Treaty that created modern Turkey still evokes pain for some, 100 years after signing
Lausanne, Switzerland Reuters The Treaty of Lausanne that formed modern Turkey is still cherished by some but remains a disappointment for others including Kurds and Armenians who hoped for autonomous regions and justice for Ottoman-era crimes. Some of those voices are included in an exhibit called Borders – put on by the Swiss city’s history museum […]
Iran prison fire death toll grows as some EU states call for sanctions
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Eight prisoners died as a result of a fire at Tehran’s Evin prison over the weekend, Iran’s judiciary said on Monday, doubling the death toll from a blaze that has increased pressure on the government as it struggles to contain mass protests. The fate of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian […]
Khamenei warns Islamic Republic is a “mighty tree” that cannot be uprooted
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that no one should dare think they can uproot the Islamic Republic, in his toughest warning to protesters since Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody ignited nationwide unrest now in its fourth week. Demonstrations by people from all walks of life, after […]
Iraq elects new President and Prime Minister, ending stalemate
Baghdad, IraqReuters Iraq’s parliament on Thursday elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as President, who immediately named Mohammed Shia al-Sudani Prime Minister-designate, ending a year of deadlock after a national election in October last year. The presidency, traditionally occupied by a Kurd, is a largely ceremonial position, but the vote for Rashid was a key […]
Iran toughens crackdown as some oil workers reported to join protests
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Iranian security forces intensified a crackdown on anti-government protests in several Kurdish cities on Monday, as demonstrations elsewhere in Iran spread into the country’s vital energy sector. Protests have swept Iran since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran’s Kurdish region, died on 16th September while being held for “inappropriate attire”, marking […]
Five killed in Iran during protests over death in custody – rights group
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesReuters Five people were killed in Iran’s Kurdish region on Monday when security forces opened fire during protests over the death of a woman in police custody, a Kurdish rights group said, on a third day of turmoil over an incident that has ignited nationwide anger. Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran’s […]
US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces move to halt “brutal torture” at IS camp
Al-Hol, Syria Reuters US-backed Syrian Kurdish security forces have launched a new operation targeting Islamic State sleeper cells in a large northeastern detention camp where violence has reached record levels. At least 44 people including 14 women have been killed this year in the al-Hol camp, which holds internal refugees and families of suspected IS […]
Migration crisis: Shadow payment system on rise among European people smugglers
LAYLI FOROUDI, of Reuters, reports on the growing use of informal financial networks by people smugglers as far north as the UK…
More Russian military police arrive in Syria under peace deal with Turkey
Moscow, Russia/Ankara. TurkeyReuters Around 300 more Russian military police have arrived in Syria, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday, under an accord between Ankara and Moscow which halted Turkey’s military incursion into north-east Syria. The deal, reached on Tuesday by Presidents Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, requires that Russian military police and Syrian border […]
SYRIA: CHRISTIAN AID GROUPS VOW TO STAY TO HELP DESPITE SUDDEN US WITHDRAWAL
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports…