أخبار

On Thursday, Syrian government forces retook the town of Mleiha on the outskirts of Damascus after months of battle against rebel forces. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights backed up the report. “The army, with the cooperation of the National Defense Forces (militia), has accomplished its mission of restoring stability and security to Mleiha”, the army command in its statement. …

Thousands of demonstrators marched towards Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad from the city of Lahore on Thursday to try and unseat the government, alleging that it was elected by fraud. Proponents of Imran Khan, former cricketer and Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and preacher Tahir-ul-Qadri amassed separately in Lahore and began their 300-kilometer march to the capital. Both Qadri and …

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said that US air strikes had ended the siege in the Sinjar Mountains in Iraq where civilians had sought refuge, and that soldiers conducting reconnaissance will be withdrawn. However, he added that US air strikes will continue against extremist forces belonging to the Islamic State (IS) if they threaten US facilities and personnel in …

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have reportedly agreed to extend their truce deal in the Gaza Strip by five days, only minutes before their three-day ceasefire was about to expire at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday. Officials from both parties have been in indirect talks in Cairo, with Egyptian mediators trying to find a peace solution to the conflict. Palestinian and Egyptian …

On Wednesday, militants from the extremist group Islamic State (IS) captured several villages in northern Syria, killing 52 people in the process, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The extremists captured eight villages between Aleppo and the Turkish border, bolstered by their success in Iraq, the observatory said. They killed 40 fighters from other rebel groups and capture 50 …

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State urged Iraq’s newly appointed prime minister-designate Haidar al-Abadi to quickly form an all-inclusive government. “We are urging him to form a new cabinet as swiftly as possible and the U.S. stands ready to support a new and inclusive Iraqi government and particularly its fight against ISIL. Let me be very clear, we have always …

On Tuesday, Israel lashed out at the United Nations after the UNHRC named the chairman of the team which will investigate Israeli war crimes in Gaza. William Schabas, aCanadian international lawyer, is all set to lead the commission – Schabas is widely regarded by Israel as being hostile to it. “This commission’s anti-Israeli conclusions have already been written, all it …

Late on Tuesday, negotiators in Cairo began to discuss Israel’s blockade on Gaza as they approached the 48-hour mark on the three-day ceasefire. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators continued their indirect talks in an attempt to find more permanent peace in the region. According to sources, Monday’s negotiations had lasted for 48 hours, and all parties involved felt reaching a permanent …

On Monday, US Secretary of State warned Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, telling him not to cause disturbances in the region as he backed newly-elected President Fuad Masum to combat the militants sweeping through the country. Kerry’s comments came after Maliki had, on state television on Sunday, announced that he will be registering a complaint against Masum. Masum was elected …

On Monday, Iraqi President Fuad Masum tasked Haidar al-Abadi, the first deputy speaker of parliament, with forming the new government. “The country is now in your hands”, Masum told Abadi during a brief ceremony which was aired live on television; only moments earlier, Abadi was picked by the Shiite National Alliance parliamentary bloc as a nominee for Prime Minister over …