Missile attack kills 3 Syrian journalists: CPJDecember 10, 2014 - 13:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Three journalists from the Syrian opposition television channel Orient News were killed in the southwest of the country when a missile hit their vehicle, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said late on Tuesday, Dec 9, according to Reuters. The U.S.-based media advocacy group said the journalists had been killed on Monday near Sheikh Meskin, a town at the center of a battle between Syrian government forces and insurgents in Deraa province. Quoting the channel, the CPJ said those killed were correspondents Rami Asmi and Yousef El-Dous and cameraman Salem Khalil and that the Syrian military had targeted the men. The CPJ said it was unable to independently verify that a missile had directly targeted the car. Syrian government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. More than 70 journalists have been killed while covering the Syrian conflict, which is now in its fourth year, the CPJ says. While beheadings of foreign reporters by Islamic State militants have drawn most international attention, the CPJ says the vast majority of journalists killed in Syria have been local. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |