Algeria’s army chief of staff has demanded President Abdelaziz Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule after weeks of protests against him. Speaking on television, Lt Gen Ahmed Gaed Salah said: “We must find a way out of this crisis immediately, within the constitutional framework.” The president has already agreed not to stand for a fifth term in upcoming elections, which… Read more »
Special forces have arrested an alleged Islamic State (IS) group supporter in the Austrian capital Vienna, who is believed to have tried to derail trains in neighbouring Germany. The 42-year-old Iraqi national is thought to have twice put obstacles on rail tracks last year. Flags for the IS group and writings in Arabic were found nearby, prosecutors said. German and… Read more »
Michel Bacos, the Air France captain hailed as a hero for refusing to abandon his passengers when Palestinian and German hijackers seized the plane in 1976, has died in France aged 95. The plane, carrying some 260 people from Tel Aviv to Paris, had stopped off in Athens, where the hijackers got on board and demanded it change course. The… Read more »
A charity has condemned an air strike near a hospital in rebel-held north-western Yemen that killed at least seven people, four of them children. A missile hit a petrol station 50m (164ft) from the entrance of the Kitaf rural hospital on Tuesday morning, according to Save the Children. The blast also injured eight people. It was not clear who was behind… Read more »
After government officials urged citizens to stay indoors and refrain from travelling due to impending inclement weather, 19 people were left dead and dozens more injured. This dangerous weather could not have come at a worse time, as Iranian New Year, Nowruz, is welcomed, large quantities of people are travelling, increasing the chances of injuries and deaths. According to sources… Read more »
Global ride-hailing service provider Uber has acquired its Middle East competitor Careem for $3.1bn, making it the largest-ever technology purchase in the region. Uber said in a statement on Tuesday that the $3.1bn purchase consists of $1.7bn in convertible notes and $1.4bn in cash. Under the deal, Careem will keep its brand as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber, operating as… Read more »
Southern city of Shiraz suffers extensive damage as government urges people to cancel trips amid forecast of more rains. Tehran, Iran – Flash flooding in southern and parts of western Iran has left at least 19 people dead and more than 100 injured as the government urged people to cancel trips and warned of more rains, according to Fars news agency. The Ministry… Read more »
The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria has called for the creation of an international tribunal to try thousands of suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group. One official, Abdul Karim Omar, told the BBC they were struggling to cope with the thousands who emerged from the last IS enclave of Baghuz, in the east. Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)… Read more »
Israel has carried out strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, after a rocket attack on a house injured seven Israelis. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the office of Hamas’s political leader and the group’s military intelligence headquarters were among the targets. Gaza’s health ministry said seven Palestinians were injured. Militants later launched a barrage of rockets towards southern Israeli… Read more »