Ukraine in arabic News

Air France slams Rafale jet sales to Qatar as unfair

Title: Air France slams Rafale jet sales to Qatar as unfair
Runtime: 1:04
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: France and Qatar have reached a deal over the sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets.

The agreement, worth some 6.3 billion euros, is the third of its kind for Dassault Aviation after deals to sell Rafale’s to Egypt and India.

The contract was signed by France’s President Francois Hollande and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The deal also includes MBDA missiles and the training of Qatari pilots, technicians and intelligence officers by the French army.

“If we are present here in Qatar and the region it is because France is considered a reliable country which a partner country can trust,” said Hollande, adding that French “credibility” in the region helped with Rafale sales.

France’s Rafale jet has been losing out since the turn of the century to American rivals and to the part-British “Eurofighter” or Typhoon. French officials, however, say the Middle East sales reflect an unwillingness by Arab countries to beco...

Surprise rise for Turkish consumer inflation

Title: Surprise rise for Turkish consumer inflation
Runtime: 0:36
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Consumer price inflation in Turkey unexpectedly rose last month, according to official data from the Turkish Statistical Institute.

The Turkish Consumer Price Index went up 1.63 percent from March, pushing the annual rate of inflation to 7.91 percent.

Many economists expected inflation would rise 1.34 percent from the previous month and reach an annual rate of 7.60 percent.

The food and nonalcoholic beverages index rose by 14.36 percent year-on-year. Food has been named as the chief driver of its inflation by Central Bank Governor Erdem Basci.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Ethiopian Israelis

Title: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Ethiopian Israelis
Runtime: 1:20
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting Ethiopian Israeli community leaders on Monday to discuss alleged police brutality. The claims come after Sunday night’s police clashes in Tel Aviv.

Police fired tear gas and stun grenades as demonstrators threw bottles and bricks. At least 46 police and seven protesters were hurt and dozens of protesters arrested, officials said.

Tensions heightened after two policemen were seen beating an Ethiopian Israeli soldier. Two officers have been suspended and an investigation launched. Prime Minister Netanyahu has reportedly met the Ethiopian soldier.

The unrest in Tel Aviv followed demonstrations in Jerusalem last Thursday.

Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel in top secret operations during the 1980s and 1990s. There have been longstanding complaints from many of discrimination, racism and poverty.

Mehereta Baruch-Ron, Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv says she was discriminated against...

Israel invites bids for more settler homes

Title: Israel invites bids for more settler homes
Runtime: 0:58
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Israel has invited tenders to build 77 homes in two settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem.

Most of them are said to be reissues of existing tenders as previous ones were not taken up. Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors and opposes settlement-building on land Palestinians seek for a state, said only 18 of the units were new.

The move is seen as another nail in the coffin for the prospect of a two-state solution.

There’s been strong condemnation from Palestinians – Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said the latest move showed Israel was not interested in peace.

The EU’s representative also spoke out.

“The European Union has an extremely clear position on settlement activity, I think you know it by heart. We consider settlements to be illegal under international law, we consider them to threaten the viability of the two-state solution. This is something we are obviously extremely worried about. We also ...

Title: Clashes grip Yemeni port city of Aden
Runtime: 0:55
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Fighting has been intensifying in the Yemeni port city of Aden.

Supporters of the country’s president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have been clashing with Houthi rebels.

There have also been air raids and naval shelling, in some of the most widespread combat since a Saudi-led alliance launched a campaign against the Houthis last month.

Residents say Saudi-led aircraft pounded targets in central Yemen and the capital Sanaa on Monday, despite a formal end to the air strikes.

Fighting has killed more than one thousand people since the bombings began last month, according to the UN.

The Red Cross is warning the humanitarian situation on the ground is catastrophic.

Aid is reportedly being held up by Houthis stopping convoys of trucks and by Saudi-led coalition navies searching ships for weapons.

Iran says Saudi Arabia ‘deserves punishment’ over Yemen strikes

Title: Iran says Saudi Arabia ‘deserves punishment’ over Yemen strikes
Runtime: 1:01
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: There is growing tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia after the Yemeni capital Sanaa was again bombarded by Saudi-led forces.

