Syrian military says missiles came from occupied Golan Heights, caused material damage
Several surface-to-surface missiles from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights struck southwest of Damascus late on Wednesday and caused material damage, the Syrian military told local media. No casualties have been reported yet.
The “Israeli enemy” struck near the town of Zakyah at approximately 11:35 pm, military sources told the Syrian news agency SANA. Damascus did not provide any details on the type or number of missiles used.
While Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airplanes frequently fire air-to-ground missiles into Syria, usually from Lebanese airspace, the newest attack is unusual because no jets were used. Israeli warplanes were spotted over Lebanon but launched no missiles this time, according to Syrian media.
Israel has fired surface-to-surface missiles at Syria from Golan just last Wednesday, in a follow-up to an air strike. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, ten such projectiles were launched against Syrian air defenses, killing one soldier and injuring five more. The IDF said they had carried out a strike in retaliation, after a Syrian air defense missile launched to intercept an Israeli airstrike exploded in the skies over Galilee instead.
Tel Aviv has sought to justify its previous air raids by saying they were “defensive” strikes against “Iranian” targets inside Syria. Damascus has rejected this reasoning and accused Israel of repeatedly violating its sovereignty.
Nairobi, Kenya, Feb 16 (IPS) – Unable to walk, see or hear, and without assistance, the multiple barriers between 240 million children with disabilities and the education system mean nearly half are likely never to have attended school.
Users of the dating app in France will be encouraged to vote in the upcoming presidential election
Dating app Tinder and civil rights NGO ‘A Voté’ jointly announced on Wednesday that they were launching a campaign to encourage young French people to register and vote in the upcoming presidential election.
While browsing potential love matches, Tinder users will be shown a swipe-able video card bearing the message: “If you’re dating near home… Then vote near home!”
The reminder will be live until April 8, for all active users of the application in France aged 18 to 25.
Those who click on the message will be redirected to the ‘A Voté’ site, which provides people with all the information they need to vote in the 2022 presidential election.
In France, mis-registration on the electoral lists, mostly caused by moving home, affected 7.6 million people in 2017, including 51% of 25- to 29-year-olds, according to sociologist Céline Braconnier. The age profile of Tinder users is among those most likely to be impacted by voting mis-registration and abstention.
Ben Puygrenier, a spokesperson for Tinder in France, said the initiative would “help the young generation to recognize that together they have a voice.”
France’s presidential election kicks off on April 10, with incumbent Emmanuel Macron facing stiff opposition from a number of right-wing candidates.
LONDON, Feb 16 (IPS) – Over the past two weeks, a petition signed by almost five million people globally was handed in to governments around the world. It called for a Global Ocean Treaty to help rescue our oceans.
