Monday 13 November 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Report: Climate change imperils one in four natural heritage sites

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(AFP) - Climate change imperils one in four natural World Heritage sites, including coral reefs, glaciers, and wetlands - nearly double the number from just three years ago, a report said Monday.The number of sites at risk has grown to 62 from 35 in 2014, when one in seven were listed, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which released the report at UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany.Among the ecosystems most threatened by global warming are coral reefs which bleach as oceans heat up, and glaciers which melt.Climate change acts fast and is not sparing the finest treasures of our planet, said IUCN director general Inger Andersen.Climate change now threatens the very fabric of our society, threatens our identity, an identity that is grounded in the rich and yet delicate patchwork of natural heritage, she told journalists in Bonn.The report found that 29 percent of World Heritage sites faced significant threats, and seven percent - including the Everglades National Park in the United States and Lake Turkana in Kenya - had a critical outlook.The scale and pace at which it (climate change) is damaging our natural heritage underline the need for urgent and ambitious national commitments and actions to implement the Paris Agreement, said Andersen.Negotiators are gathered in Bonn to work out a nuts-and-bolts rulebook for executing the pact adopted by nearly 200 countries in the French capital in 2015.The agreement seeks to limit average global warming caused by greenhouse gases from fossil-fuel burning to under two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels, and to 1.5 C if possible.The 1 C mark has already been passed, and scientists say that on current country pledges to cut emissions, the world is headed for a 3 C future.‘Devastating’The IUCN monitors more than 200 natural Heritage Sites listed by the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).Three World Heritage-listed coral reefs -- the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, the Belize Barrier Reef in the Atlantic, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the biggest on Earth -- have been affected by devastating bleaching events over the last three years, said the IUCN report.Corals bleach when they are stressed by environmental changes -- due to ocean warming or pollution.The corals expel the colourful algae that live in them, and turn bone white.Retreating glaciers, also resulting from rising temperatures, threaten sites such as Kilimanjaro National Park, which boasts Africa’s highest peak, and the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, home to the largest Alpine glacier, said the union.Wetlands, low-lying deltas, permafrost and fire-sensitive ecosystems are also affected by changes to Earth’s climate, it added.Insufficient fundingHarm to natural sites endangers local economies and livelihoods, the IUCN said.In Peru’s Huascaran National Park, for example, melting glaciers affect water supplies and contaminate water and soil due to the release of heavy metals previously trapped under ice.Only invasive plant and animal species surpassed climate change as a risk to natural heritage sites, said the union. And climate change boosts their spread.Sites on the World Heritage list are earmarked for protection for future generations.Countries assume responsibility under the World Heritage Convention to protect listed sites within their borders.The report said the management of heritage sites has declined since 2014, notably due to insufficient funding.The Bonn meeting is the first of UN climate envoys since US President Donald Trump said he would pull America out of the hard-fought Paris Agreement, a move many fear will make the 2 C goal that much harder to reach.

England call-up Garton extends Sussex stay

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LONDON (AFP) – England call-up George Garton has signed a new two-year contract extension with Sussex that will keep him at the south coast county until the end of the 2020 season, it was announced Monday.Left-arm paceman Garton is one of the rising stars of the English game and, despite having played just nine first-class matches, he was drafted into England’s Ashes squad in Australia for their final warm-up as cover for the injured Jake Ball.The 20-year-old recorded his best first-class figures of three for 20 in Sussex’s penultimate County Championship match last season against Durham in September.I’m delighted to have signed an extension at Sussex, said Garton. Having come through the system since the Under-10s, it’s great to be part of such a great club and a very strong squad which can hopefully push for trophies in the next few years.Sussex director of cricket Keith Greenfield added: George has pace, which is a valuable asset, and his white ball skills are developing quickly.He has come through our system since he was a young lad and we want to make sure he continues to grow and fulfil his potential and cricketing aspirations with us.

