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Following the overthrow Sunday of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel has seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights and attacked weapons factories near Damascus. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.

The Biden administration is shoring up its CHIPS Act funding agreements before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Trump has previously disparaged the CHIPS Act and called for higher tariffs instead of subsidies to incentivize companies to build semiconductor factories. What would be the future of TSMC under the Trump administration? See the full story here.

Damascus stirred back to life on Monday at the start of a hopeful but uncertain era after rebels seized the capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. Tens of thousands of people held in Syria's notorious prisons have been freed. We talk with Sirwan Kajjo from VOA’s Kurdish Service.

Without hesitation and after more than 13 years in exile, hundreds of Syrian refugees rushed to return to their country this week in the hope of reuniting with their families and reestablishing their lives. Joan Cabasés Vega spoke with some of the refugees from the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. See the full story here.

After years of resisting international pressure to meet financial obligations for combating climate change, China is seeking to avoid legal accountability at International Court of Justice in The Hague

Austin Tice has been unjustly jailed in Syria for more than 12 years

The number of people who successfully registered for China's 2025 national public service exam reached a historic high of 3.416 million. For many young people, securing a position as a civil servant has become the preferred choice for a stable career, particularly in light of China's economic uncertainties and intense pressures in the job market. See the full story here.

As families desperately scoured filthy cells of Syria's forbidding Sednaya prison for any sign of long-detained relatives after its gates were flung open by rebels, hope for finding missing loved ones began to fade

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

The man reportedly was taken into custody after police got a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania

The case arose from Jordan Neely's May 2023 death and became a prism for differing views about public safety, valor and vigilantism

Turkey is one of the principal backers of some of the Syrian rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad and a likely winner as Ankara seeks to gain influence in the country. However, analysts warn much will depend on whether a stable government emerges after Assad’s departure. Dorian Jones reports.

Nearly a million Syrians are in Germany, most with some kind of refugee or other protected status

‘Rare earths are a powerful tool China will use to retaliate against the Trump administration if the tariff war escalates’

Belarusian officials did not provide the names of those released but said that the group included 11 women and 18 men

Indians have surpassed Chinese as the largest international student group in the U.S., experts say. It's the first time it's happened since 2009, NBC News reports, and experts say it's partly due to the lingering effects of COVID. (November 2024) 

Four Thai crew members are still detained in Myanmar

Some analysts say Beijing’s military purge is likely to continue in 2025 as an anti-corruption campaign has become a regular way to manage the sector