NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States publicly threatened on Wednesday to trigger a return of all United Nations sanctions on Iran if the UN Security Council does not extend an arms embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October under the Iran nuclear deal. US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, confirmed the strategy two weeks after a US official, speaking on condition anonymity, said the United States had told Britain, France and Germany of its plan. Hook wrote in the Wall Street Journal that “one way or another” Washington would ensure the arms embargo remains. He said the United States has drafted a Security Council resolution and “will press ahead with diplomacy and build support.” A resolution needs nine yes votes and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain to be adopted by the 15-member Security Council. Russia has already signaled it is opposed to extending the arms embargo. “If American diplomacy is frustrated by a veto, however, the US retains the right to renew the arms embargo by other means,” Hook wrote, citing the ability of a party to the Iran nuclear deal to trigger a so-called snapback of all UN sanctions on Iran, which includes the arms embargo. Tehran was given sanctions relief under a 2015 deal with the United States, Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France that prevents Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The deal allowed for a return of sanctions if Iran violated the deal. US President Donald Trump quit the agreement in 2018, saying the accord from Barack Obama s presidency as “the worst deal ever.” But Washington argues it can trigger a return of UN sanctions because a 2015 Security Council resolution enshrining the deal still names the US as a participant. “This is ridiculous,” Russia s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters on Tuesday. “They are not members, they have no right to trigger.” Diplomats say the United States would likely face a tough, messy battle if it tries to spark a return of sanctions, though it was not immediately clear how or if a Security Council member could stop such a move. Iran has breached several central limits of the deal, including on its stock of enriched uranium, in response to the US withdrawal and Washington s reimposition of sanctions that have slashed Iran s oil exports. Britain, France and Germany are trying to save the deal, but have made little progress.

