5 h. ago ‘Tense calm’ returns to Syria’s Sweida province after week of deadly violence

More than 1,000 people estimated to have been killed after clashes between Bedouin and Druze groupsAn uneasy calm returned to southern Syria’s Sweida province on Sunday, after fighters withdrew following a week of violence estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people.Local people told news agencies the area was calm after Syria’s Islamist-led government said Bedouin fighters had left the predominantly Druze city. Continue reading...

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7 h. ago More than 1,000 people killed in south Syria clashes with ‘tense calm’ now in place in Sweida – Middle East crisis live

Syria struggling to contain sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fightersIsrael wants the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to replace a system coordinated by the UN and international aid groups. Along with the US, it accuses Hamas of stealing aid, without offering evidence.Critics have argued that the GHF is a tool for the Israeli and US governments to politicise humanitarian aid and to distribute it in ways that will depopulate sectors of Gaza in apparent violation of international law. Continue reading...

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7 h. ago Bedouin fighters withdraw from Syrian province hit by violence

Troops re-enter southern Sweida after US and Arab states broker deal between Damascus and Tel Aviv

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8 h. ago Syria clashes continue as Sharaa regime struggles to enforce ceasefire

Government claims Sweida cleared of Bedouin fighters

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9 h. ago ‘Tense calm’ in Sweida after withdrawal of Bedouin fighters – Middle East crisis live

Syria struggling to contain sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fightersThe Reuters news agency has spoken to residents who say there is a “tense calm” in Sweida after the Islamist-led government declared that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city.Kenan Azzam, a dentist, told Reuters residents were still, however, struggling with a lack of water and electricity. Continue reading...

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14 h. ago South Korea rains: week’s death toll rises to 14 with more missing

Northern parts of the country hit on Sunday morning, according to authorities, after some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on recordAt least two people were killed and more are missing in heavy downpours in South Korea, officials said, amid heavy rain, flooding and landslides, bringing the death toll to 14 from torrential rains that have lashed the country for a week.Close to 170mm of rain hit the resort town of Gapyeong county in Gyeonggi province, 70km east of Seoul, early on Sunday, said disaster authorities, after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles during a period of heavy rainfall. Continue reading...

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39 h. ago US envoy says Syria and Israel agree to ceasefire after 'hundreds' killed in clashes

Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed this week in the south of Syria following violence involving local fighters, government authorities and Bedouin tribes

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57 h. ago Weather tracker: Heavy monsoon rain leaves many dead in Pakistan

Low-lying areas of Punjab province hit by significant flooding after rivers overflow their banksThe south-west monsoon continued a deadly streak in Pakistan this week, with torrential rain on Wednesday killing at least 63 people. After beginning life as showers and thunderstorms in north-west India this week, a more organised area of low pressure developed, merging showers into a larger area of heavy rain as they moved into the Pakistani province of Punjab. This rain tracked roughly north across Punjab on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, hitting several major cities including Lahore and the capital, Islamabad. The greatest rainfall was in the city of Chakwal, which recorded 423mm (16.6in), more than double the July average.Rivers overflowed their banks, significantly flooding low-lying areas of Punjab. Though several of the deaths were attributed to drowning, most were the result of building collapses. A number of deaths were reportedly from electrocution. This latest deluge takes ...

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69 h. ago Israeli airstrike hits Sweida city in Syria as Bedouin tribes clash with Druze

Conflict restarts in southern province as Druze groups reportedly target Bedouin villages in ‘revenge’ attacksThe Israeli military has carried out an airstrike on the outskirts of Sweida city as clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters intensified on Thursday night.The clashes started a wave of tit-for-tat retaliatory violence earlier on in the day after Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida after days of clashes with Druze fighters

President Ahmed al-Sharaa says move avoids dragging country ‘into a new, broader war’ after Israel attacks DamascusSyrian government forces have withdrawn from the Druze-majority province of Sweida, ending four days of clashes between the army and local Druze fighters.In a speech on Thursday, the Syrian president said Druze groups would be left to govern security affairs in the southern province, in what he described as a choice to avoid war. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida after ceasefire goes into effect

Syrian government forces have started withdrawing from the southern province of Sweida following days of vicious clashes with militias from the Druze minority

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