Football: Italy miss out on World Cup as Sweden qualify

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MILAN (AFP) - Italy failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958 on Monday as they were held to a 0-0 draw in the second leg of their play-off at the San Siro by Sweden, who qualified with a 1-0 aggregate victory.The four-time champions dominated possession but struggled to create enough clear-cut chances, as Sweden secured a first appearance at the finals since 2006 courtesy of Jakob Johanssons first-leg strike in Stockholm.Despite the support of 74,000 fans in a white-hot atmosphere at the San Siro the 2006 World Cup winners could not find a way through.It is the third time that the Italians will not compete at the World Cup, after not going to the first edition in 1930 and not qualifying for the 1958 finals in Sweden.It marks the end of an era for iconic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon who will not be able to compete in a record sixth World Cup.At 39, the 175-times capped Buffon had announced that the finals in Russia would be his last as a player for the national side.Im sorry, sorry, sorry, a tearful Buffon told Rai television as he confirmed he was ending his international career.Im not sorry for myself but all of Italian football, because we failed at something which also means something on a social level.Its the only regret I have. Not stopping, because time passes and its normal. I regret just that my final match with the national side coincides with an elimination.I leave a squad of talent that will have their say, including (Gianluigi) Donnarumma and (Mattia) Perin. I embrace all those who have supported me.Without star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who retired from the national team after Euro 2016, Sweden sealed a return to the world stage after failing to reach the last two editions. The last time the Scandinavians participated was in 2006.Im emotional and very happy, said Sweden coach Janne Andersson. This match showed our collective strength.With Ibrahimovic we played differently. Hes retired and hes a great champion. So we adapted and we play in another way now.It was a mediocre performance by the hosts with Antonio Candreva firing over and Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen denying Alessandro Florenzi and Ciro Immobile.Mikael Lustig almost scored an own goal when his deflection hit the bar.Marco Verratti sat out a ban with Simone Zaza and Leonardo Spinazzola both injured, with Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Belotti not fully fit.Coach Gian Piero Ventura gave Brazil-born Jorginho his first competitive appearance for Italy with Florenzi and Manolo Gabbiadini also handed starts. Napolis in-form winger Lorenzo Insigne however was once again left on the bench.Swedens Lustig was back from suspension, with Johansson starting in place of the injured Albin Ekdal.The hosts had penalty appeals in the opening few minutes as Marco Parolo appeared to be tripped from behind by Ludwig Augustinsson, but the referee waved play on and booked Giorgio Chiellini for dissent.Sweden lost first-leg goalscorer Johansson after 15 minutes when his left knee buckled badly and he was stretchered off to make way for Gustav Svensson.Jorginhos through ball found Immobile to pull back from the byline for Candreva to blast over, but Leonardo Bonucci, wearing a protective mask after breaking his nose on Friday, got a knock to the knee and was limping badly.Florenzi thought he had scored on 53 minutes with a flying volley from Matteo Darmians cross, but it went wide.Bonucci got down to business taking off his protective mask on the hour mark, with Ventura bringing on Stephan El Shaarawy and Torino striker Belotti.Federico Bernardeschi was the final Italy substitution and Olsen turned away a Parolo header.As the clock ticked the crowd at the San Siro began to sing the national anthem.An El Shaarawy shot was kept out by Olsen and Parolos header went wide, then Buffon came up for a corner in a final desperate gamble as Italy fell short of reaching the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.

