Ukraine in arabic News
‘Execution’ claims as video shows shooting of wounded Palestinian
- Title
- ‘Execution’ claims as video shows shooting of wounded Palestinian
- Runtime
- 0:50
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Israeli troops have shot dead two Palestinians after they attacked a soldier in the West Bank.
One soldier has been suspended from duty after video footage seemed to show him firing at one of the attackers as he lay on the ground.
Israeli military police have launched a criminal investigation.
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- Syrian government forces retake Palmyra
- Runtime
- 1:04
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The army has been trying to retake Palmyra since it was seized by ISIL fighters in May 2015.
Clashes have raged in the historic city in recent days after government forces took control of a nearby hill.
Activists say Syrian and Russian planes provided air cover.
Palmyra is a key point on the mostly-ISIL held eastern Syrian province of Deir el Zor.
It was seized by ISIL in May 2015 and has remained in the group’s hands since then.
Shuttle diplomacy continues between the main powers charged with bringing the Syrian conflict to an end.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has discussed the fragile truce in Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
Kerry is due to meet Vladimir Putin later in the trip.
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- Najim Laachraoui reported to be ‘second Brussels airport bomber’
- Runtime
- 1:31
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- AFP news agency, citing police sources, has identified Najim Laachraoui as the second Brussels Airport suicide bomber.
The Belgian, of Moroccan origin, was reportedly identified as the man on the left of a CCTV image taken at Zaventem Airport on the morning of the blasts.
At least 31 people died and up to 270 were injured in twin attacks on the airport and metro in Brussels.
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- Turkey’s Kurdish minority celebrate Newroz festival
- Runtime
- 0:52
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Turkey’s Kurdish minority marked the annual spring festival of Newroz on Monday (March 21)with a call for peace talks to resume between Ankara and Kurdish militants.
Violence has intensified since a ceasefire between Ankara and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party ended last July.
“Of course war, clashes and deaths are not a normal situation that we should be used to,” said the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish HDP (People’s Democratic Party) Selahattin Demitras. “What really matters is to insist on peaceful ways and methods (to solve) the problem [Kurdish situation].”
Celebrations in Turkey have been restricted to eighteen out of 81 provinces due to the security situation.
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- Turkey on high alert after Saturday’s suicide bombing
- Runtime
- 1:05
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- A high profile football match in Istanbul was called off and the stadium evacuated two hours before kick-off on Sunday with the Turkish authorities citing an unspecified threat. The cancellation of the derby game between Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray came as the county maintains a heightened state of alert following Saturday’s suicide bombing
In his first public appearance since the attack President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will not give into militants.
“We will never surrender to the agenda of terror. We will defeat the terrorist organisations and the powers behind them by looking after the unity of our nation. “
More than 200,000 members of the police are now on duty in major Turkish cities some of whom have set up checkpoints
The attack in Istanbul’s most popular shopping district is the fourth such bombing in Turkey this year and the second said to be by Islamist extremists. In January a suicide bomber...
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- Turkey says ISIL member carried out Istanbul suicide bombing
- Runtime
- 1:12
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The Turkish government says the suicide bomb attack in Istanbul on Saturday was carried out by a member of the self-proclaimed Islamic State organisation.
The explosion killed an Iranian and three Israelis – two of them dual American nationals – and wounded dozens of others in a shopping street popular with tourists.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is trying to determine whether the attack was aimed at its nationals.
The bomber who also died in the attack has been identified by the Turkish authorities as Mehmet Ozturk, who was born in 1992 and came from the southern province of Gaziantep.
“According to the information given to me, this person (who carried out the attack) is not on the list of people wanted by the police or gendarmerie. Up to now, five people have been detained,” said Turkey’s Interior Minister Efkan Ala, adding that seven provinces in the south were now under curfew.
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- Foreign victims pay heavy price in Istanbul suicide blast
- Runtime
- 1:07
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- It was Turkey’s fourth suicide attack this year.
But this time all four people killed and many of the dozens injured on a busy shopping street in Istanbul on Saturday morning were foreigners.
Three Israelis, two of them dual American nationals, and an Iranian citizen are said to have died in the blast.
- Title
- Istanbul in shock after deadly suicide bomb attack
- Runtime
- 1:02
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- A normally bustling shopping street now sealed off by police. Residents are still reeling from the suicide bomb attack early on Saturday morning in Istanbul.
