Archives for June, 2014

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, June 11, 2014. Since Tuesday, black clad ISIL fighters have seized Iraq's second biggest city Mosul and Tikrit, home town of former dictator Saddam Hussein, as well as other towns and cities north of Baghdad. They continued their lightning advance on Thursday, moving into towns just an hour's drive from the capital. Pictures taken June 11, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNR

Turkey hostage to crisis in Iraq

The blowback from the ISIS attack in Iraq will force even more Turks to question their country’s Syria and Iraq policies.

Egyptians celebrate after the swearing-in ceremony of President elect Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, in front of the Presidential Palace in Cairo, June 8, 2014. Sisi promised to rule Egypt in an inclusive manner after he was sworn in as president on Sunday but gave no indication he would reconcile with the Muslim Brotherhood movement he removed from power nearly a year ago. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3SS6R

Hamas silent on Sisi's election

Hamas leaders and spokespeople have been instructed not to make any public statements concerning the election of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt, to avoid aggravating the new president.

Iranian young boys look at a toy which depicts the character "Spiderman" at a shopping centre on the island of Kish in the Persian Gulf 1250 km (777 miles) south of Tehran August 4, 2008. Kish became the country's first free trade zone and the new gateway to Iran in 1982, being 17 km (11 miles) off the southern shore of mainland Iran. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR20MIF

Iranian agency bans cartoons, Disney designs

Iranian stores have been issued a warning about selling stationery to children picturing popular Western cartoon figures such as Spider-Man and those in "Toy Story."

A man displays Iraqi army body armour in front of an Iraqi army vehicle and other items of military kit, at the Kukjali Iraqi Army checkpoint, some 10km of east of the northern city of Mosul, on June 11, 2014, the day after Sunni militants iincluding fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran the city. Half a million people were estimated to have fled Iraq's second largest city, as Islamist militants tightened their grip after overrunning it and a swathe of other territory, patro

In Iran, headlines blame foreigners for ISIS advances

As the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham continues to make gains in Iraq, Iran’s right-wing media outlets are running constant updates on the situation and officials are blaming Western and Arab countries for supporting extremist groups.

Palestinians hold pictures of prisoners during a demonstration in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah June 7, 2014. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concerns on Friday about the worsening health of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli detention and demanded that they either be formally charged or released immediately. Some 120 Palestinians jailed without trial in Israel have been on an open-ended hunger strike, eating only salt and

Palestinian activists reject Israel force-feeding prisoners

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi condemns the Israeli bill allowing force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strikes, stressing that such strikes, as the one taking place now, are the prisoners' only option to protest illegal detention.

Lebanese riot police stand guard at the Lebanese Central Bank in Beirut February 25, 2013. An open-ended strike by teachers and civil servants entered its second week today for the government to approve the wage hike proposal. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3E9U4

Deficit overpowers Lebanon's draft budget

Amid political and security crises in Lebanon, the issuance of the 2014 draft budget by the Ministry of Finance was a positive sign, but many questions remain about how major economic problems will be addressed.

A photo illustration taken in Istanbul shows a U.S. 100 dollar banknote against Turkish lira banknotes of various denominations January 7, 2014. Turkey's lira slipped against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday as the government bond yield curve, which had briefly inverted on Tuesday because of speculation about an emergency rate hike to rescue the currency, returned to a positive slope. Picture taken January 7, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTX1761E

Foreign investors spark Turkish stock rally

Defying expectations, foreign investors buy $705.59 million in Turkish shares in May.

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, June 11, 2014. Since Tuesday, black clad ISIL fighters have seized Iraq's second biggest city Mosul and Tikrit, home town of former dictator Saddam Hussein, as well as other towns and cities north of Baghdad. They continued their lightning advance on Thursday, moving into towns just an hour's drive from the capital. Picture taken June 11, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNRE

Participation of Sunnis key to Iraqi reconciliation

Iraqi government must recognize the failed policies that led to the Sunnis' displacement and suffering in Mosul.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani addresses the audience during a meeting in Ankara June 10, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3T16B

Rouhani says Iran ready to 'fight and combat' terrorists in Iraq

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior Iranian officials are calling for an international response to combat terrorists in Iraq.