Black smoke rose from the airport after warplanes attacked it, destroying what Shi’ite Houthi rebels said was a private jet.

The airstrikes were reportedly aimed at stopping an Iranian plane from landing.

Iran says it was carrying medical supplies and flew home.

A month of airstrikes have targeted the Houthis, who control Sanaa and most of western Yemen and are supported by Iran.

But Tehran denies claims by the US, Saudi Arabia and their allies that it is arming the rebels.

With the airport runway unusable, planned aid flights have been suspended.

Relief workers have warned that the situation in the Arab world’s poorest country is a humanitarian catastrophe.

As the coalition targeted the homes of Houthi commanders, fighting has continued between the rebel...

Independent, dark movies the stars of Cyprus Film Days

Title: Independent, dark movies the stars of Cyprus Film Days
Runtime: 4:12
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The 13th edition of “Cyprus Film Days” wrapped up on Sunday.

The festival, which takes place in the southern city of Limassol and in the capital Nicosia, aims to bring Cypriot viewers closer to independent cinema. It showcases new Cypriot productions as well as movies from around the world.

“Cruel,” directed by France’s Eric Cherrière, is the quintessential “film noir,” delving deep into the mind of a serial killer

Its anti-hero Pierre splits his time between temp jobs and caring for his Alzheimer’s-stricken father. Feeling invisible, haunted by memories of his childhood, Pierre kills at random to assuage his melancholy.

“In every film noir there is this idea that there used to be happiness, but that’s over now. In “Cruel”, childhood is this lost happiness,” Cherrière told Euronews.

“To me the film noir is an existential genre – it can really tell the story of one’s existence, all the way...

New Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci amplifies reunification resolve

Title: New Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci amplifies reunification resolve
Runtime: 5:59
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Title: Clashes grip Yemeni port city of Aden
Runtime: 0:55
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Fighting has been intensifying in the Yemeni port city of Aden.

Supporters of the country’s president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have been clashing with Houthi rebels.

There have also been air raids and naval shelling, in some of the most widespread combat since a Saudi-led alliance launched a campaign against the Houthis last month.

Residents say Saudi-led aircraft pounded targets in central Yemen and the capital Sanaa on Monday, despite a formal end to the air strikes.

Fighting has killed more than one thousand people since the bombings began last month, according to the UN.

The Red Cross is warning the humanitarian situation on the ground is catastrophic.

Aid is reportedly being held up by Houthis stopping convoys of trucks and by Saudi-led coalition navies searching ships for weapons.

Title: Israel invites bids for more settler homes
Runtime: 0:58
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Israel has invited tenders to build 77 homes in two settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem.

Most of them are said to be reissues of existing tenders as previous ones were not taken up. Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors and opposes settlement-building on land Palestinians seek for a state, said only 18 of the units were new.

The move is seen as another nail in the coffin for the prospect of a two-state solution.

There’s been strong condemnation from Palestinians – Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said the latest move showed Israel was not interested in peace.

The EU’s representative also spoke out.

“The European Union has an extremely clear position on settlement activity, I think you know it by heart. We consider settlements to be illegal under international law, we consider them to threaten the viability of the two-state solution. This is something we are obviously extremely worried about. We also ...

Mustafa Akinci storms to victory as leader of Turkish Cypriots

Title: Mustafa Akinci storms to victory as leader of Turkish Cypriots
Runtime: 1:19
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Winning just over 60 percent of the votes, Mustafa Akinci has been elected the new leader of Turkish Cypriots.

The 67-year old beat incumbant conservative Dervis Eroglu.

Akinci, a leftist moderate, was standing as an independent candidate. He campaigned on the promise of pushing for a peace deal on Cyprus, when talks resume in May 2015.

In his victory speech, Akinci promised change:
“We will achieve a change, which is real and full of content, in this country, all together, hand in hand,” he pledged.

The island was divided in 1974 by a Turkish invasion staged in response to a short-lived, Greek-inspired coup intended to secure a union with Greece.

“We are so happy,” said one local woman. “This is a message to our Greek Cypriots: compatriots come, join us to unify this beautiful island.”

A walkout by Greek Cypriots last October stalled peace negotiations, although they are scheduled to resume...

