Bloody Fighting between Opposition Factions in N.Syria in Struggle for Power, Influence

Disputes have erupted between rival factions over a struggle for power and influence. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Disputes have erupted between rival factions over a struggle for power and influence. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Bloody Fighting between Opposition Factions in N.Syria in Struggle for Power, Influence

Disputes have erupted between rival factions over a struggle for power and influence. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Disputes have erupted between rival factions over a struggle for power and influence. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Internal fighting continued between different factions of the Syrian National Army, supported by Ankara, in the areas of Turkish military operations in northern Syria.

Disputes have erupted over a struggle for power and influence, and for material gains that are reaped from ports and smuggling crossings.

Activists in the countryside of Aleppo said a member was killed on Thursday in an armed clash between two groups of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division, affiliated with the Syrian National Army, in the city center of Jindires in the countryside of Afrin, northern Aleppo. The dispute resulted in the serious injury of other militants.

On April 18, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said violent clashes, using with medium and light machine guns, erupted between two groups of the Syrian Front faction, which is affiliated with the Syrian National Army, near Al-Qabban roundabout in the center of Afrin city.

The dispute developed into violent clashes between the two parties, without reports on human casualties.

Husam al-Shihabi, a resident of the city of al-Bab in the countryside of Aleppo, said violent clashes erupted on April 2, between the Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Jabha al-Shamiya factions, near the city, located within the Euphrates Shield area.

The dispute erupted when a leader in Ahrar al-Sham refused to give up his position in the Third Legion, which is affiliated with the National Army.

The clashes led to the killing and wounding of four members of the factions, and the blocking of the roads leading to al-Bab, prompting the residents to stage a mass demonstration in the city, calling on the factions to stop the fighting and observe the sanctity of the month of Ramadan.

“About 17 members have been killed and more than 30 others wounded, since the beginning of 2022, in bloody clashes between the factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army, in the areas of the northern countryside of Aleppo (al-Bab, Afrin Jandiris, Azaz and Al-Ra’i), which caused the closure of roads and markets,” Shihabi said.



French Designer Threads a Path in London Fashion Week

This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
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French Designer Threads a Path in London Fashion Week

This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)

Just days before her third runway show, French designer Pauline Dujancourt was riding a wave of excitement and nerves.

The 31-year-old admitted she had begun having strange, nightmarish dreams ahead of her big moment at London Fashion Week on Sunday.

The British capital will once again host its Autumn/Winter fashion week from Thursday to Monday, after New York's bonanza and before the catwalk carousel moves to Milan and Paris.

London, known for its raw creative energy and rising talents, is where Dujancourt launched her label in April 2022 after training at the renowned arts and design school Ecole Duperre in Paris, and fashion hub Central Saint Martins in London.

She and her team began work in November on her autumn-winter 2026/27 collection to be unveiled before some 450 guests -- journalists, buyers and VIP clients.

For designers, everything comes down to those few precious minutes on the catwalk. It's no wonder nervousness mixes with the creative buzz.

"I go through every emotion," Dujancourt told AFP with a smile. "Some days I'm super excited, full of ideas, and others I'm like: why did I pick this color, this fabric?"

The questions and worries snowball: "Will everyone be on time? Will there be last-minute hitches on the day?"

In recent weeks, she has been running her daily schedule with military precision.
Dujancourt works year-round with four assistant designers, but the team swells to around 50 people ahead of the show.

And she works with a community of knitters in Lima, Peru, with handknitting -- "something that my grandmother taught me as a child" -- being a hallmark of her garments.

"She was so skillful and so humble about it. And no one really realized how much work it takes and how much technique it takes," she said.

Known for her sensual, airy knitwear, Dujancourt was a finalist for the LVMH Prize, won Elle UK's young talent award, and is supported by the British Fashion Council.

Her clients span the globe from Japan to the United States, France and the UK, with regular requests for wedding dresses.

Her new collection pays tribute to women persecuted during historical witch hunts.

"I really want to celebrate the fact that there are so many women around the world who are working so humbly on domestic skills ... like sewing, hand knitting," she said.

Two weeks before the show, young seamstresses were crocheting floral motifs in mohair and Japanese metallic thread at a south London studio overlooking the Thames river and Big Ben.

Workers were hunched over their desks pouring over designs, with the looks still "in pieces".

