Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
While security conditions in Iraq may be steadily improving, with urban life regaining some semblance of normalcy, Baghdad Medical City still faces a plethora of shortcomings. Critical infrastructure problems alongside a total lack of resources have crippled Baghdad’s main hospital, leaving Iraqis with inferior health care and a growing crisis of faith in the positive [...]
In an attempt to minimize “immoral behavior,” Iran’s police forces have been doubled to enforce Islamic dress codes in the nation, an Iran Focus article stated. Violators of the dress code could be punished by lashings, fines, or imprisonment, harking back to the strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic dress in the wake of the 1979 [...]
Hamas today freed 35 members of the Fatah party detained in Gaza. The interior ministry spokesman in Gaza said that “the 35 prisoners were released to mark the holiday of Eid el-Fitr, celebrating the end of the Ramadan fasting month, and to reinforce Egypt’s mediation.” The Egyptian mediation referred to are the talks between Egyptian [...]
Although many citizens and policymakers in Iraq were displeased that the most recently passed election law failed to address critical issues like the city of Kirkuk, a whole new wave of opposition to the law has risen from people who are outraged and opposed to it entirely. When the law was passed, legislators struck from [...]
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to blame U.S. policies for the many problems plaguing the world today, with specific reference to the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Russian situation with Georgia. He makes sure it is understood that his insults are directed at Washington and politicians, stating that he believes the American people are [...]
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has pledged his commitment to the ongoing unity talks in Lebanon. Saying that the nation could only be effectively governed through cooperation, Nasrallah emphasized that “If the opposition wins in the next parliamentary elections, Hizbullah will insist on the formation of a national unity government … we do not want [...]
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah announced on Friday that despite new reconciliations, Lebanon does not need to look into the formation of new political parties to maintain peace within its borders. Nasrallah maintained that, ”Lebanon cannot be ruled with the mentality of majorities and minorities … Lebanon represents a special case and can only be ruled [...]
Israel and Azerbaijan have reached a deal that will provide Azerbaijan with armaments worth millions of dollars, including ammunition, mortars, and radio equipment. The president of Azerbaijan has expressed a desire for closer relations with Israel, in part because of the threat that both countries face from Iran. Azerbaijan has increasingly been caught between the [...]
On September 25, 2008, The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced the launch of an emergency response program to facilitate the ongoing food crisis in Yemen. The program is the result of a recent investigation that revealed a dramatic decrease in food security among Yemen’s population due to the global rise in food prices. [...]
The Turkish Daily News reports that a judge in Istanbul acquitted a British citizen of insulting the prime minister of Turkey, noting the country is trying very hard to protect the same freedoms of expression that are considered fundamental in European society. For the past 2 years, Michael Dickinson, has been in trials over a [...]
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