International

The new Syrian authorities plan to end compulsory military service

Ahmed al Charaa, leader of the insurgent coalition that overtoched the Bashar al-Asad regime last week and known as the war name of Abu Mohamed al Jolani, said on Sunday that they are studying the possibility of ending compulsory military service.

He said this in a meeting with journalists and activists related to the insurgents, who published several videos on social networks.

In one of those recordings, Al Charaa is asked what will happen with compulsory military service, to which he replied “we are studying it, but in principle it will be an Army of volunteers.”

Defense “of the homeland”

Even so, he qualified shortly after that the defense of “the homeland” is mandatory and is something that concerns everyone, and he did not rule out that in the future a temporary recruitment of fifteen days or twenty days can be applied for “a very short time”.

Mandatory military service has existed in Syria since 1947, a year after the country’s independence. Over time its duration has changed and the Armed Forces have been a pillar of the system, especially during the dictatorship of the Al Asad family that began in 1971 (first with Hafez al Asad and then with his son Bachar al Asad).

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At the beginning of 2011, the year in which the protests against the Government of Bashar al-Asad broke out, it lasted 18 months, but after the beginning of the conflict the soldiers were usually kept in their posts regardless of whether that period had ended.

The Al Asad regime fell a week ago after twelve days of offensive launched by a coalition led by the Islamist group Levante Liberation Agency along with other factions backed by Turkey.

Qatari delegation arrives in Syria to open its embassy

Meanwhile, a diplomatic delegation from Qatar arrived this Sunday in Syria to complete the procedures that allow it to open its embassy in the country “after the success of the revolution” that overthrewed the regime of the deposed Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, Qatari official sources reported.

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed al Ansari, announced today in a statement that “a Qatari diplomatic delegation arrived in Damascus to complete the necessary procedures for the opening of the Qatar State embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic.”

Al Ansari said that the delegation met with the “transitional government” in Syria and reaffirmed the “full commitment of the State of Qatar to support the Syrian people in achieving their aspirations for security, peace, development and prosperity after the success of their revolution.”

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According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman, the delegation discussed with the Syrian side ways to improve the flow of humanitarian aid from Qatar and evaluated the needs of the Syrians “during this important phase” of transition.

Reopening

Last Wednesday, Al Ansari already announced Qatar’s intention to reopen its embassy in Syria “soon”, although an official date for it has not yet been announced.

Qatar, which maintains good relations with Turkey, has been very critical of the government of Bashar al-Assad and has denounced that during his mandate the overthrown president had wasted opportunities to fully reintegrate into the international community and end 13 years of war in Syria.

The small country of the Persian Gulf was one of the first to express on Sunday – after the flight of Al Asad and his family to Moscow -, its “firm support for the Syrian people”, and called on the different insurgent factions and the country’s political groups to “opt for dialogue” for “a better future for Syria.”

He has also set himself up as a mediator and, over the weekend, welcomed in Doha the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran – the upprors of a ceasefire in Syria until the fall of Al Asad – to address the future and a peaceful transition in the punished Arab country.

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International

Habeas Corpus at risk as Trump team eyes drastic border policy shift

The White House is reportedly considering suspending habeas corpus, the legal principle that protects individuals against arbitrary detention, as part of its efforts to escalate anti-immigration measures in the United States.

In remarks to reporters, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, argued that the U.S. Constitution allows the suspension of habeas corpus “in times of invasion.”

“It’s an option we are actively considering, and it all depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not,” Miller stated.

The Trump administration has frequently invoked the notion of a “migrant invasion” to justify actions such as the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border and the deportation of foreign nationals—primarily Venezuelans—to El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison.

International

Maduro to Xi: Venezuela is a loyal friend to China

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during a meeting held in Moscow on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in World War II, that China has “loyal friends” in the Caribbean nation.

“You know that in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela you have loyal friends and people willing to continue working for a new world,” said the South American leader, according to footage aired Friday by Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV.

Maduro, accompanied by several of his ministers including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, highlighted the “great results” of a 2023 agreement between China and Venezuela called the “All-Weather and All-Round Strategic Partnership.”

“I believe we can multiply the great results we’re already seeing, and I’m sure that strong and clear guidelines will emerge from this meeting to keep moving forward together,” Maduro added.

International

Iberojet reaffirms commitment to Honduras as Central American Hub

Spanish airline Iberojet and Palmerola International Airport, located in central Honduras, signed a three-year renewal of their exclusive agreement to operate direct flights between the Honduran terminal and the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

With this renewal, Iberojet—part of the Spanish tourism group Ávoris Corporación Empresarial—reaffirms its commitment to Honduras as its main gateway to Central America from Europe.

The agreement was signed by Iberojet’s Commercial Director, Mario Domínguez, and Erick Spears, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Palmerola.

The signing ceremony took place at the residence of the Spanish Ambassador to Honduras, Diego Nuño García, who served as an honorary witness.