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Washington Fortifies ‘East Euphrates Border’… Ankara Worried

Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters carry their weapons in a village on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside, Syria 19 February, 2016 [Rodi Said/Reuters]
Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters carry their weapons in a village on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside, Syria 19 February, 2016 [Rodi Said/Reuters]
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Washington Fortifies ‘East Euphrates Border’… Ankara Worried

Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters carry their weapons in a village on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside, Syria 19 February, 2016 [Rodi Said/Reuters]
Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters carry their weapons in a village on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside, Syria 19 February, 2016 [Rodi Said/Reuters]

Opposition factions and regime forces remained on Sunday locked in hit-and-run attacks after forces loyal to Bashar Assad advanced in the southern countryside of Aleppo by controlling around 79 towns.

On the other hand, opposition factions controlled new villages in the countryside of southern Idlib, following fierce battles with regime forces, accompanied by intense airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the opposition questioned on Sunday comments delivered by co-chairman of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) Saleh Muslem, who announced that Kurdish forces were planning to enter Idlib.

Kurdish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Until now, there are no promises or a military agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces to enter Idlib. Reports about this issue remain at the political level.”

Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel Rahman and a leader in the Free Syrian Army told Asharq Al-Awast that in addition to political causes, SDF forces lack the military power to enter Idlib.

Sihanouk Dibo, the PYD presidential advisor in northeastern Syria, refused to confirm the presence of an agreement or talks concerning the participation of the SDF forces in the Idlib battle.

However, he said: “We consider that Idlib could not be liberated without the participation of those forces.”

Earlier, Reuters reported that the US-led coalition is working with its Syrian militia allies to set up a new border force of 30,000 personnel, a move that has added to Turkish anger over US support for Kurdish-dominated forces in Syria.

In an email to Reuters, the coalition’s Public Affairs Office confirmed details of the new force reported by The Defense Post. About half the force will be SDF veterans, and recruiting for the other half is under way, the Public Affairs Office said.

The force will deploy along the border with Turkey to the north, the Iraqi border to the southeast and along the Euphrates River Valley, which broadly acts as the dividing line separating the US-backed SDF and Syrian regime forces backed by Iran and Russia, according to the news agency.

Also on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin said the US was taking steps to legitimize and solidify the YPG. “It's absolutely not possible to accept this,” he added.

Muslem told Asharq Al-Awsat that Turkey will sink in the Idlib swamp due to its intention to intervene in northern Syria militarily.

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Varieties

Japan's New Flagship H3 Rocket Fails to Put Geolocation Satellite Into Orbit

Japan's H3 rocket No.8 carrying carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, December 22, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS
Japan's H3 rocket No.8 carrying carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, December 22, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS
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Japan's New Flagship H3 Rocket Fails to Put Geolocation Satellite Into Orbit

Japan's H3 rocket No.8 carrying carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, December 22, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS
Japan's H3 rocket No.8 carrying carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, December 22, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS

Japan's space agency said its H3 rocket carrying a navigation satellite failed to put the payload into a planned orbit, a setback for the country's new flagship rocket and its space launch program.

Monday's failure is the second for Japan's new flagship rocket after its botched 2023 debut flight and six successful flights, The Associated Press reported.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 5 satellite took off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island Monday as part of Japan's plans to have a more precise location positioning system of its own.

The rocket's second-stage engine burn unexpectedly had a premature cutoff and a subsequent separation of the satellite from the rocket could not be confirmed, Masashi Okada, a JAXA executive and launch director, told a news conference.

Whether the satellite was released into space or where it ended up is unknown, and that JAXA is investigating the data to determine the cause and other details, Okada said.

Jun Kondo, an official at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, told reporters that the failure was “extremely regrettable” and that the government set up a task force to investigate the cause and take necessary measures as soon as possible to “regain credibility.”

Monday's failure is a setback for Japan's new flagship that replaced the earlier mainstay H-2A which had near-perfect success record. It also delays Japan’s satellite launch plans, including one to have a more independent geolocation system for smartphones, maritime navigation and drones without relying on the US GPS system.

The H3 rocket is designed to be more cost-competitive in the global space market. Japan sees a stable, commercially competitive space transport capability as key to its space program and national security.

JAXA's H3 project manager, Makoto Arita, said the new flagship is still in the early stages of operation but can be globally competitive. “We will pull ourselves together so that we won't fall behind rivals. We'll fully investigate the cause and put H3 back on track.”

Monday's launch came five days after JAXA aborted just 17 seconds before liftoff, citing an abnormality of a water spray system at the launch facility, following an earlier problem with the rocket.

