US and Israel Launch Joint Military Campaign Against Iranian Targets

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London Court Hears Case Against Former Syrian Colonel

A London court heard from Salem Michel al-Salem, a 58-year-old former Syrian colonel, on Tuesday. Al-Salem appeared virtually at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to face charges related to his alleged role in suppressing demonstrations in 2011.

Al-Salem has been charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, specifically relating to killings that occurred in April and July 2011. The case is the first of its kind in the UK, according to police.

Separately, Sipan Hamo, a commander in the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), has been appointed deputy defence minister for Syria’s eastern territories. This appointment follows a US-brokered agreement reached in late January to end clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian army.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to reintegrate Kurdish forces into the country’s state institutions, with Hamo emphasizing that the Kurds see their future within Syria.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused authorities in Zimbabwe of intensifying a crackdown on critics of a proposed constitutional amendment. The amendment would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office and postpone the 2028 elections until 2030.

In Italy, the Culture Ministry announced that it had purchased a rare portrait by Baroque master Caravaggio for nearly $35m. The painting, depicting Monsignor Maffeo Barberini, was previously held in a private collection and is now set to enter the permanent collection at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini.

Source: Al Jazeera