From riots to Qaddafi: the non-coronavirus news you may have missed

Many were killed in an explosion in north-eastern Syria and the son of Middle East immigrants may run for US president

Lebanese protesters gather next to burning trash bins amid overnight confrontations with army soldiers in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli. AFP

At least 40 killed in Afrin bomb

A tanker bombing in a market in northern Syria killed at least 46 people including Turkish-backed rebel fighters on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The blast in Afrin, a city controlled by Ankara's proxies, came as people went shopping in preparation to break the Ramadan fast, according to the US State Department, which condemned the attack as a "cowardly act of evil".

Lebanon’s protesters say they're ready for a fight

Violence between protesters and security forces in Lebanon erupted again on Tuesday evening following the death of 26-year old mechanic Fawaz Fouad Al Samman during clashes with the army in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday.

Attacks on banks started on Saturday evening in Saida and Tyre and turned into a riot in Tripoli on Monday before clashes with security forces spread across the country.

Facebook takes down Saif Qaddafi pages

Facebook has removed 18 community pages that violated its terms by spreading co-ordinated inauthentic posts to create the impression that a large number of Libyans yearned for the return of the Qaddafi family, Stanford University researchers claim.

The accounts were removed for violating the platform's terms of service by amplifying their message through the use of inauthentic accounts.

Iraq needs independent government, says senior US diplomat

The US is urging the formation of "a credible government" in Iraq, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as pro-Iranian players threaten to oust a prime minister-designate close to Washington.

Assistant State Department Secretary David Schenker told Al Arabiya Television that the next government in Baghdad should observe “the interest of Iraq as far as bilateral issues and respond to the demands and needs of the Iraqi people.”

Son of Middle Eastern migrants explores run for US President

Independent Congressman Justin Amash is exploring a third-party run for president in 2020 if the Libertarian party nominates him for its candidacy at the end of next month.

The congressman for a Michigan district is the son of immigrants. His father, Atallah, immigrated to US as a Christian Palestinian refugee, while his mother, Mimi, hails from Syria.