The Sahel state of Niger, which has been battling a bloody jihadist insurgency, said Wednesday around 75 Boko Haram combatants had been killed in the southeast and in neighbouring Nigeria. Twenty-five "terrorists" were killed on Monday south of Diffa, the main city in southeast Niger, while "about 50... were neutralised" the same day on Nigerian soil in the Lake Chad region, in two operations by a regional anti-jihadist force, the defence ministry said in a statement.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants stormed a maternity hospital in the western part of Kabul on Tuesday, setting off an hours-long shootout with the police and killing 14 people, including two newborn babies, their mothers and an unspecified number of nurses, Afghan officials said. While the battle was underway, Afghan security forces struggled to evacuate the facility, carrying out babies and frantic young mothers, according to images shared by the Interior Ministry. But the day s spasm of violence extended beyond Kabul. A suicide bomber in eastern Nangarhar province — a hotbed of the Islamic State group — targeted a funeral ceremony, killing 24 people and wounding 68. And in eastern Khost province, a bomb planted in a cart in a market killed a child and wounded 10 people. The violence could further undermine a peace process in the wake of a deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February, which envisages the start of talks among key Afghan figures, including government representatives, and the Taliban. Relentless, near-daily attacks have also left Afghan authorities ill-prepared to face the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 4,900 people in the country and killed at least 127. Soon after the Kabul attack started, black smoke rose into the sky over the hospital in Dashti Barchi, a mostly Shia neighborhood that has been the site of many past attacks by Islamic State militants. The Interior Ministry spokesman, Tareq Arian, said over 100 women and babies were evacuated from the building before it was over. Arian said 15 others, including women, men and children were wounded in the attack. Three foreign nationals were among those safely evacuated, he said, without elaborating. It was unclear why the maternity hospital in Dashti Barchi, a 100-bed facility, was targeted — an attack Arian said was an “act against humanity and a war crime.” No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabul, where both the Taliban and the IS frequently target Afghan military and security forces, as well as civilians. The Taliban denied they were involved. Photos shared by the Interior Ministry during the Kabul attack show newborn babies and their mothers being carried out of the hospital by Afghan security forces. “The forces are trying to eliminate the terrorists and bring the situation under control,” said Arian while the battle was ongoing. By mid-afternoon, the ministry issued a statement saying three attackers had stormed the hospital and that one was shot and killed while the other two were still resisting arrest. The first floor of the clinic was cleared but the operation was ongoing to secure the rest of the building, the statement said. A few hours later, the ministry released another statement, saying all three attackers were dead and that the operation was over. In the evening hours, husbands, fathers and family members of the hospital s patients gathered around the site in Dashti Barchi, desperate for news of their loved ones. A man read out the names of those who had been evacuated to other hospitals. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the Kabul attack, calling it an “inhuman and cowardly terrorist attack.” The foreign ministry said both the Kabul hospital attack and the one on a funeral in eastern Nangarhar province “are particularly despicable as they take place in the holy month of Ramadan and at a time when Afghanistan is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.” In the Nangarhar attack, the suicide bomber targeted the funeral in Khewa district of a local pro-government militia commander and former warlord who had died of a heart attack on Monday night, said Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor. The Interior Ministry said the final casualty toll included 24 killed and 68 wounded. The casualties were brought to the Nangarhar provincial hospital, said hospital spokesman Gulzada Sangar. Khogyani added that the dead included Abdullah Lala Jan, a provincial council member, while his father Noor Agha, a lawmaker, was wounded in the attack. According to Zabihullah Zemarai, another provincial council member, dozens of people, including, lawmakers, provincial council members and locals had gathered for the funeral of Shaikh Akram, the militia commander. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted that the Taliban were not involved in the attack. Also, no group claimed responsibility for the attack in Khost, which killed a child and wounded 10 people. The bomb was placed in a cart at a local market and remotely detonated, said Adil Haidari, spokesman for the provincial police chief. The IS, meanwhile, claimed it was behind a spate of attacks on Monday in Kabul when four bombs, one placed under a garbage bin and the other three by the roadside, went off in the northern part of the city, wounding four civilians, including a child. The Afghan intelligence service said in a statement late Monday that the agency has arrested an IS leader in the region, Zia-ul Haq, also known as Shaikh Abu Omer Al-Khorasani.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Monday said its forces demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of being behind a deadly blast in the West Bank last year. Israel says 22-year-old Qassem Barghouti carried out the attack in August, which killed 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb and wounded her father and brother as they were hiking down to a spring in the West Bank near the settlement of Dolev. The military said that as it was carrying out the demolition in the village of Kobar, near Ramallah, dozens of Palestinians burned tires and hurled rocks and firebombs toward Israeli troops. It said the crowd was dispersed. Witnesses said several Palestinians were injured, including one that the Red Crescent said was hit in the head with a gas canister. Israel says demolishing the family homes of alleged militants deters violence. Critics say the tactic amounts to collective punishment. The demolition was only carried out after Israel s high court rejected the family s petitions against the order. “Tonight, we settled a score with the despicable terrorist who took part in the murder of our dear Rina Shnerb. Destroying homes is an important tool in deterrence against terrorists,” said Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. “He who hurts us, we will harm him back. Jewish blood will not be spilled in vain.” Israel s Shin Bet security service launched a massive manhunt after the Aug. 23 bombing that killed 17-year-old Rina Shnerb and seriously wounded her father and older brother. Such bombings, a hallmark of the 2000-2005 Palestinian uprising, have been rare in recent years. Authorities blamed the attack on the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, a leftist political party that has an armed wing. Israel, the US and the European Union consider it a terrorist group because of high-profile attacks going back decades, including plane hijackings and the assassination of an Israeli Cabinet minister in 2001. The Shin Bet was accused of torturing some of those it arrested in connection with the attack. Barshouti s lawyer says his client was bitten in his genitals by a security dog when authorities raided his home to arrest him.

Clashes in northwest Syria killed 22 regime fighters and jihadists Sunday in the highest such death toll since the start of a two-month-old ceasefire there, a monitor said. A truce since March 6 had largely stemmed fighting in Syria s last major rebel bastion of Idlib after a months-long regime assault that killed hundreds of civilians and forced almost a million to flee. But before dawn on Sunday rebels attacked the positions of pro-regime fighters on the western flank of the jihadist-dominated region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The clashes in the Sahl al-Ghab area killed 15 regime fighters as well as seven jihadists including from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Deen group, the Britain-based monitor said. "It s the highest death toll for fighters since the truce came into force," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman, who relies on sources inside Syria. "There had been intermittent clashes and mutual bombardment between both sides before, but this is the most violent attack yet." The Idlib region of some three million people is dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group led by Syria s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, but other jihadists such as Hurras al-Deen and rebel groups are also present. The truce brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey has kept Syrian and Russian warplanes out of the region s skies, and largely held despite sporadic clashes or rocket fire. Tens of thousands have returned to their hometowns. Hundreds of thousands of others remain in crowded displacement camps or in temporary shelters near the Turkish border. Aid groups have warned that any outbreak of the novel coronavirus there would be devastating. Syria s war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Sudanese authorities say tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs in the country s South Darfur province have left at least 30 people dead and a dozen wounded. A statement from the Prime Minister s office says the clashes erupted on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday but have since subsided. The fighting poses a significant challenge to efforts by Sudan s transitional government to end decades-long rebellions in areas of the country including Darfur. Tensions between the Arab and non-Arab tribes date back to the Darfur conflict that began in 2003, when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. The government of former President Omar al-Bashir in the capital Khartoum at the time was accused of retaliating by arming local nomadic Arab tribes and organizing them into a militia known as the Janjaweed and unleashing them on civilian populations. The militias became notorious for massacres and rapes.

