Iraqi cleric Sadr calls off protests after worst Baghdad violence in years
Baghdad, IraqReuters Powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to end their protests in central Baghdad on Tuesday, easing a confrontation which led to the deadliest violence in the Iraqi capital in years. Apologising to Iraqis after 22 people were killed in clashes between an armed group loyal to him and rival Shi’ite Muslim factions […]
Clashes kill 10 as Iraq’s Sadr quits politics, loyalists storm complex
Baghdad, Iraq Reuters Heavy clashes erupted in Baghdad, killing at least 10 people on Monday, after powerful Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said he would quit politics, prompting his loyalists to storm a government palace and fight with rival groups. As night fell, machine-gun fire and explosions rang out, with tracer fire rising into the sky […]
Iraqi cleric calls for dissolution of parliament, early vote
Baghdad, IraqAP Influential Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr told followers Wednesday to continue their sit-in inside Iraq’s government zone, and called for the dissolution of parliament and early elections, signaling a deepening power struggle with his rivals. Speaking for the first time since thousands of his followers stormed the parliament building in Baghdad on Saturday, al-Sadr […]
Sadr’s followers set up for long sit-in at Iraq parliament
Baghdad, IraqReuters Supporters of Iraqi populist leader Moqtada al-Sadr erected tents and prepared for an open-ended sit-in at Iraq’s parliament on Sunday, in a move that could prolong political deadlock or plunge the country into fresh violence. Thousands of the Shi’ite Muslim cleric’s loyalists stormed into the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on Saturday, taking […]
Iraqi PM decries “cowardly” attack on his home by drones carrying explosives
Baghdad, IraqReuters Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unharmed from an armed drone assassination attempt in Baghdad, officials said on Sunday, in an incident that raised tension in Iraq weeks after a general election disputed by Iran-backed militia groups. Kadhimi appeared in a video footage published by his office on Sunday chairing a meeting with […]
Updated: EU countries clear plan to ease cross-border tourism over summer
Updated: 10.45pm (AEST)Brussels, BelgiumReuters European Union countries agreed on Friday to an easing of travel restrictions over summer that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests or quarantines and broaden the list of EU regions from which it is safe to travel. Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states approved a modified European Commission […]