Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer from within his party broke into open rebellion on Thursday (May 15, 2026), with one potential rival resigning from the Cabinet and two others positioning themselves for a future leadership challenge
The in Beijing is forcing Korea's to weigh a difficult trade-off as equipment suppliers see fresh business opportunities while manufacturers fear a narrowed . This dilemma pits the potential for immediate sales in China against the long-term risk of helping Chinese firms catch up to industry
‘Not right’: Former RAW chief flags security risks in PM Modi convoy downsizingStressing that the present security environment remains “highly volatile”, Goel said the Prime Minister’s protection should instead be strengthened. Published on: May 15
Jwala Gutta 'donated 60 litres of breast milk to government hospitals in Hyderabad and Chennai' in one year: Here is whyJwala Gutta highlighted the importance of donor milk for infants in NICUs. The badminton champion shared her journey of ‘donating 60 litres of breast milk’
Is pancreatic cancer hiding in plain sight? Gastroenterologist explains the silent red flags most people ignoreDr Saurabh Sethi warns that pancreatic cancer often progresses silently, with vague symptoms like back pain and weight loss easily ignored. Family Published on: May 15
Father breaks laptop, makes student sleep on floor over 57.4% in CBSE examsThe Reddit post has sparked a discussion on the toxic environment created by some Indian households during academic cycles. Published on: May 15, 2026 12:20 PM IST By HT Trending Desk Share via Copy link A heartbreaking
China called on Friday (May 15, 2026) for a lasting truce in the West Asia and for shipping lanes to be reopened “as soon as possible”, as the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed during the war with Iran. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since
PM Modi landed, signed key deals, left UAE - all in 2 hours | Full list of pactsAmong the deals signed between India and the UAE during PM Modi's visit is agreement on framework for strategic defence partnership between both countries. Updated on: May 15
How Syria's first elections since autocrat Assad's ouster is expected to unfold
Syria will hold parliamentary elections this Sunday. This marks the first vote since Bashar Assad's removal. Most seats will be filled by electoral colleges. Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will appoint one-third of the parliament. The process faces criticism for lacking a popular vote. Questions about women and minority representation also arise. Some areas will not participate.
Syria is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in a rebel offensive in December.
Under the 50-year rule of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections in which all Syrian citizens could vote. But in practice, the Assad-led Baath Party always dominated the parliament, and the votes were widely regarded as sham elections.
Outside election analysts said the only truly competitive part of the process came before election day - with the internal primary system in the Baath Party, when party members jockeyed for positions on the list.
The elections to be held on Sunday, however, will not be a fully democratic process either. Rather, most of the People's Assembly seats will be voted on by electoral colleges in each district, while one third of the seats will be directly appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Despite not being a popular vote, the election results will likely be taken as a barometer of how serious the interim authorities are about inclusivity, particularly of women and minorities.
Here's a breakdown of how the elections will work and what to watch.
How the system works The People's Assembly has 210 seats, of which two-thirds will be elected on Sunday and one-third appointed. The elected seats are voted upon by electoral colleges in districts throughout the country, with the number of seats for each district distributed by population.
In theory, a total of 7,000 electoral college members in 60 districts - chosen from a pool of applicants in each district by committees appointed for the purpose - should vote for 140 seats.
However, the elections in Sweida province and in areas of the northeast controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been indefinitely postponed due to tensions between the local authorities in those areas and the central government in Damascus, meaning that those seats will remain empty.
In practice, therefore, around 6,000 electoral college members will vote in 50 districts for about 120 seats.
The largest district is the one containing the city of Aleppo, where 700 electoral college members will vote to fill 14 seats, followed by the city of Damascus, with 500 members voting for 10 seats.
All candidates come from the membership of the electoral colleges.
Following Assad's ouster, the interim authorities dissolved all existing political parties, most of which were closely affiliated with the Assad government, and have not yet set up a system for new parties to register, so all candidates are running as individuals.
Why no popular vote The interim authorities have said that it would be impossible to create an accurate voter registry and conduct a popular vote at this stage, given that millions of Syrians were internally or externally displaced by the country's nearly 14-year civil war and many have lost personal documents.
This parliament will have a 30-month term, during which the government is supposed to prepare the ground for a popular vote in the next elections.
The lack of a popular vote has drawn criticism of being undemocratic, but some analysts say the government's reasons are legitimate.
"We don't even know how many Syrians are in Syria today," because of the large number of displaced people, said Benjamin Feve, a senior research analyst at the Syria-focused Karam Shaar Advisory consulting firm.
"It would be really difficult to draw electoral lists today in Syria," or to arrange the logistics for Syrians in the diaspora to vote in their countries of residence, he said.