The Israeli occupation army attacked military positions of the Islamist Hamas movement early Wednesday after militants in the Palestinian enclave fired a rocket at the Jewish state, the army said. "A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory," the occupation army said in a statement. "In response, an (army) tank targeted three Hamas military posts in the northern Gaza Strip." A security source in Gaza confirmed three positions had been damaged, but reported no casualties. The Gaza rocket hit an open field near the border, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage, a military spokeswoman said. Wednesday s rocket was the first since March 27, and came as Israel was lifting restrictions imposed during the coronavirus outbreak. It also followed strikes on Iranian-backed militias and their allies in Syria that killed 14 fighters and are presumed to have been carried out by Israel. No Gaza group took responsibility for the Wednesday rocket fire. Separately on Wednesday morning, Hamas s military wing announced the death of a militant killed when a tunnel he was working in collapsed in Gaza the previous day.

It took 16 judges to convict Kurdish politicians Gultan Kisanak and Sebahat Tuncel of belonging to a terrorist organization last year. Their trial in Diyarbakir, the biggest city in Turkey s largely Kurdish southeast, was concluded in just a dozen sessions, but during that time the three-judge panel was in constant flux. The women, who maintain their innocence, were brought to court only once — to hear the “guilty” verdict.

The “Islamic State” has taken advantage of a nationwide lockdown and withdrawal of US-led coalition troops to ramp up attacks. The remnants of the “Islamic State” (IS) terror group are becoming more active in Iraq and Syria amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Sunni Islamist rebel group was broadly defeated in 2017, but its sleeper cells have seen a spike in activity in the past month. On Saturday, IS killed 10 Iraqi paramilitaries in an ambush in a province close to the capital Baghdad. In the last week of April, a suicide bomber from the terror group killed three security guards outside a government building in Kirkuk. IS has also killed 32 Syrian soldiers and damaged two oil fields. “Combat operations have reached a level we haven t seen in a while,” Hisham al-Hashemi, a security expert on Iraq, told news agency AFP. He added that IS was also trying to re-establish its funding, smuggling routes and hideouts. US intelligence reports estimate that around 2,500-3,000 IS fighters remain operational in Iraq; intelligence officials in Baghdad say a further 500 fighters, some of whom had escaped from prison, recently slipped across the Syrian border. Qubad Talabani, the deputy prime minister of Iraq s Kurdish region, called a resurgence of IS a “real threat” in an interview with the Associated Press. “They are mobilizing and killing us in the north and they will start hitting Baghdad soon,” he said. IS taking advantage of redeployment of troops The resurgence of the IS comes at a time when US-led coalition forces have started to withdraw their forces from bases in Iraq and Iraqi troops are being redeployed to enforce a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Political uncertainty may also be playing a role, as Iraq is currently struggling to form a new government. However, according to some officials, the nature of the latest attacks have been “crude and elementary,” and do not necessarily point to the group being capable of reclaiming large chunks of territory as in 2014. Sam Heller, an independent analyst, told AFP that the recent activities were “seemingly indicative of the group s more aggressive posture, not necessarily new and impressive capabilities.” The “Islamic State” has taken advantage of a nationwide lockdown and withdrawal of US-led coalition troops to ramp up attacks. The remnants of the “Islamic State” (IS) terror group are becoming more active in Iraq and Syria amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Sunni Islamist rebel group was broadly defeated in 2017, but its sleeper cells have seen a spike in activity in the past month. On Saturday, IS killed 10 Iraqi paramilitaries in an ambush in a province close to the capital Baghdad. In the last week of April, a suicide bomber from the terror group killed three security guards outside a government building in Kirkuk. IS has also killed 32 Syrian soldiers and damaged two oil fields. “Combat operations have reached a level we haven t seen in a while,” Hisham al-Hashemi, a security expert on Iraq, told news agency AFP. He added that IS was also trying to re-establish its funding, smuggling routes and hideouts. US intelligence reports estimate that around 2,500-3,000 IS fighters remain operational in Iraq; intelligence officials in Baghdad say a further 500 fighters, some of whom had escaped from prison, recently slipped across the Syrian border. Qubad Talabani, the deputy prime minister of Iraq s Kurdish region, called a resurgence of IS a “real threat” in an interview with the Associated Press. “They are mobilizing and killing us in the north and they will start hitting Baghdad soon,” he said. IS taking advantage of redeployment of troops The resurgence of the IS comes at a time when US-led coalition forces have started to withdraw their forces from bases in Iraq and Iraqi troops are being redeployed to enforce a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Political uncertainty may also be playing a role, as Iraq is currently struggling to form a new government. However, according to some officials, the nature of the latest attacks have been “crude and elementary,” and do not necessarily point to the group being capable of reclaiming large chunks of territory as in 2014. Sam Heller, an independent analyst, told AFP that the recent activities were “seemingly indicative of the group s more aggressive posture, not necessarily new and impressive capabilities.”

