Category: 2. Middle East

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) yesterday claimed responsibility for two attacks in northern Iraq that targeted five Kurdish security personnel earlier this week.

On Monday and Tuesday two attacks targeted Peshmerga bases in Dohuk province in the northern autonomous Kurdistan region, which has seen repeated clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK, which is labelled a terror group by Ankara.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Tuesday that the…

Iran yesterday accused the United States of “contradictory behaviour and provocative statements” after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for backing Yemen’s Houthis and imposed new oil-related sanctions on it in the midst of nuclear talks, Reuters reports.

Washington and Tehran have been conducting negotiations over the past month on a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in return for the lifting of financial sanctions. A fourth round of talks…

Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied protested on the streets of Tunis yesterday, accusing him of using the judiciary and police to suppress critics, while his supporters held a counter-rally, Reuters reports.

The anti-Saied demonstration – the second opposition protest in a week – reflects growing concerns among human rights groups that the birthplace of the Arab Spring is sliding toward one-man rule.

Demonstrators on the capital’s main…

The United Kingdom is reportedly in talks with France and Saudi Arabia over recognition of a Palestinian state this summer, amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal offensive on the Gaza Strip and the regional expansion of its occupation.

Speaking to the International Relations and Defence Committee on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that London is in discussion with Paris and Riyadh on the announcement of a broad recognition of a Palestinian…

The head of Hamas’ Leadership Council, Mohammad Darwish, met with the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in the Qatari capital, Doha, yesterday.

In a statement, Hamas said the meeting covered the latest developments in the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, including the genocide and policy of starvation being waged by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people.

Darwish praised…

Mexican boxing legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be looking to unify the super middleweight titles this weekend, when he squares off with IBF champion William Scull in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh.

Alvarez, 34, brings a record of 62-2-2 with 39 knockouts into what promises to be a high-stakes clash, as he continues his tradition of fighting during the Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Canelo is coming off a punishing unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas in September.

Ahead of that bout, Alvarez…

The United States said Thursday it expected new nuclear talks to take place soon with Iran but President Donald Trump vowed to enforce sanctions and called for global boycott of “any amount” of Iranian oil or petrochemicals.

Iran said that a fourth round of talks with the Trump administration, which had been set to take place this weekend in Rome, had been delayed.

Oman, which has mediated between the long-time adversaries, said that “logistical reasons” were to blame for the delay.

But in…

About 300 Arab Israelis gathered Thursday in the ruins of a village that Palestinians fled during the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel, to commemorate what Palestinians call the “Nakba”, or catastrophe.

As Israel celebrated Independence Day on Thursday, the demonstrators —- men, women, and children -— marched through the ruins chanting, “Your independence is our Nakba”.

The place where the demonstrators gathered was previously the village of Al-Lajjun.

The site, once home to…