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☆ Turkey’s Erdogan courts ‘terrorist’ Assad over Syrian refugee problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Scott Mclean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In the capital Ankara, opposition parties are calling for mass deportations, and the government is calling on the Syrian regime it once sought to topple to help resolve the problem. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now publicly seeking a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, the man he once labeled a terrorist, to reset relations. Before the Syrian civil war, the two leaders vacationed together, but years later, after the Syrian regime brutally crushed a public revolt, Erdogan sought to oust him from office and backed local forces fighting against him. Turkish troops remain in control of a swath of Syrian territory along the Turkish border where Syrian opposition groups are sheltering. Syrian opponents denounce the Turkish President's statements for normalization with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the city of Idlib, Syria on July 12.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bashar al, Assad, vacationed, Erdogan, “, ” Erdogan, ”, Bilal Bagis, “ It’s, ” Assad, Aaref Watad, Ali Yerlikaya, Ebubekir Hussamoglu, He’s, Anas, Mohammad Shbeeb, Abdullah Resul Demir, they’re, Shbeeb, didn’t, Cenk Ozatici, Iyi, Ozatici, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Organizations: CNN, Turkish, International Refugee Rights Association, Ibrahim Usta, AFP, Getty, Party, European Union, Istanbul Mayor Locations: Turkey, Ankara, Turkish, Damascus, Syria, Afrin, AFP, Anatolian, Kayseri, Syrian, Antalya, Istanbul, Idlib, Gaziantep, Azaz, Ibrahim, Europe

☆ Shehbaz Sharif: Pakistani legislators elect new prime minister to head coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Azaz Syed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Islamabad CNN —Pakistani legislators on Sunday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister nearly a month after a general election marred by delays and widespread allegations of vote-rigging. The official results from the February 8 poll had independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party securing the most seats in parliament, with 102. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party (PMLN), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is also the older brother of Shehbaz Sharif, came in second with 73 seats, and their long-term rivals the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 54 seats. Shehbaz Sharif will become prime minister for the second time, leading a coalition government with the PMLN. Following the vote in the lower house of parliament, opposition party members began chanting at Sharif as he addressed parliamentarians, calling him a thief.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan’s, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz, Sharif Organizations: Islamabad CNN, Sunday, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party Locations: Islamabad, Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former premier Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari as president. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesIndependent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats, in a stunning victory for the jailed cricket icon. But none of the three major parties that contested won the necessary seats to declare a majority in parliament. Shortly after the coalition announcement, the PTI accused the PMLN and PPP of stealing their mandate to govern. Sharif is on course to become prime minister for the second time, with Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Pakistan’s slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, by his side.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, “, ” Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Khan’s, ”, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asim Hafeez, Sharif, Pakistan’s, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Getty, PTI, Pakistan People's Party, Bloomberg Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Kasur, Punjab, Khan’s Pakistan, Karachi

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan’s incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, his Pakistan Tehreef-e-Insaaf (PTI) party said Wednesday, in the second legal blow to beset the beleaguered politician this week. Khan, who has been jailed since August on several charges, has also been barred from holding office for 10 years, the PTI said. Bibi was taken into police custody shortly after the sentencing, the party added. Wednesday’s sentencing comes almost one week away from a general election expected on February 8 and just a day after Khan was handed a 10-year sentence for leaking state secrets. That moment set the stage for a months-long showdown between Khan and the powerful military, who he accused of orchestrating his removal.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Pakistan’s, Imran Khan, Khan, Bushra Bibi, Bibi, ” Khan Organizations: Pakistan CNN, National, Bureau, PTI Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan has carried out a series of military strikes on what it said were separatist militant hideouts inside Iran, its foreign ministry said Thursday, in the latest incident across their shared border that has sent tensions between the two neighbors soaring. “At 4:30 a.m. explosions were heard in a border village, several missiles were fired at the village,” Marhamati said. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. But the deadly attack inside Pakistani territory seriously damaged relations between the two countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani told his Iranian counterpart. And Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria have launched dozens of attacks aimed at US military positions in those countries.