UN chief meets Myanmar's Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis

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MANILA (AFP) - UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to return, when they met Tuesday at a summit in the Philippines, his office said.The meeting added to global pressure on Suu Kyi to take action to end the crisis for the Muslim minority, with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson due Tuesday also to hold talks with her in Manila then travel to Myanmar.The Secretary-General highlighted that strengthened efforts to ensure humanitarian access, safe, dignified, voluntary and sustained returns, as well as true reconciliation between communities, would be essential, a UN statement said, summarising comments to Suu Kyi.More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in two and a half months.The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts in Myanmars Rakhine state, triggering a military crackdown that saw hundreds of villages reduced to ashes and sparked a massive exodus.Authorities have blocked independent access to northern Rakhine.But journalists and UN officials have collected reams of testimony from Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh describing soldiers and Buddhist mobs committing murder, rape and mass arson.Following its first official investigation into the crisis, the army published a report this week in which it cleared itself of any abuses.Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, a former democracy activist, has been lambasted by rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya or condemn festering anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.But she lacks control over the powerful military, which ruled the country for decades until her party came to power following 2015 elections.The United States has been careful not to place blame on her and has focused instead on the armys role in the conflict.Guterres and Suu Kyi met in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to his office.In a summit on Monday night with leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, Guterres also voiced concern about the Rohingya.He said the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya was a worrying escalation in a protracted tragedy, according to the UN statement.He described the situation as a potential source of instability in the region, as well as radicalisation.

Russia will fail in efforts to undermine West: British PM

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LONDON (AFP) - Russia will not succeed in efforts to sow discord in the West, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday.In an annual address to the Lord Mayors Banquet, she catalogued various Russian actions -- from the annexation of Crimea to seeking to weaponise information -- which threaten the international order.Moscow is deploying its state-run media organisations to plant fake stories and photo-shopped images in an attempt to sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions, she said.So I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed.May said Russia had underestimated the resilience of Western democracy, and the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of Western nations to the alliances that bind us.Her blunt language contrasts with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly adopted a friendly tone towards Russian President Vladimir Putin and denied he directed meddling in American elections.Nonetheless May -- who heads a fragile, scandal-plagued government navigating a fractious exit from the European Union -- sought to reaffirm transatlantic ties and Britains post-Brexit place in the world.She insisted the country would continue to counter Russian activities through its alliances, while also driving reform of NATO -- a longstanding Trump demand.She also vowed to strengthen cyber security and tighten financial rules to stop the profits of corruption arriving in Britain from Russia.But May sounded a conciliatory note, calling for ongoing engagement with Moscow and reiterating foreign secretary Boris Johnson will visit the country in the coming months.We do not want to return to the Cold War, or to be in a state of perpetual confrontation, she said, adding there was another way.Many of us here looked at a post-Soviet Russia with hope, May said.Because we know that a strong and prosperous Russia which plays by the rules would be in the interests of the United Kingdom, Europe and the world.

Air raids on market kill 53 in north Syria town: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Air strikes on a market killed at least 53 people, including children, in a town in northern Syria on Monday despite a de-escalation zone in place there, a monitor said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not immediately clear whether the strikes on rebel-held Atareb had been carried out by Syrian warplanes, or those of Damascuss ally Russia.The monitor said three strikes hit the towns market, adding that five children were among the dead, as well as three policemen.A photographer contributing to AFP saw massive destruction at the scene, with rubble from damaged buildings covering the street and panicked civilians carrying away the injured.Three men helped one of those hit in the attack, his face drenched in blood and his features almost completely obscured.Nearby, the body of a man in a blue shirt and dark trousers lay where he had died.Civil defence workers rushed alongside civilians to evacuate the injured, with one man in a thick beanie hat carrying a wailing child in a pink sweater away from the scene.Elsewhere, the bodies of at least three children were laid out on the ground, partly covered by thick bolts of fabric.Atareb is in the west of Aleppo province, in an area that is part of a de-escalation zone agreed under a deal earlier this year between Syrias allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.The zone mostly covers neighbouring Idlib province, which is largely held by opposition forces and a jihadist group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda.Despite the governments recapture of Aleppo city late last year, rebel groups maintain a presence in the west of the province.Russia, a key ally of Syrias President Bashar al-Assad, began a bombing campaign in support of his government in 2015.Since then, with Moscows support the government has recaptured large swathes of territory from opposition forces.Moscow has steered the so-called Astana process that in May led to a deal to create four so-called de-escalation zones across Syria.The zones have produced a drop in violence, but sporadic fighting and bombardment has continued, and promised humanitarian access has not materialised.More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Accountability court to declare Hassan and Hussain Nawaz as absconders today