Egypt s Interior Ministry announced in a Sunday statement that 18 militants have been killed in North Sinai by Egyptian police forces in shootouts near North Sinai s city of Bir al-Abd. According to the statement, the group was planning to carry out terrorist attacks targeting army and police personnel. The National Security Agency had been tipped off regrading the hideout of a terrorist group on the outskirts of Bir al-Abd, which they were using to plot out the attacks. Security forces and the militants exchanged fire at the location, leading to the deaths of 18 terrorists, the statement described. Police seized six automatic guns, three improvised explosive devices, and two explosive belts according to the Interior Ministry s statement. The statement added that the Interior Ministry is continuing to track down militant extremist groups seeking to carry out attacks in Egypt and abroad. Police filed a report on the militants deaths and referred it to the Supreme State Security Prosecution for further investigation. On Thursday military spokesman Tamer al-Refai said that an explosive device targeted an armored vehicle south of the city of Bir al-Abd, causing 10 casualties. Refai stated that 10 soldiers were either killed or wounded in the incident, but did not specify how many had died. There was at least one officer in the group. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gave his condolences in a post on Facebook, praising the soldiers as “heroes” and “martyrs.” The Egyptian military has for years been waging a bloody insurgency against Islamist militants in Egypt. Violence escalated in 2013, following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the army. Scores of Egyptian security personnel have been killed in attacks, primarily by militants from a local affiliate of the Islamic State group. In 2018, Egyptian security forces launched a nationwide operation targeting militants, focusing on the restive North Sinai region. According to army data, at least 845 suspected militants have been killed in the region along with more than 60 security personnel.

Egypt s Coptic Orthodox Church announced Thursday it will allow marriage ceremonies with a limited number of attendees to be held in churches and conducted in homes. “Pope Tawadros II decided to allow marriage prayers to be held at churches and at home, after the bride and groom sign a statement that they are committed to allowing only six guests to attend, alongside one priest and a deacon,” the church said in a statement. The Coptic Orthodox Church ordered last month all its churches to shut their doors and suspend mass as part of measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak. The church said the new decision was taken as marriage ceremonies take place more often during the Holy 50 Days which follow the Holy Great Fast of the Coptic Church that lasts for 55 days, and is followed by the Apostles Fast for more than month. All health guidance and prevention and safety measures will be strictly followed during the ceremonies, it added. Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt s population of 100 million. The vast majority of the country s Christians are orthodox. Earlier this week, the church announced two coronavirus cases among its clergymen. Egypt has 5,268 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 380 fatalities. Some 1,335 previously confirmed cases have recovered.

