Western Asia

Some 330,000 Syrian children are given formal education at state schools in Turkey, Education Minister Nabi Avc? has said in Brussels, urging European states to "contribute to these efforts." 

The archaeological site of Hattusha, the capital of the Hittite civilization which entered the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1986, was visited by a number of ambassadors in Turkey over the weekend as part of its two-day 30th anniversary celebrations organized by the governor's office in the Central Anatolian province Çorum.

During the works to build a shopping center in Gaza, Palestine, a group of construction workers discovered ancient ruins that archaeologists believe they are parts of a Byzantine church sating from around 1,500 years ago, the Palestinian tourism and antiquities ministry said on April 4.

The United States' top diplomat has called on militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to lay down their arms, while recognizing the legitimacy of the Turkish government's security operations due to "terrorist attacks and declarations of autonomy" by the PKK.

Turkey's prime minister and president recently delivered speeches which had certain nuances to say the least.

On April 3 the prime minister said, "If the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party] would turn back to May 2013, everything can be talked about." If the PKK "were to leave all arms and go outside the border," then "everything could be discussed."

Syrian peace talks which fail to address the question of President Bashar al-Assad's fate are "doomed to failure," a spokesman for the main opposition grouping involved in negotiations said.

Riad Naasan Agha, of the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee, said that the talks which are set to resume on April 11 in Geneva must focus on the future of the Syrian leader.

Fewer UN relief convoys are reaching starving civilians in Syria's besieged areas, prompting the United States on April 5 to call for renewed pressure on the Damascus regime to allow access for aid deliveries.

Many Iraqi entrepreneurs are finding restaurants and eateries a safe business bet, despite the country's slumping economy, prevailing violence and an ongoing war with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

As the fierce 7-month-long fight between Turkish security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with its demands of self-rule leaves more bodies behind, the political polarization around it also escalates to unprecedented levels.

Construction workers in Gaza have discovered ancient ruins that archaeologists say may be part of a Byzantine church dating from around 1,500 years ago, the Palestinian tourism and antiquities ministry said on April 4.