Haid Haid, a senior research fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative and the Chatham House think tank said that the more concerning issue was the lack of clear criteria under which electors were selected.
"Especially when it comes to choosing the subcommittees and the electoral colleges, there is no oversight, and the whole process is sort of potentially vulnerable to manipulation," he said.
There have been widespread objections after electoral authorities "removed names from the initial lists that were published, and they did not provide detailed information as to why those names were removed," he said.
Questions about inclusivity There is no set quota for representation of women and religious or ethnic minorities in the parliament.
Women were required to make up 20% of electoral college members, but that did not guarantee that they would make up a comparable percentage of candidates or of those elected.
State-run news agency SANA, citing the head of the national elections committee, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, reported that women made up 14% of the 1,578 candidates who made it to the final lists. In some districts, women make up 30 or 40% of all candidates, while in others, there are no female candidates.
Meanwhile, the exclusion of the Druze-majority Sweida province and Kurdish-controlled areas in the northeast as well as the lack of set quotas for minorities has raised questions about representation of communities that are not part of the Sunni Arab national majority.
The issue is particularly sensitive after outbreaks of sectarian violence in recent months in which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite and Druze minorities were killed, many of them by government-affiliated fighters.
Feve noted that electoral districts had been drawn in such a way as to create minority-majority districts.
"What the government could have done if it wanted to limit the number of minorities, it could have merged these districts or these localities with majority Sunni Muslim districts," he said. "They could have basically drowned the minorities which is what they didn't do."
Officials have also pointed to the one-third of parliament directly appointed by al-Sharaa as a mechanism to "ensure improvement in the inclusivity of the legislative body," Haid said. The idea is that if few women or minorities are elected by the electoral colleges, the president would include a higher percentage in his picks.
The lack of representation of Sweida and the northeast remains problematic, Haid said - even if al-Sharaa appoints legislators from those areas.
"The bottom line is that regardless of how many people will be appointed from those areas, the dispute between the de facto authorities and Damascus over their participation in the political process will remain a major issue," he said.
Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
Source: EconomicTimes
Related Posts: Election Commission to hold press conference on Sunday Himachal BJP leaders hold protest over FIR against Bindal Nepal heads for parliamentary elections Four people killed in Syria after an Iranian missile falls on building Recalling Syria’s political milestones Syria feels lighter without the Assads America Has a New Ally in Syria and Wants Israel to Get on Board International rights group chief says Syria’s reforms are promising but democracy is still lacking U.S. diplomats on Syria abruptly let go amid pro-Damascus policy push Israeli forces kill 13 in southern Syria operation
The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday called custodial deaths the “worst kind of crime” and a “profound failure of the constitutional machinery”, while ordering fresh inquiries in 262 cases. The court ordered fresh judicial inquiries after it was informed that the state had bypassed
1 days ago
Karuppu Twitter review: Suriya and Trisha Krishnan’s film gets a thumbs up, fans call it ‘paisa vasool’Karuppu Twitter review: Going by the early reactions, Karuppu seems to have struck the right chord, with many calling it a “solid commercial entertainer”. May 15, 2026
1 days ago
-3 Kaymer (Ger), Scheffler (US), Smalley (US), Potgieter (SA), Jaeger (Ger), Lee (Aus), Hisatsune (Jpn); -2 Conners (Can), Reed (US), Lowry (Ire), Brown (Eng), Theegala (US), Greyserman (US), Schauffele (US) Selected others: -1 Thomas (US); Day (Aus), Smith (Aus), Rahm (Spa)
1 days ago
Antique idol, brass items stolen from Chandni Chowk temple recovered; 2 heldAntique idol, brass items stolen from Chandni Chowk temple recovered; 2 held Published on: May 15, 2026 2:50 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link New Delhi, A 45-year-old burglar and a woman have been arrested for allegedly
1 days ago
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that the NEET UG exam will move to online mode from the next academic year, a move aimed at avoiding a rerun of the paper leak in 2026 that has left lakhs of students in a limbo. Addressing a press conference
1 days ago
In the space of two days, India has crossed two pharmaceutical thresholds—one in the brain, one in the lung. Eli Lilly’s Lormalzi (donanemab), launched Wednesday, is the first drug available in India that goes after Alzheimer’s disease itself rather than just its symptoms
1 days ago
Jaipur, May 15 (PTI) Two Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel and a person they had detained died after a speeding trailer rammed into their motorcycle on the Ajmer-Bhilwara National Highway in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, police said on Friday.Jaipur
1 days ago
'Why is Bangalore rental situation this bad?': Woman says landlord ‘randomly’ hiked rent by ₹4,000 a montha Bengaluru woman’s video about her landlord allegedly increasing her rent by ₹4,000 a month has sparked a discussion around the city’s rental crisis. Updated on: May 15
