Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 20:19 AFP — Protesters rallied for a second day in Turkey's main cities on Thursday to demand an end to a deadly Syrian army offensive against Kurdish fighters in Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 20:05 AFP — Clashes between Syrian government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo raged into the night Thursday on the third day of fighting, as Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi warned the violence undermined talks with Damascus.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 19:55 AFP — Rights groups accused Iranian security forces of shooting at demonstrators as the death toll mounted on Thursday from a crackdown on economic protests and a watchdog reported an internet blackout across the Islamic republic.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 19:06 AFP — Syrian authorities on Thursday announced a curfew in six Aleppo neighbourhoods including two Kurdish-majority districts, on the third day of heavy fighting between government and Kurdish-led forces.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 18:20 AFP — Clashes between Syrian government personnel and Kurdish forces raged into the night Thursday on the third day of fighting, as Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi warned the violence undermined talks with Damascus.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 17:33 AFP — Rights groups accused Iranian security forces of shooting at protesters as the death toll mounted on Thursday from a crackdown on a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living that has now spread across the Islamic republic.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 16:37 AFP — Syria's military heavily bombed Kurdish neighbourhoods in Aleppo on a third day of fighting as Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi warned the violence undermined talks with Damascus.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 16:23 AFP — Several hundred people demonstrated Thursday in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey's Kurdish-majority main city, to protest against the Syrian army's offensive against Kurdish fighters in Aleppo, AFP correspondents reported.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 16:13 AFP — Protesters denounced the Iranian authorities and staged strike actions Thursday in a new wave of demonstrations that have spread across the Islamic republic, as rights groups accused security forces of shooting on people in several locations.

Thursday, 8 January, 2026 , 15:35 AFP — Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that violence in Aleppo undermined talks with the government in Damascus, as implementation has stalled on a deal reached last year to integrated Kurdish forces into the country's central authorities.