Syria
‘I can’t stand it!’ Furious reaction to Angelina Jolie’s BBC lecture on the migrant crisis
ANGELINA JOLIE has been criticised for giving a speech at a special event organised by the BBC in which claimed "fear of migration" could threaten world peace. The Hollywood star claimed on Monday there was a "race to the bottom" between European nations to reintroduce border controls as the continent...
Sykes-Picot: The map that spawned a century of resentment
Reaching its centenary amidst a general chorus of vilification around the region, the legacy of the secret Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 has never looked more under assault. As Iraq lurches deeper into turmoil and disintegration, Kurdish leaders in the already autonomous north are threatening to break away and declare outright...
Syria conflict: IS ‘overruns hospital in Deir al-Zour’
Militants from the Islamic State (IS) group have briefly overrun a hospital complex in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour, reports say. Activists say about 35 pro-government fighters were killed and some medical staff taken hostage. More than 20 IS fighters were also reported killed. The attack was centred on al-Assad...
Military Drones Flood War Skies Over Syria, Iraq
When an Iraqi solider heard a buzzing sound overhead last month in Iraq’s Anbar province, he took aim and shot down what looked like a bird-sized model plane. After studying the device, Iraq’s Ministry of Defense said it was a surveillance drone available for purchase on the Internet for less than a $1,000...
Three Journalists Kidnapped in Syria Return to Spain
Three Spanish journalists who had been kidnapped in Syria nearly a year ago returned home to Spain Sunday, the Spanish government said. The three journalists, Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre, went missing in last July near the northwest city of Aleppo. They had all been working for different Spanish media...
Syria conflict: Aleppo ceasefire extended by three days
A truce in the Syrian city of Aleppo has been extended for three days to "prevent the situation from worsening", the Russian defence ministry says. The Syrian army announced a two-day truce on Wednesday, after two weeks of clashes left nearly 300 civilians dead. The truce is part of international efforts to build on a...
Syria conflict: Russia hopes to extend truce to Aleppo
Russia's foreign minister says a unilateral truce declared by the Syrian military could be extended to the city of Aleppo "in the next few hours". Sergei Lavrov said Russia was working with the UN and US to include Aleppo in the "regime of calm" that has covered Damascus and Latakia since Saturday. But...
Kerry in Geneva in Bid to Bolster Syria Cease-fire
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva Sunday in an urgent bid to revive a U.S.-Russian brokered cease-fire that has all but fallen apart as Syrian government forces intensified their attacks, especially in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, over the last 10 days. U.S. officials said Kerry’s top priority is...
One million MORE Syrians heading for Europe unless RAF intervenes, David Cameron warned
DAVID Cameron must allow RAF transport aircraft to drop vital aid into Syria, or risk another million refugees leaving the war-torn country bound for Europe, a medical charity has said. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations warned 18 communities in Syria were currently under...
Ужасная катастрофа: трагически сбит российский вертолет. Шокирующие фото
Машина возвращалась на авиабазу Хмеймим после доставки гуманитарной помощи Погибли все, кто находился на борту: три члена экипажа и двое офицеров российского Центра примирения...
Syria conflict: US seeks to de-escalate fighting
The United States says it is working on specific initiatives to de-escalate fighting in Syria and revive a nationwide cessation of hostilities. A priority is to stop bloodshed in Aleppo where more than 200 people have died in a week of government air strikes and rebel shelling. The US wants Russia to put pressure on the Syrian...