All US troops withdrawing from northern Syria are expected to be relocated to western Iraq, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed. Mr Esper told reporters that, under current plans, about 1,000 soldiers would be redeployed to help stop the resurgence of Islamic State (IS). President Donald Trump has previously pledged to bring US troops home. […]

ISTANBUL (AFP) – Turkey on Saturday (Oct 19) accused Kurdish forces of violating an agreement to suspend its Syria offensive if they withdraw from a “safe zone” along the border. “The Turkish armed forces fully abide by the agreement” reached on Thursday with the United States, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. “Despite this, […]

Egypt has banned a pilot for life for allowing celebrity and actor Mohamed Ramadan to sit in the cockpit during a private flight to Saudi Arabia. The actor and singer posted a video of himself sat in the co-pilot’s seat, holding the controls, as someone else commented he’s “driving the plane now”. The pilot has […]

Medical staff are striking in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over a plan to privatise hospitals. Medical staff are striking in Pakistan‘s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over proposed job cuts as the government tries to usher in a new law to privatise hospitals. In government hospitals, only essential staff are at work, treating emergency cases. The […]

ISTANBUL — Fighting continued in northern Syria between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish fighters on Friday morning, casting further doubt on the feasibility of a cease-fire announced on Thursday by Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish officials. The cease-fire deal had already amounted to a near victory for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who appears […]

Leader of a major party suggests prime minister should resign as thousands take to the streets across the country. Beirut, Lebanon – Thousands of Lebanese took to the streets in towns and cities across the country on Thursday, in the biggest protests in years, following the government’s announcement to introduce new taxes. The intensity of […]

WASHINGTON — The cease-fire agreement reached with Turkey by Vice President Mike Pence amounts to a near-total victory for Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gains territory, pays little in penalties and appears to have outmaneuvered President Trump. The best that can be said for the agreement is that it may stop the killing in […]

Lebanese government plans to impose new taxes on tobacco, gasoline and some social media platforms, including WhatsApp. Hundreds of people have taken to the streets across Lebanon over the government’s plans to impose new taxes amid an economic crisis in the country. The protests late on Thursday came as the government held discussions about the […]

US Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday he had reached a deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for a ceasefire in northern Syria to end an eight-day-old Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led forces. Speaking after crisis talks with Erdogan in Ankara, Pence said that under the deal all military operations would be paused to allow […]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put US President Donald Trump’s letter “in the bin”, the BBC has been told. In the letter dated 9 October, and sent after US troops were pulled out of Syria, Mr Trump told Mr Erdogan: “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!” Turkish presidential sources told the BBC […]