Category: Middle East

Australiaa s prime minister makes impromptu visit to synagogue

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull paid an unexpected visit to Sydney’s Central Synagogue to join its Friday night service and menorah lighting, telling the congregation that Australia stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel. The synagogue’s rabbi, Levi Wolff .had received a call from Turnbull on Friday afternoon wishing him greetings and in return he received an impromptu invitation to attend the evening’s service together his wife Lucy.

Turkey nightclub attack: What we know

Thirty-nine people were killed and dozens wounded Sunday when a gunman stormed a popular Istanbul nightclub and sprayed bullets at revellers celebrating the New Year. Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack January 1, 2017 in Istanbul The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina nightclub and then went on a shooting rampage inside, officials said.

Manhunt in Turkey after New Yeara s nightclub shooting

A manhunt is on in Turkey for an assailant in a Santa Claus hat who unleashed a salvo of bullets in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people. Foreigners were among the fatalities, including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national, according to the two countries’ respective foreign ministries.

The Latest: Many nationalities among wounded in Turkey

Turkey’s Minister of Family and Social Policies says foreigners are among the wounded in the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 dead and nearly 70 wounded. Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said: “There are many different nationalities, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya and citizens of other nations.”

Dictating American foreign policy

The First Amendment shows the founding fathers did not want America to play favorites on the basis of religion, chosen or not. The government of the United States is not to show favoritism toward any religion or allow any religion to have undue influence.

Turkey: Search launched for New Year’s nightclub attacker

Turkish police are hunting for an assailant who – reportedly dressed as Santa Claus – opened fire at a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what authorities said was a terror attack. The attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul’s popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside, Gov. Vasip Sahin said.

Humble Iraqi dish offers taste of home for Mosul’s displaced

Long before it became famous as a battlefield in the fight against the Islamic State group, the Iraqi city of Mosul was known for its ancient cuisine, enriched by Syrian, Turkish and Persian recipes. Mosul chefs make savory meat pies known as kubbeh and spicy flatbread smeared with ground beef, which can be found in Middle Eastern restaurants the world over.

Turkey: search launched for New Yeara s nightclub attacker

Turkish police are hunting for an assailant who – reportedly dressed as Santa Claus – opened fire at a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what authorities said was a terror attack. The attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul’s popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside, Gov. Vasip Sahin said.

Istanbul nightclub ‘Santa attack’ kills 35

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said at least 35 people died and 40 were injured after at least one gunman reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an elite nightclub. Photo: AFP At least 35 people were killed in a “terror” attack in Istanbul Sunday when at least one gunman reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an elite nightclub where party-goers were celebrating New Year, the latest carnage to rock Turkey after a bloody 2016.

New year has bleak start for Iraq’s displaced people

There were no big New Year’s celebrations for the Iraqi men, women and children who narrowly escaped the fighting in Mosul, only to wait for hours under armed guard while the fighting-age males among them were cleared of links to the Islamic State. The lucky ones would go with their families to one of the wind-swept camps for displaced Iraqis, where they will endure the remainder of northern Iraq’s bitterly cold winter in tents and learn to survive on insufficient supplies of food, heating oil and blankets.

No big New Year’s celebrations for Iraq’s displaced

There were no big New Year’s celebrations for the Iraqi men, women and children who narrowly escaped the fighting in Mosul, only to wait for hours under armed guard while the fighting-age males among them were cleared of links to the Islamic State. The lucky ones would go with their families to one of the wind-swept camps for displaced Iraqis, where they will endure the remainder of northern Iraq’s bitterly cold winter in tents and learn to survive on insufficient supplies of food, heating oil and blankets.

Turning Iraq history to rubble, leaving the mess to looters

The giant winged bulls that once stood sentry at the nearly 3,000-year-old palace at Nimrud have been hacked to pieces. The fantastical human-headed creatures were believed to guard the king from evil, but now their stone remains are piled in the dirt, victims of the Islamic State group’s fervor to erase history.

United Nations backs Russian-Turkish Syria efforts as cease-fire wavers2 min ago

Beirut, Jan 1: The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile country-wide cease-fire wavered.The resolution also calls for the “rapid, safe and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And it anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana in late January.

Putin, Netanyahu discuss Syrian crisis

News selected on topics and regions – oil and gas, business, politics, IT, the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia Ranking of the Azerbaijani banking sector Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the Syrian settlement and Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution over the phone on Saturday, the Kremlin’s press service said, Sputnik reported. “The phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was held on the initiative of the Israeli side.

