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☆ UNRWA to close East Jerusalem headquarters after arson attack by ‘Israeli extremists’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees will shutter its East Jerusalem headquarters after the compound was set on fire by “Israeli extremists” while staff were inside, its chief said Thursday. “This evening, Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter of the UNRWA Headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem. This took place while UNRWA and other UN Agencies’ staff were on the compound,” Lazzarini said. Israeli officials have long criticized UNRWA, which plays a central role in feeding and sheltering hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. Anything less will set a new dangerous standard.”CNN has reached out to the Israeli government for comment.

Persons: ”, Philippe Lazzarini, ” Lazzarini, Lazzarini, “, UNWRA, Israel Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UNRWA, ’, UN Locations: Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel

☆ Mohammad Rasoulof: Iran sentences renowned director to 8 years in prison and flogging, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A court in Iran has sentenced acclaimed movie director Mohammad Rasoulof to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The writer-director’s latest work, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is due to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France next week. According to Paknia, some also alleged they were asked by officials to tell Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival. “Once again, the judiciary’s verdict against Mohammad Rasoulof proved that the law is only a playground for stubbornness and revenge in the legal system contaminated by government jurisprudence,” it said. “Independent and freedom-loving cinematographers condemn the invalid judgment of the judiciary against Mohammad Rasoulof and stand by him and all the artists who make fun of government censorship.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohammad Rasoulof, Babak Paknia, Paknia, Rasoulof, ”, HRW, “ Organizations: CNN, Cannes, Cannes Film, Human Rights Watch, Association Locations: Iran, France, Cannes

☆ Welcome to ‘the Tepid Twenties’? The US economy’s strength won’t be enough to boost global growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Invigorating growth is critical: When the economy expands, it improves standards of living, promotes innovation and makes households wealthier. Economic growth in Spain and France was stronger than expected last year. But the US is outperforming mainly for one key reason: Robust productivity growth. Productivity growth came in well below expectations in the first three months of the year, according to Labor Department data released last week. A “course correction” isn’t an even stronger US economy: Economic policymakers around the world need to address a range of key issues.

Persons: ” Kristalina Georgieva, ” Georgieva, ” Stephen Gallagher, Gallagher, “, ”, Hande Atay Alam, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel Katz, John Williams, Neel Kashkari, Lisa Cook, Krispy Kreme, John’s, Austan Goolsbee Organizations: Washington CNN, Monetary, IMF, European Central Bank, Labor Department, Societe Generale, CNN, Reuters, Palantir Technologies, Tyson Foods, Marriott Worldwide, New York Fed, Disney, UBS, Duke Energy, Suncor, Bros, Minneapolis, Toyota, Uber, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Airbnb, Fox Corporation, News Corporation, Duolingo, Icahn Enterprises, New York Times Company, AMC Entertainment, Honda, Warner Bros Discovery, Warner Music Group, Hyatt, Hilton, Bank of England, US Labor Department, United Kingdom’s, National Statistics, University of Michigan, . Chicago Fed, China’s National Bureau of Statistics Locations: Europe, China, United States, Spain, France, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Olesya, “ Turkey, Lyft, TripAdvisor

☆ Turkey halts trade with Israel over Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Turkey has halted all import and export transactions with Israel in protest over the war in Gaza. “All import and export transactions related to Israel, including all products, have been stopped,” Turkey’s trade ministry said in a statement Thursday. Thursday’s measures by Turkey follow the introduction last month of restrictions on its exports to Israel after the Turkish foreign minister accused Israel of denying a request to airdrop aid to Gaza. Turkey is one of the biggest donors of aid to Gaza, according to Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 34,600 Palestinians as of May 1, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health.

Persons: “, ”, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel Katz, Katz, Israel, Turkey’s, Eyad Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas, territory’s Ministry of Health Locations: Turkey, Israel, Gaza, “ Turkey, “ Israel, Territories, Republic of Turkey, Gaziantep

☆ Saudi women’s rights activist sentenced to 11 years in jail, rights groups say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Radina Gigova | Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Human rights groups are calling for the release of a Saudi woman, who they say has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for supporting women’s rights and for the way she dressed. Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women’s rights activist, was sentenced during a “secret hearing” before the kingdom’s Specialized Criminal Court on January 9, 2024, Amnesty International and the London-based Saudi rights organization ALQST said in a joint statement Tuesday. Saudi Arabia’s authorities “must immediately and unconditionally” release Manahel al-Otaibi, as the decision to imprison her “directly contradicts the authorities’ narrative of reform and women’s empowerment,” Amnesty and ALQST said. “Manahel’s conviction and 11-year sentence is an appalling and cruel injustice,” said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Saudi Arabia. Al-Otaibi’s sentencing comes “amid an intensified crackdown on free speech in Saudi Arabia, including online expression,” the groups said.

