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by Mike Smith Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) – Israel has approved 2,500 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, officials said Tuesday, marking a major settlement expansion following the election of US President Donald Trump. The planned new homes approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman may be the largest number to have been given the green light since 2013, said settlement watchdog Peace Now. Settlements in both the West […]
by Sakher Abou El Oun Agence France-Presse GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Crippling shortages of electricity in Gaza and reports of children dying of cold have stoked anger in the Palestinian enclave where there are daily protests against its Hamas leaders. The main Palestinian factions are blaming each another and Israel for the crisis, which has left the territory with just four hours a day of power at best. In one of the largest […]
by Ali Noorani Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) – Iran began three days of mourning Monday after the death of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pillar of the Islamic revolution who became a leading counterweight to hardliners. Tributes poured in for the moderate cleric, including from President Hassan Rouhani, who was reportedly at Rafsanjani’s bedside before he died of a heart attack aged 82. “Islam lost a valuable treasure, Iran an outstanding general, the Islamic […]
by Layal Abou Rahal with Rim Haddad in Damascus Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – The United Nations warned Thursday that sabotaging water supplies was a war crime after the main source for Syria’s capital was cut, leaving more than five million people facing shortages. Water supplies from the rebel-held area of Wadi Barada near Damascus have been severed since December 22, with the regime and rebels trading blame. The head of a UN-backed humanitarian […]
by Raziye Akkoc with Stuart Williams in Istanbul Agence France-Presse ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) – A car bombing rocked the Turkish city of Izmir on Thursday, killing at least two people and triggering a shootout that left two suspected militants dead, as authorities chased the fugitive killer behind the New Year attack in Istanbul. Turkey is on edge after the shooting rampage at the Reina nightclub unleashed shortly after revellers rang in 2017 which killed 39 […]
by Sara Hussein Agence France-Presse BEIRUt, Lebanon (AFP) – A dozen Syrian rebel factions have suspended talks on new peace negotiations, accusing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime of violating a four-day-old ceasefire with attacks near Damascus that continued Tuesday. The decision threatens the process sponsored by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which began with a truce and is meant to lead to negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana this month. The ceasefire has brought […]
by Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – Turkish authorities on Tuesday intensified efforts to identify a suspected jihadist from Central Asia behind the massacre of 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub who had reportedly fought in Syria for the Islamic State group. Police released pictures of the suspect who went on the rampage at the plush Reina nightclub on New Year’s night, spraying about 120 bullets at terrified partygoers before slipping away into […]
by Layal Abou Rahal Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – A fragile calm was holding across Syria on Friday after a truce brokered by Russia and Turkey came into effect, a potentially major breakthrough after nearly six years of conflict. There were reports of isolated violence, including clashes in central Hama province between government forces and jihadist factions, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were casualties among regime forces in […]
by Ammar Karim Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) – Iraqi forces advanced Thursday after declaring a new phase in their offensive on eastern Mosul, stepping up efforts to reclaim the Islamic State group’s last major stronghold in the country. Elite forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul since beginning the massive operation to recapture the northern city from the jihadists on October 17, but IS still occupies the city’s west. Security chiefs said several […]
by Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – Turkish state media Wednesday said Turkey and Russia had agreed a nationwide truce plan for Syria but none of the key players in the conflict offered an immediate confirmation. The state-run Anadolu news agency said the plan aims to expand a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo — brokered by Turkey and Russia earlier this month to allow the evacuation of civilians — to the whole […]
by Stuart WILLIAMS / Clotilde GOURLET Agence France-Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – Twenty-nine Turkish police officers went on trial Tuesday accused of failing to defend President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the military’s failed coup in July, the first such case in Istanbul. The hearings follow a massive crackdown on alleged putschists — 41,000 are under arrest in a national state of emergency and the trials are set to be the most far-reaching legal process in […]
(Reuters) The United States on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, defying heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to wield its veto. A U.S. abstention paved the way for the 15-member council to approve the resolution, with 14 votes in favor, prompting applause in the council chamber. The action by President Barack Obama’s administration follows growing U.S. […]