(From L to R) Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian Fatah delegation chief Azzam al-Ahmed, Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniya, Hamas deputy leader Musa Abu Marzuk, and secretary-general of the Palestinian Arab Front (PAF) Jameel Shehadeh, pose for a picture in Gaza on April 23, 2014. Rival Palestinian leaders from the West Bank and Gaza Strip agreed to form a unity government within five weeks as peace talks with Israel face collapse. AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB (Photo c

Barghouti says Israel must end 'profitable occupation'

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, veteran Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti, who played a key role in negotiating the latest reconciliation deal, provides new details on the unity negotiations and what comes next.

From left to right:- Alia Mansour, member of the Syrian National Coalition, Mouaz al-Khatib, Former President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, and Hassan Hachimi, member of the Syrian National Coalition, attend the U.S. Islamic World Forum, in Doha, on June 10, 2014. This years Forum is entitled Islam and Inclusion focuses on challenges of inclusion within Muslim communities around the world, especially in the context of governance, academia, religious institutions a

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood rules out talks with Iran

Hassan Hachimi, the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood's political bureau, discusses Syrian opposition politics and alleges Iranian support for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY PHILIPPE ALFROY
A man, standing next to a tree with the Black Sea in the background, looks towards the area where Istanbul's third airport will be build, on February 20, 2014, north of Istanbul. This airport, already considered the "world's largest", is a symbol of major construction developments led by Turkey's Prime Minister and former Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan. AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE

Turkey's Greens protest Erdogan's airport plans

The world's biggest airport is planned for Istanbul and will come at an ecological cost.

A Palestinian woman walks past copies of a pro-Hamas newspaper, Palestine, displayed outside a shop in the West Bank city of Ramallah May 10, 2014. The Palestinian authority had allowed the distribution of the pro-Hamas Palestine newspaper in the West Bank on Saturday after the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip said on Wednesday it had relaxed a ban on Palestinian newspapers published outside the enclave as a gesture of reconciliation to rival group Fatah after their unity deal last month. REUTERS/Moha

Palestinian journalists face restrictions on free speech

Palestinian reconciliation is futile if freedom of opinion and freedom of the press are not respected, and journalists are silenced.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) questions members of the panel testifying before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in Washington February 14, 2013. U.S. lawmakers pressed financial regulators on Thursday on their efforts to crack down on Wall Street after the 2007-2009 financial crisis, which a new government report said may have cost the U.S. economy more than $10 trillion.
REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR3DSVG

Sen. Corker: Qatar has played 'unhealthy' role in Syria

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee grilled Obama administration nominees for ambassadors to Arab countries.

The jacket belonging to an Iraqi Army uniform lies on the ground in front of the remains of a burnt out Iraqi army vehicle close to the Kukjali Iraqi Army checkpoint, some 10km of east of the northern city of Mosul, on June 11, 2014, the day after Sunni militants, including fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran the city. Half a million people were estimated to have fled Iraq's second largest city, as Islamist militants tightened their grip after overrunning it and a swathe o

ISIS seen as liberators by some Sunnis in Mosul

Many Sunni residents of Mosul resented the Iraqi army as an occupying force.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif talks to journalists as he visits the Parliament in Vienna March 19, 2014. Zarif said on Wednesday he was optimistic that Tehran and six world powers can reach a broad settlement in their nuclear dispute by a July 20 deadline. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger (AUSTRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3HPFF

Iran report says nuclear 'breakout' concerns overblown

In the latest salvo in final deal talks, Iran's foreign minister has posted a report arguing it would take Iran at least three years to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon.