Israeli opposition leader says no progress on judicial overhaul talks

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli parties have made no progress towards a compromise over the government’s bitterly disputed judicial overhaul package after a month of meetings, Benny Gantz, head of one of the largest opposition parties, said on Monday. The planned overhaul, which would give the government control over naming judges to the Supreme Court and…

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Syrian refugees deported from Lebanon face arrest, conscription, say relatives

By Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian refugees detained by security forces in Lebanon and deported have been subject to arrest and forced conscription upon return to their war-ravaged homeland, their relatives and rights advocates have told Reuters. Some said their loved ones were being held by the Syrian army’s Fourth Division, which is headed…

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Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen in West Bank raid, Palestinian officials say

By Ali Sawafta JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager during a morning arrest raid that led to clashes in a refugee camp outside the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. The Palestinian health ministry said 17-year-old Jibril Kamal died after being shot in…

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Even one American in Iraq is too many, Iran leader tells Iraqi president

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United States is an unreliable friend, and Iraq should not allow any U.S. troops on its territory, Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Saturday. Iran, which has strong ties with Iraq, opposes the U.S. military presence on its borders in Iraq and the…

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Turkey’s Baykar plans production of new air combat drone next year

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish defence firm Baykar aims to begin production of its new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) next year which is already attracting international interest, its chairman Selcuk Bayraktar said. Baykar has come to prominence internationally in recent years because of the company’s light drone TB-2, which has been used in Ukraine, Azerbaijan…

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U.S. confiscates Iran oil cargo on tanker amid Tehran tensions -sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm. As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and…

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Iran says there were no school poisonings, blames foreign ‘enemies’

(Reuters) – Iran’s intelligence ministry on Friday accused foreign “enemies” and dissidents of fomenting fears over suspected poisonings of schoolgirls, saying its investigation found no actual poisoning. The wave of suspected attacks has affected thousands of schoolgirls and provoked public anger, after months of protests against Iran’s clerical rulers following the death of a young…

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