Syrian government announces ceasefire in Aleppo after deadly clashes

Syria’s defence ministry announced a ceasefire in Aleppo on Friday after days of deadly clashes between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of civilians to flee.The violence, which has killed at least 21 people, is the worst to erupt since the Islamist authorities took power just over one year ago. The Syrian government forces have been fighting the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country’s second city since Tuesday.Both sides have traded blame over who started the fighting, which comes as they struggle to implement a deal to merge the Kurds’ administration and military into the country’s new government.The SDF controls swathes of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast, and was key to the territorial defeat of the Islamic State group in Syria in 2019.”To prevent any slide towards a new military escalation within residential neighbourhoods, the Ministry of Defence announces … a ceasefire in the vicinity of the Sheikh Maqsud, Ashrafiyeh and Bani Zeid neighbourhoods of Aleppo, effective from 3:00 am,” the Ministry of Defence wrote in a statement. Kurdish fighters were given until 9:00 am Friday (0600 GMT) to leave those areas.The goal is for civilians who were displaced by the fighting to be able “to return and resume their normal lives in an atmosphere of security and stability,” the ministry added.The governor of Aleppo, Azzam Algharib, told the official SANA news agency that he had inspected the security arrangements in the Ashrafiyeh neighbourhood.There was no immediate comment from Kurdish forces in response to the government statements. – ‘No to war’ -An AFP correspondent reported fierce fighting across the Kurdish-majority Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsud districts into Thursday night.Syria’s military had instructed civilians in those neighbourhoods to leave through humanitarian corridors ahead of launching the operation.State television reported that around 16,000 people had fled.”We’ve gone through very difficult times… my children were terrified,” said Rana Issa, 43, whose family left Ashrafiyeh earlier Thursday.”Many people want to leave”, but are afraid of the snipers, she told AFP.Mazloum Abdi — who leads the SDF — said attacks on Kurdish areas “undermine the chances of reaching understandings”, days after he visited Damascus for talks on the March integration deal.The agreement was meant to be implemented last year, but differences, including Kurdish demands for decentralised rule, have stymied progress.Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh have remained under the control of Kurdish units linked to the SDF, despite Kurdish fighters agreeing to withdraw from the areas in April.Turkey, which shares a 900-kilometre (550-mile) border with Syria, has launched successive offensives to push Kurdish forces from the frontier.Aron Lund, a fellow at the Century International research centre, told AFP that “Aleppo is the SDF’s most vulnerable area”.”Both sides are still trying to put pressure on each other and rally international support,” he said.He warned that if the hostilities spiral, “a full Damascus-SDF conflict across northern Syria, potentially with Turkish and Israeli involvement, could be devastating for Syria’s stability”.Israel and Turkey have been vying for influence in Syria since the December 2024 toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. In Qamishli in the Kurdish-held northeast, hundreds of people have protested the Aleppo violence. “We call on the international community to intervene,” said protester Salaheddin Sheikhmous, 61, while others held banners reading “no to war” and “no to ethnic cleansing”.In Turkey, several hundred people joined protests in Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir.