Persons: Alireza Marhamati, ” Marhamati, IRNA, ”, Iran ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jilani, Qasem Soleimani, Houthi, Amir Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, “, Pakistan Pakistan’s, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Iranian, Pakistani, Adl, Justice, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force, ISIS, CNN, Economic, Davos Wednesday Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Iran, Iran’s, Sistan, Baluchistan, Saravan, restive Baloch, Gaza . Pakistan, ”, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan’s, Balochistan, Iranian, “ Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tehran, Jaish, Erbil, Iraq, Syria, Kerman, Red, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Davos

Sharif, who has served as Pakistan’s prime minister three times and was once ousted in a military coup, landed at Islamabad airport on Saturday, according to airport officials. Sharif was the former head of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), or the PML-N, one of two dynastic parties that have traditionally dominated the country’s politics. Supporters of Nawaz Sharif wait for his arrival for a welcoming rally at a park in Lahore on October 21, 2023. Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother, Shehbaz, welcomed the news of his brother’s bail, writing on Twitter that it was a “fundamental right.”“The elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was disqualified based on a fictitious and fabricated story,” Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Nawaz Sharif is expected to head its election campaign.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Nawaz, Imran Khan, Khan’s, Nawaz Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Nawaz Sharif’s, Shehbaz, ” “, ” Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz Sharif Organizations: Pakistan CNN, Pakistan Muslim League, Getty Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Sharif, Lahore

CNN —A crowd vandalized eight churches and several homes following accusations of blasphemy against Islam in Pakistan’s most populated province of Punjab on Wednesday, according to government authorities and residents, stoking tensions between local Muslim and minority Christian communities. Multiple churches including the town’s Catholic Church, the Salvation Army Church and the Pentecostal Church, as well as the local Christian colony, were also vandalized and set on fire, Talib told CNN. Religious minorities in Pakistan are vulnerable to persecution under the country's strict blasphemy laws. Pakistan is among the countries where blasphemy is a crime punishable by the death sentence. Three years earlier, a mother of five from Punjab was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to hang, after she was accused of defiling the name of the Prophet Mohammed.

Persons: “, Prophet Mohammed, ”, Yasir Talib, Talib, Ghazanfar Majidi, ” Pakistan’s, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, Bishop, Church of Pakistan Azad Marshall, ” Marshall, ” Riina Kionka, Asia Bibi Organizations: CNN, National Commission for Human Rights, Centre for Social Justice, Catholic Church, Salvation Army Church, Pentecostal Church, Police, . District Police, AP People, Getty, Church of, European Union Locations: Pakistan’s, Punjab, Jaranwala, Pakistani, Faisalabad, Wednesday, Pakistan, AFP, Church of Pakistan, EU, Lahore’s Badami Bagh

Islamabad CNN —Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty in a corruption trial, a verdict that disqualifies him from holding political office. Khan was arrested at his home in Lahore after the court’s ruling and is now being transported to the capital Islamabad. The trial relates to an inquiry conducted by the election commission which found Khan guilty of unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The former prime minister has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing. The army has previously rejected Khan’s claims it had anything to do with past purported attempts on his life.

Persons: Islamabad CNN —, Imran Khan, Khan, Saturday Khan, ”, ” Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s, “ Imran, Maryam Aurangzeb, ” Aurangzeb, Khan’s Organizations: Islamabad CNN, PTI, Saturday, country’s Locations: Islamabad, Lahore, United States