At least 46 people were killed by a fuel truck blast in northern Syria on Tuesday. The explosion took place in a market in Afrin, a city controlled by Turkish-backed rebel fighters. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least six Turkish-backed rebel fighters were among the dead. There are fears that the death toll could rise as 50 people are reported to be wounded, with some in critical condition. While it s not clear who was behind the blast, the Turkish Defense Ministry blamed the Kurdish People s Protection Units (YPG) in a statement posted on Twitter. The YPG is viewed as a “terrorist” offshoot of the Kurdistan Worker s Party (PKK), which has been waging a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. “The enemy of humanity PKK/YPG has once again targeted innocent civilians in Afrin,” the ministry said. According to activists, several people were burned to death in the blast, including some who were stuck inside their vehicles. Videos and photographs of the aftermath show charred bodies covered with blankets in ambulances and a hospital yard. Afrin, a mainly Kurdish enclave, was captured by the Turkish army and allied Syrian rebel fighters in 2018. In the last few months the city has witnessed a string of car bombings, but Tuesday s blast was one of the biggest.

BEIRUT (AP) — Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in northern Lebanon Monday amid a crash in the local currency and a surge in food prices. Dozens of young men smashed the fronts of local banks and set fire to an army vehicle, as the protests turned into riots. The Red Cross said its teams were working on evacuating wounded people in Tripoli, Lebanon s second largest city and one of the most neglected regions in Lebanon. Scattered anti-government protests resumed last week as the government began easing the weeks-long lockdown to limit the spread of the new coronavirus in Lebanon, which has reported 710 cases and 24 deaths so far. The number of registered cases has dropped over the past two weeks, leading to the shortening of the nighttime curfew by one hour and allowing some businesses to resume work on Monday. The virus outbreak has exacerbated a severe economic and financial crisis gripping the country since late last year, the most serious to hit Lebanon since the end of its 1975-90 civil war. The Lebanese national currency hit a new record low over the weekend, with 4,000 pounds to the dollar on the black market while the official price remained at 1,507 pounds. Tripoli is the capital of northern Lebanon, where unemployment is among the highest in the country and poverty is widespread. Earlier Monday, scattered anti-government protests broke out in several parts of the country, leading to road closures that prevented medical teams from setting out from Beirut to conduct coronavirus tests across the country. The Health Ministry said its teams would try again on Tuesday, urging protesters to let the paramedics work to evaluate the spread of the virus in the tiny country of five million people. Around noon Monday, Lebanese troops forcefully removed dozens of protesters from a major highway in Zouk Mosbeh, north of Beirut, and traffic resumed. Shortly afterward, it was blocked again with burning tires. The Lebanese army said it respects the people s right to protest as long as the protesters don t close roads or attack public and private property. “Our demands are simple and we are not asking for the impossible,” said protester George Ghanem in Zouk Mosbeh, citing early parliamentary elections and an independent judiciary. “We want to live in dignity […] we will continue and no one will remove us from the street.” A woman carried a placard reading: “My salary buys me two cartons of milk.” On Sunday night, the Central Bank of Lebanon issued a circular instructing currency exchange shops not to sell the dollar for more than 3,200 pounds. On Monday, most exchange shops were not selling dollars, saying clients who have dollars are refusing to exchange their hard currency at such a low price. Earlier over the weekend, several banks in northern and southern Lebanon were attacked, some with firebombs, reflecting rising public anger against banks that have imposed capital controls on people s accounts. In a sign of the deepening crisis, Lebanon s Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Friday accused the longtime Central Bank governor, Riad Salameh, of orchestrating the local currency s crash, and criticized what he called the governor s “opaque” policies that the premier said covered up major banking sector losses and capital flight. Also Monday, Lebanon s energy minister Raymond Ghajar said that initial results of drilling off the Lebanese coast show that there is gas on different depths in the first well ever dug in the country s waters. The minister added that it has not been proven yet if there is a reservoir in bloc 4 where drilling is taking place. Cash strapped-Lebanon has put high hopes on its first offshore exploratory drilling for oil and gas, launched in February. In 2017, Lebanon approved the licenses for an international consortium led by France s Total, Italy s ENI and Russia s Novatek to move forward with offshore oil and gas development for two of 10 blocks in the Mediterranean Sea, including one that is partly claimed by Israel. Lebanon is one of the world s most indebted countries and has been grappling with a liquidity crunch, an economic recession and rising unemployment.

