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Iraq

Israel & Palestine: Weighing the Solutions

Voice of America - Mon, 01/08/2024 - 16:51
The ups and downs of the one-state, two-state and three-state proposals to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Categories: Iraq

For Egypt's Coptic Christians, Christmas Comes at a Time of Sacrifice

Voice of America - Mon, 01/08/2024 - 16:39
Egypt’s Copts, the biggest Christian population in the Middle East, celebrate Orthodox Christmas across the Egyptian capital
Categories: Iraq

Blinken Visiting UAE, Saudi Arabia Amid Push to Curb Spread of Israeli-Hamas War

Voice of America - Mon, 01/08/2024 - 09:35
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with officials in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia Monday, then heads to Israel, as he pushes for more humanitarian aid to Gaza, the protection of civilians and to ensure the conflict does not spread to other parts of the region. In talks with UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the State Department said Blinken “emphasized the importance of preventing further spread of the conflict and stressed continued U.S. commitment...
Categories: Iraq

Islamic State Raid in Iraq Kills 2 Pro-Iran Fighters

Voice of America - Mon, 01/08/2024 - 02:18
Baghdad, Iraq — Two fighters from Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi alliance have been killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, the pro-Iranian Hashed and an Iraqi security source said Sunday. The two fighters "succumbed after having been wounded while they were confronting an attack" by jihadis late Saturday in Salaheddin province north of Baghdad, the Hashed said in a statement carried by Iraqi state media. A security source, speaking to AFP on the condition of...
Categories: Iraq

Israel: No Forced Resettlement of Palestinians but War to Continue

Voice of America - Mon, 01/08/2024 - 01:36
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with several Arab leaders in the Middle East amid growing regional tensions related to the Israel-Hamas war. Separately, Israel made it clear Sunday that no Palestinians will be forced to resettle outside Gaza but that the war will continue. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the story.
Categories: Iraq

Young Palestinian Girl Killed When Israeli Police Fire at Suspected Attackers in West Bank

Voice of America - Sun, 01/07/2024 - 23:50
Jerusalem — Israeli police on Sunday opened fire at a pair of suspected attackers who rammed their car into a West Bank checkpoint, fatally shooting a young Palestinian girl in an adjacent vehicle, according to police and medical officials. The two suspects were also shot, while a young police officer was lightly hurt. The Sunday evening incident came hours after nine people were killed in other unrest in the occupied territory, which has experienced a surge of violence since Israel's...
Categories: Iraq

Israel Cabinet to Vote on 2024 War Budget This Week

Voice of America - Sun, 01/07/2024 - 23:12
Jerusalem — Israel's cabinet is set to approve a 2024 wartime budget Thursday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Sunday, after ministers approved 9 billion shekels ($2.5 billion) in financial support for military reservists. "The state of Israel puts the reservists and their families at the center, and this is the anchor of the budget for 2024 that we will deliver this weekend," Smotrich said in a joint statement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense...
Categories: Iraq

Erdogan Names Ex-Minister as His Party's Istanbul Mayor Candidate 

Voice of America - Sun, 01/07/2024 - 18:54
ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday named former environment minister Murat Kurum as the ruling AK Party's candidate in Istanbul's mayoral election in March, bidding to win back control of Turkey's largest city. Kurum will stand against incumbent Ekrem Imamoglu from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), whose election as mayor in 2019 ended 25 years of rule in Istanbul by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors. Last May, Erdogan...
Categories: Iraq

Blinken Meets With Arab Leaders, Aiming to Curb Spread of Israeli-Hamas War

Voice of America - Sun, 01/07/2024 - 18:28
Washington — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jordan and Qatar on Sunday to meet with Arab leaders in a new push to tamp down fears that the Israeli war with Hamas could spiral out of control across the Middle East. In meetings with Jordan King Abdullah II and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the top U.S. diplomat spoke of the need for Israel to curb civilian casualties during the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza and significantly increase the amount of humanitarian aid...
Categories: Iraq

World Elections 2024

Voice of America - Sun, 01/07/2024 - 00:56
Categories: Iraq

French Minister Urges Iran to Stop 'Destabilizing Acts'

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 23:17
Paris — France's foreign minister told her Iranian counterpart Saturday that "Iran and its affiliates" must stop "destabilizing acts" that could spark a broader conflict in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza.  During a telephone call with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Catherine Colonna "delivered a very clear message: the risk of regional conflagration has never been so great; Iran and its affiliates must immediately cease their...
Categories: Iraq

Turkey Detains 15 Suspects Accused of Spying for Israel

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 21:42
ISTANBUL — A court in Istanbul has ordered 15 of 34 people detained on suspicion of spying for Israel be held in prison awaiting trial, Turkey’s justice minister said late Friday. The suspects were arrested Tuesday for allegedly planning to carry out activities that included “reconnaissance” and “pursuing, assaulting and kidnapping” foreign nationals living in Turkey. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said in a social media post that 26 suspects were referred to the court on a charge of...
Categories: Iraq

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block Bridge Outside UK Parliament

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 20:37
LONDON — Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked roads outside the British parliament in London on Saturday, demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and clashing with police who prevented them from marching across Westminster Bridge.  London, like other Western cities, has seen regular and sometimes large demonstrations calling for Israel to halt the bombardment of Gaza triggered by a surprise October 7 attack by Hamas militants that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,200...
Categories: Iraq

War, Weather Put Ocean Shippers on Notice for Rough Seas in 2024

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 19:24
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Recent hostilities in the Red Sea have thrown global shippers of vital goods for a loop — but it is hardly the only issue that big carriers are facing as 2024 kicks off.  Giants like Maersk say the industry, which handles 90% of global trade, faces the possibility of significant disruptions, from ongoing wars to droughts affecting key routes such as the Panama Canal. Complex vessel schedules are likely to be knocked out of sync for giant container ships, fuel...
Categories: Iraq

Death Toll in Islamic State-Claimed Suicide Blasts Rises to 91

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 17:54
TEHRAN, IRAN — The death toll from a suicide bombing in Iran claimed by the Islamic State group has risen to at least 91, state TV reported Saturday. The TV quoted Babak Yektaparast, a spokesperson for the country’s emergency services, as saying an 8-year-old boy and a 67-year-old man who were wounded in the attack have died. Yektaparast said that there are 102 people still being treated in hospitals, of whom 11 are in critical condition. In Wednesday’s attack, one suicide bomber...
Categories: Iraq

Blinken Visits Middle East as Risk of Broader Conflict Grows  

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 17:41
washington — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jordan on Sunday, where he met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Blinken also visited a World Food Program warehouse where trucks are loaded with aid for Gaza. Jordan is the latest stop on Blinken’s tour of the region, which has been rocked by the Israel-Hamas fighting. Jordan and other Arab countries have demanded an immediate cease-fire since the conflict erupted in October, but Israel has resisted...
Categories: Iraq

Iran Arrests 11 Suspects in Blasts That Killed Nearly 90

Voice of America - Sat, 01/06/2024 - 04:18
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Iranian authorities said on Friday that security forces had arrested 11 people suspected of involvement in two bomb blasts that killed nearly 90 people at a memorial service for a slain military commander. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kerman, southeastern Iran, on Wednesday. Iran's intelligence ministry said in a statement that security forces detained two people for providing support to the two suicide...
Categories: Iraq