Category: News

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Germany’s parliament is due to vote on whether the country should provide military support in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, the BBC reports.

MPs are expected to back the controversial plan.

Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, a naval frigate and 1,200 soldiers will then be sent to the region. But German forces will not engage in combat.

The vote comes after a French appeal following last month’s Paris attacks.

On Thursday, British warplanes carried out their first air strikes on IS targets in Syriaafter the country’s parliament authorised the military operation.

The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to meet later this month.

“We are on track for an Armenia-Azerbaijan summit meeting later this month,” US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlock said in a Twitter post.

We are on track for an – summit meeting later this month.

— James Warlick (@AmbJamesWarlick)

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.

The parties referred to the Serbian Presidency of the OSCE and the efforts targeted at solving the issues on the organization’s agenda.

The Foreign Ministers of the two countries discussed issues related to bilateral relations, and the  efforts targeted at the reinforcement of friendly ties.

Photo:  AFP 2015/ OZAN KOSE

Turkey has refused US demands to close the part of the border with Syria which is controlled by ISIS  militants,  reports, quoting Turkish sources.

Ankara said that it is impossible to close the border and ISIS terrorists may boost their forces in response, according to The Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also underscored that if the border is closed Ankara will not be able to accept refugees from Syria.

However, closing the border along the area controlled by ISIS would create obstacles for smuggling the oil Turkey buys from the terrorists. Recently, Russia accused Ankara of buying illegal oil from militants in Syria and transporting it to three ports across the Turkish-Syrian border.

The Russian Defense Ministry provided evidence of Turkey buying and transporting illegal oil, including images of oil-carrying tank trucks near the border. The ministry claimed Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his family are involved in selling illegal oil.

Earlier, Washington proposed to close 98 kilometers of the Turkish-Syrian border and deploy additional forces to the area. According to estimates, the measure would require nearly 30,000 troops and building watchtowers each three meters along the borderline.

Davutoglu said the county does not have enough money and asked the US to partially fund the initiative.

Earlier, a representative of the US State Department admitted that illegal oil from Syria has been delivered to the Turkish market. Washington asked Ankara to close the border. The US also said it did not believe Erdogan was involved. However, its stance toward Erdogan may change if the border remains open for oil smuggling.

Photo: Getty Images

Germany’s parliament has voted to send German military support to the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, the BBC reports.

MPs approved the controversial plan for a German non-combat role.

Tornado jets – for reconnaissance – a naval frigate and 1,200 soldiers will be sent to the region.

The vote comes after a French request following last month’s Paris attacks. Ministers believe Germany is now an IS target too.

On Thursday, British warplanes carried out their first air strikes on IS targets in Syria after the country’s parliament authorised the military operation.

Photo: EPA

Scott Weiland, former frontman of the US rock band Stone Temple Pilots, has died at the age of 48, the BBC reports.

The singer’s manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed his death on Thursday night.

A statement, on Instagram, said Weiland had “passed away in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his band The Wildabouts.”

Weiland had a history of drug problems. He formed the Grammy-winning band Stone Temple Pilots, and was a member of supergroup Velvet Revolver.

TMZ is reporting Weiland’s body was discovered on his tour bus outside a motel, near the venue where the band were due to play.

Born in California, Weiland formed the band Stone Temple Pilots with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo in the late 1990s and went on to enjoy early critical and commercial success.

But the success of tracks such as Big Empty, Vasoline and Interstate Love Song, which propelled the 1994 album Purple to the top of the US charts, was marred by in-fighting among band members.

The band took a number of breaks, with Weiland eventually leaving and forming the supergroup Velvet Revolver – with former Guns N’ Roses members Slash (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) – in 2002.

However, the singer’s drug addiction issues were becoming increasingly problematic.

In 1995, the singer was convicted of buying crack cocaine and sentenced to probation.

He was jailed in 1999 for violating his probation after being convicted of heroin possession in 1998, and four years later, in 2003, sentenced to three years’ probation for drug possession.

In 2008, he was sentenced to eight days in jail after pleading no contest to a drink driving charge.

Velvet Revolver frequently had alter its schedules to accommodate Weiland’s court appearances and spells in rehab and the band’s 2007 release, Libertad, was the last to feature Weiland on vocals.

They parted ways with Weiland the following year, blaming the singer’s “erratic behaviour”.

He later returned to the reformed Stone Temple Pilots – but in 2013 they, too, ejected him from the band, claiming he had been “misappropriating” their name to further his solo career.

Real Madrid have been expelled from the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player against Cadiz on Wednesday, the BBC reports.

Denis Cheryshev opened the scoring as Real beat the third-tier side 3-1 in the first leg of their last-32 tie.

The Russian winger, 24, should have been serving a one-match ban – imposed while he was on loan at Villarreal last season – but he and Real claim they were not informed before the game.

Real have won the competition 19 times, with their last success in 2014.

Cheryshev was substituted just after half-time, when Real had realised their error. Coach Rafael Benitez said they wanted to “show good faith”.

The club’s president, Florentino Perez, said on Thursday the club would fight any sanction.

Spanish newspaper Marca reported Real will appeal against the decision to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and, if necessary, the country’s sport court, TAD.

Osasuna were expelled from last year’s competition for fielding an ineligible player, and Benitez was in charge of Valencia when they were disqualified from the 2001 competition for selecting too many non-EU players in a tie.

Photo: News Youm777/ YouTube

At least 16 people have been killed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after firebomb was thrown into a restaurant, the BBC reports.

The attack happened in the Agouza area, in the city centre.

The Cairo Post newspaper said three masked men threw the device into the venue before fleeing. Reports say the target also contained a nightclub.

Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed security official as saying one of the suspects is a disgruntled ex-employee.

The agency said the restaurant was in the basement of the building, making it harder for people to escape.

The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, it said. At least five other people were injured.

Cairo has previously been rocked by a series of attacks on security forces and civilians carried out by suspected Islamist militants.

An Islamist insurgency intensified in the wake of the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Publisher and human rights defender Raip Zarakolu has been awarded PL Foundation Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts in the areas of freedom of thought and expression, reports.

Zarakolu will receive the award by PL Foundation President Poul Sögaard on November 10 in Copenhagen.

PL Foundation Peace Prize is awarded to organizations and people who struggle for democracy without resorting to violence within the scope of United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

PL Foundation Peace Prize was firstly awarded to theater director Ali Tuygan from Turkey for his play named Çıkmaz Sokak (Blind Street) about tortures that took place during the Greek military junta.

Ragip Zarakolu has long been an advocate of Armenian Genocide recognition.