Moderate Akinci wins Turkish-Cypriot leadership runoff

Title: Moderate Akinci wins Turkish-Cypriot leadership runoff
Runtime: 1:18
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Leftist Akinci sweeps to victory in Turkish Cypriot presidential election

Title: Leftist Akinci sweeps to victory in Turkish Cypriot presidential election
Runtime: 0:37
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Early results show that leftist Mustafa Akinci has swept to victory in the Turkish Cypriot presidential poll.

According to election commission officials, he has secured 60.3 percent of the vote, beating incumbent Dervis Eroglu – a conservative elected five years ago.

Akinci – standing as an independent – has promised to push harder for a peace deal in ethnically-split Cyprus.

Peace talks were suspended last October, when Greek Cypriots walked out of the process in a row over Turkish rights to explore for natural gas off northern Cyprus.

Cyprus is represented internationally and in the EU by the Greek Cypriot government, which controls the southern portion of the island.

Only Turkey recognises the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Greek Cypriots hope election in north will help revive peace talks, says analyst

Title: Greek Cypriots hope election in north will help revive peace talks, says analyst
Runtime: 1:47
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Greek Cypriots are watching the outcome of the election in northern Cyprus closely.

According to analysts, there is a feeling that opposition challenger Mustafa Akinsi would revive stalled peace talks between the Turkish and Greek sides.

The discussions have been on hold since last October, when Greek Cypriots suspended their involvement in anger at perceived moves by Turkey to challenge their sovereign rights in exploring for natural gas.

“The Cyprus issue has repeatedly become the ground for political showdowns. But this time, the recently discovered energy sources may turn out to be a good opportunity for important concessions from all,” said Kyriakos Pierrides, a political commentator

Only Turkey recognises the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The international community views the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia as the legitimate government of the whole island.

The UN expects the...

Ex-foes come together at Gallipoli for centenary of World War I battle

Title: Ex-foes come together at Gallipoli for centenary of World War I battle
Runtime: 1:24
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Commemorations are underway at Gallipoli in Turkey to mark the centenary of one of the bloodiest battles of World War I.

A student choir from Brisbane has joined other dignitaries from Australia, New Zealand, Britain and Turkey.

In 1915 British and French troops joined divisions of the Australian and New Zealand armies in a failed attempt to defeat Turkish forces of the then Ottoman Empire. The campaign claimed 130,000 lives.

At Gallipoli today, veterans’ descendants find reconciliation that was impossible for some of those who fought.

“I accompanied my grandfather in 1990 and we couldn’t convince him to hold an Australian veteran’s hand 25 years ago. I witnessed it myself. But today, I can visit Turkish and Australian graveyards together with a grandson of an Australian veteran as we walk arm in arm,” said Halil Koc, the grandson of Turkish war veteran Gazi Halil Koc.

His Australian counterpart, Bruce Scates, i...

Turkey insists it has nothing to hide on 100-year-old Armenian tragedy

Title: Turkey insists it has nothing to hide on 100-year-old Armenian tragedy
Runtime: 7:28
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Houthi fighters want UN peace talks, but only after airstrikes stop

Title: Houthi fighters want UN peace talks, but only after airstrikes stop
Runtime: 1:00
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: In Yemen, Reuters reported that Houthi fighters captured an army base in the city of Taiz.

Residents said a Saudi airstrike hit the installation shortly afterwards.

Saudi-led coalition planes later hit Houthi positions in southern Yemen.

Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to the US, said coalition forces were ready to stop Houthis from advancing on the port of Aden.

“The Houthis should be under no illusion that we will continue to use force in order to stop them from taking Yemen over by aggressive actions,” said Al-Jubeir.

Hundreds of Houthi supporters rallied in central Sana’a against Saudi Arabia after Riyadh entered a new phase of the conflict focused on political, diplomatic and military action.

The Houthis say they want a return to United Nations peace talks but only after a complete halt to air strikes.

Yemen: Saudi-led airstrikes resume despite ‘halt’ to campaign

Title: Yemen: Saudi-led airstrikes resume despite ‘halt’ to campaign
Runtime: 1:08
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Saudi-led coalition warplanes have bombed rebel positions in Yemen despite Riyadh announcing it was ending its campaign of air strikes.

