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 ...

35 Turkish soldiers sent to Libya so far: Erdogan

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Malaysia's disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak allegedly sought help from Abu Dhabi's crown prince to conceal wrongdoing linked to a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal, recordings released Wednesday by investigators showed.
Huge sums were looted from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and used to buy items ranging from a super-yacht to artwork, in a fraud allegedly involving Najib and his inner circle.
The allegations contributed to ex-prime minister Najib's shock 2018 election loss, and he has since been put on trial over the scandal. He denies any wrongdoing.
Malaysia's anti-graft agency released a 2016 recording of Najib calling Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to urge him to help his stepson, Hollywood producer Riza Aziz.
The call came shortly after the US filed lawsuits seeking to recover large amounts allegedly pilfered from 1MDB, with Riza accused of receiving money to fund his production company Red Granite.
Najib urged the crown prince to help fabricate a ...

Malaysia ex-PM 'sought Abu Dhabi royal's help over scandal'

The EU's diplomatic chief on Wednesday condemned Iran's rocket attacks on Iraqi bases housing US troops, urging an end to the "spiral of violence" as Europe tries to defuse the growing crisis.
Tehran fired ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq housing coalition forces in the first act of the Islamic republic's promised revenge for the killing of one of its top generals in a US drone strike.
The assassination of Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday sparked an outpouring of rage and grief in Iran, and the country's supreme leader hailed the latest rocket attacks as a "slap in the face" for Washington.
"The latest rocket attacks on air bases in Iraq used by US and coalition forces, among them European forces, are yet another example of escalation and increased confrontation," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters.
"It is in no-one's interest to turn up the spiral of violence even further," he said, warning that the latest crisis was hampering the fight against the ...

EU calls Iran rocket attacks 'escalation'

German airline giant Lufthansa said Wednesday it would not overfly Iran and Iraq "until further notice", after Tehran launched missiles at US bases in Iraq.
"We are no longer overflying Iran and Iraq until further notice," a Lufthansa spokesman told AFP, adding that Wednesday's daily Frankfurt-Tehran flight was cancelled, while Saturday's twice-weekly service to northern Iraqi city Erbil would also not depart.

Lufthansa says halts overflying Iran and Iraq

Australian tennis officials said they were working on a "new concept" for women's tennis on Wednesday after top players complained they were being shunted aside to make way for the men's ATP Cup.
Brisbane International tournament director Mark Handley said tennis in Australia was in a "transitional period" following the introduction of the ATP Cup, whose inaugural edition is being played in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.
Maria Sharapova and Sloane Stephens have strongly criticised scheduling at the WTA Brisbane International, also being played at the Queensland Tennis Centre, saying women's players had been unfairly relegated to the outside courts.
"It feels like a little bit of a second-hand event," said Sharapova, while fellow Major-winner Stephens fumed: "It was what the ATP (men's tour) wanted -- they got what they wanted, girls to the side, that's kind of how it always is."
Tournament director Handley, while not directly addressing the concerns, said Tennis Australia was looking at .

Australia reveals 'new concept' for women's tennis after scheduling row

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic said Wednesday that the ATP Cup was the ideal preparation for his bid to win an eighth Australian Open crown.
Speaking after Serbia beat Chile 2-1 to remain unbeaten after the round-robin stage, Djokovic said he wasn't fazed by having to play three top players in a row to start the season.
Djokovic made it three singles wins from three with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Cristian Garin, the world number 33, to win the tie for Serbia after Dusan Lajovic earlier beat Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 7-6 (7/2).
Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo salvaged some pride for Chile when they beat Viktor Troicki and Nikola Cacic in the doubles 6-3, 7-6 (7/2).
"I've never minded, to be honest, to face tough adversity from the blocks and have high-intensity matches from day one of the season," Djokovic, a 16-time grand slam winner, said.
"I had Kevin Anderson who was playing some extraordinary tennis. I thought it was the toughest match I've played here in Brisbane.
"And again against (Gael) ...

Unbeaten Serbia through to ATP Cup quarters

The burgeoning Iran crisis has sparked oil supply worries over the Strait of Hormuz -- a vital shipping lane for a fifth of global crude -- and also over Iraq's output, analysts say.
Oil prices had surged last Friday after US President Donald Trump ordered the drone assassination of Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani, but the market stabilised on Monday and Tuesday with Middle East crude supplies unaffected.
However on Wednesday, the oil market shifted higher once more after Tehran launched revenge attacks to target US forces in Iraq, making good on its pledge to hit back over the killing.
Iran fired missiles overnight at Iraqi bases housing the US and British military, officials in Washington and Tehran said.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab voiced concern over "reports of casualties".
But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted that the country does "not seek escalation or war".
Traders remain fearful nevertheless that Tehran could seek to block the Hormuz ...