Shoppers had dashed in panic into side alleys when the blast went off on Istiklal street. One man told our reporter what he saw the moment the attack happened.
“There was an explosion. There was an enormous noise and there was a big hole in the road. Around 25-30 people were lying on the ground. Afterwards, the police came and then we left the area. I was afraid. Of course psychologically, it was really terrible.”
“I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back,“ one resident told Reuters.
The trauma of a new attack has left many in the city feeling vulnerable, as euronews correspondent Bora Bayraktar reports:
...
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- Turkey: central Istanbul hit by suicide bomb
- Runtime
- 1:06
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- An explosion has torn through the centre of Turkey’s largest city Istanbul. Reports say it was a suicide bombing on a main shopping street in Taksim, an area popular with tourists.
In an update on the situation, Istanbul’s Governor Vasip Şahin said five people were known to have died – including the suicide bomber.
Three Israelis and one Iranian citizen were among the dead, Turkish media reported.
The number of injured was set at 36 according to Turkey’s Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu. Three of the wounded are in a critical condition.
Twelve of those hurt are said to be foreigners – half of them from Israel. The country’s foreign ministry has confirmed that some of its citizens were hurt.
The explosion was captured on a nearby security camera. People are seen running from the scene in panic immediately afterwards.
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- Syrian refugee sets sights on Rio Olympics
- Runtime
- 1:15
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Teenager Yusra Mardini was among Syria’s brightest swimming stars until the war interrupted her progress in the sport.
With her sister she fled Damascus, made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean sea from Turkey to Greece – swimming part of the way due to the boat being overcrowded – before finally arriving in Germany looking for a better and more stable future.
She said: “Our house was destroyed so we don’t have anything anymore, so we ran away. And Europe, I think the most of them are welcoming the refugees with a really nice way.”
Her travels might not end in Berlin.
The 18-year-old could soon be on her way to Rio de Janeiro as she is part of a 43-strong group of refugees identified as potential Olympians.
Mardini is not one to let her past get in the way of her future.
She said: “My message is that no one has to stop because of problems or because an accident or anything happens. I ...
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- Fighting talk for the EU from Turkey’s president
- Runtime
- 1:08
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- As Turkey’s Prime Minister meets EU leaders in Brussels, there is fighting talk from the country’s president.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned EU leaders should consider their own record on migrants before trying to tell Ankara what to do.
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- ‘Rabin The Last Day’ a reflection on the nature of peace
- Runtime
- 2:17
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai’s docu-drama takes us back to the moments prior to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minster Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
Rabin was killed by the Israeli religious fanatic Yigal Amir.
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- PYD Kurds create ‘unconstitutional’ federation in northern Syria
- Runtime
- 1:04
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, has joined forces with several allied groups to declare the creation of an autonomous federation in northern Syria.
Lying on the border with Turkey, the region concerned was renamed ‘Rojava’ following two days of meetings between representatives of various ethnic groups in Rmeilan.
Both the Syrian government and at least one major opposition bloc have dismissed the move, which brings together three Kurdish-led areas under one, PYD-controlled federal system.
Syria’s foreign ministry issued a statement warning against “creating a union or a federal system,” saying it contradicts the national constitution.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition has also come out against the decision, which “confiscates the will of the Syrian people.”
Ankara is also expected to be angry about the move. It fears the growing power of Kurds across the frontier will promote furthe...
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- Cyprus warns it will veto EU-Turkey deal: exclusive
- Runtime
- 3:06
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Cyprus will veto a planned EU-Turkey deal on refugees unless Ankara recognises the country’s Greek Cypriot government, President Nicos Anastasiades told euronews in an interview on Thursday.
Last week, Germany brokered a deal with the Turkish government that would see migrants who reach Greece from Turkey sent back.
The draft agreement says that for each Syrian returned, a Syrian in Turkey would be resettled in an EU country.
In return, the EU says it will look to speed up Turkey’s EU membership talks and could offer up to 6 billion euros in financial aid for Syria refugees in Turkey.
Visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to the European Union is also included in the draft deal.
Cyprus has been divided since the Turkish military invaded the island in 1974 and Anastasiades said that Nicosia would block any agreement at a two-day meeting of EU leaders in Brussels unless there was a change to Turkey’s long-standing pol...
