Arab World

Turkey Battles Wildfires as Heatwave Grips Med
Turkey Battles Wildfires as Heatwave Grips Med

Firefighters battled blazes across Turkey on Monday as the country sweltered in a summer heatwave across much of the Mediterranean, with wildfires leading to at least 14 deaths in the country in the past week. Around 20 villages have been evacuated, officials said, and more than 3,500 people have been forced to leave their homes. "We are ...

Pope Leo Says Praying for Victims of Islamist DR Congo Church Attack
Pope Leo Says Praying for Victims of Islamist DR Congo Church Attack

Pope Leo XIV expressed his "profound grief" Monday over a deadly Islamist attack on a church in the DR Congo's northeast, saying he was praying for the victims and their families. Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters raided a Catholic church in the town of Komanda, killing 43 people who had gathered for prayer, the United Nations and the ...

Egypt's Sisi Urges Trump to End Gaza War
Egypt's Sisi Urges Trump to End Gaza War

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday made an impassioned call for US President Donald Trump to intervene to put an end to Israel's war in Gaza after more than 21 months. In a televised address, Sisi said Trump "is the one capable of stopping the war, bringing in aid and ending this suffering" after more than 21 months, with Gazans ...

New Aid Convoy Enters South Syria Druze-Majority Province
New Aid Convoy Enters South Syria Druze-Majority Province

A new humanitarian aid convoy reached southern Syria's Druze heartland on Monday, official media said, as the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation in Sweida province was critical after deadly violence. Clashes in Druze-majority Sweida province, which began on July 13 and ended with a ceasefire a week later, initially involved Druze ...

Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Christian Village
Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Christian Village

Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank overnight, torching cars and spray-painting threatening graffiti, a witness and the Palestinian Authority said Monday. Jeries Azar, a Taybeh resident and journalist for Palestine TV, told AFP his house and car were targeted in the pre-dawn assault. "I ...

Amnesty Urges Syria to Probe Abductions of Alawite Women, Girls
Amnesty Urges Syria to Probe Abductions of Alawite Women, Girls

Amnesty International said Monday it had received credible reports of the abduction and kidnapping of 36 Alawite women and girls in recent months, urging authorities to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable. The report came months after Islamists overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite who painted himself as a protector of ...

French Prosecutors Seek New Assad Arrest Warrant
French Prosecutors Seek New Assad Arrest Warrant

French prosecutors said Monday they have requested a new arrest warrant against Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad over a deadly 2013 chemical attacks after a previous one was cancelled. It is now up to investigating magistrates to decide whether to issue the new warrant. French investigators have since 2021 been looking into a suspected ...

Thailand and Cambodia Agree Truce After Five Days of Fighting
Thailand and Cambodia Agree Truce After Five Days of Fighting

Thailand and Cambodia's leaders agreed to an "unconditional" ceasefire Monday, after five days of combat along their jungle-clad frontier that has killed at least 36 people. More than 200,000 people have fled as the two sides fired artillery, rockets and guns in a battle over the long-disputed area, which is home to a smattering of ...

Iran Rejects Talks with West on 'Defense Capabilities'
Iran Rejects Talks with West on 'Defense Capabilities'

Iran said on Monday that its military capabilities were not up for negotiations, after France called for a "comprehensive deal" with Tehran that covers its missile programme and regional influence. "Regarding matters related to our defense capabilities, there will absolutely be no discussion," foreign ministry spokesman ...

Kremlin Does Not Rule Out Putin-Trump Meeting in China in September
Kremlin Does Not Rule Out Putin-Trump Meeting in China in September

The Kremlin on Monday said it was not ruling out a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in September in China. Putin is due to visit China in early September for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. "If it so happens that in the end the US president decides to ...

UN Says 'Worrying Surge' in Iran Executions
UN Says 'Worrying Surge' in Iran Executions

The United Nations on Monday urged Iran to stop using the death penalty, citing a "worrying surge in executions" that has included at least 612 people being killed so far this year. "Reports that there have been several hundred executions in Iran so far this year underscore how deeply disturbing the situation has become and the urgent need for an ...

Turkey Battles Wildfires Amid Strong Winds, Heatwave
Turkey Battles Wildfires Amid Strong Winds, Heatwave

Firefighters were battling several blazes across Turkey on Monday when the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, officials said. Wildfires across Turkey over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths. Nineteen villages and more than 3,500 people have been evacuated from their homes. Turkey is experiencing a heatwave that peaked with ...