CURRENT WORLD ISSUES

Syria war: Turkish air strikes 'damage ancient Afrin temple' 5 hours ago Turkish air strikes have seriously damaged an ancient temple in Syria's Kurdish-held Afrin region, the Syrian government and a monitoring group say. Pictures circulated online showed what appeared to be a crater in the centre of the Ain Dara site and rubble where there used to be carved basalt lions. The Neo-Hittite temple was built by the Arameans in the first millennium BC. Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels launched an offensive to push a Kurdish militia out of Afrin nine days ago. The Turkish government says the People's Protection Units (YPG) is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in south-eastern Turkey for three decades. 'We will never abandon our homes' How historical Afrin became a prize worth a war Why Turkey is targeting Kurdish enclave in Syria The YPG denies any direct org...

Pope Francis sorry for upsetting abuse victims 24 minutes ago Pope Francis has apologised for remarks he made last week in Chile defending a bishop accused of covering up sexual abuse. He said he realised his words hurt many, but repeated his belief that Chilean Bishop Juan Barros was innocent. Francis was speaking to journalists on board a plane flying back to Rome. Last week, he had said that victims who had accused Bishop Barros were committing slander. The Pope was openly criticised by Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, who said he left victims of sexual abuse committed by priests feeling abandoned. "I apologise to them if I hurt them without realising it, but it was a wound that I inflicted without meaning to," said the Pope on Monday, as quoted by Reuters news agency. "It pains me very much." Protesters want action, not words By Jane Chambers, BBC News in Santiago Protesters in Chile are not impressed with the Pope's apology. They ...

Why focusing on '******' totally misses the point Analysis by  Chris Cillizza , CNN Editor-at-large Updated 1609 GMT (0009 HKT) January 15, 2018 (CNN) The last three days have been consumed by this debate: Did President Donald Trump refer to several foreign countries as "shitholes" or not? Trump insists he didn't use that word. Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, who were in the meeting Thursday where the controversy arose, first said they didn't recall Trump using the word but then shifted to straight denials. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, said that Trump used term "****hole." Sen. Lindsey Graham --  via Sen. Tim Scott  -- has confirmed the  reporting by The Washington Post , as has Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who said he heard it directly from attendees of the meeting although he was not there in person. The latest twist came Sunday night when the Post's Josh Dawsey...

Tens of thousands flee as Syrian regime makes Idlib push By Eyad Kourdi, Gul Tuysuz and  Angela Dewan , CNN Updated 1629 GMT (0029 HKT) January 8, 2018 Syrians who fled Idlib province take shelter at a camp near the Turkish border on Thursday. (CNN) The number of civilians fleeing their makeshift homes in northern Syria is likely to be in the tens of thousands, UN officials have told CNN, as the Syrian government steps up its offensive on key rebel-held areas. The Syrian regime, led by President Bashar al-Assad, has resumed airstrikes on rebel-held areas, such as Idlib province, where medical organizations say several hospitals and medical facilities have been hit over the past two weeks. Idlib: Syria's latest version of hell The officials said that around half of the civilian population of 2 million people in Idlib province had already been living in "extremely dire" circumstances before being forced to flee again in the win...