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- Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan has died aged 71
- Runtime
- 0:21
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Former head of Israeli security agency Mossad Meir Dagan has died of cancer at 71.
A pugnacious retired army general, Dagan took over the Mossad in 2002, when a Palestinian revolt was raging, international Islamist militancy was on the rise and world powers learned of Iran’s secret uranium enrichment projects.
His eight-year tenure saw a series of aggressive covert actions that were widely attributed to Israel. Among them was a 2007 air strike that destroyed a suspected Syrian atomic reactor and assassinations and cyber-sabotage targeting Tehran’s nuclear scientists and technologies.
But weeks before he stepped down, Dagan suspended convention by summoning Israeli reporters to Mossad headquarters, where he disputed Netanyahu’s assessment of the imminence of an Iranian threat and declared readiness to launch a pre-emptive war to foil it.
“Israel should not hasten to attack Iran, doing so only when the sword is upon its neck,”...
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- Migrants wait in Turkish town of Cesme to cross to Greek island
- Runtime
- 2:07
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The Turkish town of Cesme lies on the Aegean coast, just six miles from the Greek island of Chios. For this reason it’s popular with migrants destined for the EU.
Many people waiting to travel to Greece stay in the town’s parks and hotels.
They rely on handouts for food and other essentials.
“We give milk to kids to babies, baby biscuits, fruit purees, nappies,” Nur Şahinoğlu from the NGO İmece Çeşme İnitiative told our reporter. “For women sanitary pads, beside all these we give canned food, bread and water. We also provide clothes to the ones who needs.”
Golan Shah waits with his wife and their five children. He told euronews why he fled Afghanistan:
“We’ve been under fire from rockets and suicide bombs for thirty years, so we are not afraid of death,” said Shah. “We are forced to leave because our economic situation is not good. We take to the boats. I understand that there is 99 percent chanc...
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- Kurdish group says it was behind Sunday’s car bombing in Ankara
- Runtime
- 1:09
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s (March 13) Ankara car bombing.
The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) say the attack targeted Ankara, “the heart of fascist Turkey” where the wildest slaughter decisions are taken by those in control.
Thirty-seven people were killed in Sunday’s attack. The blast tore through a crowded transport hub sending burning debris over an area close to the justice and interior ministries.
The TAK was once connected with the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The TAK said it was also to blame for the February car bombing in Ankara that killed 29 people.
The group described Sunday’s car bombing as revenge for security operations in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey that have been underway since July.
Analysts from Stratfor say that “given the military’s offensives against the PKK in Turkey and northern Iraq and against the YPG in northern S...
- Title
- How will Russia’s troop withdrawal affect Syria talks?
- Runtime
- 1:24
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Representatives of the Syrian opposition gather to pay their respects to those who have lost their lives in the 5-year conflict.
They have also given their reaction to Russia’s announcement that it is to begin the partial withdrawal of its troops from Syria.
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- ‘Everyone is nervous’: fear in Ankara as first bomb funerals are held
- Runtime
- 1:36
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Everyday life resumed on Monday close to the scene of Ankara’s latest bombing. But understandably there is fear on the streets of the Turkish capital, relatively quiet amid pouring rain.
The country faces threats from Kurdish militants and ISIL; local jihadist groups and leftist radicals have also staged attacks.
Kerem, a man who witnessed Sunday’s bomb, spoke to euronews.
“I was frozen with fear. I was standing (nearby). I rushed to the site and tried to help the wounded. I saw people burned inside a bus. They were still holding the seats. Human flesh was everywhere. Then police arrived and cordoned off the area. I helped the victims, we put them into ambulances,” he said.
We asked another man whether he was afraid.
“Of course,“he replied. “We are anxious. Not only for us but also for our families. For our relatives and friends. I hope this ends soon. Our lives are in danger. Everybody is nervous when they...
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- Turkey strikes at Kurdish PKK after deadly Ankara bombing
- Runtime
- 1:01
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Turkey has been quick to target Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country and in Iraq, in the wake of Sunday’s deadly car bomb in Ankara that killed 37 people.
The government is clearly pointing the finger at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there were “very serious and almost certain” findings that the militant group was responsible. He added that eleven people had been detained, and that “all of their network” had been exposed.
