In an exclusive interview with Margaret Brennan, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa says that he would like to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump again because they "must restore relations in a good and direct way."

Damascus

Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara'a, who previously faced a U.S. bounty due to his past connections with extremist groups, has expressed interest in meeting with President Trump again. Al-Shara'a, who led the forces that removed Bashar al-Assad from power, emphasized the urgent need for foreign investment and the permanent lifting of sanctions to rebuild Syria.

He credited President Trump for temporarily waiving some economic sanctions and called for broader international support to help Syria recover. Al-Shara'a also defended his leadership and actions in Syria, highlighting efforts to expel extremist groups and restore stability, while urging the international community to assist in reconstruction and avoid prolonging Syrian suffering.

Syrian president says he wants to meet with Trump again

A year ago, if Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara'a had tried to come to New York, he would have risked being arrested. The U.S. had a $10 million bounty on him because of his past connections to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Al-Shara'a turned against those groups years ago. In December, he led the rebel forces that toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who used bombs and chemical weapons against his own people. Last week, I went to Syria and spoke with al-Shara'a for 60 minutes. He accused the Assad regime of destroying entire communities and displacing 14 million people. He said foreign investment is desperately needed to rebuild. In June, President Trump temporarily waived some economic sanctions to help Syria recover, but Congress, the U.N. and European nations would have to permanently lift more sanctions to draw long-term investment. On Capitol Hill and in foreign capitals, there are people who don't trust Ahmed al-Shara'a. In New York, he hopes to reintroduce Syria to the world and perhaps spend more time with President Trump. Do you want to meet again with President Trump when you're standing on U.S. soil? President Trump took a big step towards Syria by lifting the sanctions with a quick, courageous and historic decision. He recognized that Syria should be safe, stable and unified. This is in the greatest interest for all countries of the world, not just Syria. I believe the answer is yes. We need to discuss a great many issues and mutual interests between Syria and the USA. We must restore relations in a good and direct way. Many of the officials that I spoke to about you describe you as a pragmatist. Other skeptics say that you change to meet what you need to be in that moment. And that's important to understand who you are and the direction you're taking Syria in. Are you saying that you are just a completely changed man? I don't entirely agree with the description of pragmatist, because in Arabic, it has some negative connotations. The point is, let's look at what's happening now, regardless of what was said in the media. Today, we have really saved the people from the oppression that was being thrust on them by the criminal regime. And we have restored hope for the people who are refugees or internally displaced, so they can return to their homeland. We supported the people who were bombed with chemical weapons. We also confronted ISIS. We expelled the Iranian militias and Hezbollah from the region. All of these noble acts we took in Syria should have been the role of the international community. But the international community was unable to free a single prisoner or break the siege on a single town, where people were starving to death. The international community failed to deter the regime from using chemical weapons. So I don't believe we should be standing accused at the defense table. But we should be the one asking others, why did you stand silent as these terrible crimes were taking place in Syria? You believe the world failed Syria, and now the world should help rebuild it? Of course. And I believe the world must not be complicit again in the killing of the Syrian people by slowing down or preventing the lifting of sanctions and preventing them from reconstructing their nation. Anybody who stands against the lifting of sanctions would be complicit in killing the Syrian people once again. More of my interview with President al-Shara'a will appear on the new season of 60 Minutes.

The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will address the UN on Monday, after the General Assembly voted to allow him to join remotely. The U.S. has refused to issue him a visa to attend in person.

New York

Middle East Conflict

UN approves video address by Palestine’s Abbas after U.S. visa refusal

Sixty nations have agreed to a new treaty aimed at protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. But the strength of the deal governing the high seas is uncertain as some of the world’s biggest players - including China, the U.S., Russia and Japan - have yet to ratify.

Nations ratify world's first treaty to protect international waters

A cyberattack on a provider of check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London's Heathrow, the continent's busiest, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday (September 20).

London

Travelers stranded as cyberattack disrupts major European airports

The high seas will soon have their own Conference of the Parties (COP). This new body will oversee the implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is scheduled to enter into force in early 2026 after the legally required 120-day period.

Manhattan

Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom carrier, promised on Saturday "full cooperation" with official investigators, after an outage disrupted emergency call services for 13 hours. Four people died amid the technical failure, including an eight-week-old boy.

Melbourne

Telco vows to cooperate after deadly outage

Dozens more Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive. Amid mounting international criticism of Israel, there has been a renewed push for a two-state solution, with Portugal being the latest advocate.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Two-state solution gains support as IDF moves on Gaza City

Charlie Kirk will be mourned in a massive public memorial in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday. With U.S. President Donald Trump and other top U.S. officials attending, the event is expected to bring significant security concerns.

