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Support for cryptocurrencies from US President Donald Trump or Argentine leader Javier Milei has seen investors lose billions of dollars and is damaging a sector struggling for credibility, researchers told AFP.”The entire crypto industry is being tarnished,” said Claire Balva, strategy director for fintech company Deblock.Argentine prosecutors are reportedly examining whether Milei engaged in fraud …

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Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Monday a new transitional government would aim for consensus in rebuilding the war-torn country but acknowledged it would be unable to satisfy everyone.The transitional 23-member cabinet — without a prime minister — was announced Saturday, more than three months after Sharaa’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led an offensive that toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad.Sharaa said the new government’s goal was rebuilding the country but warned that “will not be able to satisfy everyone”.”Any steps we take will not reach consensus — this is normal — but we must reach a consensus” as much as possible, he told a gathering at the presidential palace broadcast on Syrian television after prayers for the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday.The autonomous Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria had rejected the government’s legitimacy the day after it was announced, saying it “does not reflect the country’s diversity”.Authorities are seeking to reunite and rebuild the country and its institutions after nearly 14 years of civil war.Some of Sharaa’s closest supporters and other figures aligned with him make up the majority of the new cabinet.Sharaa said the ministers were chosen for their competence and expertise, “without particular ideological or political orientations”.Most members are Sunni Muslim, reflecting the demographic make-up of Syria, ruled for decades by the Assad clan which belongs to the Alawite minority.Amid international calls for an inclusive transition, the new government has four ministers from minority groups in Syria — a Christian, a Druze, a Kurd and an Alawite, none of whom were handed key portfolios.Sharaa said the new government’s make-up took into consideration “the diversity of Syrian society” while rejecting a quota system for religious or ethnic minorities, instead opting for “participation”.”A new history is being written for Syria… we are all writing it,” he told the gathering.EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the bloc was “ready to engage with the new government in order to help tackle the immense challenges ahead”.A US State Department spokeswoman, meanwhile, said Washington hoped “this announcement represents a positive step”, but it would not ease sanctions until it had verified progress on priorities including acting against “terrorism”.This month, Sharaa signed into force a constitutional declaration regulating the country’s transitional period, set for five years.Some experts and rights groups have warned that it concentrates power in Sharaa’s hands and fails to include enough protections for minorities.This month also saw the worst sectarian bloodshed since Assad’s overthrow, with civilian massacres in Alawite-majority areas.Sharaa has previously vowed to prosecute those behind the “bloodshed of civilians” and set up a fact-finding committee.

Iran would have to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the United States or its allies, an adviser to the country’s supreme leader warned on Monday, following a threat by US President Donald Trump.The comments came after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised to hit back if Trump carried out a threat to bomb the Islamic republic if it did not make a deal to curb its nuclear programme.”We are not moving towards (nuclear) weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself,” Khamenei’s adviser Ali Larijani told state TV.”Iran does not want to do this, but … (it) will have no choice,” he added.”If at some point you (the US) move towards bombing by yourself or through Israel, you will force Iran to make a different decision.”Trump said on Saturday “there will be bombing” if Iran did not agree a nuclear deal, according to NBC News, which said he also threatened to punish Tehran with what he called “secondary tariffs”.Despite the sharpening of Trump’s comments, it was not clear if he was threatening a US bombing or an operation coordinated with another country, possibly Iran’s nemesis Israel.”They threaten to do mischief,” Khamenei said of the remarks during a speech for the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.”If it is carried out, they will definitely receive a strong counterattack.”The message was sent to the UN Security Council in a letter by Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani which condemned what he called “warmongering provocations”. Iran “will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime,” the envoy added.- ‘Glass room’ -Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the charge d’affaires of the Swiss embassy, which represents US interests in Iran, “following the threats by the US president”, a ministry statement said.”The Americans have at least 10 bases in the region around Iran, and they have 50,000 troops,” warned General Amirali Hajizadeh, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”Someone who is in a glass room shouldn’t throw stones at anyone,” the man in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile programme threatened on state television Monday.Since taking office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy, which in his first term saw the United States withdraw from a landmark agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied, insisting its enrichment activities were solely for peaceful purposes.The 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers required Iran to limit its nuclear processing in exchange for sanctions relief.- ‘Indirect’ channel -On March 7, Trump said he had written to Khamenei to call for nuclear negotiations and warn of possible military action if Tehran refused.The letter was delivered to Tehran on March 12 by a United Arab Emirates envoy, Iran’s Fars news agency reported at the time.On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a response had been sent through Oman, without detailing its content.Araghchi said Iran would not engage in direct talks “under maximum pressure and the threat of military action”.In his remarks, however, the minister left open the door for “indirect negotiations”.According to NBC, Trump said US and Iranian officials were “talking,” but he did not give details.President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said Khamenei, who as supreme leader has the final say in major state policies, had permitted indirect talks.Oman has served as an intermediary in the past, in the absence of US-Iranian diplomatic relations severed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.On Monday, Araghchi said the United States had received Iran’s letter.”We have been informed by our friends in Oman that the letter has reached its destination and has been read.”Beyond its nuclear programme, the West also accuses Iran of using proxy forces to expand its influence in the region, a charge Tehran rejects.”There is only one proxy force in this region, and that is the corrupt usurper Zionist regime,” Khamenei said, calling for Israel to be “eradicated”.

Global stock markets largely slipped on Monday after another turbulent day of trading, with the S&P 500 briefly falling into correction territory before reversing course ahead of a wave of US tariffs this week that have fanned recession fears.On Wall Street, US stocks shook off some early gloom about President Donald Trump’s imminent tariff announcement …

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Eid al-Fitr in Syria was charged with newfound joy this year, as thousands freely celebrated the holiday for the first time after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.From the early morning hours, crowds of men, women and children flocked to pray at Damascus’s historic Umayyad Mosque in the Old City. “This is the first time we truly feel the joy of Eid, after getting rid of Assad’s tyrannical regime,” Fatima Othman told AFP. Following prayer, worshippers exchanged Eid greetings while street vendors sold colourful balloons and toys to children posing for photos with their parents. “Our celebration is doubled after Assad’s fall,” said Ghassan Youssef, a resident of the capital. A few kilometres (miles) away, on the slopes of Mount Qasyun overlooking Damascus — a site previously off-limits to Syrians until Assad was deposed on December 8 — a few thousand people gathered at Unknown Soldier Square for an open-air prayer. Among them were members of the security forces and the army, dressed in uniform and armed. The road leading to the square was packed, according to an AFP photographer. Some worshippers distributed sweets to celebrate, while the three-star Syrian flag, adopted by the new authorities, waved in the air. Under the previous government, access to the Unknown Soldier monument was typically restricted to Assad and his close associates, who would lay wreaths there during national ceremonies. – ‘Celebration of celebrations!’ -The memorial, where a giant screen broadcast the Eid prayer, is near the presidential palace. There, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa prayed alongside Syria’s new mufti Osama al-Rifai and several cabinet ministers in the presence of a large crowd. He later delivered a speech emphasising the country faced “a long and arduous road to reconstruction but possesses all the resources needed to recover”. This came two days after the formation of a new government, which faces daunting challenges in a country devastated by 14 years of civil war. Wael Hamamiya, who had been in Sweden since the early days of the conflict, returned to Damascus to celebrate Eid with his family.”This is my first Eid here in nearly 15 years. I truly feel the celebration in its full meaning,” he told AFP, beaming. “Everyone who has come is over the moon. This is the celebration of celebrations!” The occasion was more sombre for some Syrians, who were able to visit the graves of loved ones that had been off-limits during Assad reign, especially in former opposition strongholds.At Al-Rawda Cafe in Damascus, 36-year-old Amer Hallaq chatted with friends after returning from exile in Berlin where he ended up after dodging compulsory military service in 2014.”For years, I thought I’d never see my family again or celebrate Eid with them,” Hallaq said. “The joy of liberation and victory is immense, but there’s still a lot of work ahead. This is only the beginning of the road.”

