Cyprus said Wednesday it had accepted a US request to station a rapid response team on the island in case American diplomatic personnel or civilians need to be evacuated in the region amid rising US-Iranian tensions.
Cyprus "gave its consent for the temporary stationing in Cyprus of a rapid response unit whose task will be to evacuate US diplomatic missions to the region, as well as US citizens, if necessary," said government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos.
He stressed that the request was accepted "for exclusively humanitarian operations".

Cyprus says to host US rapid response unit for any Mideast evacuations

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The speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mohammed al-Halbusi, on Wednesday condemned a salvo of retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing US-led troops as a "violation of Iraqi sovereignty".
Halbusi, the most senior Sunni Arab in Iraq's confessional power-sharing system, called for urgent measures to stop Iraq being turned into a proxy battlefield for outside powers, including Shiite Iran.
"While we condemn the Iranian violation of Iraqi sovereignty at dawn today... we confirm our absolute refusal to the conflicting parties to use the Iraqi arena to settle scores," he said.

Iraq speaker condemns 'Iranian violation of Iraqi sovereignty'

Western powers on Wednesday condemned Iran's missile attack on Iraqi bases housing US and other foreign troops, urging an end to the escalating crisis.
Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles in the early hours of Wednesday, officials in Washington and Tehran said.
Iran said it was responding to the US killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani last week, warning it would hit back even harder if Washington responded.  - 'All is well' -
"All is well!" US President Donald Trump's tweeted. "Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good!" He would be making a statement on Wednesday morning, he added.  - 'Refrain from further violence' -
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said: "I condemn the Iranian missile attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq. NATO calls on Iran to refrain from further violence." A NATO official said none of its troops in Iraq had been hurt in the strikes.  - 'Resounding blow' -
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described ...

Western powers condemn Iran attack targeting US troops

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday condemned Iranian rocket attacks on Iraqi bases housing US troops, carried out in retaliation for the killing of one of Tehran's top commanders.
Tehran fired ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq overnight in the first act of the Islamic republic's promised revenge for the US killing of Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday, drawing criticism from Western powers.
"I condemn the Iranian missile attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq. NATO calls on Iran to refrain from further violence," Stoltenberg tweeted.
"Allies continue to consult & remain committed to our training mission in Iraq." A NATO official said that there were no casualties among the troops on its training mission in Iraq, though on Tuesday the alliance said it was moving some personnel out because of the increased danger following Soleimani's killing.
The 500-strong NATO mission has suspended training activities due to the increased security risks, but Stoltenberg has said ...

NATO chief condemns Iran rocket attacks

Kuwait on Wednesday denied reports that the United States had decided to withdraw its troops from the Gulf state, saying the Twitter account of its official news agency had been hacked.
The state-run Kuwait News Agency tweeted that the Kuwaiti defence minister had been informed by the commander of US forces in the emirate of their intention to withdraw from the Arifjan base within three days.
The news, published in both Arabic and English, was deleted within minutes.
"The (Twitter) account of Kuwait News Agency was hacked... The report about the intention of the US troops to pull out is untrue," government spokesman Tareq al-Mazrem said in a statement.
KUNA also said it had been hacked and noted that the report was not published on its general wire.
The United States said on Friday that it was deploying up to 3,500 more troops to the Middle East with reprisals expected after an American drone killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
The Kuwait incident comes after a US ..

Kuwait denies US troop pullout, says news agency hacked

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake on Wednesday rattled an area less than 50 kilometres from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant near the country's Gulf coast, a US monitor said.
The quake, which had a depth of 10 kilometres, struck 17 kilometres south-southeast of Borazjan city at 6:49 am (local time), the US Geological Survey said on its website.
State news agency IRNA said the earthquake was felt in Bushehr.  There were no reports of any damage to the nuclear facility.
But seven people were injured, including four who were hospitalised, IRNA reported, citing the head of Bushehr's crisis management centre, Jahangir Dehghani.
"The crisis management team is in the region and assessing the damage" to buildings, he said in the report published hours after the earthquake struck.
The latest quake comes exactly a fortnight after a magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the same area, without causing any casualties or major damage.
The Bushehr plant, which produces 1,000 megawatts of power, was completed by ..

Quake hits near Iran nuclear plant, injuring seven

Iran's aviation authority said it would not hand over to Americans the recovered black boxes of a Boeing 737 that crashed Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
"We will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer (Boeing) and the Americans," Iran Civil Aviation Organisation head Ali Abedzadeh said, quoted by Mehr news agency.