Then comes the moment when everything is assembled. "It's the magical stage, when the clothes start to come alive," she said, her blue eyes lighting up her face framed by long dark hair.

Less than a week before the show, fittings begin with an in-house model, followed by the castings to find the right models.

On the eve of the show come final fittings, hair and make-up tests. And finally, on Sunday morning, the full rehearsal.

Show day always brings surprises. At Dujancourt's last catwalk in September, several models arrived extremely late, held up by another show.

"They turned up still wearing the other show's make-up. We had to dress them and redo everything ... I nearly died," she recalled.

What is her worst nightmare? A model tripping or garments ripping in front of the cameras.

"I once dreamt I'd forgotten to get dressed before coming out to greet the audience -- that would be a bit embarrassing," she joked.

Around 25 outfits will strut the catwalk on Sunday, a moment that "goes by in a flash".
Afterwards comes the crash.

"We barely see it happening ... because we are backstage in the madness and the chaos of it," she said.

But then it's finished "and there's a bit of baby blues afterwards," as she comes down off the adrenaline rush.

Dujancourt heads to Paris after London Fashion Week to meet buyers, before work begins again for her next show, in September.


ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Plans to Quit Before Macron's Term Ends

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
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ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Plans to Quit Before Macron's Term Ends

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde plans to leave her job before next year's French presidential election to allow Emmanuel Macron to have an input into picking her successor, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Lagarde's term is due to end in October 2027 but some fear that the far right may win the French presidential race ‌in the spring of ‌2027, complicating the selection for the ‌new ⁠leader of Europe's most ⁠important financial institution.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, the FT said Lagarde has not yet decided on the exact timing of her departure but was keen on Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to be the key deciders in who succeeds her. Macron cannot run again for a third term.

"President Lagarde is ⁠totally focused on her mission and has not ‌taken any decision regarding the end ‌of her term," Reuters quoted an ECB spokesperson as saying.

The FT report comes only ‌a week after Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau ‌said he would step down in June this year, more than a year before the end of his term, allowing Macron to name his replacement before the presidential election that the far-right could win.

While it ‌will be up to all leaders from the 21-nation euro zone to pick Lagarde's successor, ⁠past practice ⁠suggests that any successful candidate must have both German and French support to clinch the role.

There are no formal candidates for the job yet but several names have been floating among ECB circles as potential ECB presidents. The most prominent among these are former Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot and Bank for International Settlements General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos.

Lagarde's non-renewable term at the ECB runs until October 31, 2027. Prior to heading the ECB, she was managing director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019 and before that, the French finance minister.


PSG’s Mental Strength Hailed as they Come from Behind to Win at Monaco

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
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PSG’s Mental Strength Hailed as they Come from Behind to Win at Monaco

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis ‌Enrique hailed the mental strength of his side in coming from two goals down to win 3-2 away at Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday, but warned the knockout round tie was far from finished.

The first leg clash between the two Ligue 1 clubs saw Folarin Balogun score twice for the hosts in the opening 18 minutes before Vitinha had his penalty saved to compound matters.

But after Desire Doue came on for injured Ousmane Dembele, the ‌match turned ‌and defending champions PSG went on to ‌secure ⁠a one-goal advantage ⁠for the return leg.

"Normally, when a team starts a match like that, the most likely outcome is a loss,” Reuters quoted Luis Enrique as saying.

“It was catastrophic. It's impossible to start a match like that. The first two times they overcame our pressure and entered our half, they scored. They ⁠made some very good plays.

“After that, it's difficult ‌to have confidence, but we ‌showed our mental strength. Plus, we missed a penalty, so ‌it was a chance to regain confidence. In the ‌last six times we've played here, this is only the second time we've won, which shows how difficult it is.”

The 20-year-old Doue scored twice and provided a third for Achraf Hakimi, just ‌days after he had turned in a poor performance against Stade Rennais last Friday ⁠and was ⁠dropped for the Monaco clash.

“I'm happy for him because this past week, everyone criticized and tore Doue apart, but he was sensational, he showed his character. He helped the team at the best possible time.”

Dembele’s injury would be assessed, the coach added. “He took a knock in the first 15 minutes, then he couldn't run.”

The return leg at the Parc des Princes will be next Wednesday. “Considering how the match started, I'm happy with the result. But the match in Paris will be difficult, it will be a different story,” Luis Enrique warned.