In the war-devastated southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun on Monday, residents marked the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr among their dead.Relatives crowded the village’s cemeteries to pray for the more than 100 residents, including fighters from Hezbollah, killed during the war between the militant group and Israel that ended with a fragile ceasefire in November.”We defied the entire world by being here in Aitaroun to celebrate Eid with our martyrs,” Siham Ftouni said near the grave of her son, a rescuer with an Islamic health organisation affiliated with Hezbollah.”Their blood permitted us to come back to our village,” she said.During the war, Lebanese state media reported that Israeli troops used explosives in Aitaroun and two nearby villages to blow up houses. The town square is heavily damaged.Few people have returned to live or to reopen businesses. The story is the same in other villages in southern Lebanon.In Aitaroun, more than 90 of the village’s dead — including some who died from natural causes — were buried only a month ago when Israeli troops pulled out.Under the ceasefire, Israel had 60 days to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, but it did not pull most of them back until February 18 after the initial deadline was extended.On Monday, beneath yellow Hezbollah flags, Ftouni and other women clad in black let their grief pour out.A young girl sat near the grave of a woman, holding her photo surrounded by flowers.Other pictures, of infants and young men in military uniform, lay on top of graves, and the sound of funeral orations triggered tears.Some visitors handed out sweets and other foods to mourners who came from further away.- ‘Ashamed’ -“This year, Eid is different from the years before,” said Salim Sayyed, 60, a farmer originally from Aitaroun. “Aitaroun, which lost more than 120 martyrs including many women and children, is living a sad Eid.”He added: “The will to live will remain stronger than death.”The war saw the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders, and the group’s military infrastructure was devastated. Yet it continues to proclaim victory after more than a year of conflict that escalated to full-blown war and killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.Despite the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops remain inside Lebanon at five points it deems strategic.Both Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of truce violations.Israel has regularly carried out often-deadly air raids in south and east Lebanon since the ceasefire, striking what it says are Hezbollah military targets that violated the agreement.On Friday Israel bombed southern Beirut for the first time since the truce after rockets were fired towards its territory.Imad Hijazi, 55, a taxi driver, said the security uncertainty was no deterrent to those wanting to spend Eid beside the graves of their loved ones.”The sadness was immense. Everyone was shaken by the loss of loved ones. I lost 23 members of my family in an Israeli strike,” Hijazi said.”I was ashamed to convey Eid greetings to my relatives or my friends.”

A senior Hamas official urged supporters worldwide on Monday to take up weapons and fight plans to displace Gaza’s people, as Israel issued a sweeping evacuation order in the territory’s south, stepping up its renewed offensive.The idea of forcing Gazans to leave the devastated territory for neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan was first floated by US President Donald Trump, and has since been seized on by right-wing Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed on Sunday to implement it.”In the face of this sinister plan — one that combines massacres with starvation — anyone who can bear arms, anywhere in the world, must take action,” Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement Monday.”Do not withhold an explosive, a bullet, a knife, or a stone. Let everyone break their silence.”AFPTV images showed residents of southern Gaza leaving the area on Monday following the Israeli military’s evacuation order warning of renewed operations.Some rode in cars piled high with belongings, while others pushed heavy carts and others carried nothing at all.The order, posted to X by army spokesman Avichay Adraee, included a map showing a swath of southern Gaza in red, including the city of Rafah.It said the military was “returning to fight with great force to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organisations in these areas”, urging residents to head to the Al Mawasi area, northwest of Rafah.”I am currently on foot, there is no transportation, and I do not have the fare for a car ride. As you can see, we have no luggage with us — we left all our belongings behind,” said Ali Mansour, a resident of the city. Fellow Rafah resident Najah Dhahir, fleeing with her nine-month-old baby, said “they told us we had two hours to evacuate” before the Israeli army arrived.The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said “people are treated like pinballs with constant military orders playing with their fate & lives”.”As if death, diseases, destruction and hunger were not enough for the Palestinians in Gaza,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.- Trump plan -Hamas’s call to arms came a day after Netanyahu offered to let the group’s leaders leave Gaza while demanding it disarm.The group has previously expressed a willingness to relinquish administration of Gaza, but has warned its weapons are a “red line”.Netanyahu said Sunday that after the war, Israel would ensure overall security in Gaza and “enable the implementation of the Trump plan” — which had initially called for the mass displacement of all 2.4 million people living in the Palestinian territory — calling it a “voluntary migration plan”.UK-based Alan Mendoza, founder of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, said it appeared that Israeli authorities were taking Trump’s plan seriously.”This alarms Hamas because their very existence depends on controlling Gaza,” Mendoza told AFP.Hamas had also been “shocked” by last week’s protests in Gaza against the group.”It is a two-pronged pressure (that Hamas is facing), both externally and internally,” Mendoza said.”Internally, Hamas led their own people to disaster and so if they make (the external pressure) a national cause then they can get people to rally around the flag.”Days after taking office in January, Trump floated a proposal to move Gaza’s population out of the war-battered territory, suggesting that Egypt or Jordan could take them in.Both countries, along with other Arab allies, governments around the world and the Palestinians themselves, have flatly rejected the notion.Trump later appeared to backtrack on the proposal, saying he was “not forcing” his widely condemned plan.