Egypt s Coptic Orthodox Church has announced the first-ever coronavirus cases detected among its clergymen after two priests tested positive for the virus, church officials confirmed to Ahram Online. Church spokesman Boulis Halim told Ahram Online on Monday that Reverend Bishoy Naroz, a monk at Qena s Church of the Virgin Mary, tested positive for the virus. Father Amonious Fares, deputy of the Archbishopric of Qena, said in press statements that Naroz felt unwell and showed symptoms during Maundy Thursday, or the Thursday before Easter. He later isolated himself before testing positive for the virus, Fares said, adding that he is now in stable condition. Priest Bishoy, the media coordinator of Coptic Orthodox Damietta Diocese, told Ahram Online that the deputy archbishopric of Damietta, Sarabamon Mitry, also tested positive for the disease. He added that Mitry has been receiving treatment at a Kafr El-Sheikh isolation hospital since his admission a month ago. “No other cases were detected among the Archbishopric s priests,” he said. The source of infection remains unknown. The announcement comes nearly a month after Egypt s Coptic Orthodox Church confirmed that Reverend Yacob N. Ghaly of the Virgin Mary and St. Pachomius Coptic Orthodox Church in New York tested positive for the virus. The Church is continuing its shutdown of all churches nationwide and the suspension of masses as part of the preventative measures implemented by the state to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The measures also include the closure of church halls designated for funeral services and the limiting of funeral services to the family of the deceased only. The Church has also ordered that every diocese designates only one church for funerals and banned visits to monasteries. The restrictions disrupted Easter mass celebrations, with the mass held with no public participation. Coptic Orthodox Christians – who comprise a substantial majority of Christians in Egypt – celebrated at home due to a nationwide night-time curfew and the suspension of prayers and activities at all houses of worship. Egypt reported on Monday its highest single-day coronavirus death toll at 20, plus 248 new infections, bringing the total number of cases to 4,782 and 337 deaths.

A Coptic Christian carpenter from a Minya Governorate village surprised his Muslim neighbors by gifting them a giant hand-made lantern for Ramadan. Armanius Fawzy, from the village of al-Hataheta in Samalout city, dubbed his four-meter tall lantern the “Fanous al-Mahaba” (Lantern of Love). After the idea came to him Fawzy said he constructed the lantern at his own expense. He placed it in front of the mosque s village as a show of solidarity with his neighbors and friends. Fawzy added that he had completed the lantern one week before the start of Ramadan, and the idea was warmly welcomed by all villagers. “The motivation was that I found love from many people who deserved that I reproach them with the same love. Our village is an example of coexistence between Muslims and Coptic Christians,” he said. Fawzy added that the village s Coptic christian youth turned down transporting the lantern by car – instead, they carried it by hand over 300 meters from St. Mary Gerges Church to the eastern mosque in the village. The Muslim villagers were greatly pleased by the lantern and hailed it as a “great celebration” for Ramadan, Fawzy said. In a previous Ramadan, Fawzy said he had participated with some Muslim villagers to collect donations and distribute food to the poor. He hoped to push Copts to participate and donate as well. “I have succeeded in achieving my goal, which is to make the people of the village happy in the blessed month of Ramadan.”

