Histyar Qader | Erbil | (Niqash.org) | – – The end of the year brought strife to Iraqi Kurdistan, The northern region has to deal with a reduced area of influence, internal and external political problems, and a financial crisis. This year brought major transformation to the semi-autonomous northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan and by […]
Archives for December 2017
Tehran Police say Iranian Women won’t be arrested over Dress Code
Middle East Monitor | – – TEHRAN, IRAN – JUNE 5: Iranian women perform as they train Far East Fighting Arts to be able to defend themselves, at the Jughin castle which is located 40 km’s far from Tehran, Iran on Police in Iran’s capital said Thursday they will no longer detain women who violate […]
Saudi Arabia Killed 68 Yemeni Civilians in Just 1 Day: UN
TeleSur | – – A United Nations top official said warring sides in Yemen, especially the Saudi-led coalition, have no regard for human life. The top U.N. official in Yemen said Thursday that Saudi-led airstrikes have killed scores of civilians in the past 10 days, including 68 in just one day, in what he called […]
Russia: Permanent Bases planned in Syria to fight Terrorism
By Juan Cole | (informed Comment) | – – The US military says that the number of ISIL fighters in eastern Syria has fallen from 3000 a month ago to only 1000 today. Moreover a lot of the latter are fleeing into al-Assad-controlled territory, a severe security concern for the Syrian state. The US is […]
Egyptian parliament moves to make atheism a crime
Brian Whitaker | ( al-Bab.com The Egyptian parliament’s committee on religion has announced plans to make disbelief in God a crime. Under the current law against “contempt of religions” atheists can be prosecuted for expressing their disbelief in public but the committee’s proposal would go further and criminalise disbelief itself. In 2014, little more than a […]
Barack Obama tells Prince Harry how he felt after Donald Trump’s inauguration (Video)
Prince Harry/ Barack Obama | (BBC News Video) | – – “Barack Obama opens up about how he felt after Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.” BBC: How Obama felt after Trump’s inauguration – BBC News
Is Trump’s threat to sacred Bears Ears like Taliban blowing up Buddhas?
George Nicholas | (The Conversation) | – – For many archaeologists, one of the darkest moments in memory was the destruction of the fourth and fifth-century Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001. That tragedy was later eclipsed by ISIS’s destruction of Baghdad museum artifacts, Palmyra temples and other structures elsewhere. mypubliclands / Creative Commons […]
Trump “not welcome” in UK after Neo-Nazi retweets: London Mayor
Middle East Monitor | – – Describing London as the city of “tolerance, acceptance and diversity”, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, however, on Wednesday said President Donald Trump is “not welcomed”, Anadolu reports. Khan’s written statement came after the London Assembly asked him how the city’s government would prepare for an official state visit from Trump. […]
Chess is Universal; Saudi Arabia isn’t: Women’s Boycott, Israeli Lawsuit
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi Arabia under the hyper-active crown prince Muhammad Bin Salman is undertaking rapid changes in society and international diplomacy. But the kingdom’s conviction that it is ready to host international events has been demonstrated to be premature by a debacle over a chess tournament. A chess […]