Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that Kurdish plans to hold a referendum on independence was like “playing with fire”, according to a local media website. Abadi’s comment came after the parliament of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq approved on...
The United States and Western allies pressed Iraqi Kurdish leaders to ditch a “very risky” independence vote on Thursday, presenting an alternative plan in an attempt to avoid conflict between the oil rich region and central government in Baghdad. The referendum, slated for Sept. 25,...
The United States on Thursday extended some sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal, the State Department said, but no decision has been made on whether to preserve the deal itself. At the same time, President Donald Trump said that Iran is violating “the spirit” of the...
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey on Thursday welcomed an Iraqi parliament move to reject a referendum on Kurdish independence. The parliament in Baghdad authorized the prime minister to “take all measures” to preserve Iraq’s unity in response to the move to hold an independence referendum in...
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked the Iraqi parliament on Thursday to hold a vote on removing the governor of Kirkuk from office, the parliamentary speaker’s office said. Abadi’s call came after Kirkuk - an oil-rich province claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and the...
An Egyptian lawyer who represents the family of murdered Italian student Giulio Regeni was prevented from flying to a U.N. conference and detained by a special prosecutor, his supporters and a security source said on Wednesday. Ibrahim Metwaly, who founded the Association of the...
Israel supports the establishment of a Kurdish state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, as Kurds in Iraq gear up for a referendum on independence that lawmakers in Baghdad oppose. Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with the Kurds...
Israeli banks are contributing to the proliferation of West Bank settlements by providing loans and mortgages for construction there, violating their human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said in a report Wednesday. The report said that Israeli law does not require banks to...
A decision by Germany to suspend all major arms exports to Turkey weakens Ankara’s fight against terrorism and makes Europe vulnerable, Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said on Tuesday. Celik was speaking in London after German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday Berlin...
Iraq’s parliament voted on Tuesday to reject a referendum on Kurdish independence planned for Sept. 25, authorizing the prime minister to “take all measures” to preserve Iraq’s unity, lawmakers said. Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session before the vote and issued statements...
Militants attacked a security convoy in Egypt’s strife-torn Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 18 policemen in a blast and a gun battle on Monday, sources said - an assault claimed by Islamic State. The attackers detonated an improvised explosive device and managed to destroy three...
Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State fighters after government forces expelled the jihadist group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said. Most came from Turkey. Many others were from former...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would meet U.S. President Donald Trump later this month during a visit to New York, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27. Netanyahu spoke to reporters accompanying him on a trip to Latin...
Turks can safely come to Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday, dismissing a warning from Ankara that its citizens should take care when traveling there due to what it said was an increase in anti-Turkish sentiment. Tensions between Berlin and Ankara have been bubbling for...
Egypt has blocked the website of Human Rights Watch just one day after the organization released a report on systematic torture in the country’s jails. Reuters attempted to access the website late on Thursday but was unsuccessful. “Egyptian authorities keep insisting that any...
A Turkish court has ordered a German citizen who was detained in southern Turkey last week to be released but banned him from leaving the country, the news agency Dogan reported on Thursday. The released man and his German partner were detained while on holiday in Antalya, a popular...
Egypt’s armed forces said on Tuesday that joint U.S.-Egyptian military exercises will resume this month for the first time since 2009, after U.S. officials canceled them in 2013 following an Egyptian army crackdown on protests. The joint training is usually held every two years...
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that Iran’s talk of a possible rapprochement with the kingdom was laughable. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in London that Iran would have to change its policies for any rapprochement. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad...
Iran’s air defenses have forced an approaching U.S. spy plane and a reconnaissance drone to change course near its air space over the past six months, a military official was quoted as saying on Sunday . Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Iran’s air defense force, said...
The Valley of Peace cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf is filled with mourners paying tribute to "martyrs" who have fallen in battles to expel the Islamic State group from Iraq's cities. In keeping with religious tradition, Kazem al-Aibi has already visited the tombs of relatives...
