Social History ofIdlib,” was part of the cultural program accompanying the fourth Idlib Book Fair at the Cultural Center in the city.Mamoun al-Khatib, a history lecturer at Idlib University, and Jamal al-Shahoud, a member of Idlib Governorate’s executive office responsible for education, culture and tourism, led the dis…

Occupied Jerusalem, Sept. 16 (SANA)Twenty Palestinians, including five children, were killed and more than 100 were reported missing after a residential building damaged by earlier Israeli bombardment collapsed inGazaCity on Wednesday, Palestinian rescue crews said. Palestinian news agency WAFA cited rescue crews as saying the building had been sheltering displaced people and that 25 others were injured. Search teams continued to look for people trapped beneath the rubble, but rescuers said a severe shortage of heavy equipment and specialized machinery was hampering operations. Rescue crews…

Khartoum, Sept. 16 (SANA)At least 67 people were killed and others remained missing after a gold mine collapsed inSudan’sWest Kordofanstate, a medical group and survivors said, as rescuers searched for people trapped beneath the rubble. The collapse occurred late Tuesday at the al-Zara gold mine near the town of Nuhud, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. Survivors said people remained trapped in several mine shafts, while machinery needed to remove collapsed soil and rubble was not readily available. A medical group said the death toll could rise as search and rescue operations continu…

Beirut, Sept. 16 (SANA)Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon wants a security agreement with Israel after an Israeli withdrawal from the south and remains determined to disarm Hezbollah without triggering an internal confrontation. In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), Aoun said a security agreement would primarily aim to end hostilities and allow the Lebanese Army to deploy along the border, adding that it could eventually pave the way for a peace agreement. Aoun said negotiations were necessary because the alternative would be a costly war. He reiterated Lebanon’s determi…

Aden, Sept. 16 (SANA)Developments inYemenhave entered a new phase of escalation, with renewed clashes between Yemeni forces and theHouthi militia,alongside attacks by the militia targetingSaudi citiesand economic facilities. The developments have returned Yemen to the center of growing regional tensions. The escalation comes amid the repercussions of the confrontation between Washington and Tehran and rising risks surrounding strategic maritime routes, particularly theStrait of Hormuzand theBab el-MandebStrait, placing Yemen once again at the center of regional security, military and economic…

Cairo, Sept. 16 (SANA)Egypt called for afull Israeli withdrawalfromLebanese territoryand the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 during talks on Wednesday between Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. During a phone call, Abdelatty reaffirmedEgypt’ssupport for Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and rejected Israeli attacks and violations of Lebanese sovereignty, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. He also reiterated Egypt’s support for Lebanese state institutions, particularly the army, to extend state authority…

Washington, Sept. 16 (SANA)Meta has introduced tools that allow AI agents to set up and manageWhatsApp Businessservices and troubleshoot technical problems using natural-language instructions. The WhatsApp Business Tools MCP allows developers to describe a task while an AI agent carries out technical steps that previously required navigating Meta Business Manager, development tools and API documentation, TechCrunch reported Wednesday. AI agents can create business accounts, add and verify phone numbers, register access to the Cloud API, configure and test messages, manage message templates a…

Occupied Jerusalem, Sept. 16 (SANA)The Palestinian death toll inGazasince October 2023 has risen to 73,795, with 174,869 people injured, thePalestinian Health Ministrysaid Wednesday. The ministry said hospitals in Gaza had recorded six deaths and 71 injuries over the past 24 hours. Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 1,381 Palestinians have been killed and 4,757 injured, according to the ministry. It said more victims remained under rubble and on roads, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them. The war has caused widespread destruction across Gaza, damaging homes…

London, Sept. 16 (SANA)Oil prices fell on Wednesday after an unexpected build in U.S. crude inventories outweighed concerns over Saudi supply following the suspension of loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Brent crude futures fell 93 cents, or 0.86%, to $107.82 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude declined 97 cents, or 0.92%, to $104.86,Reutersreported. U.S.crude inventories rose by 7.1 million barrels in the week ended Sept. 11, according toAmerican Petroleum Institute datacited by Reuters. Gasoline stocks increased by 1.5 million barrels, while distillate inventories rose …

Kyiv, Sept. 16 (SANA)A Russian drone struck a passenger minibus near the front line in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing five people and injuring at least seven, Ukrainian officials said. Oleksandr Hanzha, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said the drone hit the vehicle in the Nikopol district, killing five people at the scene. Seven others were receiving medical treatment. Nikopol lies on the western bank of the Dnipro River, opposite the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since the early stages of the conflict in 2022. Ukrainian officials also…

Damascus, Sept. 16 (SANA)Forty-twoSaudicompanies are participating in the International Exhibition for Reconstruction ofSyria“Rebuild 2026” in Damascus, presenting their expertise and products in construction, equipment and infrastructure sectors. The participation focuses on identifying Syrian market needs and exploring cooperation opportunities with Syrian companies. Saudi companies are displaying a range of products and solutions, including glass products, energy-saving technologies, packaging systems, and security and protection systems, while examining requirements related to reconstruc…

Riyadh, Sept. 16 (SANA)Saudi airdefenses interceptedand destroyed a drone launched by theHouthi militiasouth of Mecca before it entered the city’s airspace, the Saudi-led coalition said early Wednesday. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen.Turki al-Malikisaid in a statement on X that the incident was the second attempted attack targeting Mecca, following an earlier attempt involving a ballistic missile. Al-Maliki described the incident as an intentional act aimed at provoking the feelings of millions of Muslims, adding that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line.” He said…