BERLIN (AP) — Two former members of Syria s secret police appeared in court in Germany on Thursday accused of crimes against humanity for their role in a government-run detention center where thousands of opposition protesters were tortured. The trial of Anwar R. and Eyad A., whose last names weren t released because of German privacy rules, is the first time that representatives of the Syrian government have faced trial abroad for war crimes allegedly committed during the country s years-long conflict. The two men, who were arrested in Germany early last year, face testimony from several Syrian refugees who allege they were tortured at the detention center known as Al Khatib, or Branch 251, near Damascus. Federal prosecutors allege 57-year-old Anwar R. was in charge of the site and thereby responsible for crimes against humanity, rape and the murder of at least 58 people there. The indictment by German prosecutors accuses him of complicity in more than 4,000 cases of torture. Eyad A., 43, is accused of being part of a police squad that detained protesters and brought them back to Branch 251, where they were then mistreated. At least nine torture victims are represented as co-plaintiffs in the case, as allowed under German law. They and several others are expected to be called as witnesses. They are supported by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights. If convicted, Anwar R. could face life imprisonment. Eyad A. could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if convicted of complicity in crimes against humanity. The defendants lawyers declined to comment to reporters ahead of the trial, which is scheduled to last several months. The men, who themselves left Syria for Germany before their arrest in February 2019, remain in prison. The trial has been described as a pivotal moment in the effort to bring Syrian officials accused of crimes to justice. A United Nations expert panel published a report two years ago detailing the extent to which prisoner abuse is widespread in Syria, particularly in government detention centers. “The criminal trial starting today for crimes against humanity by the Syrian regime is historic,” said Germany s justice minister, Christine Lambrecht. “For the first time thousands of instances of torture and abuse are being prosecuted before an independent court in Germany,” she said. “This sends a clear message: War criminals must not feel safe anywhere.” Lambrecht said the trial would send a “signal of hope” to many who have fallen victim to crimes at the hands of the Syrian government. More than 700,000 Syrian asylum seekers have found refuge in Germany in recent years, including Wassim Mukdad, who plans to testify in court. “This trial is not only important for us personally” said Mukdad. “It is also important for the victims who are alive, who have also been in prison and also for the victims who are no longer alive.” “The first time in my life that I experienced a fair trial,” Hussein Ghrer, another co-plaintiff represented in Koblenz, said. “We want to reveal the truth about the system of torture in Syria.” The Koblenz regional court, where the trial is being held, has reduced the number of seats available to reporters and the general public by a third due to social distancing rules to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian attacker was shot and killed on Wednesday after he rammed his vehicle into an Israeli checkpoint and stabbed a police officer there, Israeli police said. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the attack took place near the settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and a sweep of the area found a pipe bomb at the scene. The Israeli policeman was moderately wounded, he said. Video footage of the incident shows a white van veering off a road onto the curb and ramming into the officer, hurtling him several feet back. The assailant is then seen jumping out of the vehicle with what looks like a pair of scissors and lunging at the injured policeman. A scuffle ensues with the policeman retreating and the assailant giving chase before other officers on the scene pursue him off camera. Police said the other officers on the scene eventually shot the attacker and killed him. There were no other details about the Palestinian s identity. Such Palestinian attacks on Israeli police and military positions in the West Bank have been a frequent occurrence in recent years but have tapered off significantly in recent months, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the region pushed many indoors. However, earlier this week, Israeli forces thwarted a potential attack with Palestinians hurling firebombs at Israeli vehicles.

CAIRO (AP) — The United Nations on Monday warned of rapidly escalating violence and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Libya, which it said could amount to war crimes. While the UN Mission in Libya did not identify a perpetrator, it detailed a “dramatic increase” of indiscriminate shelling on densely populated civilian areas in the capital, Tripoli, that killed five civilians and wounded 28 over the past few days. Eastern-based forces under the command of Khalifa Hafter have been laying siege to Tripoli since last April, trying to wrest the city from the UN-backed government. The fighting has settled into a chaotic stalemate. Buttressed by Turkish air power, Western militias allied with the beleaguered Tripoli government, known as the Government of National Accord, have even reversed the tide in recent weeks and regained lost ground along the western coast. GNA forces over the weekend attacked Tarhuna, the main western stronghold and supply line of Hafter s forces 45 miles southeast of Tripoli. Over the past weeks, Hafter s forces have launched rockets at civilian targets, including health facilities. Intensified shelling of Tripoli has sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes despite a lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In the latest assault, Grad rockets launched by Hafter s forces struck two field hospitals, wounding five medical workers on Monday, according to the Tripoli-based health ministry. Last week, the UN said, artillery shells damaged the intensive care unit of Tripoli s Royal Hospital, a blow to an already strained health care system struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN also expressed concern about the fate of civilians in Tarhuna following the GNA s military offensive. Without naming Western-based forces, it lamented arbitrary arrests, abuse of civilians and fighters and electricity and gas supply cut-offs, which it said amounted to “collective punishment” in the strategic city. GNA forces claimed battlefield gains around Tarhuna, while Hafter s forces said they thwarted the attack. Both sides reported killing and capturing rival militiamen. The Tribal Council of Tarhuna released a statement on Monday that local official Sheikh Al-Abed Mohamed Al-Hadi and his sons had been shot dead when western militias stormed their home over the weekend, suggesting that fighters had committed other such crimes with impunity. The UN renewed its plea for a humanitarian truce so Libyan authorities can address the COVID-19 health emergency, urging a halt to the increasing “indiscriminate” and “flagrant” attacks.

