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Attack on Kurds in Paris revives trauma of unresolved murders

Furious Kurdish demonstrators clashed with police in central Paris on Friday after a deadly attack on a community centre which has revived the trauma of three unresolved murders in 2013 that many blame on Turkey.

Police deployed outside the cultural centre used teargas to disperse the protesters who tried to break through a police cordon protecting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, AFP reporters said.

Some could be seen throwing objects at police and setting rubbish bins on fire, while several cars were damaged during the disturbances.

Demonstrators threw objects at police in response, set rubbish bins on fire and erected barricades

Kurdish protesters clash with police after Paris shooting

Kurdish demonstrators clashed with police in central Paris on Friday after a 69-year-old gunman opened fire at a Kurdish cultural centre and a hairdressing salon, killing three people and injuring three others.

Police deployed outside the cultural centre used teargas to disperse the protesters who tried to break through a police cordon protecting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin who had arrived at the scene, AFP reporters said.

Demonstrators threw objects at police in response, set rubbish bins on fire and erected barricades, they said.

Demonstrators threw objects at police in response, set rubbish bins on fire and erected barricades

Israeli police shoot dead Arab-Israeli after attack

Israeli officers on Friday shot dead an Arab-Israeli after he attempted to fired at them and then rammed them with his car near Tel Aviv, the police said.

The incident occurred in Kafr Qassem, an Arab-Israeli city on the edge of Tel Aviv and just outside the occupied West Bank. Violence has surged in the West Bank since March when Israel began near daily raids following a series of deadly attacks targeting Israelis.

In a statement, police said the suspect had called police on the pretext of "a violent incident", which brought them to Kafr Qassem.

Cross-Channel migrants in UK decry Rwanda deportation plan

If the UK government has its way, the tens of thousands of migrants arriving on England's southeastern shores each year, after crossing the Channel in small boats, will face swift deportation to Rwanda.

Although the controversial plan is on hold amid legal challenges, some of those who have completed the perilous journey said they are spooked by the prospect.

"It's really terrifying," Abdulhakim, a 24-year-old Ethiopian who arrived in April, told AFP outside a London hotel where he has since been staying.

Trafficking gangs now put migrants in small boats for the dangerous Channel crossing

Israel drops charges against magnate Beny Steinmetz

Israeli authorities have dropped all criminal charges against Beny Steinmetz, a French-Israeli billionaire suspected of money laundering, and instead agreed to a financial settlement, according to court documents seen by AFP on Friday.

The co-founder of mining firm Beny Steinmetz Group Resources was detained in August 2017 and then released as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.

Three dead after shooting at Kurdish centre in Paris

A 69-year-old gunman opened fire at a Kurdish cultural centre and a hairdressing salon in Paris on Friday, killing three people and injuring three others, witnesses and prosecutors said.

The shots shortly before midday (1100 GMT) caused panic in rue d'Enghien in the trendy 10th district of the French capital, a bustling area of shops and restaurants that is home to a large Kurdish population.

The shots caused panic in the trendy 10th district, a bustling area of shops and restaurants that is home to a large Kurdish population

Turkish doctor on 'terror' trial over chemical arms comment

The head of Turkey's main medical union went on trial Friday on "terror" charges linked to her calls for a probe into the army's alleged use of chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in Iraq.

Sebnem Korur Fincanci was detained on October 26 after becoming one of the most prominent public figures to draw attention to reports that first surfaced in media outlets close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The militia said 17 of its fighters had died in Turkish chemical weapons attacks in the mountains and caves of northern Iraq.

Turkey's medical union chief Sebnem Korur Fincanci is both a forensics expert and a prominent government critic

Iraq tells visiting Italy PM it seeks closer economic ties

Iraq's prime minister appealed to visiting Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Friday for closer economic ties with his oil-rich country suffering from power cuts and decaying infrastructure.

Meloni, who leads the eurozone's third-largest economy, is on her first bilateral trip outside Europe. She is on a pre-Christmas visit to Italian troops posted in Iraq in support of an anti-jihadist mission.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reviews an honour guard with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during her visit to Baghdad

Spain border police absolved of Melilla migrant deaths

Spain's public prosecutor closed an investigation Friday into the deaths of at least 23 African migrants trying to cross from Morocco into Melilla, one of its two North African enclaves.

The move eases pressure on Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska who has been under pressure for months over the tragedy which took place on June 24 when up to 2,000 migrants tried to scale the fence surrounding Melilla.

Morocco put the number of dead at 23 while Amnesty International and independent experts gave a figure of 37 in what was the worst recorded toll in years.

Amnesty International says 37 migrants died at the Melilla border in June although Morocco has given a lower toll

Macron urges Lebanon to 'get rid' of leaders blocking reforms

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Lebanon Friday to "get rid" of its political leadership who have for months blocked reforms vital to save its stricken economy.

"The problem with Lebanon is that we must solve people's problems and get rid of those who cannot do it," Macron said, referring to the country's entrenched political class -- widely blamed for the country's financial collapse since late 2019.

"Lebanon must change its leadership," he said in an interview with three media outlets including Lebanon's Annahar newspaper.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) speaks with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on the sidelines of UN climate change talks in Glasgow late last year