Iran crisis sparks fear over Mid East oil supplies

Air France said on Wednesday it has suspended until further notice flying through Iranian and Iraqi airspace after Iran 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.

Air France says suspends flying through Iran and Iraq airspace

Germany's defence minister condemned Iranian missile attacks on Iraqi bases housing coalition military on Wednesday and called on Tehran to end a "spiral" of conflict.
"The German government strongly condemns this aggression," Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told broadcaster ARD.
"It is now crucial that we do not allow this spiral to continue," said the defence minister, adding that "it is now primarily up to the Iranians to refrain from further escalation."
Kramp-Karrenbauer said that Germany had been in contact with the US department of defence throughout Tuesday night, and that "all channels" of communication would be opened in a bid to prevent further escalation.
She added that she would seek a meeting of the coalition's 13 framework nations to discuss the situation in the region.
Separately, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Iran to "refrain from all steps that could lead to further escalation". He also called on all parties to excercise restraint.
The overnight attack on bases in ...

Germany 'strongly condemns' Iran missile attacks: defence minister

World number one Rafael Nadal overcame an error-strewn performance and Yoshihito Nishioka's brave challenge to lead Spain into the ATP Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The 19-time Grand Slam winner made 36 unforced errors before beating Japan's Nishioka 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes.
Unbeaten Spain -- who won the revamped Davis Cup in Madrid in November -- finished top of Group B with world number 10 Roberto Bautista Agut downing Go Soeda 6-2, 6-4 to secure the tie.
Nadal has yet to drop a set but he looked sluggish at times ahead of the Australian Open, where he aims to equal Roger Federer's record tally of 20 Grand Slam titles.
The long exchanges against an unwavering Nishioka seemed to take a physical toll on Nadal, who appeared weary in Spain's first day-session tie in the hot Perth conditions.
"It's the first time I played under these heavy conditions, so the feeling on court is completely different," Nadal said.
"I played against an opponent who has started the ..

Error-strewn Nadal leads Spain into ATP Cup quarter-finals

UAE carriers Emirates Airline and low-cost Flydubai said Wednesday they had cancelled flights to Baghdad for "operational reasons" after Iran fired ballistic missiles on bases housing US troops.
"Emirates flights EK 943 from Dubai to Baghdad and flight EK 944 from Baghdad to Dubai on 8 January have been cancelled for operational reasons," Emirates Airline said in a statement.
"We are carefully monitoring the developments and are in close contact with the relevant government authorities with regards to our flight operations, and will make further operational changes if required," said the Middle East region's largest carrier.
Iran early on Wednesday fired 22 missiles at two bases in Iraq housing US troops in retaliation for the Friday killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike.
Dubai's budget carrier Flydubai also said it had cancelled its scheduled flight to Baghdad on Wednesday but operated other flights to Basra and Najaf.
"We are liaising with the relevant .

UAE airlines cancel Baghdad flights after missile strikes

At least four people were killed and 10 wounded when a car bomb exploded close to a checkpoint near Somalia's parliament in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, police said.
A plume of thick black smoke was seen over the city and witnesses said a number of vehicles were on fire.
Islamist group Al-Shabaab claimed the attack, after a spike in activity in recent days by the Al-Qaeda linked group which has seen it inflict mass casualties in Somalia and attack a US military base in Kenya.
"Explosives were packed in a vehicle which the security forces think was trying to pass through the checkpoint but because he could not do that, the suicide bomber detonated it," said police officer Adan Abdullahi.
"Initial reports we have received indicate four people were killed and more than 10 others were wounded in the blast."
Abdirahman Mohamed, who was at a nearby grocery store when the blast occurred, said he saw several dead bodies.
"I saw the dead bodies of several people some of them killed by ..

Four killed in car bombing near Somalia Parliament

Britain on Wednesday condemned Iran's missile attacks on Iraqi bases housing coalition military, while confirming there were no British casualties from the strikes.
"We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases hosting Coalition -- including British -- forces," said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
"We are concerned by reports of casualties and use of ballistic missiles." It was unclear what casualties Raab was referring to. But a separate Ministry of Defence statement said: "We can confirm that there were no UK casualties." Officials were "urgently working to establish the facts on the ground", it added.
The Pentagon meanwhile said it was still "working on initial battle damage assessments", with no immediate reports on casualties.
The Iraqi military said it sustained no casualties in 22 missile strikes on bases housing US troops.
Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles overnight Tuesday-Wednesday at Iraqi bases housing the US and British military, officials in Washington ...

