Counterterrorism prosecutors failed to have warrant annulled on grounds that al-Assad enjoys immunity as head of state. A Paris appeals court has upheld the validity of an arrest warrant issued for the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad over alleged complicity in war crimes committed during the country’s civil war, according to lawyers. The judges ruled on Wednesday that the warrant, which French anti-terrorism prosecutors had sought to annul on...

They have traded barbs for months, but Joe Biden and Donald Trump will soon get a chance to go head-to-head as the United States gears up for the first debate of the 2024 presidential election campaign. The presumptive Democratic and Republican party nominees will take the debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday evening, less than five months before the vote on November 5. Opinion polls show President...

EDITOR’S ANALYSIS Israeli defence minister’s visit comes a month before Netanyahu’s, and highlights his position as an alternative to the PM. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has been on a mission in the past few days to shore up bipartisan support in the United States for Israel, in advance of what could potentially be all-out war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Gallant set the stage before he left for...