This is Beirut, 15:42 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
A fire engulfed a hotel at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday, killing 66people died and injuring 51 others, the interior minister said. The blaze at the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 am (0027 GMT), Ali Yerlikaya said on X. Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained four ...
This is Beirut, 18/01 20:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Syria Turkey United Nations Refugees
Nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in early December, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said Saturday ahead of a visit to the region. Between December 8 and January 16, some 195,200 Syrians returned home, according to figures published by Grandi on X. "Soon I will visit Syria — and its ...
This is Beirut, 10/01 22:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Turkey's top diplomat on Friday ruled out a role for French troops in Syria, saying it was only negotiating with the United States which has sought to head off Turkish military action against Kurdish fighters there. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Paris of turning a blind eye to Turkey's security concerns, and called on France to take back ...
This is Beirut, 09/01 16:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Turkey United States USA Washington
Qatar is weighing a plan to provide Syria's new rulers with funds to increase public sector salaries, a diplomatic source said Thursday, as the interim government in Damascus seeks to rebuild state institutions. "Discussions are taking place, but an agreement is yet to be concluded," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because ...
This is Beirut, 09/01 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Turkey Antony Blinken Damascus
Battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday in Syria's northern Manbij region, a war monitor said. The latest reported fighting comes despite the United States saying Wednesday that it was working to address Turkey's concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from ...
This is Beirut, 07/01 14:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria's electricity chief said Tuesday that two power ships were being sent from Turkey and Qatar to increase supply after the United States eased sanctions following Bashar al-Assad's fall. More than 13 years of civil war hammered Syria's infrastructure, including power stations and energy pipelines, leading to power outages that can drag on for ...
This is Beirut, 06/01 19:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkey Syrian Democratic Forces
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he would order an intervention to prevent any splintering of Syria, a warning aimed particularly at the country's Kurdish forces. "We can not accept under any pretext that Syria be divided and if we notice the slightest risk we will take the necessary measures," the Turkish head of ...
This is Beirut, 05/01 11:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Damascus Gulf Turkey United Arab Emirates
Ministers from Syria's transitional government arrived in Qatar on Sunday for their first visit to the Gulf state since the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad last month, officials and news agency SANA said. The interim foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, was accompanied by defence minister Morhaf Abu Kasra and the new head of intelligence, ...
This is Beirut, 02/01 12:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Abdullah Ocalan Turkey Erdogan PKK
A delegation from Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party said it would meet Thursday with the parliamentary speaker and far-right MHP leader amid tentative efforts to resume dialogue between Ankara and the banned PKK militant group. In a statement, DEM said its three-person delegation would meet with Speaker Numan Kurtulmus at 1:30 pm (1030 ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-30 12:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
A Syria war monitor said 31 combatants had been killed since Sunday in ongoing battles between Turkey-backed groups and Kurdish-led forces. Swathes of northern Syria are controlled by a Kurdish-led administration whose de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded the fight that helped defeat the Islamic State group in the ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-29 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan told a rare visiting delegation from Turkey's pro-Kurdish party that bolstering Turkish-Kurdish ties is vital and that he is ready to contribute to the process. "Re-strengthening the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood is not only a historical responsibility but also... an urgency for all peoples," Ocalan said according ...
This is Beirut, 2024-12-28 17:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Turkey's top diplomat on Saturday said Syrian Kurdish fighters essential for the United States in the fight against Islamic State (IS) extremists cannot be sheltered in Syria, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Blinken that "the PKK/YPG terrorist organization cannot be allowed to take ...