Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Israel attacks Gaza, and Conor McGregor retires from MMA.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, March 26th.

Israel attacks Gaza

Israeli aircraft bombed the Gaza Strip, and Gaza militants fired rockets into Israel, on Monday into early Tuesday.

As daylight broke, a hastily arranged ceasefire appears to be holding.

The cross-border fighting erupted as Israeli elections loom.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who's facing corruption charges at home, cut short a visit to Washington on Monday.

The UN says the last year of Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza could be crimes against humanity.

International community slams Golan Heights grab

Turkey, the Arab League, the EU and the UN have all rejected Trump's attempt to legitimise Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights.

The US president signed a proclamation on Monday recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Syrian territory. Netanyahu was in the room, watching.

Trump's move reversed decades of US policy. Critics slammed it as a clear violation of international law.

Saudi-led war against Houthis in Yemen enters fifth year

Four years ago today, a Saudi-led coalition began bombing Yemen.

The coalition campaign until recently had full US backing against Iran-linked Houthi rebels.

The UN and international organisations say the campaign has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.

They say on average 37 children have been killed or wounded every day in the bombing campaign over the past 12 months.

Since 2015, more than 80,000 children have died of starvation, with no end in sight to the war.

Observers say Thai elections were flawed

International poll observers say Thailand's first election since a military coup was deeply flawed.

They say the preliminary vote count was "wildly inaccurate."

Thailand's Election Commission is defending the count and says it will release full preliminary results on Friday.

The two opposing and leading parties are both claiming the right to form the country's next government.

Conor McGregor retires from MMA

And finally,

Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor says he's retiring from mixed martial arts.

McGregor announced his decision with a tweet.

He added, "I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition"

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Daily News Brief for Monday, March 25th:

*)Death toll climbs after Cyclone Idai

The death toll from Cyclone Idai continues to rise with officials now saying more than 400 people are dead in Mozambique alone.

Zimbabwe and Malawi were also affected when the cyclone struck just over a week ago.

The confirmed number of people killed in the three countries is now closing in on 1,000.

The UN says more than half a million people need assistance.

*)UN condemns Trump-backed grab for occupied Golan Heights

Turkey says it will take the issue of the Golan Heights to the UN.

President Erdogan says Trump's recognition last week of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied terrority is a "gift" to Israel's damaged prime minister ahead of elections.

Netanyhu is facing corruption charges and the UN says Israel's abuse of Palestinians in Gaza could be crimes against humanity.

*)SDF says Daesh driven from Baghouz

The US-backed SDF says it's captured the last shred of territory in Syria held by the Daesh terror group.

But Baghouz, in the east near the border with Iraq, is littered with boobie traps and IEDs.

A Syrian working for a US news network was killed on Saturday by an explosive device.

The future of Daesh is unclear, and the fate of its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is unknown.

*)Mueller says there was no collusion

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller says there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

On the issue of obstruction of justice, Mueller said his report did not conclude that Trump committed a crime, it also did not exonerate the president.

*)Kenyan teacher recognised for service

And finally,

A Kenyan science teacher who gave away most of his earnings to the poor has won a $1 million prize as an exceptional educator.

Peter Tabichi was selected out of 10,000 applicants for the Global Teacher Prize.

Most of his students are orphans or have only one parent.

Tabichi's school has only one computer. But somehow he manages, and he even teaches classes online.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Friday, March 22nd.

Imam says New Zealand is broken-hearted but not broken

The Muslim call to prayer has resounded across Christchurch and around New Zealand.

Thousands gathered to remember the 50 victims of last week's terror attack on worshippers at two mosques in the city.

The Imam at the Al Noor mosque, one of those assaulted, said "We are broken-hearted, but we are not broken."

Five mosques in Birmingham attacked with sledgehammers

Five mosques in the English city of Birmingham were targeted and vandalised overnight.

The UK's Counter Terrorism Unit is investigating the incident.

The attacks come as racists and haters stoke Islamophobia in many countries.

OIC holds meeting on terrorist attack in New Zealand, Islamophobia

Turkey's foreign minister is calling on the world to stand against all hate speech, violence, and terror, with words and actions.

Mevlut Cavusoglu was speaking in Istanbul at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The meeting was called after the Christchurch terror attacks.

New Zealand's foreign minister is attending and said the attacks on Muslims were an attack on all of us.

Trump's move against Syria is condemned

The international community has been quick to condemn Trump's latest move. This time against Syria.

The US president is attempting to legitimise Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights, saying his administration recognises what he called "Israel's sovereignty."

Damascus, Turkey, Iran and Russia slammed the move as an irresponsible violation of international law.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week takes place in Istanbul

And finally,

It's been the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Istanbul this week.

More than 30 designers are showcasing their creations at the event.

The three-day event is an annual celebration of everything beautiful in fashion.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Thursday, March 21st.

New Zealand bans assault weapons

New Zealand is banning assault weapons, six days after 50 people were killed in the Christchurch terrorist attack.

The decision comes as New Zealand continues to bury its dead from the assault on two mosques last Friday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expects the new laws to be in place within three weeks.

Multiple explosions target Shia shrine in Kabul

Three explosions have struck near a Shia shrine and cemetery in western Kabul as people gathered there to mark the Persian New Year.

Afghanistan's Health Ministry says at least six people were killed and 23 wounded.

There has been no claim of responsibility at the time of writing.

Aid agencies struggle to reach cyclone victims

Aid and rescue workers trying to reach cyclone victims in three southern African countries are struggling to help, because of the scale of the disaster.