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The accountability court is expected to declare Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, children of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as absconders today (Tuesday) due to their failure to appear in court despite the non-bailable warrants issued against them.On the other hand, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials will submit a report in the court regarding the freezing of Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz assets.The court will also hear case against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in a corruption reference filed against him by NAB for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income.During the previous hearing, court has provided a last chance to Ishaq Dar to appear in the court but he is not expected to appear today as he is under treatment in a London hospital.The accountability court will also starts recording to witnesses statements in three NAB references against Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz ans son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar from November 15.

British doctor 'punches shark' to escape Australia mauling

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SYDNEY (AFP) - A young British doctor has described punching a shark that leapt from the water to attack him as he surfed off Australias eastern coast, escaping with bite marks to his shoulder and arm.The 25-year-old, named in local media as Charlie Fry, was surfing with three others at Avoca Beach in New South Wales state north of Sydney on Monday when the shark jumped out of the water and hit him in the right shoulder, police said.I saw a sharks head come out of the water, with its teeth, and I just punched it in the face, Fry told commercial broadcaster Channel Nine Tuesday.It was just pure adrenaline, I genuinely thought I was going to die, like youre about to be eaten alive by a shark, so everything slowed down, like get on your board and surf.The Briton thought the shark was up to six feet long (1.5-1.8 metres), although a local helicopter rescue service said later that a three metre great white and a three metre bronze whaler shark were spotted off Avoca.Fry, who was able to surf back to the beach with his friends, was not seriously hurt and initially did not even realise he had been bitten.I didnt feel the teeth going in, it felt like I was smacked, it felt like a hand, a hand grabbing me, shaking me, he said, calling the attack a close call.It could have easily taken my hand. I count myself very lucky.There have been 16 shark encounters and attacks off the island continents vast coastline this year, including the death of a 17-year-old girl mauled in full view of her parents in Western Australia.Experts say incidents are increasing as water sports become more popular and baitfish move closer to shore, but fatalities remain rare.

Rawalpindi: ANF thwarts bid to smuggle heroin abroad

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RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) - Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) on Monday carried out an operation in Rawalpindi and foiled an attempt to smuggle brown heroin abroad.According to details, the ANF seized two parcels of 650 grams of brown heroin concealed in women’s make-up items to smuggle via courier service to other country.Meanwhile, police have also arrested a female smuggler, Hadiqa Kiani, along with three other accomplices and recovered at least three kilograms of narcotics from them.

PM Abbasi to reach Quetta today on one-day visit

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will reach Quetta today (Tuesday) on a one-day visit to the provincial capital, Dunya News reported.PM Abbasi will meet governor and chief minister of Balochistan, legislators and tribal elders during his visit. He will also review law and order situation as well as the development projects of the province.The prime minister is also schedule to address the media at the Governor’s House at 4:00pm. He will return to Islamabad in the evening.

Quetta, other parts of Balochistan receive first winter rain

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QUETTA (Dunya News) - Quetta along with other cities of interior Balochistan received first winter rain on Monday, providing much needed relief from the dry chilly weather. Temperatures dropped even further as the heavy showers increased the chill in the air.Rain was also reported from Mastung, Kalat, Gwadar, Naukundi, Taftan, Chaman, Naseerabad, Mizai Adda, Loralai, Kohlu, Harnai, Daki, Dera murad Jamali, Gandawah, Jhal Magsi, Musa Khel, Sibbi, Lehri, Sanjavi and Qilla Abdullah.Ziarat and Khanuzai saw the winter season’s first snowfall which dropped the mercury further down. On the other hand, two people were wounded when lightning struck a house in Naseerabad.The rain also created some problems for the residents as they faced electricity shutdown with the start of the rain. Many areas remained without electricity for several hours.