Houthi rebels have been pounded for almost a month but on Tuesday the Saudis declared a new phase was beginning in which the main focus would be on the political process and aid efforts.

Air strikes resumed on Wednesday though, amid intense fighting in Yemen’s third city of Taiz, with reports of coalition jets hitting an army base seized by the Houthis.

The Shi’ite rebel movement already runs the capital Sanaa and has been fighting to take over the southern port of Aden.

It says it wants a return to United Nations peace talks, but only after airstrikes are finally halted.

With hundreds killed in Yemen’s violence, an end to bombardments was demanded in a rally by protesters in Sanaa – amid a humanitarian situation described as “catastrophic” by the Red Cross.

But f...

Gallipoli still teaching us brutality of war

Title: Gallipoli still teaching us brutality of war
Runtime: 2:35
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: A poem in Turkish on a Gallipoli hillside tells the traveller to ‘behold a place where an age went down… Listen to the silence where a nation’s heart beats.’

The port city of Çanakkale, Turkey, near the site of ancient Troy, conceals the remains of far more recent armies.

Little more than one kilometre wide at its narrowest point, separating Europe from the mainland of Asia, the international waterway today was a strait of death 100 years ago.

The First World War allied attack revealed valour on all sides. There are still many signs.

We asked Gökhan Tarkan Karaman, who makes documentary films, about the sort of relics he finds.

Karaman said: “Not many people have access to a lot of this area. This is a big chunk of land, and, as you know, half a million people came here to fight. This is a place where bullets did actually collide in mid air — so many shells were fired here. So, walking around carefully you f...

Turkish PM offers his ‘deep respect’ to Ottoman Armenians

Title: Turkish PM offers his ‘deep respect’ to Ottoman Armenians
Runtime: 1:20
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The prime minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu has offered his deep respect to Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during what he described as “the relocation in 1915”.

His statement comes as tens of thousands get ready to mark the 100th anniversary of the World War I massacre of up to one and a half million Armenians.

Turkish government spokesman Bulent Arinc said: “We commemorate Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives and we extend our sympathies to their grandchildren. It is a historical and humanitarian duty for Turkey to embrace the memory and cultural heritage of Ottoman Armenians.”

Earlier this month, Pope Francis prompted a row with Ankara when he publicly called the killings “genocide,” a term rejected by Turkey.

The head of the country’s religious affairs directorate said the pope’s statement was immoral and irreconcilable with basic Christian values.

“Religious leaders of this century should...

Saudi Arabia announces end to military campaign in Yemen

Title: Saudi Arabia announces end to military campaign in Yemen
Runtime: 1:04
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Saudi Arabia has announced an end to its military campaign in Yemen.

After almost one month of airstrikes, Riyadh claims it has achieved its goals against Houthi rebels.

On Monday the Saudi military insisted that almost all of the military capabilities of the Houthis had been destroyed.

However, Riyadh said it will continue to target the Houthis if they are spotted undertaking any operations.

Just hours earlier, as Saudi-led airstrikes continued to hit targets in the capital of Yemen, Riyadh said it was boosting its fighting force.

The King of Saudi Arabia ordered the Saudi National Guard to join the air force and army in the campaign against the Houthis, who are allied with Iran.

At least 40 people were reported to have died in airstrikes on Tuesday, most of them civilians, according to health workers.

Dozens more were wounded.

In key towns, fighters loyal to the exiled president Ab...

Egypt: 22 Mursi supporters sentenced to death

Title: Egypt: 22 Mursi supporters sentenced to death
Runtime: 0:21
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: An Egyptian court has sentenced 22 supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to death for storming a police station in 2013.

The country’s first freely elected president, Morsi was ousted by the army that year. He could also be sentenced to death on Tuesday (April 21) as the state cracks down on the Islamists who once governed the country.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled Morsi and became president after millions of people protested against the leader’s divisive year-long rule.

Egypt’s new authorities then launched a sweeping and sustained crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood that has left hundreds of people dead and thousands jailed.