Persons: Manahel, ”, ALQST, Otaibi “, Al, Fawzia, “, Bissan Fakih, Otaibi, Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Saudi, United Nations, UN, Amnesty, Human Rights Locations: Saudi, London, Geneva, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

☆ Fire at Istanbul nightclub kills dozens during renovation work, state media says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Tanem Zaman | Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —At least 29 people have died in a blaze which started during daytime repair work at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, state media reported Tuesday. A further eight people were injured, with seven of those in serious condition, the Istanbul governor’s office said. ET), state media reported, at a 16-story block on Gundogdu Street, a busy part of Istanbul’s Gayrettepe neighborhood. The blaze started during renovations at the site, which is located underground, says Anadolu, the Turkish news state agency. Arrest warrants for five people have been issued, including three people who managed the nightclub and one responsible for the renovation, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc wrote on X.

Persons: Yilmaz Tunc, ” Organizations: CNN, Besiktas, Turkish Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Istanbul’s Gayrettepe, Anadolu, Turkish

CNN —A top commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was killed among several others in an airstrike on the country’s consulate building in Damascus, Syria, according to Iranian officials and state-affiliated media, which blamed Israel for the attack. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRCG) commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi was killed in the attack. Footage of the aftermath of the blast, published by Iranian state media Press TV, showed extensive damage, fire and smoke at the scene. Iranian embassy staff and military advisers were among the dead, he said. Zahedi, the slain commander, was previously the commander of IRGC’s ground forces, the commander of IRGC’s air force, and the deputy commander of the IRGC’s operations.

Persons: Israel, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Hossein Akbari, “, ” Akbari, Akbari, ”, Nasser Kanaani, ” Kanaani, Hossein Amir, Faisal Mekdad, Amir, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, we’re Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s, Ministry, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, Press, Zionist, Israel Defense Forces, Fars News, Iranian, Syrian Foreign, Diplomatic Relations, United States State Department Locations: Damascus, Syria, Iranian, Islamic Republic, Iran, Fars, Syrian, Vienna

☆ Pouria Zeraati: ‘Brutal stabbing’ of exiled Iranian journalist prompts counterterrorism investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A prominent exiled Iranian journalist was stabbed outside his home in London on Friday, prompting British police to launch a counterterrorism investigation. Pouria Zeraati, a television anchor at the UK-based channel Iran International, was reportedly attacked by a group of men outside his home in south-western Wimbledon. Iran has designated the television station a “terrorist entity.” Iranian state media has repeatedly accused the channel of fomenting unrest. Zeraati’s stabbing comes after an investigation by Britain’s ITV last year revealed that Iranian spies had attempted to pay a people smuggler $200,000 to assassinate two Iran International journalists. Kearns noted on Twitter that Iran International had only recently returned to the air from London after having to shut down in the UK.

Persons: Pouria, Dominic Murphy, Britain’s, Alicia Kearns, Michelle Stanistreet, ” Stanistreet, Kearns, ”, CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Atay Alam Organizations: CNN, British, Iran, London Metropolitan Police, Britain’s ITV, Iran International, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Foreign Affairs Committee, British National Union of Journalists, BBC Persian Service, UN, Twitter Locations: Iranian, London, Wimbledon, Tehran, Iran

NTSB crews used the ship’s voyage data recorder, or VDR, to piece together a rough timeline of events leading up to the collision. But it will take months for them to gather the piles of physical evidence, maintenance records, ship data and witness interviews required to deliver a full report, Homendy said. • 01:24:59 a.m.: Numerous audible alarms were recorded on the ship’s bridge audio. • 01:26:39 a.m.: The ship’s pilot made a general very high frequency (VHF) radio call for tugboats in the vicinity to assist the vessel. • Around 01:27:04 a.m.: The pilot ordered that the ship’s port anchor be dropped and issued additional steering commands.

