US Fed officials expected slower rate cuts in 2025, say December minutes
Minutes of the December meeting show a division on decision to cut rates and the 0.25 percent cut was a ‘close call’. United States Federal Reserve officials at their meeting December 17-18 expected to dial back the pace of interest rate cuts this year in the face of persistently elevated inflation and the threat of widespread tariffs and other potential policy changes. Minutes from the meeting, released on Wednesday after the typical three-week lag, also showed clear division among the Fed’s 19 policymakers. Some expressed support for keeping the central bank’s key rate unchanged, the minutes said. And a majority of the officials said the decision to cut rates was a close call. Ultimately, the Fed chose to cut its key rate by a quarter-point to about 4.3 percent. One official, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, dissented in favour of keeping rates unchanged. Still, there was widespread agreement that after reducing rates for three straight meetings, it was time to undertake a more deliberate approach to their key rate. Fewer rate cuts will likely mean that borrowing costs for consumers and businesses – including for homes, cars and credit cards – will remain elevated this year. Advertisement Policymakers said the Fed “was at or near the point at which it would be appropriate to slow the pace of policy easing”, the minutes said. In projections released after the meeting, Fed officials said they expect just two cuts next year, down from an earlier projection of four. Trump tariffs The minutes also showed that “almost all” Fed policymakers see a greater risk than before that inflation could stay higher than they expect, in part because inflation has lingered in several recent readings and because of “the likely effects of potential changes in trade and immigration policy”. The Fed’s staff economists considered the economy’s future path particularly uncertain at the December meeting, in part because of incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s administration’s “potential changes to trade, immigration, fiscal, and regulatory policies”, which the staff said are difficult to assess in terms of how they will impact the economy. As a result, they included several different scenarios for the economy’s future path in their presentation to policymakers. The staff projected that inflation this year would be about the same as in 2024 because they expected Trump’s proposed tariffs would keep inflation elevated. Stock markets plummeted after the Fed officials reduced their outlook for rate cuts last month. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference after the meeting that the decision to reduce rates had been a “close call”. Powell also said that recent signs of stubborn inflation have caused many Fed officials to pare back their expectations for rate cuts. According to the Fed’s preferred measure, inflation ticked up to 2.4 percent in November, compared with a year ago, above the Fed’s 2 percent target. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, it was 2.8 percent. Advertisement In addition, some officials have started to consider the potential impact of Trump’s proposals, such as widespread tariffs, on the economy and inflation next year, the minutes said. Economists at Goldman Sachs, for example, have estimated that Trump’s tariff proposals could push inflation up by nearly a half-percentage point later this year. Earlier Wednesday, Fed governor Christopher Waller said that he still supported rate reductions this year, partly because he expects inflation to steadily head down to the Fed target. He also said he did not expect tariffs would worsen inflation and wouldn’t change his preference for lowering borrowing costs. In a question-and-answer session, Waller also said that he didn’t think Trump would ultimately impose the universal tariffs he promised in the campaign. Adblock test (Why?)
As Trump talks up trade war with China, fears rise for rare earths supply
Taipei, Taiwan – As United States President-elect Donald Trump gears up for a second trade war with China once he takes office on January 20, the rare earth minerals essential to the production of electronics, vehicles and weapons are one resource expected to be caught up in the fray. While rare earths are plentiful across the earth’s surface – despite what their name suggests – China controls about 70 percent of their production and 90 percent of processing, according to estimates by the US Geological Survey and the International Energy Agency. The 17 elements, which include scandium, promethium and yttrium, are used to make everything from smartphones, semiconductors, and EV batteries, to F-35 fighter jets, drones, wind turbines, radar systems and nuclear reactors. The vulnerability of rare earth supply chains has been a growing concern for governments worldwide in an era of heightened geopolitical tensions. Last month, China banned exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the US after the administration of President Joe Biden announced its latest curbs on the sale of advanced chips and machinery to the country. Advertisement The move was widely viewed as symbolic as the US has other sources of gallium and germanium. But it nonetheless marked an escalation in Beijing’s use of rare earths as a tool for geopolitical advantage after declaring rare earths property of the state in October and banning the export of technologies used for extracting and separating the materials late last year. It also recalled the Chinese government’s decision in 2010 to briefly ban exports of such minerals to Japan amid a maritime border dispute between the sides. US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, the United States, on January 7, 2025 [Evan Vucci/AP] With Trump pledging to impose a swath of new trade restrictions on China – ranging from a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods over Beijing’s failure to curb fentanyl exports, to a 60 percent tariff for unfair trade practices – Beijing could further restrict rare earths to respond in kind. Even if the Chinese government did not retaliate with export bans, Trump’s tariffs would potentially make the minerals much more expensive to obtain. “Looking ahead 12–18 months, the global geopolitical landscape is rife with wildcards that could in an instant materially impact the outlook for supply chains and the economies they serve,” Ryan Castilloux, a rare earths expert at Canada-based research and advisory firm Adamas Intelligence, told Al Jazeera. Washington is particularly concerned about rare earths such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, Castilloux said, which are used to make powerful neodymium magnets – also known as NdFeB magnets. Advertisement Rare earths and finished products such as rare-earth magnets, which are multiple times stronger than standard magnets, are considered a “vulnerability for US manufacturers and the defence industry” because the US and its allies have yet to develop an alternative source than China, Castilloux said, although projects to produce the minerals are under way elsewhere, including three US states and Estonia. Washington has made the establishment of a “sustainable mine-to-magnet supply chain” a top priority. In March, Danielle Miller, acting deputy assistant secretary of defence for industrial base resilience, said efforts to build such a pipeline capable of supporting all US defence requirements by 2027 were “on track”. Despite plentiful reserves of rare earths in numerous countries, from Angola and Australia to Brazil, Canada and South Africa, expanding the supply chain beyond China is a challenging undertaking. China has been able to maintain dominance of the industry thanks to its economies of scale, government subsidies, and its accumulation of massive stockpiles that have allowed it to undercut competitors with “irrationally low prices”, said Neha Mukherjee, a senior analyst for critical minerals at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Samples of rare earth minerals on display at the Mountain Pass Rare Earth facility in Mountain Pass, California, the United States, on June 29, 2015 [David Becker/Reuters] Rare earths are by-products of mining other minerals such as iron ore, and they are not produced in predictable quantities. As a result, quantities and therefore prices of different rare earths can vary greatly among the 17 minerals. Advertisement Mukherjee said China is focused on keeping rare earth prices stable to support its domestic EV industry, even if doing so comes at the expense of the mining sector. China’s near-monopoly and unbeatable prices have historically made operating rare earth mines and processing facilities an unattractive proposition for many investors. “They’re discouraging anyone from becoming a competitor. It just doesn’t make viable economics to develop a mine when you can buy the semi-processed materials at a competitive rate,” Mike Walden, senior director of TechCet, a consulting firm specialising in electronics supply chains, told Al Jazeera. The timeline is also long, taking 10-20 years from exploration to construction, Walden added. A watershed moment for US efforts to secure rare earth supplies was the reopening of the Mountain Pass Mine in California’s Mojave Desert – first discovered in the 1870s – by MP Materials in 2018. The company has since opened a magnet factory in Texas. Other rare earth-related facilities outside China include a mine in Yellowknife, Canada, a magnet recycler in the US state of Texas, and a rare earth magnet factory in the US state of South Carolina, with more projects in development across North America. Since 2022, the US Department of Defence and the Department of Energy have awarded more than $440m to rare earth companies, with additional tax credits provided by the Inflation Reduction Act. Such projects could help the US weather the storm if China cut off exports of rare earths, although the country could still struggle to achieve total self-reliance, said Walden. Advertisement “The key point here is there are operational facilities in North America. Is it enough to necessarily support all North American demand? The answer to that is no. Is it enough to support the strategic demand of North America? The answer to that appears to be yes,” he said,
Barcelona defeat Athletic without Olmo to reach Spanish Super Cup final
Barcelona reach the final of the Spanish Super Cup with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao in Saudi Arabia. Young starlets Gavi and Lamine Yamal fired Barcelona, without Dani Olmo after his licence to play was revoked, into the Spanish Super Cup final with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao. Spanish playmaker Olmo was cleared to play again on a temporary basis before the game on Wednesday, but the decision came too late for him or Pau Victor, in the same position, to feature against Copa del Rey winners Athletic. Gavi put Barcelona ahead from close range after 17 minutes and teenage winger Yamal netted the second early after the break. Spanish and European champions Real Madrid face cup runners-up Mallorca on Thursday in the second semifinal. “We don’t care [who we face in the final]. It will be hard and we want to win it, which is the important thing, and go back home with the trophy,” Yamal told Movistar after the game. Barcelona’s Gavi forces home the opening goal [Pedro Nunes/Reuters] Barcelona, who qualified as LaLiga runners-up, started brightly and Raphinha volleyed over from a fine Jules Kounde cross and forced Unai Simon into a good save with a free-kick. Advertisement It was no surprise when the Catalans broke the deadlock with Alejandro Balde cutting the ball back for Gavi, playing in Olmo’s attacking midfield role, to turn home. The 20-year-old pointed at an imaginary watch in his celebration, a nod to Olmo, who regularly produces the same gesture after scoring. At the other end, Inaki Williams dallied on the ball too long as Athletic’s best attacking move of the first half broke down. Yamal, 17, should have added Barcelona’s second after Raphinha’s shot was saved but miscued an attempted lob. Wojciech Szczesny, on his second start in goal for Barcelona, made a good save to keep Inaki Williams at bay before the break. Barcelona doubled their lead early in the second half when Gavi slipped in Yamal who finished with aplomb. “Athletic are a very physical team that make you run a lot. We suffered above all towards the end, but we were able to play well, and we’re very happy,” Yamal added. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring their second goal [Pedro Nunes/Reuters] Veteran Polish forward Robert Lewandowski spurned a fine chance to add the third, firing off-target when well-placed. Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde, who was sacked as Barcelona boss after a defeat at the same stadium in 2020, brought on Nico Williams to try and turn the game around. The Spain international, heavily linked with Barcelona in the summer, was not fit enough to start, but made a positive impact from the bench. The winger set up Oscar de Marcos to strike, but the Athletic defender had strayed just offside and the goal was ruled out. Advertisement Inaki Williams also had a goal ruled out for offside after Frenkie de Jong’s poor back-pass took a slight deflection off Alvaro Djalo on its way to the Ghana international. Barcelona secured their victory and await their opponents in Sunday’s final, in which Olmo will be allowed to feature. Adblock test (Why?)
Strong winds drive wildfires across Los Angeles
California firefighters have battled wind-whipped wildfires that have torn across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes and clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled, straining resources as officials prepared for the situation to worsen. The blaze that broke out on Tuesday evening in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living centre had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a car park. The residents waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and even construction vans arrived to take them to safety. A blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialised by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA”. In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable, as scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases. Advertisement Traffic jams prevented emergency vehicles from getting through. A bulldozer was then brought in to push abandoned cars to the side and create a path. Video along the Pacific Coast Highway showed widespread destruction of homes and businesses along the famed roadway. A third wildfire started at about 10:30pm (06:30 GMT, Wednesday) and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, the northernmost neighbourhood in Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires were under investigation. Flames were being pushed by winds topping 60mph (about 100km/h) in some places. The wind speeds were projected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could top 100mph (160km/h) in mountains and foothills — including in areas that have not seen substantial rain in months. The situation prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight. Officials did not give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat. Governor Gavin Newsom visited the scene and said many homes had burned. By evening, the flames had spread into neighbouring Malibu and several people there were being treated for burn injuries. A firefighter had a serious head injury and was taken to a hospital, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott. Advertisement As of Tuesday evening, nearly 167,000 people were without power in Los Angeles County, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us. Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in southern California, where there has been very little rain this season. Southern California has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5mm) of rain since early May. Adblock test (Why?)
Can Syria’s new leaders fix the broken economy?
After almost 14 years of civil war, Syria’s economy is in ruins. After almost 14 years of civil war, Syria’s economy has been decimated. Most of its oil and gas wells, roads, electricity grids, farmland and infrastructure are damaged. Crippling the economy even further is a wide range of Western sanctions imposed on the nation and on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad and is now leading Syria’s transition. The new administration says lifting those sanctions is vital to help rebuild the country. But will they be removed? Plus, Ukraine has halted Russia’s gas flows to Europe. And sales of foreign smartphones have dropped by almost half in China. Adblock test (Why?)
Former Assad military officers reconcile with Syria’s new authorities
NewsFeed Former Syrian military officers who worked under the Assad regime are registering with the new administration as part of the effort towards a peaceful political transition. Published On 8 Jan 20258 Jan 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Will Austria’s Freedom Party form a coalition and create stable government?
Herbert Kickle first far-right leader since World War II to be invited to form a government. Austria could soon join a growing number of European Union countries led by the far right. Months of negotiation led by the conservative Austrian People’s Party ended with no coalition and the president, a left-wing former Greens leader, has been left with little choice but to look even further to the right. The Freedom Party (FPO) is anti-immigration and pro-Russian. Its leader, Herbert Kickle, is due to begin negotiations with the conservatives and is hoping to emerge as chancellor. Will he succeed? And if he does, what does the future look like for Austria’s ailing economy and its significant immigrant population? Presenter: Cyril Vanier Guests: Michael Bonvalot – Journalist Aurelien Mondon – Senior lecturer at the University of Bath Florian Hartleb – Political consultant Adblock test (Why?)
