(BBC) At least 30 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a Kurdish wedding in north-eastern Syria. The bomber blew himself up on Monday night at a hall in Tal Tawil, outside Hassakeh city, reportedly while the bride and groom were exchanging vows. There were conflicting reports about whether the groom was among the dead.
(Reuters) About 6,055 migrants were rescued and 22 found dead on the perilous sea route to Europe on Monday, one of the highest numbers in a single day, Italian and Libyan officials said. Italy’s coastguard said at least nine migrants had died and a pregnant woman and a child had been taken by helicopter to a hospital on the Italian… Read more »
(Reuters) The health system in the Libyan city of Sirte has collapsed and thousands of residents are facing shortages of food and medicine as pro-government forces battle to seize control of the coastal city from Islamic State, a medical charity said on Tuesday. Over the past two days, forces led by brigades from Misrata have pressed further into Sirte’s neighborhood… Read more »
(New York Times) An array of groups allied with the Syrian government pressed an assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Friday, as the World Health Organization said heavy bombardment of the area by Russia and Syria had killed 338 people in the last week, including more than 100 children. With more of the city’s already limited hospitals destroyed in the latest… Read more »
(Reuters) The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had deployed an S-300 missile system to its Tartus naval base in Syria. “The missile battery is intended to ensure the safety of the naval base … It is unclear why the deployment of the S-300 caused such alarm among our Western partners,” the ministry said in a statement. U.S. media… Read more »
(Fox News) ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is at death’s door after being poisoned by a mystery assassin in Iraq, it has been reported. Three other senior jihadis were also afflicted by the toxin in Al-Ba’aj, southwest of Mosul – Islamic State’s biggest city in Iraq. The four have reportedly been rushed for treatment at a secret location.
(New York Times) Shimon Peres, one of the last surviving pillars of Israel’s founding generation, who did more than anyone to build up his country’s formidable military might, then worked as hard to establish a lasting peace with Israel’s Arab neighbors, died on Wednesday in a Tel Aviv area hospital. He was 93. His death was announced by his son… Read more »
(moroccoworldnews.com) The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its annual report last month. The report shows that Morocco has advanced two places compared to last year. In 70th position, Morocco dominates over all the other North African countries, including Algeria (87th), Tunisia (95th), and Mauritania (173rd).
The recent bombardment of Aleppo has killed 96 children in one week alone and delayed the resumption of the school year. “Nothing can justify such assaults on children and such total disregard for human life. The suffering and the shock among children is definitely the worst we have seen,” Justin Forsyth, the deputy executive director of UNICEF, said in a… Read more »
(JPOST.COM) Saudi Arabia, a conservative Muslim country in the Gulf that follows the strict guidelines of Wahhabi Islam, has one of the highest rates of divorce in the world. At a rate of 127 cases per day, divorce rates have increased dramatically in the Kingdom. An example of this can be seen in Jeddah, a major port city, where divorce… Read more »