Mes: agosto 2019

(AP) AZAZ, Syria – Syrian fighter jets screamed through the sky Wednesday over this rebel-held town, dropping bombs that leveled the better part of a poor neighborhood and wounded scores of people, many of them women and children buried under piles of rubble. Activists said more than 20 people were killed. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 23 people died in the double airstrike and more than 200 were wounded. Mohammed Nour, a local activist reached by phone, put the death toll at 25. Neither figure could be independently confirmed. More in After the Arab Spring Reporters from The Associated Press saw nine dead bodies in the bombings’ immediate aftermath, including a baby. The bombings sent panicked civilians fleeing for cover. So many were wounded that the local hospital locked its doors, directing residents to drive to the nearby Turkish border so the injured could be treated on the other side. One person’s remains were bundled into a small satchel. A group of young men found a man buried in the wreckage of destroyed homes, his clothes torn and his limbs dirty, but still alive. “God is great! God is great!” they chanted as they yanked him out and laid him on a blanket. Nearby, a woman sat on a pile of bricks that once was her home, cradling a dead baby wrapped in a dirty cloth....

(AP) BAGHDAD – Three bomb blasts shortly before sunset Wednesday killed 10 people north of Baghdad in the latest spasm of violence to grip Iraq. The blasts underscored the volatility of the country eight months after the last U.S. troops pulled out. Insurgents, led by the local branch of al Qaeda, are trying to re-establish themselves in their old strongholds and undermine the government. The first bomb went off Wednesday in Baqouba, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of the Iraqi capital. Police said two civilians and one police officer were killed, and five people were wounded. Minutes later, authorities said, a car bomb exploded at the entrance of the main market in Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad. A second blast struck as police arrived on the scene. Police said the toll for both bombings in the town was seven killed and 26 wounded. Iraq: Gunmen kill 7 Shiites in targeted attack The bombs exploded shortly before the ceremonial breaking of the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan, when families and friends gather for a sunset meal. Police said the Muqdadiyah market was crowded with shoppers who were buying last-minute supplies for the “iftar” meal. Baqouba and Muqdadiyah are both located in the province of Diyala, a former stronghold of al Qaeda’s Iraqi branch. The province is home to both Sunni and Shiite...

(AP) AZAZ, Syria – Residents of this north Syrian border town like to snap photos of their children atop the tank parked downtown, one of more than a dozen captured or destroyed by rebels in the battles last month that “liberated” the area from President Bashar Assad’s army. Across the street in air-conditioned offices once occupied by Assad’s Baath party, a new political order is emerging. Local rebels have formed committees to fix power lines, fire up bakeries and staff the nearby border crossing with Turkey. They also run security patrols and a prison with some 60 captives. Two men were executed by firing squad recently after a judge and Islamic clerics found them guilty of murder. “We run a state system here,” said Samir Hajj Omar, the silver-haired former teacher who heads the rebel political office for Azaz, a town of 35,000. “We’re enforcing the law.” In recent months, Syria’s rebels have extended control over a large swath of territory in the northeastern corner of the country after forcing the army from town after town in a string of bloody street battles. As a result, for the first time in Syria’s 17-month conflict, rebels have a cohesive enclave in which they can move and organize with unprecedented freedom, plus a long stretch of the border with Turkey key for moving out refugees and smuggling in weapons. They also...

(CBS/AP) QUITO, Ecuador – Ecuador’s foreign minister is alleging that Britain threatened to storm his country’s London embassy to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Ricardo Patino told a news conference that Ecuador received a written threat Wednesday from Britain that “it could assault our embassy” if Assange was not handed over. He said the threat was delivered to Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry and ambassador in London. The Press Association reports Patino released details of the letter it got from the British Foreign office. The letter stated: “You need to be aware that there is a legal base in the UK, the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, that would allow us to take actions in order to arrest Mr Assange in the current premises of the Embassy. We sincerely hope that we do not reach that point, but if you are not capable of resolving this matter of Mr Assange’s presence in your premises, this is an open option for us.” The Australian has been holed up in the embassy since June 19, taking refuge to avoid extradition to Sweden, 부천콜걸 where he faces questioning for alleged sexual misconduct. Assange’s supports say the charges are trumped up and believe the U.S. has secretly indicted him and would extradite him from Sweden. Ecuadorian officials have said they will announce Wednesday whether or not Assange will be given asylum. British authorities have...