Iran says won't give Americans crashed plane's black boxes

The Football Association says it will review the betting element of FA Cup broadcast rights related to ties being viewed on a gambling website.
Bookmaker Bet365 showed 23 third-round matches last weekend as part of its deal with the FA, which was signed in January 2017.
The matches were only available to watch if the customer had placed a bet or deposited an account with ?5 ($6.5) in the 24 hours before kick-off.
The FA announced in July 2017 that it had cut all ties with gambling firms, ending a deal with Ladbrokes, and has suggested it will review future broadcast rights.
"We will review this element of the media rights sales process ahead of tendering rights to the new cycle from the 2024/25 season onwards," said an FA spokesman.
"Leagues and clubs continue to govern their own relationships with gambling companies.
"The FA agreed a media rights deal with IMG in early 2017, part of which permits them to sell the right to show live footage or clips of FA Cup matches to bookmakers. ...

FA to review Cup rights after ties shown on betting website

World number one Rafael Nadal insisted Wednesday he isn't focused on matching Roger Federer's record Glam Slam haul at the Australian Open this month.
The 33-year-old last year won the French and US Open titles to move within one of his Swiss rival's record tally of 20.
Federer has sat on top of the all-time list since 2009 when he passed Pete Sampras' benchmark of 14 after winning a five-set thriller over Andy Roddick at Wimbledon.
A Nadal triumph in Melbourne could set the stage for him to set a new landmark at Roland Garros, where he will start hot favourite to add to his 12 French Open titles.
But the Spaniard downplayed the potential historical implications after steering Spain into the ATP Cup quarter-finals.
"I honestly don't think much (about Federer's record)," Nadal said.
"My only goal is to keep playing good tennis, keep enjoying this sport and being happy. And if that happens and I stay healthy then the goal is to keep producing chances in the events that I'm going to ...

Nadal insists Federer Slam record not on his mind

Open champion Shane Lowry and US big hitter Tony Finau are the headline acts as the Hong Kong Open finally goes ahead on Thursday, six weeks after it was postponed over the pro-democracy protests gripping the city.
Organisers hope a successful staging of the $1 million golf tournament will show that normality is returning to the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, which has seen months of unrest and demonstrations.
"Hopefully the tournament this week shows everyone that things are starting to get back to normal... that it's safe to come back here and stage your event," Asian Tour commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant told AFP.
The tournament at the historic Fanling course -- whose previous winners include Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose -- was originally slated for November, but was postponed as the finance hub wrestled with the often-violent protests.
After a WTA tennis tournament, a Formula E race and other events were cancelled, a recent period of calm encouraged organisers to squeeze ...

From protests to pro golf as postponed Hong Kong Open tees off

A Ukrainian airliner carrying 176 people from seven countries crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all on board.
The vast majority of the passengers on the Boeing 737 flight from Tehran to Kiev were non-Ukrainians, including 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians, officials said.
The crash occurred with tensions high in the Middle East and shortly after Tehran launched missiles at bases in Iraq housing US troops. But there was no immediate indication of foul play and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against "speculating" on the cause of the disaster.
The US aviation authority said it had banned US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf, and airlines including Lufthansa and Air France said they were suspending flights through Iraqi and Iranian airspace.
Footage released by Iranian state media showed a field on fire and the smoking wreckage of the crash. Rescue workers carried body bags and the passengers' personal items -- including ..

Ukraine passenger jet crashes in Iran killing all 176 on board

2019 was the second hottest year on record and ended the hottest decade in history, the European Union's climate monitoring service said Wednesday.
Data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) showed that worldwide temperatures last year were second only to 2016, in which temperatures were boosted by an exceptionally strong El Nino natural weather event.

2019 second hottest year on record: EU

Dutch police arrested a man who acted "aggressively" and was heard shouting Allahu Akbar on a train from Amsterdam to Paris Wednesday, causing the train to be halted.
No weapons were found and no one was injured in the incident on the high-speed Thalys train, said police in the port city of Rotterdam where the train stopped.
"In the train from Amsterdam to Paris, a 28-year-old man behaved aggressively this morning. Travellers heard the man shouting 'Allahu Akbar', and panic broke out briefly," the police said on Twitter.
"The man has been arrested and the police are investigating the case. No injuries and no weapons were found."
Dutch broadcaster NOS quoted police as saying that the man "behaved confused and shouted strange things."
Dutch railway operator NS was quoted by local media as saying the train, which left Amsterdam at 6:15 am (0515 GMT), continued on its way after a half-hour delay.
In 2015 a Moroccan jihadist armed with guns and a box cutter attacked people on a Thalys from 

'Aggressive' man held on Amsterdam-Paris train

A growing number of airlines said Wednesday they were avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace for flights to the region after Tehran fired ballistic missiles against bases housing US troops in Iraq.
"As a precautionary measure and following news of air strikes underway, Air France has decided to suspend until further notice all flights through Iranian and Iraqi airspace," an Air France spokesman told AFP.
Iran launched a series of missiles at bases housing US troops in the early hours, officials in Washington and Tehran said.
Iran's supreme leader called the attacks a "slap in the face" after a US drone strike killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad international airport last week.
Shortly after the missile attacks, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf.
Its Russian counterpart, the Federal Air Transport Agency, said it was recommending airlines avoid the air space over Iran, Iraq ..