- ‘Forced displacement’ -Arab nations have since come up with an alternative plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip without relocating its people, which would take place under the future administration of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in February that a special agency would be established for the “voluntary departure” of Gazans.Israel resumed intense bombing of Gaza on March 18 and then launched a new ground offensive, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire in the war with Hamas after negotiations to extend it hit an impasse.Since the fighting restarted, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says that at least 1,001 people have been killed.Decrying attacks “against unarmed civilians” living in tents, Hamas in a statement Monday condemned a “policy of extermination and forced displacement”.The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 50,357 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu picked former navy commander Eli Sharvit to head the country’s domestic security agency, his office said Monday, despite the supreme court freezing the incumbent’s dismissal.Sharvit is not expected to assume office until April 8, the date when the supreme court is scheduled to rule on the dismissal of the current Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar.Netanyahu moved to sack Bar on March 21, citing an “ongoing lack of trust” in him.But after petitions filed by Israel’s opposition and a non-governmental organisation, the supreme court suspended the dismissal of Bar, whose relationship with the government became strained after he blamed the executive for the security fiasco of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.Legal experts and Israeli opposition leaders warned that if the top court overturns Bar’s dismissal, the country could face a constitutional crisis.”After conducting in-depth interviews with seven worthy candidates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint former Israel navy commander, Vice-Admiral Eli Sharvit as the next director of the ISA (Shin Bet),” his office said in a statement.Netanyahu’s office said Sharvit had served in the military for 36 years, including five as navy commander.”In that position, he led the force building of the maritime defence of the territorial waters and conducted complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran,” the statement said.- ‘Playing with fire’ -Legal experts AFP spoke to said that Netanyahu had so far not violated any law in choosing Sharvit.”Things are proceeding in parallel as the supreme court allowed him to interview candidates for the post while legal proceedings are still on in the court,” an expert on the issue told AFP on condition of anonymity, for fear of appearing to criticise the government.”The question of how legal is the dismissal (of Bar) is still pending in the supreme court and it could still be cancelled by the court.”The expert said Netanyahu, by choosing the next Shin Bet chief, was “establishing facts on the ground”.”It might be an attempt to influence the court.”Opposition leader and former defence minister Benny Gantz praised Sharvit but cautioned that the country could be on the brink of a crisis by pitting the judiciary against the executive.”What is clear is that the prime minister decided this morning to continue his campaign against the judicial system and lead the state of Israel toward a dangerous constitutional crisis,” Gantz said in a statement.Gantz emphasised that “the appointment of the head of the Shin Bet must take place only after the supreme court’s ruling”.Israel’s main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, lashed out against the way the government picked Sharvit.”It’s about the hasty, fearful, and irresponsible process by which the selection for the next head of Shin Bet was conducted,” Lapid said on X.US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump, also criticised the appointment as “beyond problematic”, citing unspecified past statements by Sharvit about Trump.- Protests, criticism -Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had said immediately after the March 21 ruling that Netanyahu was “prohibited” from appointing a new Shin Bet chief.Baharav-Miara also said she suspected Netanyahu of having a conflict of interest.But he insisted it was up to his government to decide who heads the domestic security agency.Bar’s relationship with the Netanyahu government soured after he blamed the executive for Hamas’s October 2023 attack, and following a Shin Bet probe into alleged covert payments from Qatar to a Netanyahu aide.On Monday, Netanyahu testified in the investigation, locally dubbed “Qatargate”, denouncing it as a “political witch hunt” aimed at “preventing the dismissal” of Bar.He also condemned the arrests of his two aides, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, calling their detention an act of “hostage” taking.Baharav-Miara was also previously critical of the government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary, which she said threatened to make Israel a “democracy in name but not in spirit”.The proposed changes sparked months of mass protests across Israel, deeply dividing society, but the government suspended them following the start of the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’s attack.They have since been revived, however.Thousands of Israelis protested last week to condemn Bar’s dismissal, and to call for the return of the hostages being held in Gaza.They also protested against the Israeli parliament’s decision to pass a law expanding elected officials’ power to appoint judges pushed by Netanyahu’s government.