UN Security Council to vote on Syria cease-fire agreement

UNITED NATIONS >> The U.N. Security Council will vote Saturday on a resolution that would endorse the cease-fire agreement in Syria brokered by Russia and Turkey, and reiterate support for a roadmap to peace that starts with a transitional government. The resolution also calls for “rapid, safe and unhindered” access to deliver humanitarian aid throughout the country.

Settlers reportedly attack IDF soldiers near Susiya

IDF soldiers were attacked by West Bank settlers Saturday who reported to the scene of clashes between Israelis and Palestinians near the village of Sussiya, south of Hebron, police said. Police received a report of graffiti of a Star of David and the word “revenge” spray painted in Hebrew near the Palestinian village in what authorities suspect may be a “Price tag” attack.

Turning Iraq history to rubble, leaving the mess to looters

This Nov. 19, 2008 photo released by the U.S. Army shows the statues of the lamassu, the winged, human-headed bulls that stood at the gates of the palace and were believed to ward off evil in the ancient city of Nimrud, near Mosul, Iraq. The bulls were destroyed by Islamic State group militants in early 2015 as they razed the entire site, one of the most important archaeological ruins in the Middle East.

UNSC Resolution 2334 Takes Israel’s Shackles Off

At first, the resolution knocked the wind out of Israel and the Jewish nation, worldwide, as well as those who support the Jewish state and the Jewish nation. The gathering storm has not moved on and is not totally over; there are 22 more days for Obama’s disastrous reign during which, after he stabbed Israel in her back he may go for the jugular and declare a “Palestine” state, a member of the putrid United Nations Organization .

Turning Iraq history to rubble, leaving the mess to looters

Iraq archaeologist Layla Salih, left, confers with UNESCO’s representative in Iraq Louse Haxthausen, right, at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. Days after Iraqi forces drove the Islamic State group from Nimrud in November, Salih arrived to survey the damage they wreaked on the nearly 3,000-year-old site.

Agatha Christie had little-known role in ancient Nimrud

This 1949 photo taken by British mystery author Agatha Christie shows a statue of a lamassu, a winged bull from Assyrian mythology who guarded the royal court from evil, at the ancient site of Nimrud, near modern day Mosul, Iraq. Christie had a little-known link to Nimrud: She accompanied her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, as he excavated the onetime capital of the Assyrian Empire, and she assisted by piecing together some artifacts and chronicling the dig in photos and film.

Syria’s cease-fire holding despite minor violations

A nationwide Syrian cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey that went into effect at midnight held Friday despite minor violations, marking a potential breakthrough in a conflict that has disregarded high-level peace initiatives for over five years. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported clashes early Friday between troops and rebels in the central province of Hama and near the capital, Damascus.

Jimmy Carter’s Lifelong Pursuit of a Palestinian State

Perhaps sensing that he would soon have to relinquish his position as America’s worst ex-president, Jimmy Carter reminded everyone last month how he earned the title with yet another call for the U.S. to recognize a Palestinian state. Carter’s call is a departure from American diplomacy, which insists, per UN Resolution 338, that an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement can only be reached through negotiations “between the parties.”

What Kerry Should Have Said

When Secretary of State John Kerry delivered his comprehensive statement on the Arab-Israel conflict in front of a safe audience at the State Department, he took over an hour to defend the decision of the United States to in essence allow passage of the recent UN anti-Israel resolution by abstaining from it, rather than adhering to the longstanding policy of the U.S. to veto such resolutions. The general thrust of his message was to chastise Israel for building “settlements” on land defined as “occupied Palestinian territory,” as the main obstacle preventing a two-state solution.

Syria’s cease-fire holding despite minor violations

Osama Abu Zeid of the the main moderate Syrian opposition group Free Syrian Army, shows what he said is a copy of the five-point cease-fire agreement for Syria, during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016. Abu Zeid said that his group, one of the 13 armed opposition factions, had agreed to abide by the nationwide cease-fire agreement that will go into effect at midnight Thursday.

Turkish committee clears draft expanding Erdogan’s powers

A Turkish parliamentary commission has cleared a set of draft constitutional amendments that would greatly expand the powers of the president. The constitutional commission approved the reforms that would turn the largely ceremonial presidency into one where the president enjoys full executive powers early on Friday.