- Title
- Qatar Airways adds 14 new routes
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Despite falling oil prices putting pressure on their economies, the ever expanding Gulf region airlines continue to add planes to their fleets and destinations to their schedules.
The latest growth move came at the ITB travel fair in Berlin from Qatar Airways, which is aggressively taking on European and North American carriers.
Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways told euronews: “We have announced 14 new destinations; among them is Krabi in Thailand, the Seychelles, we are going to go to Windhoek in southern Africa, which is the capital of Namibia, we are going to Finland, we are expanding in Central and Eastern Europe, and other parts in South Eastern Asia.”
Qatar Airways currently flies to 150 destinations.
The Gulf carriers reject the complaints of US rivals that their expansion is fuelled by “hidden subsidies” from their governments.
They continue to outstrip European and US airlines in order terms.
...
- Title
- Ankara bombing: a witness gives his account of what happened
- Runtime
- 0:45
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- As Ankara’s hospitals struggled to cope with the casualties, the walking wounded began telling reporters what they had seen. One witness had been near the bus which was caught up in the blast.
“All the seats (in the bus) were full. About 40 to 50 people. There were about 40 to 50 people on it. The bus slowed down, a black car went by us, and seconds later …‘boom’, it exploded and seats went flying . A red thing appeared…it was fire … fire broke out . It killed at least two or three people. … the force of the blast sent metal flying … a piece hit me here and here…. I fell down.”
According to other witnesses the fire engulfed several cars in the area.With so many of the injured said to be in a critical condition the number of fatalities is expected to rise.
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- Turkey: Dozens killed and injured in Ankara car bomb
- Runtime
- 0:43
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- A large explosion – thought to have been caused by a car bomb – has struck the centre of the Turkish capital Ankara, killing at least two dozen people and injuring scores of others.
According to reports quoting the Turkish health minister, the attack has killed at least 34 people.
Earlier, security officials put the death toll at least 32. The governor’s office initially said 27 had died.
Some 75 people have been injured in the bombing and have been taken to various hospitals around the city.
The blast happened just before 6.45pm local time at Kizilay Square near the central Guven Park. The area was said to have been crowded at the time – it’s near a courthouse and the Justice and Interior ministries.
The state broadcaster TRT said the car exploded at a major transport hub – several bus stops are located there – hitting a bus carrying some 20 people.
The blast was heard several miles away and le...
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- Syrian government and opposition at odds over presidency ahead of Geneva talks
- Runtime
- 1:41
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- With Syria peace talks due to start in Geneva on Monday, the Damascus government has said the presidency will not be up for discussion.
This, as the lead opposition negotiator says there will be no political transition unless Bashar al-Assad goes.
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- Protesters kick up stink over Beirut’s rubbish problems
- Runtime
- 0:55
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Thousands of protesters have marched to the Lebanese government headquarters in Beirut amid a mounting row over the city’s rubbish problems.
With waste mounting in the streets, the Cabinet has approved plans for two new landfill sites and the re-opening of another.
Demonstrators want a permanent recycling plan, not more waste going into the ground.
“We want to tell the ‘rubbish’ who are inside the parliament that we are staying in the streets until they go. We want both them and the rubbish to go away,” said protester Rita Hanna.
- Title
- Two Palestinian children in Gaza ‘killed by Israeli airstrike’
- Runtime
- 0:44
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- An Israeli air strike on the Gaza strip caused the deaths of a 10-year-old Palestinian boy and his six-year-old sister, according to medical officials.
Within hours of the strike, reportedly in a response to rocket fire into Israel, crowds turned out for the boy’s funeral in Gaza.
The boy was identified as Yassin Abu Khoussa. His sister Issra reportedly died in hospital later.
Medics said the pair were hit by fragments from a missile fired by Israeli aircraft.
They were the first fatalities from air strikes in the self-governing Palestinian territory since last October.
The Israeli military said aircraft had targeted four militant training camps belonging to Hamas after four missiles landed in open areas in southern Israel, causing no injuries.
- Title
- Horror of life under ISIL exposed in recaptured Syrian town of al-Shadadi
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The horror of life in Syria under the so-called Islamic State was opened up to the world this week when western journalists visited the northern town of al-Shadadi, recaptured recently by Kurdish-led forces.
One resident pointed out makeshift gallows.
Elsewhere amid the destruction, bombs and explosives are found in the street and in buildings.