Persons: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key, Jennifer Homendy, Marcel Muise, Investigators, Homendy, “, who’ve, ” Homendy, James Wallace, Peter Gautier, Divers, Roland L, Butler Jr, Pete Buttigieg, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Butler, ”, Miguel Luna, Maynor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, CNN’s Tori B, Powell, Sarah Engel, Elise Hammond, Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman, Daniel Medina, Sahar Akbarzai, Melissa Alonso, Hande Atay Alam, Lucas Lilieholm Organizations: CNN, Transportation, NTSB, Port, Fort McHenry, Maryland Transportation Authority, •, US Coast Guard, Maritime, Port Authority, Baltimore City Fire, Coast Guard, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Seagirt, Port of Boston, Maryland, Singapore, Baltimore, Patapsco, Mexico, Guatemala, Camotán, Mexican

CNN —The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has declared a state of public health emergency due to a dengue epidemic, according to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil. The surge in dengue cases comes as Rio and the rest of the country gear up for carnival celebrations where millions of people pour onto the streets for parades and block parties. In January alone, Rio’s city health network had 362 people hospitalized due to dengue, a record number, topping the previous high from 2008, CNN Brasil reported. According to data from the Rio de Janeiro City Council’s Epidemiological Observatory panel, 11,202 cases have already been registered in 2024. The Municipal Health Department is planning to vaccinate children as soon as the vaccines are released by the Ministry of Health, CNN Brasil reported.

Persons: Eduardo Paes, Daniel Soranz, Rio Organizations: CNN, CNN Brasil, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Rio’s Municipal Health, Municipal Health Department, Ministry of Health Locations: Rio de Janeiro, Rio, Rio’s

CNN —Two journalists imprisoned in Iran following their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests in 2022, have been temporarily released on bail, according to state-run media. Convicted in October, Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi are currently awaiting a verdict on their appeals, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA. But the women were allowed to leave their Tehran jail on Sunday with a bail of 10 billion tomans each (nearly $200,000 each), IRNA reported. Mohammadi was arrested after reporting on Amini’s funeral, according to RSF and the United Nations. “UNESCO welcomed the release on bail today of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two of the three laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize.

Persons: Mahsa, Niloofar, IRNA, Hamedi, Mohammadi, Amini, ”, Hamedi’s, Mohamad Hosein Ajoroloo –, –, Amini’s, Amjad, “, Sherif Mansour, Guillermo Cano, Elaheh Mohammadi, —, Niloofar Hamedi Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Committee, Protect Journalists, UNESCO, TIME, Sunday, “ UNESCO Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA, East, North Africa

☆ UN mourns more than 100 staff killed in Gaza, the highest number killed in any other conflict in its history
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“In the last 24 hours, one UNRWA staff member was killed with her family in the north of the Gaza Strip due to strikes,” the agency said in a statement. “This is the highest number of United Nations aid workers killed in a conflict in the history of the United Nations.”UN offices around the world lowered their flags to half-mast and UN staff held a moment of silence Monday to mourn and honor their colleagues killed in Gaza. “They were teachers, school principals, health workers, including a gynecologist, engineers, support staff and a psychologist,” the statement said. Israel’s current siege and bombardment has created a deepening humanitarian crisis with desperate conditions inside Gaza, including the near total collapse of the healthcare system and the widespread destruction of whole neighborhoods. This is the area of Gaza to which the Israeli military has instructed civilians in the north of Gaza and Gaza City to move.

Persons: “, ”, Antonio Guterres, Volker Türk, Israel, Thomas White, White, Philippe Lazzarini, “ They’re, ” Lazzarini, –, Khan Younis, Tim Lister, Niamh Kennedy, Tamar Michaelis, Kareem El Damanhoury Organizations: CNN, United, UN, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Hamas, United Nations, Palestinian Ministry of Health, UNRWA, Human Rights, UNRWA Affairs, Protect Journalists Locations: United Nations, Gaza, “, New York, Ramallah, Israel, Rafah, Wadi Gaza, Gaza City

CNN —A fire at a wedding in northern Iraq has killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, according to the Iraqi state news agency INA citing local authorities. The disaster in the Hamdaniya district of northeast Nineveh governorate, was set off by fireworks, candles, and other materials used during the wedding celebration, the Iraqi Civil Defense said. Nineveh governor Najm Al-Jubouri told the Iraqi state news agency INA that the injured were transferred to hospitals in Nineveh and the Kurdistan region. Videos from the scene show thick smoke billowing out of the at the Al Haytham Wedding Hall while crowds and ambulances gather outside. The wedding hall where the fire broke out was covered with highly flammable Ecobond panels that violated safety instructions requirements, according to the Iraqi Civil Defense, ANI reported.

Persons: Najm Al, Jubouri, ” Al, Al Haytham, Mohammed Shiaa Al, Sudani Organizations: CNN, Iraqi Civil Defense, INA Locations: Iraq, Hamdaniya, Nineveh, Iraqi, Kurdistan

The European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) received a call on September 2 saying that he was experiencing severe gastric pain. American caver Mark Dickey, 40, had been trapped inside the Morca Sinkhole in southern Turkey. Turkish Government Directorate of Communications/APAn international rescue operation led by at least 200 aid workers began on Saturday. Italian Alpine Rescue/ReutersThe Turkish Caving Federation said Dickey was removed from the last exit of the cave at 12:37 am local time, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He is also a medical commission secretary at the European Cave Rescue Association, and the executive director at Caving Academy.

