Analysis: While the long overdue elections reaffirmed Iraqi Kurdistan’s ruling duopoly, they also highlighted the persistent tensions between the KDP and PUK.
Bafel Talabani paced the stage during a recent pre-election rally and railed against his rivals as the sun set over Dukan Lake. The crowd in front of him waved flags and cheered his promises to end authoritarian rule and corrupt governance in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
Since the beginning of the year, 3,344 foreigners who went to war with Ukraine have received Russian citizenship, the Interior Ministry reported . Kremlin propaganda regularly shows stories about so-called volunteers from “friendly” or “neutral” African countries joining the Russian army. Some of them are recruited at universities, others are lured to the front by deception or even blackmail. The Insider spoke with Africans who went to Russia in search of a better life, but ended up in the trenches, and then in Ukrainian captivity. One, as he claims, was given a military contract under the guise of a worker, the second was promised service as a security guard.
Diplomatic sources told al-Modon that Damascus is signaling its willingness to play a significant role in controlling borders and preventing smuggling.
Notably, Israel’s announcement of the arrest of a figure in Quneitra coincided with a kidnapping operation in the Batroun area of northern Lebanon, which targeted a “senior member” of Lebanese Hezbollah.
On Sunday, the Israeli occupation revealed details of a kidnapping operation conducted by a commando unit two months ago in the countryside of Quneitra, southern Syria.
Assistance from Russia and expanding ties to terrorist organizations are enabling the Houthi movement in Yemen to emerge as an increasingly serious threat to regional and global security.
The Houthis are seeking more advanced weaponry from Russia to try to attack U.S. and allied warships and deter Western attacks.
On November 5, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fired Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, citing a ‘crisis of trust’, effectively removing one of his most ardent critics.
Gallant’s dismissal has led to widespread protests in Israel and condemnations by families of hostages still held in Gaza, who considered him one of a few ceasefire advocates in the upper echelon of the Israeli government.
Qatar agreed in recent weeks to kick Hamas out of its country following a request from the US to do so, capping off months of failed attempts to try to get the militant group – whose top leaders reside in the Qatari capital of Doha – to accept a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, US and Qatari sources told CNN.
The MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq), a terrorist group that has long engaged in terrorism and sabotage against the Iranian people and government, has in recent years tried to use deceptive advertising and staged conferences in various countries, including Berlin, to portray a different image of itself to the world. These conferences, full of false claims that contradict Iran’s internal realities, not only serve as a platform for spreading lies and distorting facts but also aim to incite public opinion and Western governments against Iran by creating a false image of Iranian society.
‘Africa continues to rise up and delivers surprises. In recent days, several African leaders have made diplomatic trips that are reshaping the geometries of the international chessboard. The SAHEL Alliance states are charting a watershed that could divide Africa in two and determine a new historical course for the entire continent.
This investigation reveals how Nigeria’s dubious defence contracts gave Hima Aboubakar, a Nigerien arms broker, instant riches.
Amid the spilling of raw emotions over Boko Haram’s shocking kidnapping of 214 Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State, north-east Nigeria, in April 2014, the Nigerian government awarded contracts worth millions of dollars for the supply of weapons and tools to boost its offensive against the terrorists. But before formalising the contracts, officials began transferring millions to the contractor, Hima Aboubakar.