Damas annonce un cessez-le-feu pour que les combattants kurdes quittent Alep

Le ministère de la Défense syrien a annoncé tôt vendredi un cessez-le-feu destiné à permettre aux combattants kurdes de quitter Alep après plusieurs jours d’affrontements avec l’armée qui ont contraint des milliers de civils à fuir.Les violences, qui ont fait au moins 21 morts depuis mardi, sont les plus graves dans la deuxième ville de Syrie entre le gouvernement central et les Kurdes, qui contrôlent de vastes étendues dans le nord-est de la Syrie et certains quartiers d’Alep.Les combats ont poussé des milliers de Kurdes sur la route et fait craindre que le conflit prenne une dimension régionale, la Turquie se disant prête à intervenir aux côtés des autorités syriennes et Israël prenant la défense des Kurdes.”Afin d’éviter toute nouvelle escalade militaire dans des quartiers résidentiels”, un cessez-le-feu est ordonné à compter de 03H00 (minuit GMT) “dans les quartiers de Cheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh et Bani Zeid”, a annoncé tôt vendredi le ministère de la Défense syrien.Les combattants kurdes ont jusqu’à 09H00 vendredi (06H00 GMT) pour quitter ces secteurs en n’emportant que leurs “armes légères”, précise le ministère sur Telegram.L’armée “s’engage à leur offrir une escorte et à leur garantir un passage sûr jusqu’à ce qu’ils aient rejoint le nord-est du pays”, assure cette source.L’objectif est que les habitants qui ont fui les combats puissent “revenir et reprendre le cours d’une vie normale dans un climat de sécurité et de stabilité”, souligne le ministère.- “Balles de snipers” -Le gouverneur d’Alep, Azzam Algharib, a indiqué auprès de l’agence officielle Sana avoir d’ores et déjà effectué, avec plusieurs autres responsables, “une visite d’inspection auprès des forces de sécurité intérieure dans le quartier d’Alashrafieh”.Les forces kurdes n’ont pas immédiatement commenté ces annonces.Jeudi, l’armée syrienne a encore pilonné les quartiers kurdes d’Alep et des combats ont fait rage jusque dans la soirée sur fond de tirs d’artillerie, a constaté un correspondant de l’AFP.Les autorités avaient accordé jeudi trois heures aux civils pour fuir à travers deux “couloirs humanitaires”, empruntés selon elles par quelque 16.000 personnes pour cette seule journée.”Nous avons vécu des moments très difficiles, mes enfants étaient terrorisés”, a raconté à l’AFP Rana Issa, 43 ans. “Nous sommes partis sous les balles des snipers, beaucoup de gens veulent sortir mais ont peur”.Les deux parties se sont rejeté la responsabilité du début des violences, qui ont débuté mardi.Elles surviennent alors que les Kurdes et le gouvernement peinent à appliquer un accord conclu en mars pour intégrer les institutions de l’administration autonome kurde et son bras armé, les puissantes Forces Démocratiques Syriennes (FDS), au sein du nouvel Etat syrien.Le chef des FDS, Mazloum Abdi, avait jugé jeudi que “les tentatives de prise d’assaut des quartiers kurdes, en pleine phase de négociation, sap(ai)ent les chances de parvenir à une entente”.- Rivalités régionales -Selon Aron Lund, chercheur au centre Century International, “Alep est la zone la plus vulnérable des FDS. Ses quartiers kurdes sont entourés de tous côtés par des territoires contrôlés par le gouvernement”.Face au coût humanitaire et au risque d’embrasement régional, Washington a lancé jeudi “un appel urgent” à cesser les hostilités, par la voix de son émissaire pour la Syrie, Tom Barrack.Les violences ont exacerbé la rivalité en Syrie entre Israël et la Turquie, qui se livrent une lutte d’influence depuis la chute de Bachar al-Assad en décembre 2024. Ankara, allié des autorités syriennes, s’est dit prêt à “soutenir” l’armée dans son “opération antiterroriste” contre les combattants kurdes.La Turquie, qui possède une frontière de plus de 900 kilomètres avec la Syrie, y a mené entre 2016 et 2019 plusieurs opérations d’envergure contre les forces kurdes.Israël, qui mène des négociations avec Damas pour parvenir à un accord de sécurité, a condamné les “attaques” du pouvoir syrien contre la minorité kurde.A la veille d’une visite vendredi à Damas de la présidente de la Commission européenne, Ursula von der Leyen, l’UE a appelé les belligérants à faire preuve de “retenue” et à “protéger les civils”.

Swiss mining giant Glencore reveals merger talks with Rio Tinto

Swiss resources giant Glencore said Friday it is in merger talks with British-Australian rival Rio Tinto, potentially creating the world’s biggest mining group.Glencore said it was in preliminary discussions with Rio Tinto “about a possible combination of some or all of their businesses”.The deal could proceed as an all-share merger, it said in a statement.The Financial Times was first to report that the two were discussing a “megamerger” to create the world’s largest mining company.Together, they would have a value of more than US$260 billion, the paper said.As a combined force they would have greater leverage to buy copper, a metal that is growing in demand as countries expand electrical networks to harness renewable energies.Glencore chief executive Gary Nagle in December outlined plans to become one of the world’s largest copper producers. “Our portfolio, in particular in copper, is world class,” he told an investor presentation. The “current expectation” is that Rio Tinto would acquire Glencore by a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement, the Swiss firm said.Shares in Rio Tinto, which confirmed the merger talks in a separate statement, fell  5.1 percent in afternoon trade in Sydney.The two groups said there was no certainty that the preliminary talks would result in a merger.Analysts said the two firms would have to bridge cultural differences, with Rio Tinto having exited its coal assets and Glencore holding on to the fossil fuel.- ‘Cultural divide’ -“Strategically, Rio Tinto might be interested in Glencore’s copper assets, aligning with its focus on sustainable, future-facing metals,” CreditSights researchers said in a report.Any merger would need “careful stitching” to avoid unwanted asset overlaps, they said.”Culturally, Rio Tinto is traditionally seen as conservative and focused on stability, whereas Glencore is known for its aggressive approach and constantly pushing the envelope in its operations,” the report added.”This cultural divide might pose challenges in integration and decision-making if a merger were to proceed.”Glencore announced in August that it had decided against spinning off its coal business, saying its shareholders viewed the fuel as a cash-generating activity.The mining group had considered merging newly acquired Elk Valley Resources with its own coal activities and spinning it off.But Glencore said it needed the cash flow from its coal mines to invest in raw materials useful for the green transition, such as copper and cobalt.”The coal business supports the energy needs of today as we transition in the world,” Glencore’s chief executive said in December.The strategy has been criticised by environmental groups and by some shareholders, who noted that coal is banned from some investment portfolios.Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has excluded Glencore shares from its portfolio since 2020.Oil, gas and coal companies are under pressure to transition away from fossil fuels, which are the biggest contributor to climate change.Rio Tinto said it had until February 5 to announce whether or not it is going ahead with the Glencore merger.

