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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump announced he will lift sanctions on Syria ahead of his expected meeting in Saudi Arabia with the country’s new leader. 

“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in remarks at a Saudi-hosted investment forum on Tuesday evening. 

Trump reflected on “the misery and death” experienced by Syria during its nearly 14-year civil war.

“There is a new government that…

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump will meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his trip to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed to Al-Monitor. 

The surprise meeting comes five months after a coalition of rebel groups led by Sharaa toppled Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and installed an interim government. 

The Trump administration has avoided official engagement with Sharaa, a former Islamist insurgent whose group, Hayat Tahrir…

Hundreds of international film stars have condemned what they described as “silence” surrounding the genocide in Gaza, in an open letter published in today’s edition of the French newspaper Libération, coinciding with the opening of the Cannes Film Festival.

The letter stated, “As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” adding: “We are ashamed of such passivity.”

More than 380 international…