Airlines avoiding flying through Iran and Iraq airspace

Iran struck military bases used by US forces in Iraq on Wednesday to avenge the assassination last week of top military commander Qasem Soleimani.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said "Operation Martyr Soleimani" was in response to "the criminal and terrorist operation of the American invaders and to avenge the cowardly assassination and painful martyrdom of the heroic leader" of the elite Quds Force.
It said it "fired dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at the invading air base of the terrorist army of the American aggressor... Ain al-Assad, and crushed this base".
Following are some elements from the statement:
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wishes to congratulate the community of believers of Islam for this great victory and inform them and the great and devoted people of Islamic Iran that: 1. We warn the Great Satan, the vicious and arrogant American regime, that any new malicious act or movement of aggression will be met with even more painful and devastating ...

Iran's statement after strike on US bases in Iraq

Iraq's prime minister's office said Wednesday it had received "an official verbal message" from Iran informing it that a missile attack on US forces stationed on Iraqi soil was imminent.
"We received an official verbal message from the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Iranian response to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani had begun or would begin shortly, and that the strike would be limited to where the US military was located in Iraq without specifying the locations," the office said.
Iran launched 22 missiles at Iraqi bases housing US and other coalition troops early Wednesday in response to the killing of senior Revolution Guards commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Iraq last week.

Iraq says Iran informed it of imminent missile attack on US forces

China on Wednesday urged restraint from all sides after Iran launched missiles at Iraqi bases housing US and British troops, saying Beijing would play a "responsible role" in helping to defuse tensions Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles overnight at Iraqi bases housing coalition forces, the first act of the Islamic republic's promised revenge for the US killing of top general Qasem Soleimani last week.
"It is not in the interest of any party that the situation in the Middle East worsens further," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing.  "We call on the parties concerned to exercise restraint," he said.
Geng said China would "play a responsible role in promoting a de-escalation of the situation as soon as possible".
China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a key partner of Iran and a major buyer of the country's oil.
"China has always advocated that all parties concerned should properly resolve their conflicts and ...

China urges restraint after Iran missile attacks

Iranian search and rescue teams have found the black boxes from a Ukrainian airliner that crashed Wednesday soon after takeoff from Tehran's main airport, the country's civil aviation authority said.
"The two black boxes of the Ukranian 737 aeroplane that crashed this morning have been found," said the authority's spokesman, Reza Jafarzadeh, according to semi-official news agency ISNA.

Iran finds black boxes from crashed plane: aviation authority

A top commander in Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network said Wednesday it was time for an "Iraqi response" to a US drone strike that killed the network's deputy chief.
"That response will be no less than the size of the Iranian response. That is a promise," Qais al-Khazali, a hardline Hashed commander, threatened in a tweet.
Iran launched missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops early Wednesday in retaliation for last week's US drone strike that killed senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Paramilitary chief says time for 'Iraqi response' to US drone strike

Iranian state television claimed that Wednesday missile strikes on bases in Iraq killed 80 Americans, in a report citing what it called an informed Revolutionary Guards source.
Iran launched 22 missiles overnight at the Iraqi bases used by US and other US-led coalition troops, the Iraqi army said.
"At least 80 American military (personnel) were killed in this attack," the state television website reported.
In addition, it said, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and other military equipment had been severely damaged in the attack.
The Revolutionary Guards source said at least 140 targets of the US and their allies had been identified in the region and would be attacked "if the Americans commit any kind of mistake again".
The source said 15 missiles hit Ain Al-Assad base and none was intercepted by "radars of America's terrorist army".
It was the first action of Iran's promised revenge for the US killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Iraq last week.

Iran state media claims 80 Americans killed by missiles

Turkey has deployed 35 military personnel to Libya but they will not take part in any fighting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to local media on Wednesday.
"The soldiers will not fight. Other soldiers who will be deployed later will also not enter any combat," Erdogan told his ruling party, according to the Hurriyet daily.
He said the soldiers were carrying out training and coordination tasks for Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli.
The comments were made during a high-level, closed-door meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Monday, Hurriyet reported.
Turkey's parliament last week approved a military deployment to support the Tripoli government against an assault by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Turkey and Qatar back the GNA, while Haftar is supported by their regional rivals, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed ...

AFP

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