Tag Archives: government

Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, member of the opposition and Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, on Monday announced that it will renounce its parliamentary seats after a row with the government regarding alleged poll fraud. Khan claims that the general elections last year, in which his PTI party came third, were rigged, and demanded that current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif …

Over 25 prominent Sunni tribes have armed themselves to combat extremists sweeping through Iraq, a tribal leader said on Friday. The uprising in the province of Anbar, where extremists from the Islamic State (IS) hold important territory, came only a day after incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is vilified by Iraqi Sunnis, abandoned his attempt for a third term …

On Thursday, Syrian government forces retook the town of Mleiha on the outskirts of Damascus after months of battle against rebel forces. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights backed up the report. “The army, with the cooperation of the National Defense Forces (militia), has accomplished its mission of restoring stability and security to Mleiha”, the army command in its statement. …

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State urged Iraq’s newly appointed prime minister-designate Haidar al-Abadi to quickly form an all-inclusive government. “We are urging him to form a new cabinet as swiftly as possible and the U.S. stands ready to support a new and inclusive Iraqi government and particularly its fight against ISIL. Let me be very clear, we have always …

On Monday, US Secretary of State warned Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, telling him not to cause disturbances in the region as he backed newly-elected President Fuad Masum to combat the militants sweeping through the country. Kerry’s comments came after Maliki had, on state television on Sunday, announced that he will be registering a complaint against Masum. Masum was elected …

On Monday, Iraqi President Fuad Masum tasked Haidar al-Abadi, the first deputy speaker of parliament, with forming the new government. “The country is now in your hands”, Masum told Abadi during a brief ceremony which was aired live on television; only moments earlier, Abadi was picked by the Shiite National Alliance parliamentary bloc as a nominee for Prime Minister over …

On Friday, Afghanistan’s dueling Presidential candidates reached an agreement to form an Afghani unity government, kicking off a way forward after a fraud-tainted election that threatened to revive ethnic clashes. Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani promised to work together regardless of who becomes President after an audit of all 8 million votes will declare the winner of the election. US …

Fighters in Syria have held 54 children and women as hostage for a year, rights group Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, and urged that they should be freed. It also warned that holding civilians could amount to a war crime. The New York-based rights group said that the group of 54 was captured from the province of Latakia in …

On Friday, a fierce battle between extremist group Islamic State (IS) and federal forces caused the deaths of seventeen Iraqi soldiers, while bombing in and around Baghdad killed 16 others. The clashes in the town of Jurf al-Sakhr, a settlement situated alongside the Euphrates River and a road that links Sunni militant strongholds to Shi’ite holy sites to the south …

On Wednesday, advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) called out the Syrian air force for intensifying its air strikes on Aleppo despite a UN resolution for all parties involved to stop indiscriminate attacks. The rights group also criticized the UN Security Council for their inaction on the violence in Syria. In a statement issued before a UN hearing, HRW said, …