MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Syrian president Assad’s visit to Moscow (all times local): 9:50 p.m. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Saudi King Salman to discuss peace initiatives for a solution to Syria’s war. Tuesday’s call comes a day after Syrian President Bashar Assad made a surprise visit to … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia are nearing an agreement on Syria for how they hope to resolve the Arab country’s civil war once the Islamic State group is defeated, officials said Thursday. If clinched, the deal could be announced by President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after a meeting in … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday ordered its citizens out of Lebanon in its first concrete action against the Mediterranean country, while officials in Beirut demanded the immediate return of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who abruptly announced his resignation last week in a television appearance from the kingdom, where he has been holed up … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson doubled down Thursday on Washington’s call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to leave power, looking past recent battlefield gains by his Russian-backed forces to insist that “the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end.” Tillerson made the comments after what he called a … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — U.N.-mandated investigators said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air force conducted a sarin-gas attack in the spring that killed at least 83 civilians and sparked a retaliatory U.S. strike. The investigators also appealed to the U.S.-led coalition to better protect civilians as it strikes at Islamic State militants in the east. … Continue reading
UN probe says Syrian government launched April sarin attack By JAMEY KEATEN and ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — U.N.-mandated investigators said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air force conducted a sarin-gas attack in the spring that killed at least 83 civilians and sparked a retaliatory U.S. strike. The investigators also appealed to the … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military said it shot down an Iranian-made, armed drone in southern Syria on Tuesday, marking the third time this month that that the U.S. has downed aircraft affiliated with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government. The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said a U.S. F-15 fighter jet shot down … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Sunday shot down a Syrian Air Force fighter jet that bombed local forces aligned with the Americans in the fight against Islamic State militants, an action that appeared to mark a new escalation of the conflict. The U.S. had not shot down a Syrian regime aircraft before Sunday’s … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Russians warships in the Mediterranean Sea have fired four cruise missiles at the Islamic State group’s positions in Syria, the Russian defense ministry said on Wednesday. The announcement came as Syrian government troops pushed ahead in their offensive against IS and militants in central and northern Syria. Moscow said in a statement … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court may soon decide how courts are supposed to view presidential power in the age of Donald Trump. The administration has promised a high court appeal of a ruling blocking the president’s ban on visitors from six majority Muslim countries. The case could be a major test for the young … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The new U.N. disarmament chief says a team from the international chemical weapons watchdog found exposure “to sarin or a sarin-like substance” in samples from an attack on April 4 in northern Syria that killed over 90 people and now wants to visit the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Izumi Nakamitsu told … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government on Tuesday “categorically” denied U.S. accusations of mass killings at a prison near Damascus, including the alleged execution of political opponents and burning the victims in a crematorium at the site. The Foreign Ministry said the allegations are a “new Hollywood plot” to justify U.S. intervention in Syria. It … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is appearing to rule out deeper American military intervention in Syria beyond retaliatory strikes if Syrian President Bashar Assad continues his assault on civilians with chemical weapons. “Are we going to get involved with Syria? No,” Trump told Fox Business News in an interview that aired Wednesday. Trumps comments … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain, one of President Donald Trump’s harshest critics, made a secret trip to northern Syria to visit U.S. forces stationed there and discuss the campaign for defeating the Islamic State extremists, his office said Wednesday. The Arizona Republican’s visit to the war-torn country occurred as a major battle nears to … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) â Playing down expectations, the U.N. envoy for Syria said Wednesday that he’s not expecting a breakthrough in the first U.N.-mediated peace talks between government representatives and the opposition in 10 months, rather hoping to build momentum toward peace after nearly six years of war. Staffan de Mistura spoke a day before convening … Continue reading
February 20, 2017 To the University Community: The White House issued a Presidential Executive Order (“Executive Order”) on January 27, 2017, which impacts members of the Norfolk State University Community. The Executive Order suspends the “entry into the United States” for 90 days (and possibly longer) to nationals from seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, … Continue reading
JORDAN-SYRIA BORDER (AP) — Armed Islamic State extremists are expanding their influence in a sprawling camp for displaced Syrians on Jordan’s border, posing a growing threat to the U.S.-allied kingdom, a senior Jordanian military commander said. Brig. Gen. Sami Kafawin, chief of Jordan’s border forces, spoke to The Associated Press during a tour of the … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local): 6:40 p.m. Syria’s state news agency says authorities have unveiled a statue of late President Hafez Assad in the city of Hama to replace the one pulled down by demonstrators nearly six years ago, in the early days of the uprising against his … Continue reading
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Two earthquakes with preliminary magnitudes of 5.3 jolted Turkey’s northern Aegean Sea coast on Monday Feb. 6, 2017, damaging dozens of homes in 11 villages and injuring at least five people, officials said. The first quake, which was centered beneath the Aegean off the coast of the town of Ayvacik in … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian pro-government forces advanced Monday Feb. 6, 2017 toward al-Bab, completing the encirclement of the Islamic State-held town which had been partially besieged by Turkey-backed opposition forces, state media and an activist group said. Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters, known as Euphrates Shield, have been trying to seize the town for … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N.’s top official on refugees pushed back against a proposed initiative that has gained recent traction to create “safe zones” in Syria for refugees, saying the country was “not the right place” for the initiative. “Let’s not waste time planning safe zones that will not be set up because they will … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian musician who was allowed to legally immigrate to the United States on account of his “extraordinary” abilities, and who recently toured with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, is now wondering whether he can return to his Brooklyn home. Kinan Azmeh, a clarinet player who has called the U.S. home for 16 … Continue reading
VIENNA (AP) — OPEC has agreed to cut its oil production for the first time in eight years, ending a strategy of high supply that had aimed to cripple the U.S. energy industry but also led to decade-low prices and drained the budgets of crude-producing nations. The cartel will cut 1.2 million barrels a day … Continue reading
VIENNA (AP) — OPEC has agreed to cut its oil production for the first time in eight years, ending a strategy of high supply that had aimed to cripple the U.S. energy industry but also led to decade-low prices and drained the budgets of crude-producing nations. The cartel will cut 1.2 million barrels a day … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on the fighting in Syria (all times local): 5:30 p.m. The Russian military says it has sent a team of sappers to clear the eastern part of Aleppo from mines. Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the military’s General Staff said Wednesday the unit has 200 soldiers and 47 vehicles. He … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 