Turkish Journalists Face Life Imprisonment Over Story About Turkey Arming Syria Militants
Two Turkish journalists are facing life sentences over a story last May alleging that the Turkish government was arming Islamist militants in Syria, the BBC reports.
Can Dundar, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper and its Ankara representative Erdem Gul have been charged with espionage.
The Cumhuriyet report published video of police finding weapons in trucks it said was linked to Turkish intelligence. But Turkey said the tricks were bringing aid to Syria's Turkoman minority.
Four Egyptian Soldiers Killed In Sinai Blast
Four Egyptian soldiers have been killed and 12 more wounded in the Sinai Peninsula after unidentified militants planted an improvised explosive device on the side of the road on the outskirts of the city of Arish, exploding an armored personnel carrier.
Putin aide: Syrian vote must include refugees: AP
Syrian refugees should be allowed to vote in their country's future elections, Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev has told AP.
Patrushev said that demands for the immediate departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were counterproductive.
"Let's remember the sad experience of Iraq and Libya," Patrushev told the AP in a written reply to questions Tuesday -- his first remarks ever to a foreign news organization. "Have they succeeded in stabilizing the situation there following a foreign intervention and physical removal of those countries' leaders?"
Dutch To Discuss Joining Syria Air Strikes: AFP
The Dutch cabinet is to discuss a request from the United States to join U.S.-led coalition strikes against the IS group in Syria within "the coming days," Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders has said.
British Jets Carry Out 36 Attacks Against IS In Syria, Iraq: Ministry
British war planes have carried out 36 attacks against IS targets in Syria and Iraq over the past week, the UK's Ministry of Defense has said.
The raids hit IS near Fallujah, Haditha, Ramadi, Habbaniyah and Mosul in Iraq, and Raqqa in Syria.
In Syria, Tornado jets used Brimstone missiles on Jan. 24 to attack three IS mobile cranes being used by IS to repair damage from coalition air strikes.
The Ministry of Defense released this video of the Jan. 24 attack:
At Least 10 Killed In 3 Suicide Attacks In NE Nigeria
AFP has more on the earlier reports of suicide bombings in north eastern Nigeria.
At least 10 people were killed when three suicide bombers blew themselves up in the town of Chibok, a town elder has told AFP.
Ayuba Chibok says that the blasts happened at around noon local time when the town was full of traders for the weekly market. The blasts "bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram," AFP report.
Tunisia Breaks Up 'Militant Cell' Connected To IS
Tunisia says that it has disrupted a cell recruiting militants for the IS group in Libya and Syria, Reuters reports.
"Our special forces counterterrorism unit dismantled a cell which included nine extremists in Bizerte who were actively recruiting young people to send them into areas of trouble," the interior ministry said.
Only Syrians Invited To Peace Talks: UN
After Turkey announced that it was lifting its threat to boycott the Syria peace talks in Geneva, the United Nations announced that, in fact, only Syrians have been invited to participate, France 24 reports.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned late Jan. 26 that Turkey would boycott the talks if the Syrian Kurdish PYD was invited. This afternoon, a senior Turkish official announced that Turkey was dropping its threat because the PYD has not been invited.
France 24 points out, however, that Khawla Mattar, a spokesman for the UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, has said that there is "no plan to invite" non-Syrians to the talks.
18 Besieged Areas In Syria, 500,000 Cut Off From Food
The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition is demanding that blockades on besieged areas be lifted as a precondition for peace talks to begin on Jan. 29.
The World Food Programme just tweeted this infographic about the situation in Syria regarding sieges. There are 18 besieged areas -- not all by the Syrian government, some are blockaded by rebels -- affecting some 500,000 people.
18 Besieged Areas In Syria, 500,000 Cut Off From Food
The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition is demanding that blockades on besieged areas be lifted as a precondition for peace talks to begin on Jan. 29.
The World Food Programme just tweeted this infographic about the situation in Syria regarding sieges. There are 18 besieged areas -- not all by the Syrian government, some are blockaded by rebels -- affecting some 500,000 people.