Many of the abandoned houses contained bunkers and escape tunnels.
The team from Britain’s Sky News was also shown a hotel said to have been used by the extremists to assault women.
One witness said they risked torture with electric prods for showing too much skin.
Ahead of indirect peace talks due to resume on Monday, the Syrian government has ruled out discussions on a change at the top.
It said it drew a “red line” around President al-Assad’s position.
The Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the Geneva talks would depend on the o...
- Title
- Arab League picks Egypt’s Aboul-Gheit as new chief with Middle East in turmoil
- Runtime
- 1:11
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The Arab League’s appointment of a veteran Egyptian diplomat from the Mubarak era as its new head comes at a crucial time for the Middle East.
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit is a former ambassador to the UN and also served as Egypt’s foreign minister.
The only contender for the post, he was picked in a late-night session in Cairo.
He will have to deal with the battle against ISIL, the five-year long Syrian civil war and the conflict in Yemen both of which have seen regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia back opposing sides.
Aboul-Gheit, who is due to take over in July, will replace Nabil EL-Araby – another ex-Egyptian foreign minister from the time of the transitional government after the 2011 uprising – who said in February that he would not be seeking a second mandate.
The vote was delayed to take account of reservations from Qatar over his appointment, expressed by the small Gulf state’s foreign minister Mohammad bin Abdul...
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- Turks welcome end of military operation in Sur, Diyarbakir
- Runtime
- 1:01
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Residents in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir have welcomed the end of a government-backed operation against militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The pro-Kurdish opposition People’s Democratic Party (HDP) claims civilians have been the main casualties.
“The end of operations means that at least we’ll be able to reopen our stores. We’ll be able to make a living,” said one local man. “Our children are miserable, at least we’ll be able to get them some bread. Of course it’s good news, it’s good for Diyarbakir, for the citizens. The end of operations is a relief.”
Locals had been complaining after months of fighting to root out PKK militants particularly in the Sur neighbourhood which has been under lockdown since December.
Rights groups say more than two hundred civilians have been killed in areas placed under curfew.
Security forces will continue looking for possible explosives and the curfew ...
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- Five migrants, including baby, drown off Turkish coast
- Runtime
- 0:47
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Five Afghan migrants, including two children and a six-month-old baby, have drowned after the boat they were in hit rough weather and capsized off the Turkish coast.
Nine other people were pulled from the water alive. One of the victims managed to swim ashore, but reportedly died during attempts to revive him.
The migrants were trying to get to the Greek island of Lesbos.
More than 130,000 people have reached Europe from Turkey so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration – and hundreds have died while making the perilous journey.
The latest deaths come just days after the EU struck a draft deal with Turkey to curb illegal migration in return for billions of euros in aid.
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- Palestinians open fire on traffic in Jerusalem as series of attacks continue
- Runtime
- 0:59
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Israeli police have shot and killed two Palestinians accused of opening fire on traffic in Jerusalem and outside the Old City.
One person is in a serious condition after the shootings.
Police say the two attackers fled the scene after opening fire.
This is the latest in a string of violent attacks in Israel, and the latest coincide with a visit by the US Vice President Joe Biden.
On Tuesday a Palestinian carried out a knife attack on the waterfront in Tel Aviv.
An American tourist was killed and 12 people injured.
Over the past five months Israeli soldiers have reportedly killed at least 179 Palestinians, 121 of whom Israel accuses of being assailants.
The others were shot dead during clashes at demonstrations.
Shootings, stabbings and car rammings have killed 28 Israelis and two US nationals.
- Title
- United Nations sets March 14 date for Syrian peace talks
- Runtime
- 0:59
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Russia’s Defence Ministry claims there had been seven ceasefire violations in Syria in the space of 24 hours.
The news follows the posting of a video on social networks showing an air strike, either Russian or Syrian, said to have killed at least 19 in Abu al-Duhur in the northwest of the country.
The United Nations says peace talks will commence on March 14 in Geneva.
Jessy Chahine, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria said: “So the invitations are still the same, we have not issued any new invitations, and as far as the parties invited are concerned, it is the government, the HNC and individuals involved in the Cairo and Moscow meetings as per Security Council resolution 2254.”
Meanwhile, in the US a senior General has appealed to the Senate for permission to train Syrian opposition forces.
