Clashes in Basra kill four as crisis flares in Iraq’s south
BAGHDAD: Clashes among rival Shia militants in the Iraqi city of Basra have killed at least four people, security officials said on Thursday, as violence from a worsening political crisis hit the south of the country. The unrest began with two days of intense street fighting in Baghdad earlier in the week, the worst the […]
Russian firm halts gas flow in new jitters for Europe
LUBMIN/ZAPORIZHZHIA: Russian energy giant Gazprom suspended gas deliveries to Germany on a major pipeline on Wednesday, the latest in a series of supply halts that have fuelled an energy crisis in Europe. Gazprom said supplies via Nord Stream 1 were “completely stopped” for “preventative work” at a compressor unit, shortly after European gas network operator […]
Iraqi protesters disperse after Moqtada Sadr demands end to deadly clashes
BAGHDAD: Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr withdrew on Tuesday from Baghdad’s Green Zone after he demanded an end to fighting between rival forces and the army that left 30 dead and hundreds wounded. The violence that erupted on Monday pitted Sadr loyalists against Shia factions backed by neighbouring Iran, with the sides exchanging gunfire across […]
N-deal pointless without end to IAEA probe, says Iran
TEHRAN: The Iranian president said on Monday that reviving a 2015 atomic deal with world powers would be pointless unless the UN nuclear watchdog put an end to its probe of undeclared sites in the country. Ebrahim Raisi’s comments came as Tehran reviews the US response to its suggestions on a “final” text put forward […]
Japan to push for African seat on UN Council
TUNIS: Japan will use its place on the United Nations Security Council to push for an African seat on the top world body, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday. “Japan reiterates its determination to redress the historical injustice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Council,” Kishida told […]
Turkiye dismisses concerns over US sanctions warning
ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s finance minister on Friday dismissed as “meaningless” concerns among Turkish businesses over a US Treasury warning that they risked being penalised if they maintained commercial ties with Russians under sanctions. Nato-member Turkiye has sought to strike a balance between Moscow and Kyiv by criticising Russia’s invasion and sending arms to Ukraine, while opposing the Western […]
US hits ‘Iran-backed group’ for third straight day in Syria
AMMAN/WASHINGTON: The US military on Thursday hit several targets in the Syrian city of Mayadin in parts of Deir al Zor province under government control, in the third day of skirmishes with Iran-backed groups, local military sources said. They said at least three members of an Iran-aligned militia were killed when they were targeted by […]
Biden orders strikes against ‘Iran-backed militias’ in Syria
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered air strikes in eastern Syria targeting “facilities used by Iranian-backed militias”, a US military spokesman said. The strikes in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province “targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”, Central Command (Centcom) spokesman Colonel Joe Buccino claimed in a statement. Buccino […]
Western leaders warn Russia against new annexations
KYIV: Western leaders on Tuesday warned Russia against annexing other parts of Ukrainian territory after Crimea amid rumours Russia is planning to do so in various occupied areas, while Washington warned that Russia could attack Ukrainian government facilities in the coming days as Moscow said it would show “no mercy” over an assassination it has […]
Russia blames Ukraine for killing of Putin ally’s daughter
Moscow: Russia’s Federal Security Service on Monday accused Ukraine’s secret services of killing Darya Dugina, the daughter of a Russian ultra-nationalist, in a car bomb attack near Moscow. Dugina, whose father Alexander Dugin is considered close to President Putin, was killed on Saturday evening when a bomb blew up the Toyota Land Cruiser that she […]