☆ Greek migrant boat tragedy: Pakistani boy's fateful journey exposes impossible choice faced by millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Anna Coren Azaz Syed Sophia Saifi Jadyn Sham Helen Regan Rhea Mogul | Anna Coren | Azaz Syed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“It will all be OK,” Muhammad Abuzar told him. The boat was carrying up to 750 Pakistani, Syrian, Egyptian and Palestinian refugees and migrants. His uncle had decided to try and make it to Europe and Abuzar saw his chance. More than 600 people drowned on June 14 in what would become one of the deadliest migrant boat tragedies. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesSpeaking to CNN in Pakistan, Mohammad Tahir said his brother Mubasher Sahzad, 29, was also on the boat.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Pervez Akhtar, “, Muhammad Abuzar, ” Akhtar, gaunt, Abuzar, CNN Akhtar, –, we’ll, he’ll, Akhtar, – Abuzar, ’, “ Papa, Adriana, ” Akhthar, Rana Sanaullah, ”, Angelos Tzortzinis, Mohammad Tahir, Mubasher Sahzad, ” Tahir, Roberto Forin, ” Forin, Mia Sato, ” Sato, Forin, Qayyum Bibi’s, He’s Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, UNICEF, Hellenic Coast Guard, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Medical, Getty, Migration, International Organization, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency Locations: Gujrat, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Europe, Italy, Karachi, Dubai, Egypt, Libya, Tripoli, Tobruk, North Africa, Greece's, Greece, Kalamata, AFP, East, Asia, Africa, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, European Union, Bandali, Kashmir, ”

The stage is now set for the possibility of a tumultuous showdown between the country’s powerful military and Khan’s supporters following deadly and unprecedented clashes Tuesday that saw angry crowds break into and vandalize the homes of army personnel. Hundreds of Khan supporters responded to his call to take to the streets and violent protests broke out in several cities. Imran Khan's supporters burn tires to block roads in Peshawar, Pakistan on May 9, 2023. Protesters burn tires to block roads in Peshawar, Pakistan on May 9, 2023 following Imran Khan's dramatic arrest. A demonstrator is seen as Pakistani police use tear gas against supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a protest in Peshawar, Pakistan on May 9, 2023.

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan’s Foreign Minister will travel to India next month, the most senior-level visit in seven years in what is a major diplomatic breakthrough between two nuclear-armed neighbors with a long history of fractious relations. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) foreign ministers meeting on May 4-5 in the western Indian coastal state of Goa, Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Thursday. This is the first time that the most senior Pakistani foreign office representative has visited India since 2016. Diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan have been beset by decades of distrust and occasional bouts of open conflict. The SCO and China’s growing hand in diplomacyThe SCO is an eight-member regional security and economic grouping led by China, and its members include India, Pakistan and Russia.

JANDARIS, Syria, March 22 (Reuters) - Hussein Mankawi has little hope he will ever rebuild his home and food distribution businesses in the north-west Syrian city of Jandaris after they were reduced to rubble by last month's deadly earthquake, wiping out his life's work. There is nothing but tents," he said, standing by the mangled ruins of his home in the rebel-held region. The Feb. 6 earthquakes were the worst modern-day natural disasters to strike Syria and Turkey, killing more than 56,000 people across the two countries. The U.N. says more than 100,000 people have been displaced in the region since the first quake struck on Feb. 6. "We were looking for a better life," he said as he waited to be let through the border with his family.

☆ Earthquake leaves Syrians across frontlines with shared catastrophe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That’s humanity," said Suleiman, who was displaced to Idlib from Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria during the war. State media say at least 812 people perished in government-held areas including Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartous. It's a country that is inhabited by death," said Hassan Hussein, from the coastal city and government stronghold of Tartous. In the rebel-held city of Atareb, Yousef Haboush lamented how the quake had forced many from their homes yet again. One of the residents, Abu Hamid, said he felt a sense of "proximity" to other Syrians, including those in rebel-held areas.

☆ Syrian toddler survives quake, but mother and siblings perish
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Mahmoud Hassano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Raghad Ismail, the Syrian toddler who was rescued from rubble of a collapsed building following an earthquake, sits on the laps of her uncle at his home in rebel-held Azaz, Syria February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Mahmoud HassanoAZAZ, Syria, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Syrian toddler Raghad Ismail was rushed to safety from the rubble of her home after it collapsed in a huge earthquake that has wreaked devastation in Syria and Turkey. But most of her family, including her mother, did not make it out alive. Cradled in the arms of a rescue worker, she emerged unscathed from the ruins in the Syrian city of Azaz at daybreak on Monday. An uncle looking after her said her two siblings died along with her mother, who was pregnant.