‘Hell will break loose’: Trump hints at military moves in Mideast, Americas
United States President-elect Donald Trump has hinted at possible military intervention in the Americas and the Middle East, as well as other items on his foreign policy agenda, during a wide-ranging news conference in Florida. Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, a day after Congress officially certified his victory in November’s general elections. The news conference also comes just 13 days before Trump is set to take the oath of office for his second term on January 20. The president-elect touched on several domestic subjects, pledging to roll back environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. But his most consequential statements concerned foreign policy. Trump expounded on a sweeping expansionist vision, with consequences for countries across the world. He repeated his desire for US control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada, while emphasising that “all hell will break out” if captives held in Gaza are not released before he takes office. Advertisement In one exchange with reporters, Trump was asked if he would rule out the use of military force or economic coercion to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. He refused. “I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said. He then pivoted to the canal, an arterial trade route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He later added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.” Both Greenland’s and Denmark’s prime ministers have ruled out the prospect of the sprawling Arctic island being transferred to US control. And the government of Panama has likewise maintained that the canal will remain Panamanian, as it has been since the US relinquished control in 1999, following a treaty negotiated under late US President Jimmy Carter. Eyes on Canada Trump also made bold statements about his intentions towards Canada, one of the US’s largest trading partners. The country shares a 8,891-kilometre (5,525-mile) border with the US, and Trump in recent weeks has suggested it should become the US’s 51st state. But during Tuesday’s news conference, he ruled out using military force against Canada, which has traditionally been a close ally — though not “economic force”. “You get rid of the artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what it looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said, referring to the US-Canada border. Advertisement Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly responded to the prospect on social media. “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” Trudeau wrote. Trump, meanwhile, renewed his pledge to impose “substantial tariffs” on Mexico and Canada if they do not acquiesce to demands to stem irregular migration and drug trafficking into the US. Trump had previously threatened to slap 25-percent tariffs on the two countries, despite warnings from economists that trade wars could mangle heavily interconnected North American industries. In another reference to changing the regional map, Trump said the Gulf of Mexico should be named the “Gulf of America”. It has a “beautiful ring to it”, he quipped. ‘Hell will break out’ Trump spent considerable time discussing Israel’s war in Gaza, a conflict that has claimed more than 45,885 Palestinian lives and prompted fears of grave human rights abuses. The president-elect called his nominee for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, up to the podium to give an update on negotiations. Witkoff, a real-estate investor with no foreign policy experience, had been part of recent ceasefire talks in the Middle East. In apparently impromptu remarks, Witkoff said: “I think that we’ve had some really great progress, and I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president.” But the president-elect took a harsher line, focusing on the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas after the attack on October 8, 2023, in southern Israel. Israel estimates about 100 people remain in Hamas’s custody. Advertisement Trump vowed that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release captives by the time he takes office. Some observers have interpreted Trump’s statement as a threat of possible US military intervention in Gaza, a line that outgoing President Joe Biden has refused to cross, despite surging military aid to Israel. When asked to explain what he meant at the news conference, Trump baulked: “Do I have to define it for you? All hell will break out if those hostages aren’t back.” “If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don’t have to say any more, but that’s what it is,” he said. Syria policy Trump gave a characteristically cryptic answer when asked about the future of US troops in Syria. The Pentagon says about 2,000 US personnel remain in the country as part of a mission to curb the armed group ISIL (ISIS). But questions have arisen about long-term US involvement in Syria after former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in early December. US troops have supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria since 2014, as a multi-pronged civil war unfolded in the country. But that backing put Washington at odds with its NATO ally Turkiye, which considers members of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) — the bulk of the SDF’s fighters — to be “terrorists”. Turkiye, by contrast, has supported the rebel groups that ultimately overthrew al-Assad. Advertisement During his first term, Trump floated the possibility of withdrawing US troops from Syria. And as recently as December, he posted on his Truth Social platform that the US should have “nothing to do” with Syria. But in Tuesday’s news conference, he opted instead for ambiguity about the future of US involvement
Venezuelan opposition candidate claims son-in-law has been kidnapped
