First Syrian president to visit the White House
Approximately two decades ago, Ahmad al-Sharaa was held in a U.S.-run detention center in Iraq after joining al-Qaida militants fighting against American forces, according to AP News. No one would have guessed that he would eventually become the first Syrian president to visit Washington since the country’s independence in 1946. Since cutting ties with al-Qaida, al-Sharaa has gone on to establish new ties with countries that had shunned former President Bashar Assad’s government after its brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011. Al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia in May, and the two men plan to meet again on Monday, Oct. 9, in Washington, where Syria is widely expected to officially join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group.
Super typhoon Fung-Wong slams into Philippines
In the northeastern coast of the Philippines, Super Typhoon Fung-Wong slammed ashore on Sunday, Oct. 9, according to AP News. As of Sunday, the massive storm has already left at least two dead and forced millions of people to evacuate from flood and landslide-prone areas. The typhoon entered Dinalungan town in Aurora Sunday night with sustained winds of up to 115mph and gusts up to 143mph. Fung-wong is one of the biggest typhoons to threaten the Philippines and could cover two-thirds of the archipelago with its 1,118-mile-wide rain and wind band.
Stalemate over Iran’s nuclear program
According to AP News, the lack of current oversight or clarification on Iran’s nuclear material stock has left many regions fearing another war with Israel. While President Trump insists U.S. strikes demolished Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, regional officials remain unsure. The original 2015 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment expired last month. Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, enough to make approximately 11 nuclear weapons, was reportedly either destroyed or safely relocated. Iran appears to have continued working on a new enrichment site, Pickaxe Mountain, but has refused to grant international inspectors access. This creates a dangerous stalemate with no certainty over Iran’s current stockpile.