US Navy deploys two more warships near Yemen as conflict escalates

Title: US Navy deploys two more warships near Yemen as conflict escalates
Runtime: 1:14
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The United States said on Monday (April 20) it had sent two more warships into the waters near Yemen, heightening its military presence in the area as concerns grow over the country’s civil war.

The US Navy sent an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile cruiser from the Gulf into the Arabian Sea on Sunday. It said in a statement the purpose was to “ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe.”

The move brings to nine the number of US warships dispatched near Yemen, where Houthi rebels, said to be backed by Iran, are battling forces loyal to the US-and-Saudi-backed president.

A Pentagon spokesman, speaking to Reuters, denied reports the ships were on a mission to intercept Iranian arms shipments to the Shia Houthi rebels.

Washington has not directly intervened in the Yemen conflict so far but it supports Saudi-led airstrikes designed to stop the Houthi rebels’ advance.

One of these strikes hit...

All eyes on Cyprus as Turkish Cypriots prepare for run-off vote

Title: All eyes on Cyprus as Turkish Cypriots prepare for run-off vote
Runtime: 1:28
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The eyes of the international community are on Cyprus after Turkish Cypriot elections on Sunday.

The current Turkish Cypriot leader, conservative Dervis Eroglu, goes through to a run-off ballot with leftist rival Mustafa Akinci next Sunday.

Whoever wins will represent the northern Turkish Cypriots in peace talks likely to get underway soon with Greek Cypriots in the south.

Assistant Professor Dr. Okan Şafakli at the European University of Lefke told euronews: “Northern Cyprus is second in the world when it comes to nepotism. Unemployment is chronic.

“Because of reasons like these people are fed up with the current situation. And there is a wind of change. Akinci represents this movement, hope for a solution and what comes after that.”

But whoever wins, there seems to be general agreement that things cannot remain as they are.

Safakli added: “If this island doesn’t turn into an island of peace, for ...

Israel: Haifa mayor orders closure of refineries amid cancer scare

Title: Israel: Haifa mayor orders closure of refineries amid cancer scare
Runtime: 0:21
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Plants run by Israel’s biggest refining and petrochemicals group have been ordered closed by the mayor of Haifa after a report said increased cancer rates in the city could be linked to air pollution.

The stand taken by Mayor Yona Yahav is challenged by the ‘Oil Refineries’ group which disputes the findings of last week’s Health Ministry report.

Greek Cypriots ‘satisfied’ with first round of elections in Cyprus

Title: Greek Cypriots ‘satisfied’ with first round of elections in Cyprus
Runtime: 1:26
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The Greek Cypriot part of Cyprus appeared satisfied with the result of round one of the Turkish Cypriot elections.

The internationally recognized Cypriot government is officially distancing itself from the vote but hopes peace negotiations will soon continue on the divided island.

“We are ready to work together with whoever the Turkish Cypriots choose as their leader, in the hope that the third phase of talks will begin soon,” government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides told euronews. “And with the contribution of Turkey to try to achieve the much desired solution of the Cyprus issue.”

Political observers consider the moderate Mustafa Akinsi as a potential winner in next week’s run-off against the incumbent conservative Dervis Eroglu.

“The leader of the Turkish Cypriots can shape up the political behaviour [about the future of the island] either with the Greek Cypriots or with Turkey,” political analyst Rallou Papageorgio...

24 hours in Yemen: Houthi leader speaks, air strikes and appeals for aid

Title: 24 hours in Yemen: Houthi leader speaks, air strikes and appeals for aid
Runtime: 1:09
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Turkish Cypriots in northern Cyprus prepare for runoff vote to elect next leader.

Title: Turkish Cypriots in northern Cyprus prepare for runoff vote to elect next leader.
Runtime: 1:23
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Turkish Cypriots are braced for a runoff in late April to decide their next leader in Northern Cyprus.

Leftist challenger Mustafa Akinci is currently celebrating eating into the incumbent conservative leader’s votes.

Although Derviş Eroğlu still has a slim two percent lead with 29 percent of nearly all votes counted so far, Akinci is considered most in favour of reunification with the Greek Cypriots. This stance could see him gain support from the smaller centre-left and independent parties. By comparison, Eroglu is regarded as more nationalistic and has tabled the idea of a referendum for Turkish Cypriots to decide whether to continue talks at all.

