Tag: civil war

130-year-old time capsule found in base of statue of Confederate general

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Workers dismantling the pedestal of a statue of a Confederate general discovered a copper box on Monday believed to have been buried 130 years ago, the second apparent time capsule unearthed at the site. “They found it!” tweeted Virginia Governor Ralph Northam along with pictures of the box. “This is likely the time capsule everyone was looking for.” They found it! This is likely the time capsule everyone was […]

13 charged in plot to kidnap US governor and start civil war

by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Thirteen men, including members of two right-wing militias, have been arrested for plotting to kidnap the Democratic governor of the US state of Michigan and “instigate a civil war”, officials said Thursday. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer thanked law enforcement for thwarting the kidnap plot and rebuked President Donald Trump for failing to condemn hate groups. Announcing the arrests, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel described […]

Lebanon, small Mideast country mired in tragedies

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanon, a small multi-confessional country which endured a devastating 15-year civil war, has often been caught in the crossfire of regional conflicts. The tragic explosions at Beirut port on Tuesday struck with the country mired in its worst economic crisis for decades, marked by the collapse of its currency and angry popular protests. Lebanon has had more than 5,000 cases of coronavirus, with 65 dead. Between Israel and Syria The civil […]

Forming a new government in Lebanon: What’s the snag?

by Hashem Osseiran and Bachir El-Khoury Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis since its civil war, an unprecedented protest movement and mounting international pressure for reform, yet under-fire politicians have yet to form a government. This raises questions about what is holding up the creation of a new cabinet and what comes next for a crumbling country that can ill-afford delays. – What’s the holdup? – Lebanon has […]

Aid convoy quits Syria enclave as regime presses onslaught

by Hasan Mohamed with Rim Haddad in Damascus Agence France-Presse DOUMA, Syria – An international convoy cut short its mission to Syria’s rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Monday after delivering desperately needed aid as the regime pounded the region, killing dozens as it seized more ground. At least 68 civilians were killed Monday, a monitor said, while the United Nations reported dozens of trucks carrying aid had reached the main town of Douma. The government removed medical […]

Virginia police, FBI probe deadly violence at white nationalist rally

(Reuters)  U.S. authorities will investigate on Sunday the violence stemming from a white nationalist rally a day earlier that killed one person, injured more than 30, and challenged U.S. President Donald Trump’s leadership. The unrest in the southern college town presented Trump with a domestic crisis, with many on both left and right criticizing him for waiting too long to address it and then, when he did so, failing to explicitly condemn the white-supremacist marchers […]

Trump, Putin discuss first meeting, Syria during ‘very good call’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed steps to ease Syria’s civil war and a possible first face-to-face meeting, during what the White House described as a “very good call” Tuesday. The US and Russian leaders spoke by telephone, focusing on the six-year-old Syrian conflict, which has pitched Moscow and Washington into rival camps. “President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too […]

68 children among dead in bomb attack on Syria evacuees

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — At least 68 children were among those killed in the car bomb attack on a convoy carrying evacuees from besieged government-held towns in Syria, a monitor said on Sunday. Saturday’s attack in Rashidin west of Aleppo killed at least 126 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, updating a previous toll of 112 dead. At least 109 of those killed were evacuees from the towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, it […]

Death toll in bomb attack on Syria evacuees rises to 112

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The death toll in a suicide car bomb attack on buses carrying Syrians evacuated from two besieged government-held towns has risen to at least 112, a monitoring group said Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 98 evacuees from the northern towns of Fuaa and Kafraya were killed when an explosives-laden vehicle hit their buses at a transit point west of Aleppo on Saturday. It said the remainder of […]

Violence against Syria’s children ‘at its worst’ in 2016: UN

  BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Violence against children in war-ravaged Syria was “at its worst” in 2016, the United Nations children’s agency said Monday as the conflict nears its seventh year. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund said that cases of children being killed, maimed, or recruited into armed groups were the “highest on record” last year. “The depth of suffering is unprecedented. Millions of children in Syria come under attack on a daily basis, […]

11 dead in Syria government raids, regime gains in Aleppo

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – Government air raids on northwest Syria killed at least 11 people overnight, mostly civilians, a monitoring group said Monday, while the military said its forces made advances in Aleppo province. “Government warplanes carried out air strikes after midnight on several areas in the town of Ariha” in Idlib province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights’ head Rami Abdel Rahman. “The preliminary toll is 11 killed, including at least seven civilians,” […]

Thousands leave Aleppo under landmark evacuation deal

by Karam al-Masri with Maya Gebeily in Beirut Agence France-Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP ) – Thousands of traumatised Syrians left the rebel enclave of Aleppo on Monday under a complex evacuation agreement that will see regime forces exert full control over the battered city. Families had spent hours waiting in below-freezing temperatures, sheltering from the rain in bombed-out apartment blocks and waiting desperately for news on a new wave of departures. The operations resumed on […]