In its debut flight in March 2023, H3 failed to ignite the second-stage engine.
Japan currently has the quasi-zenith satellite system, or QZSS, with five satellites for a regional navigation system that first went into operation in 2018. The Michibiki 5 was to be the sixth of its network.

Japan currently relies partially on American GPS and wants to have a seven-satellite network system by March 2026 and an 11-satellite network by the late 2030s.

Business

UK Growth Revised Down in Second Quarter 

Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)
Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)
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UK Growth Revised Down in Second Quarter 

Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)
Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)

Britain's economy expanded less than initially estimated in the second quarter, according to revised official data released Monday, dealing a fresh setback to the Labour government.

Gross domestic product was revised down to 0.2 percent in the April-June period from a previous estimate of 0.3 percent, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Growth in the third quarter stood at an unrevised 0.1 percent, the ONS said, marking a sustained slowdown from the 0.7 percent expansion recorded in the first three months of the year.

"The economy is still pretty weak and is heading into 2026 with very little momentum," noted Alex Kerr, UK economist at Capital Economics.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has struggled to revive Britain's sluggish economy since his Labour party came to power in July 2024.

Finance minister Rachel Reeves raised taxes on businesses in her inaugural budget last year -- a decision widely blamed for causing weak UK economic growth and rising unemployment.

She returned in her November budget with fresh tax hikes to bring down government debt, this time hitting workers.

The Bank of England last week cut its key interest rate to 3.75 percent after UK inflation eased faster than expected and as the economy weakens.

Entertainment

Nicki Minaj Surprises Conservatives with Praise for Trump, Vance at Arizona Event

CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk (L) listens to US rapper Nicki Minaj speak during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP)
CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk (L) listens to US rapper Nicki Minaj speak during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP)
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Nicki Minaj Surprises Conservatives with Praise for Trump, Vance at Arizona Event

CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk (L) listens to US rapper Nicki Minaj speak during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP)
CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk (L) listens to US rapper Nicki Minaj speak during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP)

Rapper Nicki Minaj on Sunday made a surprise appearance at a gathering of conservatives in Arizona that was memorializing late activist Charlie Kirk, and used her time on stage to praise President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, calling them “role models” for young men.

The rap star was interviewed at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention by Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, about her newly found support for Trump — someone she had condemned in the past — and about her actions denouncing violence against Christians in Nigeria.

The Grammy-nominated rapper's recent alignment with the Make America Great Again movement has caught some interest because of her past criticism of Trump even when the artist's own political ideology had been difficult to pin down. But her appearance Sunday at the flagship event for the powerful conservative youth organization may shore up her status as a MAGA acolyte.

Minaj mocked California Gov. Gavin Newsom, referring to him as New-scum, a nickname Trump gave him. Newsom, a Democrat, has 2028 prospects. Minaj expressed admiration for the Republican president and Vance, who received an endorsement from Erika Kirk despite the fact he has not said whether he will run for president. Kirk took over as leader of Turning Point.

“This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. Our vice president, he makes me ... well, I love both of them,” The Associated Press quoted Minaj as saying. “Both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”

Minaj’s appearance included an awkward moment when, in an attempt to praise Vance’s political skills, she described him as an “assassin.”

She paused, seemingly regretting her word choice, and after Kirk appeared to wipe a tear from one of her eyes, the artist put her hand over her mouth while the crowd murmured.

“If the internet wants to clip it, who cares? I love this woman,” said Erika Kirk, who became a widow when Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September.

Last month, the rapper shared a message posted by Trump on his Truth Social network about potential actions to sanction Nigeria saying the government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country. Experts and residents say the violence that has long plagued Nigeria isn’t so simply explained.

“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God,” Minaj shared on X. She was then invited to speak at a panel at the US mission to the United Nations along with US Ambassador Mike Waltz and faith leaders.

Minaj said she was tired of being “pushed around,” and she said that speaking your mind with different ideas is controversial because “people are no longer using their minds.” Kirk thanked Minaj for being “courageous,” despite the backlash she is receiving from the entertainment industry for expressing support for Trump.

“I didn’t notice,” Minaj said. “We don’t even think about them.” Kirk then said “we don’t have time to. We’re too busy building, right?”

“We’re the cool kids,” Minaj said.

The Trinidadian-born rapper is best known for her hits “Super Freaky Girl,” “Anaconda” and “Starships.” She has been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards over the course of her career.

In 2018, Minaj was one of several celebrities condemning Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy that split more than 5,000 children from their families at the Mexico border. Back then, she shared her own story of arriving to the country at 5 years old, describing herself as an “illegal immigrant.”

“This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?” she posted then on Instagram.

On Sunday on stage with Erika Kirk, Minaj said, “it’s OK to change your mind.”