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Iran says appeals for 'jihad' in Syria fuel radicalism

June 19, 2013 17:33
KUWAIT (Reuters) - Calls by Sunni Muslim clerics for a holy war against the Syrian government and its Shi'ite allies are fuelling radicalism in the region, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, prominent cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi called for jihad in Syria after fighters from Shi'ite Lebanese group Hezbollah intervened to help President Bashar al-Assad, in a move which stoked sectarian tensions.

Yemen suicide attack kills civilian in market: rebels

Agence France-PresseJune 19, 2013 15:35
A suicide bomb attack rocked a market in Yemen's mainly Shiite northern city of Saada on Wednesday, killing a civilian, a rebel group said. The attacker, riding a motorbike, "blew himself up at the entrance of the market where there were many passersby... One civilian was martyred," the Ansaruallah (Supporters of God) rebel group said on its website. A rebel earlier told AFP the bomber had set off his charge in the middle of the market, but the statement said he had been unable to enter and so had blown himself up at the entrance.

Kurdish rebel commander warns Turkish state sabotaging peace

June 19, 2013 12:10
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A top Kurdish militant commander warned on Wednesday a fragile peace process had been jeopardized by increased military activity and a lack of concrete steps by the government, including the continued detention of Kurdish politicians. Members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) began a withdrawal from Turkish territory to bases in northern Iraq last month, part of a deal brokered between the state and the group's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan earlier this year aimed at ending a conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives since 1984.

Jolie says Syria crisis 'worst', calls for more aid

Agence France-PresseJune 19, 2013 12:04
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie urged the international community to boost aid to Syrian refugees hit by what she called "the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century," a UNHCR statement said Wednesday. Jolie, who is UNHCR special envoy for refugee affairs, visited the Jordan-Syria border overnight accompanied by head of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. During their tour the two met Syrian refugees and heard how they had escaped their war-ravaged homes for Jordan.

Obama refuses to specify US aid to Syrian rebels

Agence France-PresseJune 19, 2013 09:03
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday refused to specify the exact nature of new US military aid to Syrian rebels, despite signals from top US officials that they will be get small arms and ammunition. "I cannot and will not comment on specifics on our programmes related to the Syrian opposition," Obama said at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Three people killed in northern Yemen bombing: official

June 19, 2013 04:01
SANAA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and eight wounded in a town in northern Yemen on Wednesday when a suicide bomber riding a motorbike blew himself up in a busy market, a security official said. The attack occurred in Saada, a town near the border with Saudi Arabia and about 130 km (80 mile) north of the capital, Sanaa. Saada has been under the control of Shi'ite Houthi rebels for several years. The official said the dead included two civilians and the bomber, whose affiliation was not immediately known.

A Briton fights with Al Qaeda's offshoot in Syria

June 19, 2013 06:32
By Oliver Holmes and Alexander Dziadosz SALQIN, Syria (Reuters) - The moment the young fighter walks in, it's clear he's different. He has a grey robe, a scraggly beard and a gun holster - hallmarks of the rebels who control this part of the northwest. But he wears Adidas trainers. And his accent and swagger are pure London.

Blast hits Syrian port city of Latakia

June 19, 2013 05:30
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A loud explosion was heard near a military site in the Syrian port city of Latakia on Wednesday, opposition groups and state media said, but the cause of the blast was unclear. Explosions in Latakia, part of President Bashar al-Assad's stronghold on the Mediterranean coast, have been rare during Syria's two-year-old conflict. State television said the blast was caused by a technical fault at a weapons store at a military engineering base, and said six people were hurt wounded.

Suicide bombing kills 2 in Yemen's Shiite north

Agence France-PresseJune 19, 2013 04:31
A suicide attack on Wednesday rocked a local market in Yemen's mainly-Shiite city of Saada killing two civilians, a Zaidi Ansarullah rebel told AFP. The attacker detonated a bomb-laden motorbike in the middle of the market, said the rebel, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The blast left another 11 people critically wounded, he added. The rebels, who belong to the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, have controlled the northern part of Yemen since a 2004 uprising they launched against the central government in Sanaa, complaining of marginalisation.

Promises, promises: G-8 summit ends in many pledges for reform, but devil's in the details

The Canadian PressJune 18, 2013 16:32
ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland - Group of Eight summit participants are powerful people: the leaders of the U.S., Russia, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan, plus top officials from the European Union. But they only make promises. There's no actual change until the words are pursued by individual governments or other international organizations. Sometimes G-8 promises contain few details about how they'll be fulfilled. Other times they skip over places where the leaders couldn't agree.
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