26 h. ago Clashes continue in Sweida after Syrian presidency’s ceasefire declaration

Government urges all parties to commit to truce and says any breaches will be violation of sovereignty Escalating unrest lays bare new regime’s momentous challengesBedouin fighters and their allies have continued to clash with Druze fighters in the Syrian province of Sweida, despite an order by the government to put down their arms in a conflict that has killed more than 900 people since Sunday.The Syrian presidency had earlier declared an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire and deployed its internal security forces in the southern province after almost a week of fighting in the predominantly Druze area. Continue reading...

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28 h. ago Syrian presidency announces ceasefire after days of violence

Syria’s interior ministry spokesperson said earlier on Saturday that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida

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32 h. ago Syrian government declares ‘comprehensive’ ceasefire in Sweida

Presidency urges all parties to commit to truce and says any breaches will be violation of sovereignty• Analysis: Escalating unrest lays bare new regime’s momentous challengesThe Syrian presidency has declared an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire in Sweida, saying internal security forces have been deployed in the southern province after almost a week of fighting in the predominantly Druze area which has killed more than 700 people.Armed tribes had clashed with Druze fighters on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure. Continue reading...

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33 h. ago Syrian presidency urges all parties to respect ceasefire following deadly conflict

Syria’s interior ministry spokesperson said earlier on Saturday that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida

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2 d. 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...

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3 d. ago Syrian president condemns Israel’s attacks on Damascus and vows to protect Druze community

Ahmed al-Sharaa thanks American, Arab and Turkish mediators as efforts to restore order in city of Sweida continueSyria’s interim president has condemned Israel for “wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities” after the Israeli military struck Damascus on Wednesday as it sought to intervene in clashes between the Syrian army and Druze fighters.Israel’s strikes would have pushed “matters to a large-scale escalation, except for the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate”, Ahmed al-Sharaa said in his first televised statement since the attacks. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Peace is finally coming between Russia and Ukraine... but this is why it could lead to a new, far more deadly conflict we'll all be dragged into: MARK ALMOND

'Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?... Can you hit St Petersburg, too?' Trump asked. 'Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons,' Zelensky replied.

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1 week ago Manchester Pride urged to ban police from participating in parade

'Pride should not be abused as a PR platform for institutions that refuse to say sorry'

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1 week ago Partick Thistle FC asks fans to offer their spare rooms to future stars

Partick Thistle has urged its fans to throw open the doors of their homes to provide digs for its future stars.

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2 w. ago Orange walk marches through Glasgow as participants urged to behave respectfully

A Glasgow Orange Order branch urged marchers to behave respectfully during today's Orange Walk.

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2 w. ago Gaza: ‘Clean it out then bring in something good’ | Along the Green Line: episode 3 – video

In the third and final episode of Along the Green Line, reporter Matthew Cassel heads to the south of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.Amid the deadliest chapter in the history of this conflict, we visit the kibbutz of Kfar Aza to witness the evolving legacy of the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas militants, and get as close to Gaza as is possible for foreign journalists. In this three-part series, we're traveling along the 1949 armistice line or ‘green line’ – once seen as the best hope for a resolution – and meeting Palestinians and Israelis living just miles apart Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Islamic State suicide bombing in Damascus church leaves many dead and dozens injured

Evening attack is first major atrocity by Islamist terror group in Syria since President al-Assad was deposedA suicide bombing by Islamic State (IS) targeting a church in Damascus has killed 20 people and wounded 52, Syrian authorities have said.The attack on Sunday night was the first major IS operation and the first suicide bombing in Syria since former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December and replaced by an Islamist-led government. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Global alarm at US strikes on Iran amid fears conflict could spiral out of control

Politicians express ‘grave concern’ and urge all parties to de-escalate and return to talks on Iran’s nuclear programmeMiddle East crisis – latest updatesNations in the Middle East and beyond responded with alarm after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday night as the EU and the UN called for immediate diplomacy, amid mounting fears that the war could trigger a wider escalation that could spiral out of control.Qatar, which hosts the biggest US military base in the Middle East, said on Sunday that it feared there could be serious repercussions regionally and internationally. Continue reading...

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