The confirmed death is more than 300, with some 2 million people at risk in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Karadzic sentenced to life in prison

UN judges have sentenced Radovan Karadzic to life in prison.

The ICC upheld the former Bosnian-Serb leader's conviction for the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica.

He was also found guilty of leading a campaign of ethnic cleansing that drove Croats and Muslims out of Serb-claimed areas of Bosnia.

EU fines Google for anti-trust breach

And finally,

The European Commission has fined Google $1.7 billion for breaking the bloc's anti-trust rules.

The fine comes after Google blocked rival online search advertisers for a decade from 2006-2016.

The company says it's working to comply with the EU.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Wednesday, March 20th.

New Zealand holds first funerals for mosque terror attacks

A father and son who fled the war in Syria have been buried, in the first funerals for victims of Friday's terrorist attacks in Christchurch.

Khalid Mustafa and his 15-year-old son Hamza were carried in open caskets, as hundreds of mourners gathered for the memorial service.

They're the first of the 50 victims to be buried, many of them refugees and immigrants who had found a new home in New Zealand.

Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in two attacks

Israeli forces have killed two Palestinians close to Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces said they responded with "live fire" after they alleged that explosives were hurled from a vehicle.

In a separate attack, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian they allege was involved in an incident on Sunday.

Clean up begins in cyclone-hit southern Africa

Aid has started trickling into Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in the wake of a devastating cyclone in southern Africa.

More than 350 people are confirmed dead after Cyclone Idai battered the region.

Hundreds are still missing and some two million people are at risk.

Lion Air pilots struggled with doomed plane - sources

The pilots of a doomed Boeing 737 MAX 8 frantically searched in a manual for a way to stop the plane from crashing last year.

According to sources in Indonesia, the Lion Air pilots were unable to control the plane that crashed in October killing everyone on board.

That incident is now being looked at in relation to a crash of the same model MAX 8 in Ethiopia on March 10 that also killed everyone on board.

India celebrates festival of colours

And finally,

The Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the "festival of colours" or the "festival of love," is beginning across India.

The festival marks the start of spring.

The celebration of bright, splashing colours has spread around the world, wherever the India diaspora has now found a home.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, March 19th.

New Zealand's PM vows terrorist will face 'full force of law'

We start in New Zealand, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opened a sombre session of parliament with the Muslim greeting "as-salaam-alaikum".

Ardern said the terrorist would face "the full force of the law".

She vowed never to utter the name of the gunman behind the mosque massacres last Friday and to deprive him of the notoriety he clearly desired.

The self-declared white supremacist is being held in isolation in jail.

Over 1,000 feared dead in Mozambique storm

More than a thousand people are feared to have died in a cyclone that smashed into Mozambique last week.

The Red Cross said 90 percent of Beira city was damaged or destroyed.

In neighbouring Zimbabwe, scores were killed and more than 200 are missing.

Venezuela opposition takes control of diplomatic properties in US

Representatives of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido have taken control of three of the country's diplomatic properties in the United States.

That’s according to Guaido's US envoy.

The envoy said the group expected to take control of Venezuela's embassy in Washington "in the days to come".

US scrutinises Boeing 737 MAX certification

Boeing and US aviation regulators are coming under intense scrutiny over the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

The move comes on the back of recent revelations that the Ethiopia Airlines and Lion Air crashes shared similarities.

A US grand jury issued a subpoena seeking communication records on the plane’s development one day after the Ethiopian Airlines crash left 157 dead, according to The Associated Press.

Captain Marvel still a Box Office force

And finally,

Marvel’s first comic-book tentpole to spotlight a female superhero surpassed $265 million in ticket sales domestically, bringing the global haul to $760 million.

Captain Marvel soared past the competition, raking in $69 million the second weekend after its release.

The film stars Brie Larson as a former fighter pilot who gains superpowers and finds herself embroiled in a galactic conflict.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Daily News Brief for Monday, March 18th:

*)Australian police raid homes near terrorist's hometown

Australian counter-terrorism police have raided two homes with possible links to Friday's attacks in Christchurch.

At least 50 people died in the terrorist attack on two mosques.

The New Zealand police believe there was the only gunman. But they are working with Australian police to see whether he had support.

New Zealand's prime minister says gun laws will be changed because of the attack.

*)Ethiopia says crashed jet's black boxes show similarities to Lion Air disaster

The crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that killed 157 people had "clear similarities" with the Lion Air crash in Indonesia last year.

That's according to Ethiopia's transport ministry.

It follows initial analysis of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 black boxes from the Ethiopia crash.

One focus of the investigation is on the new flight control system in the MAX jets, and possible flaws.

*)US denies it's leaving up to 1,000 troops in Syria

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the US plans to leave up to 1,000 troops in Syria following a pullout ordered by President Trump last year.

However, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff says the report is not true.

The US has angered its NATO ally Turkey by backing the YPG terror group in Syria.

*)Anniversary of Afrin's liberation from the PYD/PKK

Staying with Syria, and it's been a year since Turkish troops and their allies freed Afrin from the PYD/PKK terror group. The PYD/PKK and YPG are different names for the same terror group.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch with the Free Syrian Army in January last year to drive the YPG/PYD/PKK and Daesh from Afrin.

And finally,

*)104th anniversary of Canakkale

Turkey is today marking the 104th anniversary of a key World War One victory.

It's called Canakkale in Turkish, and Gallipoli by the allied forces the Ottoman Empire defeated in the 1915-16 battle.

It was a key turning point in Turkey's history and played a role in the formation of the republic in 1923.