Syria

DAMASCUS — Syrian anti-aircraft defences on Wednesday intercepted a "heavy attack" by Israeli warplanes over the capital Damascus, state media said. "At 1:20 am (2320 GMT) on Wednesday, Israeli warplanes... targeted the vicinity of the city of Damascus with a number of missiles," SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying. "Our air defence confronted the heavy attack and intercepted the hostile missiles, and was able to destroy most of them before reaching their targets." An AFP correspondent in Damascus heard several large explosions. SANA added that the aggression was carried out from "Lebanese and Palestinian territories". Israel sometimes launches its attacks on Syria from planes flying over neighbouring Lebanon. Triggered by the repression of demonstrations by President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian conflict has been complicated by the involvement of foreign powers. The air raid comes a day after Israel's defences intercepted four rockets fired from Syria, prompting … [Read more...] about Syria downs Israeli missiles over Damascus: state media

The Vietnamese squad, coached by Park Hang-seo, were among the six best performers in the first leg of the 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers round two and are currently full of hope for a place in the final qualification tournament. Forward Nguyen Tien Linh (in red) scores a solitary goal to edge Vietnam past the UAE in their last Group G clash on November 14. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai) The 1-0 win against the United Arab Emirates on November 14 helped Vietnam attain the most points in the history of their participation in the World Cup qualifiers, nearly equaling the combined points of their previous two campaigns – seven points in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and four points in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. Park’s side are now dominant on top of Group G with 10 points after an unbeaten run of three wins and one draw, three points clear of regional archrivals Thailand and four points above the UAE, who had been deemed as the strongest in the group. In … [Read more...] about Vietnam among best performers in first leg of World Cup Asian qualifiers

US President Donald Trump met with Fabiana Rosales, wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, and demanded Russia end support for president Nicolas Maduro. (AFP/SAUL LOEB) Russia's deployment of troops and equipment to bolster Maduro has ratcheted up already high international tension in Venezuela where the Trump administration is pushing hard for regime change amid mounting chaos in the once rich country. "Russia has to get out," Trump said at the White House alongside Fabiana Rosales, wife of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognised by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela's interim president in place of Maduro. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Trump's demand, asking in return why US troops were still in parts of Syria, where the Assad regime relies heavily on Russia support. "He said the United States would withdraw from Syria a month ago," she was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. "Before … [Read more...] about Trump tells Russia ‘to get out’ of Venezuela

International Vietnam's lead at top of Group G trimmed to two points The Saigon Times Daily Wednesday,  Nov 20, 2019,10:44 (GMT+7) Vietnam's lead at top of Group G trimmed to two points The Saigon Times Daily Vietnamese and Thai players fight for the ball during their their second round of Asian qualifying for the 2022 World Cup at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium on Tuesday - PHOTO: VNA HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Vietnam saw their lead at the top of Group G trimmed to two points yesterday after Park Hang-seo's side were held to a 0-0 draw by Thailand as Malaysia moved into second in the group due to their 2-0 victory over Indonesia. Vietnam have 11 points while Malaysia are ahead of Thailand on nine points, one more than Akira Nishino's side. Top seeds the United Arab Emirates, who did not play on Tuesday, are in fourth with six points. The Malaysians moved into second in the group thanks to a brace from Safawi Rashid - … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s lead at top of Group G trimmed to two points

The draw leaves the Vietnamese national team top of the table with 11 points following three wins and two draws. Elsewhere in Group G, Thailand have fallen to third place with eight points. The drop comes as Malaysia climb to second position with nine points following their 2-0 win over Indonesia. With six matches playing during the World Cup 2022 qualification campaign, Syria have been the standout team and look all but guaranteed to progress to the next stage following their 1-0 win over the Philippines. The Syrian team top Group A with a total of 15 points, followed by China and the Philippines, who are both on eight points. Here are the results of the latest group games: Group A: Maldives - Guam 3-1 Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H … [Read more...] about Vietnam maintain first place in Group G of World Cup 2022 qualifiers