A gunman who drove a mock-up police car killed at least 16 people including a female constable in a shooting rampage across Nova Scotia, Canadian federal police said Sunday, the worst case of its kind in the country’s history. The shooter, identified as Gabriel Wortman, 51, was shot dead by officers after a 12-hour manhunt across the eastern province ended Sunday morning. Among the victims was a veteran female constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which also handles municipal and provincial law enforcement in the province. Police said the suspect had been on the run since Saturday night, when officers were alerted to shots fired in the town of Portapique, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Halifax. Gun violence in Canada is far less frequent than in the neighboring United States, and weapons more strictly controlled, but the killings were the country’s worst ever, exceeding the toll in 1989 when a gunman murdered 14 female students at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique. “This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history,” said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil. Public broadcaster CBC quoted RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki as saying police know of at least 16 victims, besides the shooter. “What has unfolded overnight and into this morning is incomprehensible and many families are experiencing the loss of a loved one,” Nova Scotia RCMP commanding officer, Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman, wrote on the force’s local Facebook page. Bergerman said the dead included Constable Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the force. In addition to Stevenson, a mother of two, a male officer was injured and was in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Bergerman said. The National Post newspaper said another victim was an elementary school teacher, citing a Facebook post from the woman’s sister. Several victims were discovered both outside and inside a house in Portapique, sparking the manhunt through multiple communities, police said. “The search for the suspect ended this morning when the suspect was located. And I can confirm that he is deceased,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather told a press conference. Leather said that at one point, the suspect appeared to be wearing part of a police uniform and was driving a vehicle made to look like an RCMP cruiser. Fires burned RCMP tweeted several times that he was not an officer and warned he was considered “armed and dangerous.” “The initial search for the suspect led to multiple sites in the area, including structures that were on fire,” Leather told the news conference. He said: “There are several locations across the province where persons have been killed.” Leather said the gunman had exchanged fire with police at one point. “Our officers were involved in terminating the threat,” he said, adding that the independent Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT), which probes certain incidents involving the province’s police, was now handling that part of the investigation. SiRT said in a statement that a confrontation had occurred in Enfield, which is near Halifax airport, “resulting in officers discharging their firearms. The suspect was found to be deceased at the scene.” Police said they had no indication of a motive and that the killer had acted alone. “We believe it to be one person who’s responsible for all the killings and that he alone moved across the northern part of the province and committed, it would appear, several homicides,” said Leather. Several of the victims did not appear to be related to the shooter, he said, but added that the “the fact that this individual had a uniform and a police car at his disposal certainly speaks to it not being a random act.” Leather said police would be investigating if there was any connection to the coronavirus, which has seen non-essential businesses closed under measures to combat the pandemic. “That certainly is an aspect that we will look at, we’ll examine, but we have not yet determined if there is any link to the COVID-19 crisis,” he said. Media reports said the shooter was a denturist with clinics in Halifax and Dartmouth. Dentists in Nova Scotia have been ordered to close unless needed for emergency procedures. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that he “was saddened to learn about the senseless violence in Nova Scotia,” and he hoped for a full recovery of the wounded. The National Post quoted Tom Taggart, a councilor who represents Portapique in the Municipality of Colchester, as saying the community was devastated. He described the community as a “subdivision in the woods where people have acre lots along the shore,” and where Wortman owned three properties. “It’s absolutely unbelievable this could happen in our community. I never dreamt this would happen here,” Taggart said.

CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian policeman and seven suspected militants were killed on Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire, the ministry of interior said in a statement late on Tuesday. It said three other policemen had also been wounded. The exchange took place in the al-Amiyira district of Cairo, the public prosecutor said in a statement. The ministry received information “that there is a terrorist cell, whose elements embrace Takfiri ideology, using several areas as a shelter in eastern and southern Cairo as a starting point to carry out terrorist operations,” the statement said. Egypt uses the term “takfiri” to refer to Islamist militants who often accuse their victims of being infidels. Two private television stations broadcast what they called footage of the shooting, which Reuters was not immediately able to verify, and asked residents to stay indoors. Weapons and ammunition were found with the suspects, the ministry said. The public prosecutor said a team of investigators has been dispatched to the scene of the attack. Egypt has been fighting an Islamist insurgency in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 following mass protests against his rule. The military and police launched a major campaign against militant groups in 2018, focusing on the Sinai Peninsula as well as southern areas and the border with Libya. The last major attack was in November 2017 when militants killed more than 300 people in an attack on a mosque in north Sinai, the deadliest such incident in the Arab world s most populous country.