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- Turkey: Young boy and woman killed by cross-border rocket fire from Syria
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Two civilians, including a young child, were killed in southern Turkey on Tuesday after rockets were fired over the border from Syria.
Reports from the Turkish town of Kilis say that up to eight rockets landed – all fired from a Syrian region controlled by ISIL, the group calling itself Islamic State.
The dead are said to be a woman in her fifties and a four year old boy. At least two other people were injured.
The rocket fire interrupted a live TV broadcast by Turkey’s state-run broadcaster TRT World.
- Title
- The Arab women in Cairo leading the push for workplace equality
- Runtime
- 2:25
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Om Waleed is a taxi driver. In fact she is the only woman driving a taxi in Cairo. She has broken a huge taboo and put up with repeated harassment to pursue her ambition of doing the job she wants in order to support her family of three.
Euronews took a ride with her through the capital with the constant traffic jams creating more problems on her daily trips. Her skill has won her special standing among her male colleagues.
“At first I faced a lot of problems with other drivers, because they were surprised by the presence of a woman driving a taxi, and were wondering, asking me are you driving a taxi? I was frustrated at the beginning but I started to learn not to care about their comments, refusing to listen to what they were saying or to take heed of the words I heard in the streets,” she told euronews.
A petrol station in the city has become the first in the country to hire women attendants. Eight girls work during daylight hours. They went...
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- EU leaders ‘turning a blind eye’ to Turkey’s press crackdown
- Runtime
- 1:54
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Brussels’ failure to tackle Turkey over press freedom shows EU leaders have dropped the idea of Ankara becoming a member of the bloc, it’s been claimed.
Cengiz Aktar, a political scientist from the Istanbul Policy Center, said media liberty in the country is the worst it’s been for a generation.
Turkey’s biggest newspaper, Zaman, was taken over by the authorities last week, leaving just a handful of media outlets free from government control.
How bad is press freedom in Turkey?
Prof. Aktar told Euronews (you can listen to the full interview here): “When it comes to freedom of press and freedom of the internet the last two years have been disastrous.
“Nine television channels have been closed or have been forced to be closed and several newspapers were taken over by the government.”
- Title
- Syrian truce may be fragile, but it’s allowing flow of crucial aid
- Runtime
- 0:58
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The truce in Syria may be fragile, but the lower levels of violence is allowing humanitarian aid to reach people in need.
Experts say it is a big turn around and they hope it will continue as peace efforts increase.
Jan Egeland, the UN Senior Advisor for the UN Special Envoy for Syria, said: “In the first three months of last year, zero trucks reached any of the besieged areas in Syria.
“In the last three weeks 236 trucks have served 115,000 people. Many of these have received several convoys.”
The UN estimates almost half a million people are stuck in besieged areas of Syria and a further 4.6 million are in hard-to-reach areas.
Starvation and severe malnutrition have been reported in some areas.
- Title
- Shakespeare celebrated at Beirut’s Al Bustan festival
- Runtime
- 4:36
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Lebanon is a melting pot known for its rich and at times tragic history. But for the past 23 years, even as bombs fell and blood flowed, a classical music festival has played out on a hill overlooking Beirut. A sanctuary for music lovers like Myrna Bustani — the first woman ever elected to the Lebanese parliament, and the founder of the Al Bustan festival.
Bustani told Musica: “In 1991, when I came back from Europe and I visited Beirut I realised how dramatic the situation was for classical music: it was only used for funerals, when someone was murdered, or when a bomb exploded… I was so shocked I felt something had to be done. I told a few friends: ‘let’s set up a small winter festival’ They said: ‘Do you really think you’ll find artists ready to come to Lebanon?’ And I always said artists have more courage!”
- Title
- Two women ‘killed by police’ after attack and siege in Istanbul
- Runtime
- 0:46
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Police in Istanbul have come under attack, apparently from two women. According to Turkish media they have both since been killed.
As a police bus arrived outside a police station in Istanbul’s Bayrampaşa district, the women appeared and were seen to open fire.
Reports say at least one hand grenade was also thrown.
The women then retreated into an apartment block after running through nearby alleys.
Police closed off streets and launched an operation to apprehend the attackers.
A siege situation ensued, with the women trapped inside the building.
Gunfire and an explosion were heard. Reports now say the militants were killed by police.
Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that two police officers were injured during the operation.
There were no other reported casualties and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
- Title
- Turkish police break up protests in Kurdish south east
- Runtime
- 1:36
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Turkish police moved in to disperse hundreds of protesters in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir on Wednesday (March 2) – at least 33 people were arrested.
Locals were complaining at months of government-backed security operations to root out members of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) particularly in the district of Sur which has been under lockdown since December 2.
The leader of the pro-Kurdish opposition People’s Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas says civilians have been the main casualties during the security crackdown, claiming 211 deaths it began.
“We don’t want the ruling AK Party’s murky war in our cities, in our lands and our country. We dare to take to the streets against this. This protest was against those who dare to (start) a war. It is a crime to ban this protest or say it is illegal,” he said.
At a conference in Ankara Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davotoglu accused the HDP, which is ...
- Title
- Mystery over brutal death of Italian researcher in Egypt deepens
- Runtime
- 0:21
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The president’s office in Egypt has spoken out about the case of an Italian researcher who disappeared in January and was found dead nine days later.
After sources said Giulio Regeni had been tortured over a week, the president’s office claimed that “terrorists” were behind the killing.
“Through this act, those who want to damage Egypt and the region, and those who are linked to terrorist groups, tried to make the responsibility fall on the Interior Ministry,” said a statement from the presidency.
Egypt says its “enemies are trying to divide the country from Italy, creating a diplomatic case with a friendly country”.
On Tuesday unconfirmed judicial sources in Egypt said that Regeni had been tortured over the period of a week, in separate hour-long sessions every 10 to 14 hours.
The body has also been examined in Italy and a final report is still expected, but forensic sources confirmed torture.
- Title
- Release of Turkish journalists ‘a clear defeat’ for Erdogan
- Runtime
- 1:17
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The release of two Turkish journalists has been described by one of them as a “clear defeat” for the country’s president.
Can Dundar from opposition newspaper Cumhuriet was speaking to reporters with his freed colleague Erdem Gul.
Both were released after a ruling by Turkey’s top court that their rights had been violated.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he does not respect the court’s decision.
“We have a president who is not accustomed to defeat,” said Can Dundar, Cumhuriet’s editor-in-chief. “Rather than accepting the ruling, he is seeking to turn it into a state crisis. He said he would not recognise or obey the ruling. This is the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic that a president has said he will not obey a decision.”
The two journalists were detained after their newspaper published material it said shows intelligence officials trucking arms to Syria in 2014.
...
- Title
- Gulf Arab states label Hezbollah a terrorist group
- Runtime
- 1:35
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah is facing further sanctions after a decision by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to class it as a terrorist organisation.
The Iranian-backed organisation wields considerable influence in Lebanon and the country’s former prime minister Saad al-Hariri believes it’s time Hezbollah’s was invited to the talks table to broker peace.
“We should talk with those we have a problem with, no? We should talk with Hezbollah. Some may think that this dialogue is leading nowhere, but I assure you sooner or later this dialogue will reach a result, because Hezbollah will discover that it took some positions that do not benefit the country,” said Hariri.
There’s been no immediate reaction from Hezbollah, but on Monday its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of pushing Lebanon into a new phase of political conflict by announcing it was suspending an aid package for the Lebanese army.
- Title
- Residents return to ruined Turkish city of Cizre after partial lifting of curfew
- Runtime
- 0:52
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Turkey has partially lifted a strict curfew that has been in force in the southeastern city of Cizre for the past two and a half months.
New images show the destruction from weeks of fighting, with many residents returning to find their homes in ruins.
A full curfew remains in force in the district of Sur and a partial one is in force in the town of Silopi.
The Turkish army says it has been targeting armed militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, saying more than 660 have been what it calls “neutralised” in Cizre alone.
But human rights groups say dozens of civilians have been killed, with one Turkish group giving a figure of close to 200 after recent fighting.
Turkey rejects criticism of its operations, including that the curfews have cut people off from basic supplies and medical help.
The UN has also called on Turkey to investigate reports of unarmed civilians being shot by security forces.
- Title
- Hopes for Syrian aid despite ceasefire violations
- Runtime
- 1:11
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The United Nations is hoping that the truce brokered in Syria will provide a window of opportunity to distribute much needed aid in besieged areas.
Russian TV showed pictures of the Russian military distributing relief to a village near the border with Turkey.
The fragile cessation of hostilities, jointly drawn up by the US and Russia and unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council, led to a dramatic drop in violence over the weekend – though rebels have accused the government of numerous violations.
- Title
- Syria’s shaky ceasefire in doubt? Reports of bombings and strikes
- Runtime
- 1:11
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- Amid Syria’s shaky ceasefire, there claims of breaches.
Barrel bombs are said to have been dropped on Homs province, with one video alleging the Syrian regime has violated the truce.
It is also claimed that a Russian warplane has hit a town in Idlib province.
Air strikes were reported to have targeted rebel-held areas in Aleppo and Hama on Sunday too.
War planes hit six towns in the northern Aleppo province, according to monitors. Insurgents claim they were Russian jets, but others say their identity is unclear.
Syria’s state media did not report the strikes and Russia’s defence ministry did not comment.
It is hoped the fragile ceasefire will help get aid to besieged areas. A UN official has said that supplies should be delivered this week to more than 150-thousand people.
The truce is part of a US and Russian plan. It does not cover assaults on ISIL and Nusra Front militants and it seems i...
- Title
- Land Rover BAR win America’s Cup World Series in Muscat
- Runtime
- 0:43
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- The British bulldog spirit was in evidence in Oman where Sir Ben Ainslie had to show all his trademark fighting spirit to win the America’s Cup World Series.
Ainslie, the four-time Olympic gold medallist went into Sunday’s three double points races topping the standings after Saturday’s competition.
His Land Rover team rebounded from a disappointing start to finish second in the opening race of the day but two penalties for being on the wrong side of the start line meant they posted a fourth and third in the final two races.
But the results went their way to give the team victory just fractions ahead of the defending champions Oracle Team USA.
The World Series is the first stage of the competition in the 2017 America’s Cup. The next round of racing is in New York in May.
- Title
- Fragile ceasefire is holding in Syria
- Runtime
- 1:25
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- US and Russian monitors insist the fragile truce in Syria is holding, despite a number of violations.
Officials say the agreement has been breached at least 9 times in 24 hours.
It came into force just after midnight in the early hours of Saturday.
- Title
- Obama calls for strikes on Syria to stop, except US-led attacks on ISIL
- Runtime
- 0:53
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- US President Barack Obama has urged all parties to stop attacks — both ground and aerial — in Syria.
However, he stressed Washington-led strikes against ISIL strongholds were not included in the cessation of fighting.
Obama warned the US would “remain relentless” in its fight against the Islamist group.
- Title
- UN Security Council calls on all sides in Syria conflict to respect new ceasefire
- Runtime
- 0:56
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- A unanimous vote at the UN Security Council has called on all sides in the civil war in Syria to respect the conditions of a US-Russian ceasefire plan.
The official start of the halt in fighting has now come into force and Syria’s government and insurgents have said they will comply.
The UN resolution was jointly drafted by the US and Russia.
The UN Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura told the council members: ‘No doubt there will be no shortage of attempts to undermine this process.
“We are ready for it, we should not be impressed (intimidated), we should not be overly concerned.
“We should address it and realise that this is part of any ceasefire and certainly of a cessation of hostilities.’
It has also been announced by the UN envoy that if the ceasefire largely holds, and humanitarian access remains open, Syrian peace talks will resume on March the 7th.
The truce does not apply to Is...
- Title
- Scepticism in Aleppo as Syria truce due to come into effect
- Runtime
- 1:01
- Date posted
- 11 years ago
- Description
- With a fragile truce agreement coming into force in Syria on Friday night, there are hopes that it could be a step towards bringing peace to the war-torn country.
The agreement, brokered by the US and Russia, excludes large areas of the country.
The Syrian government has said it will continue to fight the Islamic State group and the al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra front.
In rebel-held areas of Aleppo, there was a lot of scepticism about what it can achieve.
“The majority might be committed to the ceasefire, but not all the parties. The regime will not commit,” said Aleppo resident Abu Hussein.
“Tonight the truce will be effective., but the jets are still in the sky and that is why not all the parties will be committed.”
Abu Mohammad, a fighter with the Free Syrian Army fighter, said: “The truce was invented by the regime because the terms of the agreement are for their sake not for the sake of the Syrian p...
