Author: France 24

One person was killed and eight wounded in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, officials said Saturday. Source link

Iran on Friday downplayed an apparent Israeli air strike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran. Authorities said air defences fired at an air base near Isfahan, which has long been home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats – purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Source link

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh began talks in Istanbul on Saturday as tensions in the Middle East soar, Turkish media reported. “It is quite likely that Turkey aims to position itself as a mediator in the conflict and perhaps take over Qatar’s role,” said Selin Nasi, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. Source link

Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned drug before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed Saturday, defending the decision to let them compete based on China’s findings they had ingested it unknowingly. Issued on: 20/04/2024 – 20:11Modified: 20/04/2024 – 21:42 4 min The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported Saturday that the athletes included nearly half of the swimming team that China sent to Japan, with several going on to win medals, including gold.Many are expected to be in contention again at the Paris Olympics this summer.The Times reported that they tested positive…

The timing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh’s visit to Turkey to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is significant, says FRANCE 24’s Leela Jacinto. Their talks on Saturday came days after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s visit to Qatar, where Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said Doha was reassessing its role as mediator in talks aimed at a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Source link

One person was killed and eight wounded in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, officials said Saturday. While the head of security of the province said the incident looked like an air strike, Iraqi authorities said there were no planes in the air at the time of strike, FRANCE 24’s Lina Malers said, reporting from Beirut, adding that some have accused the US of being responsible, which the US has denied. Source link

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh held talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas stalled. The news came after Qatar said it is re-evaluating its role as mediator in truce negotiations. Turkey however has no chance to mediate talks between the two foes as it has “burned its bridges with Israel”, FRANCE 24’s Jasper Mortimer said, reporting from Ankara. Source link

A second mayor in Ecuador – Jorge Maldonado of Portovelo – was shot dead Friday ahead of a referendum on stricter measures against organised crime, police said. Two days prior, the mayor of Camilo Ponce Enriquez in the southern province of Azuay, Jose Sanchez, was shot dead. Maldonado was the fifth Ecuadoran mayor assassinated in a year, and the third in less than a month. Source link

Issued on: 20/04/2024 – 16:22Modified: 20/04/2024 – 16:27 01:35 2024-04-20 16:05 Hundreds of Gazans queue for bread at reopened bakery after aid reaches besieged Strip © FRANCE 24 Hundreds of Palestinians queued for bread at a reopened bakery in Gaza City, after fresh supplies arrived in a heavily blockaded area that has suffered months of deprivation. They waited for hours in the streets of Gaza’s biggest city this week as the bakery turned out bags of subsidised bread after the World Food Programme was able to resupply it. Read more on related topics: Source link

Iran has dismissed as akin to child’s play the reported Israeli retaliation for an unprecedented Iranian strike, as both sides on Saturday appeared to step back from wider conflict stemming from the war in Gaza. Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones one week ago in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike –which Iran blamed on Israel – that levelled the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards. Source link