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Iraq

Denmark Passes Bill to Stop Quran Burnings

Voice of America - Thu, 12/07/2023 - 19:06
Denmark's parliament passed a bill on Thursday that makes it illegal to burn copies of the Quran in public places, after protests in Muslim nations over the desecration of Islam's holy book raised Danish security concerns. Denmark and Sweden experienced a series of public protests this year where anti-Islam activists burned or otherwise damaged copies of the Quran, sparking tensions with Muslims and triggering demands that the Nordic governments ban the practice. Denmark sought...
Categories: Iraq

Settler Violence Escalates in the West Bank Despite US Pressure

Voice of America - Thu, 12/07/2023 - 15:01
Violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has escalated since the war with Hamas began on October 7th, according to Palestinians. This has happened even as the Biden administration steps up pressure on Israel to stop settler violence by ordering a U.S. travel ban on extremist settlers involved in attacks. Henry Wilkins visited the scene of some of the recent clashes and has this report from the Palestinian town of Qarawat Bani Hassan in the West Bank. (Camera and Produced by: Henry Wilkins)
Categories: Iraq

Israel, Hamas Engage in Fierce Battles in Gaza’s Biggest Cities

Voice of America - Thu, 12/07/2023 - 14:59
Israel attacked Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip's biggest cities on Thursday, leaving 350 people dead and thousands of Palestinian civilians searching for shelter to escape the ravages of the war.  Many displaced Gazans crammed into Rafah on the southern border with Egypt, where Israeli leaflets urged Palestinians to flee, saying they would be safe. But the Hamas-controlled health ministry reported at least 37 deaths in overnight Israeli air attacks.  The Israeli military Thursday...
Categories: Iraq

Reuters, AFP Say Israeli Tank Responsible for Deadly Attack on Journalists

Voice of America - Thu, 12/07/2023 - 13:39
Reuters and Agence France-Presse have each published an investigation into an October attack in southern Lebanon that killed a journalist and injured six others, saying their findings indicate the group was hit by Israeli tank rounds. Each of the media organizations worked with outside experts to review video recordings, satellite images, witness testimony and munitions fragments, concluding that the rounds were 120-mm tank rounds used only by the Israeli military. The attack happened Oct....
Categories: Iraq

Turkey Arrests Singer Tataloo, Hands Him to Iran

Voice of America - Thu, 12/07/2023 - 01:51
Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, professionally known as Tataloo, has been handed over to Iranian authorities by Turkish police at the Bazargan border crossing, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) news agency reported Wednesday. The IRIB report cited charges of “spreading corruption and obscenity” for his arrest. The allegations also included the alleged presence of underaged people at his residence in Istanbul. Turkish authorities on Saturday arrested Tataloo following a complaint...
Categories: Iraq

COP28 Declaration Seen as Good News for World's Small Farmers

Voice of America - Thu, 12/07/2023 - 01:02
Agriculture and climate experts say there is good news for the world’s small farmers in a declaration endorsed by 134 world leaders during the opening days of COP28, the global climate summit unfolding this month in Dubai. In what is known as the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action, the leaders have mobilized more than $2.5 billion to begin addressing agriculture-related climate issues, summit officials announced. The declaration was...
Categories: Iraq

UN Chief Warns Gaza Could Face Breakdown of Public Order

Voice of America - Wed, 12/06/2023 - 22:23
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his call for a humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, warning that public order could completely break down soon, and the humanitarian system there is at “severe risk” of collapse. “Amid constant bombardment by the Israel Defense Forces, and without shelter or the essentials to survive, I expect the public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian...
Categories: Iraq

US Navy Shoots Down Drone from Houthi Territory in Yemen

Voice of America - Wed, 12/06/2023 - 20:58
The United States Navy shot down a drone originating from a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen on Wednesday morning, U.S. officials said. The downing of the drone comes amid an escalation in attacks in Middle East waters linked to the Israel-Hamas war and marks the sixth time the U.S. has fired on drones in the Red Sea since the war broke out. There was no reported damage to U.S. ships and no U.S. personnel suffered injuries, according to a U.S. official. Earlier Wednesday, Britain's...
Categories: Iraq

Israel-Hamas War: House-to-House Fighting in Khan Younis in Southern Gaza

Voice of America - Wed, 12/06/2023 - 20:10
Israeli troops and Hamas militants battled Wednesday in house-to-house fighting for control of Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-biggest city, as Palestinian civilians faced increasing difficulty finding shelter and access to humanitarian aid. Israel’s military said Wednesday it had carried out airstrikes on about 250 targets in the Gaza Strip during the past day, in some of the heaviest fighting of the two-month-old war. Hamas said it killed 10 Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis and injured several...
Categories: Iraq