BAGHDAD, Iraq (AA) – Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Thursday called on his parliamentary bloc members to resign over the failure to form a new government in Iraq, according to the official Iraqi news agency. The al-Sadr bloc has 73 legislators in the 329-seat parliament, following parliamentary elections held in October last year. “...
PARIS (AA) – The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance on Thursday called on Denmark to urgently address anti-Muslim discrimination and racism against minorities and stop forced evictions of immigrant families. In a monitoring report, the commission urged Danish authorities to introduce a national action plan against racism ...
BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Parliament on Thursday condemned the “brutal and arbitrary repression” of Uyghurs and Turkic people in China’s Xinjiang region, and called on Beijing to release those detained. In a resolution adopted by show of hands, EU lawmakers condemned “in the strongest possible terms the fact that the Uyghur community ...
BAKU (AA) – Azerbaijan summoned Thursday the Indian envoy over insulting remarks on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by officials of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Last week, ruling party spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, the BJP’s Delhi media head, made insulting remarks about the prophet, trigge...
BAGHDAD (AA) – Saudi-Iranian talks hosted by Iraq have reached an “advanced level”, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on Wednesday. Iraq “has played an important role in bringing the views of the regional countries closer by hosting dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” al-Kadhimi told a press conference in the capital Bagh...
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran on Wednesday announced plans to turn off some cameras of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its nuclear sites, amid rising tensions between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog. In a statement, Iran’s nuclear agency accused the IAEA of being “ungrateful for Iran’s extensive cooperation,” saying survei...
MOSCOW (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral cooperation and the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, according to the Kremlin. Putin offered condolences for a train wreck in eastern Iran that killed 17 people and left many injured, during a telephone call. The Russian president ex...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel said Wednesday it will continue exploration in the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean despite Lebanese objection. A statement shared by the Israeli ministers of foreign affairs, defense and energy said the Karish field is “a strategic asset of the State of Israel.” Israel would give priority to “the...
ANKARA (AA) – A former minister who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power last August has returned to the country, an official confirmed on Wednesday. Farooq Wardak is the first senior member of ex-President Ashraf Ghani’s Cabinet to return to Afghanistan since the establishment of a liaison commission in March to contact...
LONDON (AA) – A major UK cinema on Wednesday canceled all screenings of a controversial movie following protests by the British Muslim community. Cineworld canceled all screenings of the highly controversial movie The Lady of Heaven after demonstrations against the film grew in a number of cities across the UK, including Birmingham, Bolton, an...
