By Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge GENEVA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session on Iran in the coming days, with proponents aiming to discuss "alarming violence" used against protesters, a document showed on Tuesday. An Iranian
Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organisation called an "unprecedented attack". UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement to AFP that Israeli forces "stormed
By Nandita Bose and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON/PARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to hit French wines and champagnes with 200% tariffs in an apparent effort to cajole French President Emmanuel Macron into joining his Board of Peace initiative aimed at
By Pesha Magid JERUSALEM, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Israel demolished structures inside the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency's East Jerusalem compound on Tuesday after seizing the site last year, in an act condemned by the agency as a violation of international law. Surrounded by
CAIRO, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet U.S President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Egypt's presidency said on Tuesday. This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the U.S announced it was
Turkey warned Tuesday it would not tolerate "provocations" as Kurds in the country prepared to protest over a military offensive targeting Kurds in Syria that has also angered the militant PKK. Syrian forces began an offensive nearly two weeks ago, pushing the Kurdish-led SDF
By Saad Sayeed and Ariba Shahid ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Pakistan's defence manufacturing industry is running red hot since its jets, drones and missiles earned the coveted 'combat tested' tag in a conflict with India last year, attracting a slew of interested buyers.
Jan 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron told U.S President Donald Trump that he could set up a meeting after Davos in Paris on Thursday afternoon, according to screenshots of messages sent by Macron to Trump that were posted by the U.S. president on Truth Social.
By Promit Mukherjee, Andrew Mills and Federico Maccioni OTTAWA/DOHA/DUBAI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to foster a new global trading order by working more closely with China and inking smaller trade deals, but faces constraints from
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will not send observers to army-ruled Myanmar's ongoing three-stage election and will therefore not endorse the poll, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Myanmar has been ravaged by
KABUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) - In the dull glow of a single bulb lighting their tent on the outskirts of Kabul, Samiullah and his wife Bibi Rehana sit down to dry bread and tea, their only meal of the day, accompanied by their five children and three-month-old grandchild. "We have
European diplomats say the initiative raises 'major questions' about the UN and international law, with one warning that 'no European country is expected to go along with this.' Sources cite Putin's invitation and Trump's Greenland threats as key factors hardening EU opposition
CAIRO, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Syria's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Farhad Shami, said around 1,500
Turkey's Kurds are hoping that Ankara's bid to end the decades-long PKK conflict won't be hurt by Damascus' lightning offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria that was backed by Turkey. A close ally of the new post Bashar al-Assad Syrian leadership, Ankara has been
US President Donald Trump called Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and secured a pledge from the leader to not enter al-Hasakeh as Syrian forces clashed with the Kurdish-led SDF.
During an official visit to India, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the signing of several memorandums of understanding and letters of intent across multiple sectors, including defense and space.
By Ece Toksabay ANKARA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party said on Monday that the Turkish government had no more "excuses" to delay a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) now that a landmark integration deal was achieved in neighbouring Syria. On
Iran's top police officer issued an ultimatum on Monday to protesters who joined what authorities have deemed "riots", saying they must hand themselves in within three days or face the full force of the law. But the government also pledged to tackle economic hardships that
WARSAW, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Polish President Karol Nawrocki has been invited to join the Gaza Board of Peace by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Polish president's foreign policy adviser said on Monday The invitation was first reported by news website Onet, which cited two
Residents of the Kurdish Syrian city of Qamishli voiced disillusionment on Monday after a deal with Damascus struck a fatal blow to their long-held aspirations of autonomy, with some accusing the United States of abandoning them. Under pressure from a government advance through
Turkey has welcomed the agreement as key to domestic peace efforts with the outlawed Kurdish militants.
JERUSALEM, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Israel has received an invitation from the United States to join President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. It was not immediately clear if Israel had
By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Russia is watching with glee as U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to acquire Greenland widens splits with Europe even though his moves could have serious security ramifications for Moscow, which covets its own presence in the
Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in the protests in Iran, as videos emerging amid limited access to internet show the scale of the crackdown launched by security forces.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is set to get much worse in 2026 as food insecurity increases and international aid evaporates, the United Nations warned on Monday. Julien Harneis, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said he feared the calamitous situation
By Ece Toksabay and Daren Butler ISTANBUL, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A deal under which Kurdish forces abandoned long-held territory in Syria to the Syrian government could pave the way for Turkey to advance its stalled effort to end its decades-long conflict with the PKK, Turkish
US President Donald Trump's government has asked countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent spot on his "Board of Peace" aimed at resolving conflicts, according to its charter seen by AFP. The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza, but the
Syria's army deployed in formerly Kurdish-led areas in the country's east and north on Monday after a ceasefire announced a day earlier, as Syria's president and the Kurds' leader were to hold talks. The leader of the Syrian Kurdish forces said Sunday he agreed to the deal with
Jan 19 (Reuters) - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Monday that an "armed group" was attacking Shaddadi prison in Hasaka in Syria's northeast where it said thousands of Islamic State militants were being held. The SDF had said earlier in the day it was clashing
US President Donald Trump's government has asked countries to pay $1.0 billion for a permanent spot on his "Board of Peace" aimed at resolving conflicts, according to its charter, seen Monday by AFP. The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired
By Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The U.N. warned on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening and that gains made to tackle malnutrition and health would go into reverse due to funding cuts. "The context is very concerning... We are expecting
As maternal mortality surges in post-war Gaza, and newborns face cold, infection and malnutrition, pregnancy and childbirth are daily fights for survival. Women and their babies, universally noncombatants, are suffering disproportionately – and serve as a measure of our moral
JERUSALEM, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to shut a U.S.-led multinational coordinating centre that supports President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. Washington established the Civil
By Karam al-Masri and Khalil Ashawi RAQQA/ Syria, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Syrian government troops tightened their grip on Monday across a swathe of northern and eastern territory abruptly abandoned the previous day by Kurdish forces, in a dramatic shift that consolidated President