Persons: Mark Dickey, Recep Salci, Dickey, ”, “, ” Dickey, ECRA, Mark, cavers Organizations: CNN, Turkish, Federation, Rescue, Directorate of Communications, Academy, Rescue Association Locations: Anamur, Turkey, Mersin, Morca Valley, United States, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine

☆ UN's World Food Programme forced to cut food assistance from 10 million people
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —As of September, 10 million Afghans have lost assistance from the UN’s World Food Programme this year, the organization announced this week. They had to cut food assistance from 2 million people in Afghanistan this month. “Due to a massive funding shortfall, going forward WFP will only be able to provide emergency assistance to 3 million people per month,” the WFP statement said. “These cuts mean that 1.4 million new and expecting mothers and their children are no longer receiving specialized food designed to prevent malnutrition,” Lee said. WFP needs US$1 billion in the next 6 months to be able to feed 21 million people with lifesaving food, the statement said.

Persons: “, ”, Hsiao, Wei Lee, ” Lee, Lee Organizations: CNN, “ Locations: Afghanistan

CNN —A Saudi court has sentenced a retired teacher to death over his comments online, say his brother and advocacy group Human Rights Watch. Muhammad al-Ghamdi, a 54-year-old retired Saudi teacher, was sentenced “following 5 tweets criticizing corruption and human rights violations,” his brother Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi tweeted last week. According to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, Saudi Arabia has executed at least 92 people this year so far. In 2022, UK-based human rights organization ALQST cataloged 148 executions in Saudi Arabia – more than twice the number of executions it recorded in 2021. “The Saudi authorities asked me several times to return to Saudi Arabia, but I refused to do so.

Persons: Muhammad al, “, Saeed bin Nasser, Ghamdi, ” Joey Shea, Lina Alhathloul, Loujain, ”, Saeed Organizations: CNN, Saudi, Human Rights Watch, ‘, Human Rights, European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom

☆ Death in Panama: Pilot dead after emergency landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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CNN —Niger’s junta claimed Sunday it had gathered evidence to prosecute the country’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason,” upping the stakes in their brinkmanship against key neighbors in West Africa who have vowed to restore constitutional order in the coup-hit country. Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since late last month, when Bazoum was ousted in a coup d’etat by the presidential guard. Increasing pressureWest African leaders have ramped up rhetoric against Niger’s coup leaders and ordered the “activation and deployment” of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in the country. The source also said committee members would first meet among themselves via Zoom on Monday but did not make clear when they would meet with coup leaders. Guinea underwent its own military coup in 2021.

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Bazoum, Ahmed Idris Wase, “, Moussa Salaou Barmou, Mamadi Doumbouya, ” Doumbouya, Abdourahamane Tchiani Organizations: CNN, CNN — Niger’s, Nigerien, National Council for, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, Nigerian, United Nations, African Union Locations: West Africa, Niger, Africa, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niamey, Guinea’s, Conakry

☆ Lindsay Shiver, charged with conspiring to kill husband in the Bahamas, granted $100,000 bail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Lindsay Shiver, 36, of Thomasville, Georgia, is accused of unsuccessfully conspiring with two Bahamas natives to kill her husband, Robert Shiver, on July 16 while on the Abaco Islands. Bail for Lindsay Shiver was set at $100,000, her defense attorney, Ian Cargill, said. Lindsay Shiver and two suspected co-conspirators have been in custody at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services since their arrest last week. Lindsay and Robert Shiver both attended Auburn University and live in Thomasville, according to social media posts. Lindsay Shiver’s filing says she “incurred debt beyond her means to pay” and asks that Robert Shiver be made to pay.

Persons: Lindsay Shiver, Robert Shiver, Bail, Ian Cargill, Cargill, Terrance Adrian Bethel, Farron Newbold Jr, Lindsay, Lindsay Shiver’s, “, Richard Shiver Organizations: CNN, Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, Bahamian Supreme Court, Police, Auburn University, Auburn University football, NFL Locations: Bahamas, Thomasville , Georgia, Abaco, Thomasville, Thomas County , Georgia

☆ Wildfires rage across the Mediterranean destroying land and claiming lives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau Hamdi Alkhshali Martin Goillandeau Isa Soares Sugam Pokharel Elinda Labropoulou Chris Liakos Hande Atay Alam Laura Paddison | Barbie Latza Nadeau | Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More than 8,000 firefighters have been deployed to control the blazes as residents living near forested areas were evacuated, according to EPTV. Nasri Elyas/APThe Algerian Ministry of the Interior announced at least 34 deaths in multiple forest fires across the country. A 98-year-old man died as flames reached his home in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, according to ANSA. Flames burn a tree in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesIn Turkey, forest wildfires ignited Monday night in the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya, according to Antalya Municipality’s statement.

