http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41346427 BBC News Posted by: Colin Bunn Iraq has launched an offensive to expel Islamic State militants from Hawija, one of the last two areas in the country still held by the jihadists. The military said the operation to capture the town, 220km (135 miles) north of Baghdad, would be “swift”. But a charity warned it was placing up… Read more »
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/qatar-diplomatic-crisis-latest-updates-170605105550769.html Al Jazeera Posted by: Colin Bunn n air, sea and land blockade imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt is now in its fourth month. 21 September 2017 23:15 – Qatari FM discusses Gulf crisis with Italian, Ukrainian, Australian counterparts and EU foreign affairs chief in New York Qatar’s foreign minister met… Read more »
Source: Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/air-strikes-target-hospitals-syria-idlib-170920052632431.html ‘Deadly air strikes’ target hospitals in Syria’s Idlib War monitor says Syrian and Russian jets struck four facilities, including maternity hospital, in retaliatory assault. At least four hospitals have been targeted by air raids in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, killing three people and wounding several, according to a war monitor and rescue teams. Rami Abdel Rahman, head… Read more »
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41332743 Saudi Arabia to lift ban on internet calls 20 September 2017 Image copyrightAFPImage captionThe Saudi authorities said they had blocked VoIP apps in 2013 in order to “protect society” Saudi Arabia is lifting a ban on voice and video calling apps such as Skype, in a move aimed at boosting productivity and economic growth. The ministry of communications… Read more »
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/12/asia/china-djibouti-military-base/index.html (CNN, Serenitie Wang, Daisy Lee and Junko Ogura) (CNN)China has dispatched troops to Djibouti in advance of formally establishing the country’s first overseas military base. Two Chinese Navy warships left the port of Zhanjiang on Tuesday, taking an undisclosed number of military personnel on the journey across the Indian Ocean. An editorial Wednesday in the state-run Global Times stressed the importance… Read more »
Source: The Washington Post On Monday, the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan plans to go ahead with a referendum on independence. Six days later, the regional government in Catalonia intends to hold its referendum on secession from Spain. In both cases, most outsiders would prefer these votes weren’t happening at all. Readers of Today’s WorldView may remember our earlier coverage of their growing… Read more »
Source: BBC news Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionSyrian Democratic Forces fighters took full control of Raqqa’s Old City earlier this month A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters says it has driven Islamic State (IS) militants out of 80% of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that its three-month-old assault was now in its “final… Read more »
Source: Al jazeera Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said they targeted a military ship belonging to the United Arab Emirates, part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting them in the country. The ship, carrying military equipment, was arriving at Yemen‘s Mocha port from Eritrea’s Assab port when it was attacked, Houthi officials said on Saturday. The Saudi Press Agency, citing a statement… Read more »
source: Al Jazeera Iraq’s prime minister says government forces have begun the operation to retake the town of Hawija from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group. In a statement released by his office, Haider al-Abadi said the operation began at dawn on Thursday, just two days after Iraqi forces began an offensive against… Read more »
from aljazeera Syrian government troops and allied forces have broken a three-year siege imposed by ISIL fighters on a government enclave in the eastern city of Deir Az Zor, according to Syria’s state media. Backed by Russian air support, the army and their allies had been advancing towards Deir Az Zor on several fronts in recent weeks, and on Tuesday reached the western outskirts of the city after… Read more »