Phoenix

Thousands set to attend Charlie Kirk's public memorial

Russia has launched more than 600 attacks on multiple cities across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is renewing calls for more support, and warning allies that defending Europe means defending Ukraine.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Russia launches mass strikes across Ukraine

A cyberattack has disrupted air traffic at several airports in Europe. Check-in and boarding systems went down in London, Brussels and Berlin. Europe’s aviation safety organisation says airlines were asked to cancel 50% of their flights to reduce pressure on the system.

Heathrow Airport

Flight chaos as UK, European airports hit by cyberattack

Three Russian military jets violated NATO member Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes on Friday in an "unprecedentedly brazen" incursion, its government said, the latest in a series of recent military actions by Russia that have rattled the alliance.

Tallinn

Russian jets enter Estonia's airspace in latest test for NATO

President Trump said Friday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping "made progress" on a deal over TikTok ownership, and that he would visit China early next year.

Washington

Trump says he and Xi Jinping 'made progress' on TikTok deal

The apparent remains of Travis Decker, the man suspected of killing his three daughters in Washington state, have been located and are undergoing DNA testing. A manhunt has been underway for Decker since his daughter's bodies were found in June.

Remains of father suspected of killing 3 daughters found

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets lingered in NATO-member Estonia's airspace for several minutes on Friday, according to Estonian authorities. Italian F-35s responded.

Moscow

NATO defences triggered amid Russian airspace violation

Fellow comedians Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon mocked U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air on Wednesday by ABC following Federal Communications Commission pressure.

Late-night hosts mock Trump as outrage over Kimmel grows

International sanctions imposed on Iran before the 2015 nuclear deal, could be reinstated within days. The United Nations Security Council has voted against lifting sanctions permanently, because of the country's nuclear programme.

Tehran

Sanctions to hit Iran again after UN vote

Washington has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking - a claim he denies. In recent weeks, the US military has been building up its presence in the Caribbean. Venezuela has responded by holding military drills.

Caracas

Venezuela orders three-day drills amid U.S tensions

A Republican measure to keep the government funded until Nov. 21 stumbled in the Senate after clearing the House, leaving lawmakers without a clear path forward to avoid a funding lapse at the end of the month.

Government shutdown looms after GOP funding bill fails in Senate

In suburban Chicago, tensions boiled over as authorities unleashed tear gas and pepper balls to break up a crowd that was trying to block vehicles outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

Chicago

Tensions boil over as protesters clash with authorities outside Chicago ICE facility

Gunfire struck the building that houses the ABC 10 TV station in Sacramento on Friday afternoon. No one was injured.

Sacramento

Gunfire strikes Sacramento ABC TV station building

President Trump signed two executive orders at the White House on Friday night. The first established the Trump Gold Card as a path to U.S. citizenship for $1 million. The second adds a $100,000 fee for skilled worker visas called H-1B worker visas.

Trump signs $1M gold card visas, adds fee for skilled workers

With Jimmy Kimmel off the air for a third straight day, the fallout is growing. Film and TV writers protested outside ABC headquarters in New York, even as President Trump warned he may go after other networks next. Nancy Cordes reports.

Fallout grows after Jimmy Kimmel taken off air

President Trump on Thursday suggested that networks should have their licenses pulled for negative coverage of him. His comments come amid ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel over remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect.

Trump floats revoking TV licenses over negative coverage

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, can hold more than 63,000 people, but on Sunday, police are anticipating more than 100,000 people will try to attend Charlie Kirk's memorial service.

Orem

Security preparations underway for Charlie Kirk memorial

Three Russian fighter planes flew into Estonian airspace, and NATO scrambled Italian, Swedish and Finnish aircraft to repel them. Russia last week sent drones into Romania and Poland, two other NATO members.

NATO scrambles jets to repel Russia incursions

Protesters are clashing with federal agents outside an ICE detention facility near Chicago. Video shows what appears to be tear gas being deployed and some physical altercations.

Video shows ICE protesters being dragged by agents near Chicago

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed agriculture, tech and trade during a call about potential deals on Friday (Sept. 19). Trump says he and Xi made progress on a TikTok deal.

Trump, Xi Jinping discuss trade, tech on latest call with China

An AI-generated government “minister” made its debut with an address in the Albanian parliament on Thursday (September 18), with Prime Minister Edi Rama presenting the bot as a symbol of his government’s push for transparency and innovation.

Tiranë

Rise of AI

Albania unveils AI-generated 'minister'

A spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry said the couple "violated Afghan law" and were released from prison on Friday after a court hearing but didn't say what law they were alleged to have broken.

Kabul

Taliban releases British couple held for months in Afghanistan

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets lingered in NATO-member Estonia's airspace for several minutes on Friday, according to Estonian authorities.

Russian fighter jets violated Estonia's airspace, authorities say

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown that would fund the government until Nov. 21. CBS News' Nikole Killion reports.

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