Persons: Nasri Elyas, Billel, Nello Musumeci, ”, Alberto Lo Bianco, Fabrizio Villa, Maria Feggou, ” Feggou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Petros Giannakouris, Angelos Tzortzinis, Muhittin Bocek, “, ” Bocek Organizations: CNN, EPTV, Reuters, Algerian Ministry of, Interior, ANSA, Civil, Twitter, Residents, Hellenic Red Cross, Greek Air Force, Getty, Anadolu Locations: Italy, Greece, Algeria, North, Bourbatache, Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Capaci, Catania, Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Crete, Vati, AFP, Turkey, Antalya, Antalya’s Kemer, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatian

CNN —Iran’s morality police will resume patrols to make women comply with strict Islamic dress codes, state media reported Sunday, 10 months after the death of a young woman in their custody triggered nationwide protests. Saeid Montazeralmahdi, spokesman for Iran’s enforcement body, Faraja, said police will restart vehicle and foot patrols across the country from Sunday, the state-run Fars news agency reported. Authorities responded violently to suppress the months-long movement, during which witnesses said the morality police had virtually disappeared from the streets of Tehran. The morality police have access to power, arms and detention centers and control over “re-education centers,” Human Rights Watch told CNN last year. The centers act like detention facilities, where women – and sometimes men – are taken into custody for failing to comply with the state’s rules on modesty.

Persons: Saeid Montazeralmahdi, Amini, Vahid, – Organizations: CNN, Authorities, “, Rights Watch, European Union Locations: Fars, Tehran, Iran, United States

CNN —Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Brussels should clear the path for Ankara’s accession to the European Union, before his country approves Sweden’s bid for NATO membership. “First, let’s clear Turkey’s way in the European Union, then let’s clear the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland,” Erdogan said at a news conference, before he departs for the NATO summit in Lithuania. Erdogan also emphasized that “Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the European Union for over 50 years now,” and “almost all NATO member countries are European member countries.”NATO had been aiming to admit Sweden to the alliance before July 11, when its major summit begins in Vilnius, Lithuania – but Turkey blocked Sweden’s accession due to long-running disagreements between the two countries.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ” Erdogan, Erdogan Organizations: CNN, European Union, NATO Locations: Brussels, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania –

CNN —Saudi Arabia and Syria have resumed the work of diplomatic missions in both countries, according to state media, more than a decade after Riyadh cut ties over the Syrian government’s brutal handling of its civil war. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday. Damascus also announced the decision to resume work of its diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Syrian state media SANA, citing a statement from an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Based on the deep bonds and common affiliation of the peoples of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in confirmation of both communities’ wills, and based on the Syrian Arab Republic believe in the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Arab countries to serve joint Arab action, The Syrian Arab Republic decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement reads. Officials and analysts have said that Syria’s re-admission into the Arab League, while symbolic, comes with the hope that it could pave the way for President Bashar Al Assad’s rehabilitation internationally, and potentially the removal of crippling sanctions against his regime.

CNN —At least three people were killed and nine others wounded in an attack near a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba on Tuesday, according to the Tunisian Interior Ministry. Tunisia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old French national were among those killed. The attack came amid an annual pilgrimage to the island of Djerba that draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel, Reuters reported. La Ghriba is Africa’s oldest synagogue, a revered and iconic location at the heart of the island, according to Reuters. One of the most well-known attacks is the 2002 truck bombing by al Qaeda militants, which killed 21 Western tourists – prompting high security at the synagogue in the following years.

CNN —At least eight people have been killed and 13 wounded in a shooting in the Serbian village of Dubona, the country’s Interior Ministry spokesperson told CNN. The incident happened on Thursday night at 11pm local time, Serbia’s Interior Ministry spokesperson said. All special police units are engaged, including an anti-terrorism unit, helicopter unit, and police forces from the cities of Belgrade and Smederevo. Until this week, mass shootings were rare in Serbia, despite the country’s high rate of gun ownership. Serbia has the highest level of civilian gun ownership in Europe, and the fifth-highest in the world – a legacy of years of conflict in the 1990s.

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