HEADLINES:

MIDDLE EAST

Russia says reassured by Turkey about controversial canal

Russia on Wednesday (June 29) said Turkey had reassured it that a planned canal aimed at easing traffic on the Bosphorus would not lead to a greater presence of NATO navies in the Black Sea.


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Family accuses Syria Kurdish force of torturing son to death

A family has accused Kurdish forces in northeast Syria of torturing to death a detained relative, sparking a social media uproar despite the denial of Kurdish authorities.


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Israel and UAE to sign more deals, Lapid says

Israel's top diplomat Yair Lapid said Wednesday (June 29) that more cooperation deals with the UAE were on the horizon, during a landmark visit to the Gulf nation.


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Syrian teenager sentenced over Norway terror plot

A Norwegian court has sentenced a 16-year-old Syrian to five years in prison for plotting an attack in the Scandinavian country and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group.


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Iran says executing child offenders not a rights violation

Iran's use of the death penalty for crimes committed as minors does not mean it violates human rights, a senior Iranian official has insisted to AFP in response to UN criticism on Wednesday (June 30).


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Jordan moves to 'modernize' political system: official

Jordan is planning to "modernize" its political system, an official said on Tuesday (June 29), months after an unprecedented crisis in the royal palace and against a backdrop of social discontent.


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Lebanon hikes fuel prices to shore up forex reserves

Lebanon hiked fuel prices by more than 30 percent Tuesday (June 29) as it reduced subsidies that have eaten away at the central bank's foreign currency reserves amid a painful economic crisis.


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Turkish reporters demand protection after violent arrest

Dozens of reporters in Istanbul and Ankara rallied on Tuesday (June 29) demanding protection from the police following the violent arrest of an AFP photographer during a banned Istanbul Pride event.


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Iran 'examining' whether to extend IAEA monitoring deal

Iran is "examining" whether to extend an agreement to allow the UN to monitor some of its nuclear activities, government spokesman Ali Rabii said Tuesday (June 29).


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Lapid arrives in UAE on first official visit by an Israeli minister: AFP

Israel's top diplomat Yair Lapid arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday (June 29) for the first ever official visit by an Israeli minister, after the two nations normalised ties in September.


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Pro-Iran militias fire shells at US base in east Syria: monitor

Pro-Iranian militias fired several shells at a US base in eastern Syria's Al-Omar oil field, causing damage but no casualties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said late Monday (June 28).


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Iran's Khamenei hails president-elect's judiciary record

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei praised on Monday (June 28) incoming president Ebrahim Raisi's record as judiciary chief, following the 18 June election.


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US presses allies to bring back ISIS fighters

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday (June 28) pressed US allies to bring back citizens arrested overseas for joining the Islamic State group, warning they could not be held indefinitely in Syr


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Iran says 'no decision' taken to erase nuclear site tapes

Iran said Monday (June 28) it had taken "no decision" to delete footage from surveillance cameras installed at some of its atomic energy facilities by the UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA.


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Lebanon protests leave nearly 20 wounded: charity

Nearly twenty people were wounded in overnight scuffles in northern Lebanon between security forces and protesters angered by a spiraling economic crisis, a medical association said on Sunday (June 27


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Iran says it has drone that can travel 7,000 km

Iran has drones capable of flying 7,000 kilometers (more than 4,000 miles), the commander of its Revolutionary Guard force said Sunday (June 27).


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Saudi Arabia releases two jailed women activists: campaigners

Saudi Arabia has released two women activists detained nearly three years ago, rights groups said on Sunday (June 27), following a fierce crackdown on female campaigners.


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Concerns rise in Iran over internet access

A group of Iranian lawmakers are working on a draft bill that could further restrict access to the internet, a reformist newspaper said Sunday (June 27).


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Israel's new FM tells US of Iran concerns but promises to work together

Israel's foreign minister on Sunday (June 17) voiced concern over US diplomacy with Iran but promised a less confrontational approach in the new government's first high-level talks with the Jewish sta


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