France mourns Paris attack victims, two years on

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PARIS (AFP) - France marked two years Monday since its worst ever terror attacks, releasing colourful balloons into the sky to remember the 130 people killed on a Friday night out in Paris.President Emmanuel Macron laid wreaths at the six locations where gunmen and suicide bombers struck on November 13, 2015 targeting the national stadium as well as bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall.Two members of Eagles of Death Metal -- the Californian band who were on stage at the Bataclan when the carnage began -- performed a surprise mini-concert near the venue where 90 people were massacred.Lead singer Jesse Hughes was visibly moved as he handed white roses to families of the victims after singing Save a Prayer, the song the band had just finished playing when the gunfire began.He said he was going through a million different emotions.It is difficult to not to remember the people who were taken from us like our friend Nick Alexander (the bands merchandise manager) and so many others, Hughes told reporters.We watched people give their lives for their friends and we were able to bear witness to that, he added.We have a burden of responsibility to make certain that everyone knows that is the kind of love that exists in this world.Macron and his wife Brigitte joined relatives of the victims as they released dozens of multi-coloured balloons in honour of the dead.Ive never been back inside, said a Bataclan survivor who gave his name only as Patrice.But its important to come, for all the victims -- those who did not come out alive, and all the injured.The Paris attacks were among a series of jihadist assaults that have killed more than 240 people in France since 2015, starting with the shooting at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.Macron spoke with victims relatives at each of the attack sites -- but some refused to meet him in protest at what they say is a lack of government support.No one has been speaking to us since Emmanuel Macron got rid of the office for victims support, said Michael Dias, whose father Manuel was killed by a suicide bomber outside the stadium.We have been completely left behind, he told the BFM news channel.Elisabeth Boissinot, whose daughter Chloe was killed at the Carillon bar, declined her invitation to what she criticised on Facebook as a victory lap by the president at the time when she said victims had been forgotten.The attacks profoundly shook France, triggering a state of emergency that was lifted only this month after Macron signed a controversial new anti-terror law.The law gives authorities sweeping powers to search homes, shut down places of worship and restrict the movements of suspected extremists.Some 7,000 troops remain on the streets under an anti-terror operation known as Sentinelle, carrying out patrols and guarding vulnerable sites such as tourist hotspots.The threat level clearly remains high, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Monday.The sprawling police investigation into the Paris attacks continues with Salah Abdeslam, the only man directly involved in the attacks to have survived, awaiting trial.Germanys national football coach Joachim Loew -- whose team was playing at the Stade de France when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside -- said he was still haunted by memories of the attack.His squad were forced to spend the night at the stadium under lockdown.You do not forget something like that. The memories return again and again, Loew told a press conference.His French counterpart Didier Deschamps added: I will never forget these moments of agony, of sadness, of tears. I will also never forget the formidable chain of solidarity after the event in France and beyond our borders.EU home affairs commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos described the savage attacks two years ago as an assault on our collective humanity.The strongest resistance to terrorism is our unity, he added, calling for European countries to work together better to fight jihadists.

Establishment not driving politics in Karachi: Rangers Sindh DG

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Rangers Sindh Director General (DG) Mohammad Saeed has rejected allegations of establishment playing any role in the prevailing political situation in the capital city of the province.While conversing with Kamran Khan, anchorperson of Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath, the Rangers top official in Sindh rhetorically asked if leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP) and Pak Sar Zameen Party (PSP) were summoned to the General Headquarters (GHQ) and given instructions.He said that either to merge or to exist as individual entities was a deicison totally to be taken by the two political parties and allegations of the establishment playing a role have no truth to it.Statement of Rangers DG has come in days after PSP and MQMP leaders addressed a joint press conference in Karachi and announced a merger.Know also:MQMP dissolved, merger with PSP to get fresh manifesto, symbolAs per the announcement then, MQMP was dissolved and merged with PSP and the resulting political party was to contest General Elections 2018 under one electoral symbol and manifesto.However, MQMP chief Dr Farooq Sattar withdrew the decision and the merger was called off hours later. Dr Sattar had also announced to quit politics but a reversal of decision came later.