☆ Syria earthquake toll rises to more than 230 dead, 600 wounded - senior health official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, following an earthquake, in rebel-held Azaz, Syria February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Mahmoud HassanoBEIRUT, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A major earthquake killed more than 200 people and injured more than 600 others in Syria, a senior health official told Syrian state TV on Monday. "The earthquake toll rose to 237 killed and 639 injured," Ahmed Damiriyye, an aide to Syria's health minister, said. Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Writing by Clauda Tanios; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin says Russia ready to help Syria and Turkey after major quake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man stands near a damaged vehicle, following an earthquake, in rebel-held Azaz, Syria February 6, 2023. Russia has strong relations with both Syria and Turkey: Putin backed President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war and has a strong rapport with President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a NATO member which has sought to mediate in the Ukraine war. In a similar message to Assad, Putin said Russia shared "the sadness and pain of those who lost their loved ones" and said Russia was ready to provide help. Russia said it had two Ilyushin-76 aircraft with rescuers on board that were ready to fly to Turkey to help the rescue effort. "Saddened by the news of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria that resulted in the loss of so many lives," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

[1/2] A man stands near a damaged vehicle, following an earthquake, in rebel-held Azaz, Syria February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Mahmoud HassanoSummary Quake strikes central Turkey, northwest SyriaHundreds of buildings across the region brought downRescuers begin hunt for untold numbers trapped in rubbleDIYARBAKIR/ANKARA, Turkey, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A major earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, killing about 200 people as buildings collapsed across the snowy region, and triggering a search for survivors trapped in rubble. "I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I've lived," said Erdem, a resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the quake's epicentre, who declined to give his surname. The United States was "profoundly concerned" about the quake in Turkey and Syria and was monitoring events closely, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Twitter. More than 17,000 people were killed in 1999 when a 7.6-magnitude quake struck Izmit, a city southeast of Istanbul.

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —A nationwide power outage in Pakistan left nearly 220 million people without electricity on Monday, threatening to cause havoc in the South Asian nation already grappling with fuel shortages in the winter months. It is unclear how long the outage will last and efforts are underway to restore power to various parts of the country. The outage comes as the country’s fragile economy continues to struggle with multiple challenges, including a severe energy crisis. The decision to reduce energy usage came as Pakistan announced its foreign exchange reserves had dwindled to alarmingly low levels. Monday’s power outage is Pakistan’s most widespread power shutdown since 2021, when the nation plunged into darkness for hours after a “sudden plunge in the frequency in the power transmission system.”

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —A Pakistani journalist shot dead by police in Kenya last month was the victim of a “targeted killing,” a senior member of Pakistan’s government said on Tuesday, without offering any evidence to support his claim. Television journalist Arshad Sharif – a vocal critic of the Pakistani military – died in a police shooting near Kenya’s capital Nairobi on October 23. Kenyan police told CNN they were unaware Pakistani officials had made any allegations about non-cooperation. Sharif fled Pakistan in August after sedition charges were leveled against him for allegedly criticizing state institutions and “abetting mutiny” within the military. The associate said Sharif then went to Kenya and had only been in the East African country for a few weeks before his death.

☆ Turkish troops deploy in Syrian town to halt inter-rebel fighting
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Turkish troops deployed on Tuesday in an area in northwestern Syria to try to halt fighting between rival rebel factions opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses and rebel forces said. HTS forces should be withdrawn from the area immediately," the U.S. Embassy in Damascus said. Turkey's large military presence, with thousands of troops stationed in a string of bases in northwest Syria, had held back Russian-backed Syrian forces from seizing the rebel-held area. A senior official in the coalition fighting HTS said they had reinforced positions around the city to repel any attempt by the jihadists to take it over. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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