List of key Golden Globe nominees

Here are the nominees in key categories for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, which will be handed out on Sunday.”One Battle After Another” leads all contenders with nine nods, followed by “Sentimental Value” with eight and “Sinners” with seven.- FILM -Best film, drama”Frankenstein””Hamnet””It Was Just An Accident””The Secret Agent””Sentimental Value””Sinners”Best film, musical or comedy”Blue Moon””Bugonia””Marty Supreme””No Other Choice””Nouvelle Vague””One Battle After Another”Best male actor, dramaJoel Edgerton, “Train Dreams”Oscar Isaac, “Frankenstein”Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine”Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”Jeremy Allen White, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere”Best female actor, dramaJessie Buckley, “Hamnet”Jennifer Lawrence, “Die, My Love”Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”Julia Roberts, “After the Hunt”Tessa Thompson, “Hedda”Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”Best male actor, musical or comedyTimothee Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”George Clooney, “Jay Kelly”Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”Lee Byung-hun, “No Other Choice”Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia”Best female actor, musical or comedyRose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good”Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee”Emma Stone, “Bugonia”Best supporting actorBenicio Del Toro, “One Battle After Another”Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”Adam Sandler, “Jay Kelly”Stellan Skarsgard, “Sentimental Value”Best supporting actressEmily Blunt, “The Smashing Machine”Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good”Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”Amy Madigan, “Weapons”Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”Best directorPaul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”Guillermo Del Toro, “Frankenstein”Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just An Accident”Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”Chloe Zhao, “Hamnet”Best non-English language film”It Was Just An Accident” (France)”No Other Choice” (South Korea)”The Secret Agent” (Brazil)”Sentimental Value” (Norway)”Sirat” (Spain)”The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia)Best cinematic and box office achievement:”Avatar: Fire and Ash””F1″”KPop Demon Hunters””Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning””Sinners””Weapons””Wicked: For Good””Zootopia 2″Best animated feature”Arco””Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba — Infinity Castle””Elio””KPop Demon Hunters””Little Amelie or the Character of Rain””Zootopia 2″- TELEVISION -Best drama series”The Diplomat””The Pitt””Pluribus””Severance””Slow Horses””The White Lotus”Best male actor, dramaSterling K. Brown, “Paradise”Diego Luna, “Andor”Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”Mark Ruffalo, “Task”Adam Scott, “Severance”Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”Best female actor, drama Kathy Bates, “Matlock”Britt Lower, “Severance”Helen Mirren, “Mobland”Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus”Best musical or comedy series”Abbott Elementary””The Bear””Hacks””Nobody Wants This””Only Murders in the Building””The Studio”Best male actor, musical or comedyAdam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”Glen Powell, “Chad Powers”Seth Rogen, “The Studio”Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”Best female actor, musical or comedy Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday”Jean Smart, “Hacks”Best limited series or TV movie”Adolescence””All Her Fault””The Beast in Me””Black Mirror””Dying for Sex””The Girlfriend”Best male actor, limited series or TV movie Jacob Elordi, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”Paul Giamatti, “Black Mirror”Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”Jude Law, “Black Rabbit”Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me”Best female actor, limited series or TV movie Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me”Rashida Jones, “Black Mirror”Amanda Seyfried, “Long Bright River”Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”Robin Wright, “The Girlfriend”- FILMS WITH MOST NOMINATIONS -“One Battle After Another” – 9″Sentimental Value” – 8″Sinners” – 7″Hamnet” – 6″Frankenstein” – 5″Wicked: For Good” – 5