1 days ago
JBL at 80: Dave Rogers talks audio revolutions, engineering, India and AI tuningAs it was 80 years ago with innovations that defined the D130 and L100, Rogers insists JBL’s engineers set out to define industry benchmarks Published on: May 15
1 days ago
A viral Reddit post shared shortly after the declaration of Central Board of Secondary Education Class 12 results has triggered discussion online around academic pressure, toxic parenting and mental health among students in India. The post, which included a photograph of a shattered laptop lying on
1 days ago
Tarot Horoscope Today for May 15, 2026: Trust your wisdom and embrace clarityToday may feel heavy emotionally, but remember it's temporary. Seek support rather than isolating yourself. Be gentle with yourself during tough moments. Published on: May 15
1 days ago
Former US President Barack Obama has said his administration secured the 2015 Iran nuclear deal through diplomacy, stressing that the agreement was reached without military escalation, missile strikes or shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. Appearing on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘
1 days ago
The US has cleared around 10 Chinese firms to buy Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chip, the H200, but not a single delivery has been made so far, three people familiar with the matter said, leaving a major technology deal in limbo as CEO seeks a breakthrough in China this week.Huang
1 days ago
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (May 14, 2026) announced that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping would be making a reciprocal visit to the White House on September 24. “Thank you again, President Xi, for this beautiful welcome, and tonight, it is my honour to extend an invitation to you
1 days ago
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, became an unexpected online sensation during US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, as social media users zeroed in on his expressions, reactions and candid moments at official events in Beijing. Elon Musk was part of a high-profile delegation traveling
1 days ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.This simple travel hack can make sure you stay hydrated during your vacationsA water bottle sling bag keeps hydration close at hand and saves you from carrying a heavy backpack through
1 days ago
CEO spends ₹96 lakh a year for roles that bring ‘zero revenue’, shares whyThe CEO’s post about roles that are important even if they don't generate revenue has resonated with many. Published on: May 15, 2026 8:34 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link Many founders view hiring
1 days ago
Amid slowdown, premium phones provide light at the end of a dark tunnelPhone makers including Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi are finding success with the current line of flagship phones, in a market that’s now unevenly priced due to component costs. Published on: May 15
1 days ago
' South Korean said on Friday it remained committed to a planned strike starting next week, even after the company proposed resuming without conditions, sending shares down as much as 5.9%.Government-mediated negotiations between the union and the company over pay and bonus schemes collapsed this
1 days ago
NFR installs automatic weather stations to improve railway safety during monsoonNFR installs automatic weather stations to improve railway safety during monsoon Updated on: May 15, 2026 11:11 AM IST PTI Share via Copy link Guwahati, The Northeast Frontier Railway on Friday said it has started
1 days ago
Apple’s two-year-old partnership with OpenAI has become strained, with the AI startup failing to see the expected benefits from its deal with the iPhone maker and preparing possible legal action, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday
1 days ago
Indian markets open lower as fuel price hike dampens investor sentimentOn Friday, Indian equity markets opened down amid a national fuel price hike. The BSE Sensex fell 64.22 points, while Nifty IT gained. Published on: May 15, 2026 10:07 AM IST ANI Share via Copy link Indian equity markets opened
1 days ago
Iran’s Foreign Minister accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of direct involvement in military operations against his country during a BRICS meeting in New Delhi on Thursday (May 14, 2026), Iranian state media reported. The spat comes a day after the UAE denied a statement by
1 days ago
Gita Gopinath calls out lack of female representation at US-China high-level talksGita Gopinath's post about the all-male Xi-Trump meet has gone viral. Published on: May 15, 2026 10:06 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link Former first Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary
1 days ago
‘Breach in command chain, we take responsibility’: Govt after NEET paper leakAddressing a press conference, union minister Dharmendra Pradhan vowed strong action against those responsible for the NEET-UG paper leak. Updated on: May 15, 2026 11:13 AM IST By HT News Desk Share via Copy link Days
1 days ago
WBJEE Admit Card 2026 released at wbjeeb.nic.in, download link hereWBJEE Admit Card 2026 has been released. The direct link to download the hall ticket is given here. Updated on: May 15, 2026 11:03 AM IST By HT Education Desk | Edited by Papri Chanda Share via Copy link West Bengal Joint Entrance
1 days ago
Avocado toast has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. It has become a breakfast staple, available across several cafes and restaurants. This summer season, give it a seasonal twist by adding another fan-favourite – the mango! This mango‑avocado toast is a sunny
1 days ago
