Rival Libya factions to sign UN-brokered deal

1. Turkish soldiers have carried out two days of crackdown in the southern towns of Silopi and Cizre. At least 23 members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party have been killed during the raids. The two towns which are located near Iraq and Syria borders were under curfew on Monday.

2. The Russian President Vladimir Putin says last month’s downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey was an act of enmity. Putin made the remarks at his end of year news conference in Moscow. He stressed that he sees no possibility of overcoming the diplomatic strain under the current Turkish leadership.

3. Several veteran Turkish experts and former diplomats have warned the government against joining a sectarian bloc created by Saudi Arabia allegedly aimed at combating terrorism. They said that the formation of such a bloc would trigger more sectarian divisions in the region.

4. Libya’s rival factions are signing an UN-brokered deal in order to form a unity government in Morocco. Back in October, another UN-backed deal was presented to the rival parties. However, it was rejected by both parliaments in Tobruk and Tripoli in October. Libya has plunged into turmoil since 2011.

5. Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian in the City of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. He was shot after an alleged stabbing attack against Israeli soldiers. Tensions have been simmering in the occupied territories for over two months now. 127 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October the first.

6. Yemen’s warring sides have completed a prisoner swap as peace talks in Geneva are underway. The prisoners have been transferred in small groups by buses due to security concerns. Most of Ansarullah prisoners are young men who were captured after the port city of Aden fell into the hands of pro-Hadi forces.

7. Scuffles have erupted between police and protesters in the town of Gelder-malsen in the Netherlands. The demonstrators were outraged by government’s plans for housing some 1,500 asylum seekers. Police have arrested at least one protester. European countries are struggling to cope with the largest movement of refugee since the second world war.

8. North Korea has warned the US of unimaginable consequences over what Pyongyang calls hostile policies toward that country. The warning, broadcasted on the state TV, comes in the wake of fresh sanctions the US imposed on a number of individuals and companies linked to arms manufacturing in North Korea.

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