Syrian govt forces set to reenter Sweida after renewed Druze-Bedouin clashes
MAZRAA, Syria, July 18 (AP/AFP): Renewed clashes broke out overnight between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans in southern Syria, and government forces were preparing to deploy again to the area Friday after pulling out under a ceasefire agreement that halted several days of violence earlier this week,...
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Gaza civil defence agency says Israeli strikes kill 14
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, July 18 (AFP): Gaza's civil defence agency said on Friday that Israeli strikes killed 14 people in the north and south of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.The emergency service said fighter jets conducted air strikes and there was artillery shelling and gunfire in the early morning in...
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Israeli strikes on south Lebanon targeting Hezbollah kill four
BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 18 (AFP) : Four people were killed on Thursday in separate Israeli strikes on south Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry reported, as Israel said it had targeted two Hezbollah members.The attacks are the latest despite a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.The ministry said that "an Israeli...
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Trump administration tells US diplomats abroad not to opine on foreign elections
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed US diplomats worldwide not to comment on the fairness or integrity of elections conducted by foreign countries, according to an internal note seen by Reuters on Thursday, in a significant departure from Washington's traditional approach of promoting free and fair elections overseas.The order,...
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Over 11m refugees risk losing aid because of funding cuts: UN
GENEVA, July 18 (AFP) : Massive cuts to humanitarian budgets risk leaving more than 11 million refugees without desperately needed aid, the United Nations warned Friday.That corresponds to a full third of the number reached last year by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.In a new report, the agency highlighted a...
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Europeans to reimpose Iran sanctions if no progress on N deal: France
PARIS, July 18 (AFP): Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal, France's foreign ministry said.The diplomats, from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of...
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AU welcomes dissolution of two C. African armed groups
NAIROBI, July 18 (AFP) : The African Union welcomed on Friday the dissolution of two of the most powerful armed groups in the Central African Republic, urging other combatants to also lay down their arms.The country is among the poorest in the world and has endured a succession of civil...
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'A trap' Asylum seekers arrested after attending US courts
NEW YORK, July 18 (AFP): In gloomy corridors outside a Manhattan courtroom, masked agents target and arrest migrants attending mandatory hearings -- part of US President Donald Trump's escalating immigration crackdown.Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to deport many migrants, has encouraged authorities to be more aggressive as he seeks...
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