Euronews reporter Bora Bayraktar was in Nicosia :
Having Mustafa Akıncı at the runoff against current leader Derviş Eroğlu, has been seen as the people’s message of change. Who will be the next leader of Turkish Cypriots? This question will be
answered by Turkish Cypriots next wee...

Run-off vote to be held after elections for Turkish Cypriot leader

Title: Run-off vote to be held after elections for Turkish Cypriot leader
Runtime: 0:36
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: A second-round runoff is to be held among Turkish Cypriot voters after elections on Sunday to choose a new leader.

With 95 percent of ballot papers counted, the conservative incumbent Dervis Eroglu is in the lead with just under 29 percent of the vote.

In a week’s time he will go up against the leftist candidate Mustafa Akinci, who scored just under 27 percent.

Turkish Cypriot voters in the north are choosing the person who will represent them in peace talks expected to resume soon with Greek Cypriots in the south.

Greek Cypriots watch Turkish Cypriot election with interest

Title: Greek Cypriots watch Turkish Cypriot election with interest
Runtime: 1:20
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: As Turkish Cypriots went to the polls to elect a new leader on Sunday, euronews correspondent in Nicosia Stamatis Giannisis reported: “For the Greek Cypriot side the Turkish Cypriot election is of great interest, as the victory of any of the hardline candidates may result in a major setback for the political process that may one day lead to the reunification of the island.”

He says the Greek Cypriots are hoping for the election of a moderate and progressive candidate, who can help break years of deadlock.

Larkos Larkou, the Chairman of the Cyprus State News Agency, told euronews: “The major issue for both Greek and Turkish Cypriot society is to acquire a new vision, a new grand plan that will provide the ultimate solution to the Cyprus problem through our participation as a united society in the European Union.”

Political analyst Costas Yennaris told euronews: “The big question is the extent to which Turkey will continue to dictate its p...

Egyptian court moves toward death penalty for hooligans

Title: Egyptian court moves toward death penalty for hooligans
Runtime: 0:21
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: An Egyptian court has moved closer toward executing 11 men for deadly soccer violence.

Seventy-three people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during a pitch invasion at a stadium in Port Said in 2012.

During televised proceedings on Sunday (April 19), the trial judge referred sentencing to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, the country’s most senior Islamic authority. His decision is not binding, but the referral is needed before the death penalty can be imposed.

A first trial in 2013 found 21 people guilty and they were all sentenced to death. However the sentences were overturned a year later and the High Court ordered a new trial.

The case could be subject to further appeal, which could take several years.

Syria’s Assad issues warning to foreign states hostile to his rule

Title: Syria’s Assad issues warning to foreign states hostile to his rule
Runtime: 1:30
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Amid new international efforts to try to halt fighting in Syria, the country’s president has hit out at foreign nations hostile to his regime.

Bashar al-Assad has singled out Turkey, accusing it of supporting insurgents who have recently made further gains in a civil war now into its fourth year.

The Syrian President admitted to the Swedish newspaper Expressen that “war weakens any army, no matter how strong, no matter how modern”.

Ankara denies the claims made by Assad.

Next month the UN envoy for Syria will start consultations with representatives from Syria and other interested states on possible peace talks.

But Assad has a grim message for Steffan de Mastura, insisting that the conflict is complicated by what he calls “external intervention”.

He said that Mastura was aware that if he couldn’t “convince those countries to stop supporting the terrorists and let the Syrians solve the problem, ...

‘Bakur’ screening ban causes controversy at the Istanbul International Film Festival

Title: ‘Bakur’ screening ban causes controversy at the Istanbul International Film Festival
Runtime: 3:02
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The documentary ‘Bakur’ caused no end of controversy at this year’s International Film Festival in Istanbul.

The screening of the film was cancelled just hours before it was set to roll.

Festival organisers received notification from the Turkish Ministry of Culture claiming the film lacked the required registration certificate.

The festival refused to pay a necessary fine to the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

The film was pulled, the jury members refused to take part and filmmakers withdrew their offerings.

As a result the 34th Istanbul Film Festival was cancelled.

