Eau Claire / AFP Syrian rebels renewed their bid to break a government siege on eastern Aleppo on Thursday, shelling regime-held parts of the city, hours before a brief Russian-declared ceasefire was due to begin. State media said at least 12 people had been killed in rebel rocket and gunfire on western neighbourhoods, after an assault that began with a …

  Riyadh / AFP Twelve people have been arrested in southern Saudi Arabia on suspicion of belonging to a Yemeni rebel group fighting the kingdom, a newspaper reported on Thursday. They were detained during a wide-ranging crackdown in the border region of Najran, Al-Riyadh newspaper said. “The campaign also resulted in the arrest of 12 Yemenis suspected of belonging to …

  Riyadh / AFP Thousands of Yemenis protested on Thursday against a UN plan to end a 19-month conflict between rebels and the government, which the president rejected as “not a map for peace.” Protesters in Aden rallied against the plan following a call by authorities in the southern city, which is serving as a temporary capital as Sanaa remains …