UK condemns Iran missile attacks, urges restraint

The Ukrainian airline whose plane crashed outside Tehran on Wednesday, killing over 170 people, said the Boeing 737 was built in 2016 and checked only two days before the accident.
"The plane was manufactured in 2016, it was received by the airline directly from the (Boeing) factory. The plane underwent its last planned technical maintenance on January 6, 2020," Ukraine International Airlines said in a statement.

Crashed Boeing was checked two days ago: Ukrainian airline

A Ukrainian airliner carrying 176 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all on board, officials in Iran said.
The Boeing 737 had departed Imam Khomeini International Airport before dawn bound for the Ukrainian capital Kiev, semi-official news agency ISNA said.
It slammed into farmland at Khalaj Abad, in Shahriar county, about 45 kilometres northwest of the airport, according to reports on state media.
"Obviously it is impossible that passengers" on flight PS-752 are alive, Red Crescent head Morteza Salimi told semi-official news agency ISNA.
"Out of the 176 people who died, nine were flight crew members and the others passengers," Mohammad Taghizadeh, the deputy governor for Tehran province, told ISNA.
Seventy were men, 81 women and 15 children, he said.
"There are currently 500 medical units on the scene" gathering bodies, he added.  Emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said the vast majority of the dead were Iranian citizens.
Just two ...

Ukraine passenger jet crashes in Iran, killing all 176 on board

The Philippines will dispatch cargo planes and a ship to help evacuate Filipino migrant workers from Iraq after ordering its citizens to leave following an Iranian missile strike targeting US troops, officials said Wednesday.
Manila issued the mandatory evacuation order for its nationals after the Islamic republic carried out its first act of promised revenge for the US killing last week of a top Iranian general.
About 1,600 Filipino workers are in Iraq -- among some two million of their countrymen across the Middle East -- as part of a vast diaspora that is a key pillar of the economy.
Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases housing the US military, and Iranian state television said it was in response to Friday's killing of general Qasem Soleimani, one of the most important figures in the country's government.
Philippine defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters the government will send at least three military cargo planes and a newly built coastguard ship to get Filipinos out of .

Philippines sending planes, ship to evacuate workers from Iraq

The vast majority of passengers on the flight to Ukraine that crashed near Tehran Wednesday morning were not Ukrainian nationals, security authorities in Kiev said.
"There were two Ukrainian passengers and nine Ukrainian crew members on board" the Boeing 737, said Ukraine's national security council, which is overseeing a crisis team.
The plane was carrying over 170 people, all of whom died in the crash.

Most passengers on crashed Ukraine flight were foreigners: Kiev

Iran's supreme leader said a "slap in the face" was delivered to the United States, when the Islamic republic fired missiles at US troop bases in Iraq on Wednesday.
"Last night, a slap in the face was delivered," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
His remarks came after he had vowed "severe revenge" for a US drone strike that killed one of Iran's top military commanders near Baghdad international airport last week.

Iran supreme leader says 'slap in face' delivered to US

A suspected car bomb exploded close to a checkpoint near Somalia's parliament in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, witnesses and a security official said.
A plume of thick black smoke was seen over the city and witnesses said a number of vehicles were on fire.
"It looks like a car bomb, but we don't have details yet," security official Mohamed Abdikadir told AFP.
The powerful blast comes just days after the Al-Shabaab Islamist militants claimed a massive car bombing in Mogadishu on December 28 that killed 81 people, and the storming by the jihadists of a military base in Kenya used by US forces on Sunday.
"There was smoke and chaos along the road, the blast was very heavy and I was on my way to the location where it occurred," said Shamso Ali, one of the witnesses to Wednesday's explosion.
"Thanks to God I was a distance away but I saw the smoke and several vehicles caught on fire," he said.
Another witnhess, Dahir Yare, said: "There were several vehicles in the area where the blast 

Suspected car bomb explodes near Somalia Parliament

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday warned against speculation about the crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran which killed at least 170 people.
"I ask everyone to keep from speculating and putting forth unconfirmed theories about the crash," he wrote on Facebook, as he cut short a vacation in Oman and flew back to Ukraine.

Ukraine leader warns against 'speculation' after plane crash

A suspected car bomb exploded near the parliament in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, witnesses and a security official said.
"It looks like a car bomb, but we don't have details yet," the official, Mohamed Abdikadir, told AFP.
A plume of thick black smoke was seen over the city and witnesses said a number of vehicles were on fire.

AFP

AFP

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