Edmundo Gonzalez, who competed against incumbent Nicolas Maduro in July’s presidential elections, says masked men abducted his son-in-law in Caracas. Edmundo Gonzalez, the leader of Venezuela’s political opposition, has accused masked men of kidnapping his son-in-law, who remains missing. Gonzalez, who ran in the country’s contested presidential election in July, announced the news on social media on Tuesday. “This morning my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped,” Gonzalez wrote. “Rafael was heading to my grandchildren’s school, ages 7 and 6, in Caracas, to drop them off for the start of classes, and he was intercepted by hooded men dressed in black, who put him in a gold-coloured pickup truck with the license plate AA54E2C and took him away. At this time he is missing.” Gonzalez himself currently faces an arrest warrant in Venezuela, where he has asserted that he is the rightful winner of the July 28 presidential contest. That has put him at odds with incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, who likewise claimed victory. Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third term on Friday. The opposition and other critics of Maduro’s government have protested against the election and the official results, which they maintain lacked transparency and fairness. Advertisement Pre-election polling appeared to show Maduro trailing Gonzalez by a steep margin. But shortly after polls closed, the country’s electoral authority declared Maduro the winner, without releasing the usual breakdown of the voting tally. Venezuela’s opposition argued that precinct-level tallies show Gonzalez beating Maduro by a two-to-one margin, and they have published what appear to be official tally sheets online. That raised doubts about the legitimacy of his victory, and protesters flooded the streets in cities like Caracas in the aftermath of the vote. The government has, in turn, been accused of leading a violent crackdown against protesters and political opponents following the election. Some 2,000 people were initially arrested, and 23 killed, though Maduro’s government recently said it released 1,515 of the detainees. His administration has long faced accusations of political repression and human rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary detention. In September, prosecutors in Venezuela’s government accused Gonzalez of conspiracy, usurpation of powers and falsifying documents, and a court issued a warrant for his arrest. The opposition leader fled the country and went into exile in Spain. But he has pledged to return to Venezuela. The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that Gonzalez will be arrested if he comes back. Maduro and his allies maintain that Gonzalez and other opposition members worked with hostile foreign powers to destabilise the country. Advertisement In early January, Gonzalez left Spain to rally support in a tour across the Americas and put pressure on Maduro’s government. He has already visited Argentina and Uruguay, and on Monday, he met US President Joe Biden, whose government recognised Gonzalez as the legitimate president-elect in November. While regional leaders have expressed scepticism about Maduro’s claims of victory and condemned the crackdown on protesters, it remains unclear what leverage can be exerted on Gonzalez’s behalf. Adblock test (Why?)
US pauses select restrictions on Syria, offering hope on Western sanctions
Washington opens the way for transactions needed for humanitarian purposes in a move seen as an ‘important step’ towards easing the West’s sanctions. The United States has announced it is easing select restrictions on Syria’s transitional government. Late on Monday, the US Treasury issued a general licence, lasting six months, that authorises certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions. The move is designed to allow the entry of humanitarian aid following the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month, the US said. It suggests some progress in the efforts of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main group that overthrew al-Assad and now leading Syria’s transition, to strengthen international relations. The action does not remove any sanctions but will ensure they “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance”, the US Treasury said. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said the end of al-Assad’s “brutal and repressive rule, backed by Russia and Iran”, provided a unique opportunity for Syria and its people to rebuild. Advertisement “During this period of transition, Treasury will continue to support humanitarian assistance and responsible governance in Syria.” A wide array of Western sanctions is debilitating Syria’s economy and threatening its recovery after more than 13 years of civil war. The US, as well as the European Union, imposed sanctions against al-Assad and his regime for war crimes and human rights violations. Despite the removal of al-Assad, however, the sanctions remain in place. European officials recently said they would not be lifted until Syria’s new rulers demonstrate that they will protect minorities and share power. Syria’s new trade minister warned on Monday that Damascus was unable to make deals to import fuel, wheat and other vital items due to strict US sanctions, despite many countries, including Gulf Arab states, wanting to do so. Maher Khalil al-Hasan told the Reuters news agency Syria’s new administration had managed to scrape together enough wheat and fuel for a few months, but the country faces a “catastrophe” if sanctions are not frozen or lifted soon. ‘Important step’ “The new administration … wants all of these sanctions lifted. But this is an important step coming from the US – because Western sanctions are in place from the European Union and other allied Western countries too, but they think they mainly take their lead from the United States,” Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from Damascus, said. The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between the leader of HTS, Ahmed al-Sharaa – who was once aligned with al-Qaeda – and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf. Advertisement The US and United Nations have long designated HTS as a terrorist organisation. However, the US has gradually lifted some penalties since al-Assad’s departure, including dropping a $10m reward on al-Sharaa. Takeoff In another positive development for Syria’s new rulers, international flights to the war-battered nation resumed on Tuesday. Airport official Saad Khair Bek said two flights from Damascus international airport departed for the United Arab Emirates in the morning. Its first arrival, from Qatar, was due to land at noon. On Thursday, Qatar Airways announced it would resume flights to Damascus after nearly 13 years, with three flights per week to start with. No flights had taken off or landed since pro-Assad forces abandoned the airport in the Syrian capital on December 8. Adblock test (Why?)