‘Bakur’ (The North), follows the movements of fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The documentary is set in the mountains of Turkish Kurdistan at a time when the Turkish government and the PKK are engaged in an ongoing peace process.

The film gives a rare insight into the motivation behind the individual...

As Yemen death toll rises, UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire

Title: As Yemen death toll rises, UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire
Runtime: 1:03
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Fighters linked to Al Qaeda seize airport and oil terminal in southern Yemen

Title: Fighters linked to Al Qaeda seize airport and oil terminal in southern Yemen
Runtime: 1:23
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Fighters linked to al-Qaeda have reportedly seized a major airport and an oil terminal in southern Yemen.

It comes as the country slides deeper into chaos, with Shiite Houthi rebels locked in fighting with pro-government forces backed by Saudi air strikes.

The United Nations’ special envoy to Yemen even stepped down on Thursday after he failed to broker an end to the conflict.

Now fighters linked to Al Qaeda are said to have seized Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s largest province Hadramawt, as well the oil terminal of Ash Shihr.

Meanwhile in the capital Sanaa, Houthi supporters rallied against the U.N. Security Council’s arms embargo imposed on the rebels and their backers.

Iran has been suspected of supporting the rebels, but its foreign minister told Euronews Teheran wasn’t meddling – and neither should other countries.

“Foreign powers should not set conditions for the future of Yemen nor should...

Iran’s Zarif tells euronews ‘foreign interference in Yemen must stop’

Title: Iran’s Zarif tells euronews ‘foreign interference in Yemen must stop’
Runtime: 1:33
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Title: Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day
Runtime: 1:01
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Israel came to a two minute standstill on Thursday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.

To the sound of a siren people stood in solemn silence in honour of the six million Jewish victims of the Nazis during the Second World War.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin attended the official state ceremony at the the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.

They both laid wreaths before the eternal flame in the museum’s Remembrance Hall.

In Poland the annual March of the Living set off from the former concentration camp of Auschwitz. The three kilometre route leads to the crematoria at Birkenau.

The march has taken place every year since 1988 and attracts Jews from all over the world.

Houthi leaders in Yemen call for protests against UN arms embargo

Title: Houthi leaders in Yemen call for protests against UN arms embargo
Runtime: 1:02
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen could be stepped up. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two pillars of the coalition leading the fight against the rebels are set to start new military manoeuvres on Saudi soil three weeks after the start of air strikes in Yemen.

The announcement comes on the back the UN Security Council arms embargo imposed on Yemen and its allies.

Houthi leaders have condemned the UN decision and called for people to take to the streets on Thursday to protest against the UN’s support of what the rebels call “aggression”.

“Of course, such a request is not logical. Now there is aggression on Yemen. Yemen has become a target, both military and civilian, along with its infrastructure. Outside enemies come and demand us to surrender our weapons. Of course this is something that will not happen and is not possible for us to accept,” said Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, Member of the Political Council of the Houthi group.
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Turkish lira plummets against the dollar

Title: Turkish lira plummets against the dollar
Runtime: 0:36
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: The Turkish lira has come under renewed pressure and fallen to a new low against the US dollar.

The drop is a major blow for the ruling party just weeks before elections.

Markets are unsure of Turkey’s economic direction under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Markets are further spooked by the possibility that Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, seen as a safe pair of hands, could lose his cabinet position after the June election.

The lira has lost almost 16 percent in value against the dollar over the last three months.

Movie-makers and critics pull out of Istanbul Film Festival amid censorship row

Title: Movie-makers and critics pull out of Istanbul Film Festival amid censorship row
Runtime: 1:48
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Nearly two dozen movie-makers and a group of international critics have pulled out of the Istanbul Film Festival, amid a censorship row.

The government has blocked the screening of a film about Kurdish militants, citing paperwork issues.

The festival competition has been called off.

“We are asking the freedom of showing the films that we are selecting in our programme, without requiring any documents within the context of festivals and cultural activities, which is happening like everywhere else in the world,” said Azize Tan, festival director.

“If a film doesn’t get that document, what happens is that the film is censored in that sense.”

The barred film – “North” – documents the lives of militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

The government says ‘PKK propaganda’ has no place in a democratic society.

