Turkish-backed Syrian fighters take part in an exercise outside the city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province. AFP
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters take part in an exercise outside the city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province. AFP
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters take part in an exercise outside the city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province. AFP
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters take part in an exercise outside the city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province. AFP

Russia says Turkey's proposed military operation in Syria is an unwise move


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Russia thinks a Turkish military operation in Syria would be unwise as it could destabilise the situation, the RIA news agency quoted Russia's Syria envoy Alexander Lavrentyev as saying on Wednesday.

Mr Lavrentyev said Moscow no longer considered Geneva a suitable venue for talks between Syrians, the TASS news agency reported.

He was in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Wednesday for talks with Turkey, Iran, and the Syrian government and rebels.

Turkey said it must act in Syria because Washington and Moscow broke promises to push the predominantly Kurdish group YPG 30 kilometres from the border after a 2019 offensive by Turkey and said attacks from YPG-controlled areas have increased.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said two weeks ago that Turkey would launch military operations in Syria to extend 30km deep safe zones along the border, aiming at the Tal Rifaat and Manbij regions and others further east.

Turkish-supported Syrian anti-government fighters in the town of Azaz in rebel-held northern Aleppo province head towards Kurdish-controlled town of Tal Rifaat. AFP
Turkish-supported Syrian anti-government fighters in the town of Azaz in rebel-held northern Aleppo province head towards Kurdish-controlled town of Tal Rifaat. AFP

Russia, which warned at the weekend against military escalation in northern Syria, is sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for talks in Ankara on Wednesday.

The two countries have close ties and Ankara has sought to mediate talks over Russia's war in Ukraine. Their support for opposing sides in Syria may test President Vladimir Putin's relations with the only Nato member not to impose sanctions following the invasion.

The stakes are high for Mr Erdogan. Without at least tacit approval from Russia, President Bashar al Assad's powerful ally in the Syria conflict, a Turkish offensive would face an additional risk of casualties.

Russia and Turkey have checked each other's military ambitions at times during Syria's war, bringing them close to direct confrontation.

There have not yet been signs of a significant Turkish military build-up in the border region, but reports of rocket and artillery exchanges have become more frequent in the past two weeks.

Any Turkish operation would attack the YPG, a key part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that controls large parts of north Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against ISIS.

Ankara regards the YPG as a terrorist group and extension of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Attacks on Egypt’s long rooted Copts

Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.

The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.

Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.

More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.

The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.

Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:

November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.

May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

April 2017Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.

February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.

December 2016A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.

July 2016Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.

May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.

New Year's Eve 2011A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.

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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
Updated: June 15, 2022, 9:54 AM`