Middle East

Russia calls on Turkey to show ‘restraint’ in Syria

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday said it hoped Turkey would exercise “restraint” and refrain from “any excessive use of force” in Syria, where Ankara has carried out air strikes and is threatening to launch a ground offensive against Kurdish fighters. “We hope to convince our Turkish colleagues to refrain from resorting to excessive use of force on Syrian territory” to “avoid the escalation of tensions”, Alexander Lavrentyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy […]

Saudi crown prince immune from Khashoggi suit: US govt

Washington, United States | AFP | The US government recommended on Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was immune from legal action over the 2018 murder of a dissident journalist, according to court documents. Prince Mohammed was named prime minister by royal decree in late September, sparking suggestions he was looking to skirt exposure in cases filed in foreign courts — including a civil action brought in the United States by Hatice Cengiz, […]

Kuwait executes seven people, first since 2017: statement

  Kuwait City, Kuwait | AFP | Kuwait put seven people to death for murder on Wednesday, the public prosecutions service said, as the first executions since 2017 went ahead despite appeals from a prominent rights group. One Ethiopian woman and one Kuwaiti woman were among those hanged, along with three Kuwaiti men, a Syrian and a Pakistani, a statement said. The executions are the first since January 25, 2017, when the oil-rich Gulf country […]

‘Three dead’ as Iran protests swell on anniversary of lethal 2019 crackdown

PARIS, France (AFP) — Iranian security forces shot dead at least three protesters Tuesday, a rights group said, as demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on the anniversary of a bloody 2019 crackdown. The protesters were responding to a call to commemorate those slain in the 2019 crackdown, giving new momentum to the demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September this year, after her arrest for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress […]

CO2 pollution from fossil fuels to hit all-time high in 2022

Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt | AFP | by Marlowe HOOD Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change, are on track to rise one percent in 2022 to reach an all-time high, scientists said Friday at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt. Emissions from oil, fuelled by the continuing rebound in aviation, will likely rise more than two percent compared to last year, while emissions from coal — thought by some […]

Iran hypersonic missile claim raises nuclear watchdog concern

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — An Iranian general claimed Thursday that the Islamic republic had developed a hypersonic missile capable of penetrating all defense systems, raising concerns from the UN nuclear watchdog. Hypersonic missiles, which like traditional ballistic missiles can deliver nuclear weapons, can fly at more than five times the speed of sound. “This hypersonic ballistic missile was developed to counter air defense shields,” General Amirali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps […]

Island nations call for oil tax, anti-fossil fuel treaty at UN summit

  Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt | AFP | by Laurent Thomet Small island nations led calls at the UN climate summit Tuesday to tax oil companies’ windfall profits to pay for damages caused by natural disasters and enact a “non-proliferation treaty” to halt fossil fuel production. Developing nations have pressed their case at the COP27 summit in Egypt for the creation of a “loss and damage” fund, arguing that rich nations are to blame for […]

World ‘burning up faster’ than it can recover: Pakistan PM

  Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt | AFP | Climate change is outpacing the capacity of developing nations to cope with its devastating impacts, the Pakistani premier told COP27 on Tuesday, as his country reels from historic floods. Talks at the UN climate conference in Egypt have been dominated by calls for wealthier nations to fulfil pledges to financially help poorer nations green their economies and build resilience. “The world is burning up faster than our […]

PH to join call for climate change consensus at COP27 in Egypt

MANILA – The Philippine government vowed to support host Egypt in its efforts to revitalize international consensus on the climate crisis during the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which opens at Sharm el-Sheikh City on Sunday. Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga leads the Philippine delegation at the conference slated November 6 to 18. Loyzaga said the Philippines would continue calling on developed countries to step up […]

Iran admits sending Russia drones but says before Ukraine war

  Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP | Iran has admitted for the first time that it sent drones to Russia but insisted they were supplied to its ally before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones in recent weeks to carry out attacks. Tehran has repeatedly denied the claims but on Saturday foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying that drones had been sent to Russia […]

Israeli army shoots dead Palestinian in West Bank: health ministry

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Israeli forces shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian on Saturday near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musaab Nafal died “from severe wounds sustained by occupation (Israeli) bullets near the village of Sinjil”, the ministry said in a statement. The Israeli army said soldiers responded to “a report about stone hurling toward a highway” that had caused damage “to a number of cars”. Soldiers “responded with […]

Netanyahu in lead after Israel vote

by Ben Simon Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu inched towards reclaiming power Wednesday after projected election results showed a majority government was within reach for the veteran right-winger, though the outlook could shift as ballots are counted. If the exit polls hold, it would mark a dramatic comeback for Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, whose Likud party could be poised to form a coalition with its ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies and a rising […]