“Cinemas have to be open to the public. I mean, you...

Christians in Aleppo call for an end to the Syria conflict

Title: Christians in Aleppo call for an end to the Syria conflict
Runtime: 0:53
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: As the systematic bombing of Syria’s largest city continues to wreak destruction and claim lives, a leading Christian clergyman in Aleppo has called on the fighting to end.

Latest video on social media, although unverifiable, shows a huge explosion in the city that a website says was the result of bombing by the regime.

Monsignor Georges Abou Khazen said at least 12 Christians have died recently and that more bodies are under the rubble.

Speaking to AsiaNews said that Christians and Muslims are “tired of war, tired of these terrible acts of violence”.

Mgr Khazen also claimed that the war is being fueled by regional and international powers who, he said, are sending heavier and more lethal weapons.

Aleppo is in the frontline of the conflict, strategically important because of its proximity to Turkey.

On the wider front pictures released by the US government on Monday shows coalition airstrikes on areas i...

Turkey deports British would-be ‘jihad’ family to UK

Title: Turkey deports British would-be ‘jihad’ family to UK
Runtime: 0:47
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description

Dutch journalist acquitted of Turkish terrorist propaganda charge

Title: Dutch journalist acquitted of Turkish terrorist propaganda charge
Runtime: 0:21
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: A Dutch journalist charged with disseminating “terrorist propaganda” has been acquitted by a Turkish court.

Frederike Geerdink was accused of posting messages on social media in favour of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party. (PKK)

Her brief detention prompted an outcry from rights groups and a protest by the Dutch foreign minister.

The case against her was dropped due to lack of evidence.

Iran urges formation of new Yemeni government amid turmoil

Title: Iran urges formation of new Yemeni government amid turmoil
Runtime: 1:21
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: As Yemen’s turmoil continues, Iran is urging the formation of a new government and offering to assist in a political transition.

It is a move that is likely to anger Saudi Arabia, which is backing Yemen’s president, who is up against Houthi rebels.

The Houthi advance towards the city of Aden forced Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh and triggered a Saudi-led campaign of air strikes against the rebels, who share their Shiite faith with Iran.

Amid the unrest, Aden is facing a humanitarian crisis. Some bakeries have been closed because of a shortage of supplies.

“We have to stand in line for bread, as you can see, and lines for petrol and diesel. The power is out, people have no water. They have nothing. We urge the government to find us a solution,” said one man.

Another added: “The high cost of living is not working. People here are in a worse condition, there is no security or stability, or anything.”

'Spiderman' reaches new heights scaling world's tallest twisted building, Dubai

Title: 'Spiderman' reaches new heights scaling world's tallest twisted building, Dubai
Runtime: 1:28
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: A French climber, Alain Robert, has scaled one of Dubai’s tallest skyscrapers. The daredevil did not use a harness and relied on only chalk and sticky tape applied to his fingertips to help him up the 75-storey Cayan Tower.

The 52-year-old scaled the 307-metre high structure in an impressive 70 minutes on Sunday 12 April.

Robert, who is often described as “The French Spiderman,” is no stranger to climbing tall buildings. In 2011 he climbed the world’s tallest building; Dubai’s 828-metre Burj Khalifa.

Turkey: Company executives go on trial over Soma mine disaster

Title: Turkey: Company executives go on trial over Soma mine disaster
Runtime: 1:31
Date posted: 12 years ago
Description: Protesters are calling for harsh sentences, as mining company executives go on trial over Turkey’s worst ever industrial accident.

Three-hundred-and-one workers were killed last May when an underground fire sent carbon monoxide through a mine in the town of Soma.

Hundreds of demonstrators have joined a march in Akhisar, in western Turkey.

“Words are not enough to express our pain. I have another son. He still works underground. He goes there everyday. And everyday, I go through the same pain. I wonder when the news will come to me,” said the relative of one victim.

Another added: “I want the (mine) inspector to be punished as well.”

Some of those who gathered were also angry that the defendants had not been brought to the court hearing.

“The culprits should be brought here. Why don’t they bring the defendants here? Let us see them, let us see how they defend themselves,” said one man.