Myanmar army denies Rohingya abuses ahead of Tillerson visit

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YANGON: (AFP) - Myanmars army cleared itself of any abuses against Rohingya civilians on Monday, following an internal probe that a rights group said aimed to whitewash an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Muslim minority.The findings were released ahead of Wednesdays visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is expected to adopt a firm tone with the military over its treatment of the Rohingya, more than 600,000 of whom have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in two and a half months.The crisis detonated in late August after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts in Myanmars Rakhine state, triggering a military crackdown that saw hundreds of villages reduced to ashes and sparked a massive exodus.While authorities have blocked independent access to northern Rakhine, journalists and UN officials have collected reams of testimony from Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh describing soldiers and Buddhist mobs committing murder, rape and mass arson.Following its first official investigation into the crisis, the army said the findings published late Monday were based on interviews with more than 3,000 villagers in northern Rakhine and proved that all security members had strictly abided by the rules of engagement.After firing warning shots at mobs of alleged Rohingya militants, soldiers and police only started firing single shots in intervals aiming only at the legs between the foot and knee of the leader if the group did not desist, the report said.In total 13 security officers and 376 Rohingya terrorists were killed in clashes over a two-week period starting on August 25, it said.The report also denied allegations that soldiers had raped women, set fire to villages or pillaged homes.They did not threaten, bully and drive out the villagers, it said, blaming Rohingya militants for arson attacks.The only lapse on the militarys part pertained to weaknesses in management and intelligence-gathering that allowed the rebel raids to take place, the probe said.The report will do little to appease the UN and rights groups that have documented evidence of a systematic army campaign to expel the maligned Muslim minority.Rights watchdog Amnesty International slammed the probe as an attempt to whitewash crimes against humanity.There is overwhelming evidence that the military has murdered and raped Rohingya and burned their villages to the ground, said James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.The Rohingya have been the target of state persecution in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years.Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a former democracy activist who came to power in free elections in 2015, has been lambasted by rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya or condemn festering anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.But she lacks control over the military.Washington has been careful not to place blame on her and focus instead on the armys role in the conflict.

Air raids kill 21 civilians in northern Syria: monitor

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BEIRUT: (AFP) - Air strikes on a market killed at least 21 civilians, including children, in a town in northern Syria on Monday despite a de-escalation zone in place there, a monitor said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not immediately clear whether the strikes on rebel-held Atareb had been carried out by Syrian warplanes, or those of Damascuss ally Russia.The monitor said three strikes hit the towns market, adding that the overall toll was expected to rise because dozens of people had been wounded or were still missing after the attack.A photographer contributing to AFP saw massive destruction at the scene, with rubble from damaged buildings covering the street and panicked civilians carrying away the injured.Three men helped one of those hit in the attack, his face drenched in blood and his features almost completely obscured.Nearby, the body of a man in a blue shirt and dark trousers lay where he had died.Civil defence workers rushed alongside civilians to evacuate the injured, with one man in a thick beanie hat carrying a wailing child in a pink sweater away from the scene.Elsewhere, the bodies of at least three children were laid out on the ground, partly covered by thick bolts of fabric.Atareb is in the west of Aleppo province, in an area that is part of a de-escalation zone agreed under a deal earlier this year between Syrias allies Russia and Iran, and rebel backer Turkey.The zone mostly covers neighbouring Idlib province, which is largely held by opposition forces and a jihadist group formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda.Despite the governments recapture of Aleppo city late last year, rebel groups maintain a presence in the west of the province.More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
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