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Iraq

Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr in shadow of Gaza's misery 

Voice of America - Wed, 04/10/2024 - 18:06
Istanbul — Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But events were overshadowed by the worsening crisis in Gaza and Israel's expected military offensive in Rafah city after six months of war. "We should not forget our brothers and sisters in Palestine," imam Abdulrahman Musa said in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. "They have been subjected to unjustified aggression and a lot of violence (as) the...
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Israel warns Iran against attack 

Voice of America - Wed, 04/10/2024 - 15:16
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US, Israel ‘ready’ for cease-fire but say Hamas must free hostages

Voice of America - Wed, 04/10/2024 - 06:40
The White House blames militant group Hamas for the failure to reach a cease-fire with Israel before the end of Ramadan, as Washington prepares for a high-level meeting on Israel’s plans to invade Rafah and faces lingering questions over the killing of aid workers by Israeli forces. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington.
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Families of American hostages push for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

Voice of America - Wed, 04/10/2024 - 03:29
WHITE HOUSE — Families of American Israeli hostages demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying it is the only means to win the release of their loved ones who have been held by Hamas since the militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, the families said they are working with the Biden administration to “encourage all our parties to reach a deal.” Only by doing so, “the horror” that the civilians of Gaza have been experiencing for...
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Turkey’s rapprochement with Israel stops as Ankara restricts trade

Voice of America - Wed, 04/10/2024 - 02:07
Turkey has announced restrictions on trade with Israel and Turkish Airlines has suspended flights to the country as a consequence of the war in Gaza. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the moves come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reverses his rapprochement efforts, which proved unpopular among voters in last month’s elections
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Gunmen kill 6 policemen in southeast Iran, media reports say

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 23:26
tehran, iran — Gunmen ambushed a police convoy in Iran's restive southeast on Tuesday, killing six police officers, media reports said. The attack on a road in Sistan and Baluchistan province also wounded two more police officers, according to Young Journalists Club, a website affiliated with the state broadcasting company. The report said the Jaish al-Adl militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The report could not be independently verified. The militants have...
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US defense chief denies genocide committed in Gaza

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 22:35
Washington — The Pentagon is not backing off on its support for Israel, despite growing frustration by some U.S. lawmakers that Israel is crossing ethical lines as it goes after Hamas in Gaza. During a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday interrupted multiple times by protesters accusing Israel — and the United States — of having innocent blood on its hands, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pushed back. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, asked Austin: "Is Israel...
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Iran frees 4 conservationists convicted of espionage

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 22:24
Tehran, Iran — Iran released four conservationists who had worked to save the endangered Asiatic cheetah before they were convicted on espionage charges and spent five years in prison, local media reported on Tuesday. The Tehran newspaper Etemad said authorities released on Monday night Niloufar Bayani and Houman Jowkar, who were part of a group of five activists convicted in 2019 on espionage charges that were internationally criticized. On Tuesday, several Iranian media outlets,...
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Officials, observers warn Muslim Brotherhood is inciting pro-Hamas demonstrations

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 18:52
Amman — Jordanian officials and observers say the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoot, Hamas, are inciting pro-Hamas demonstrations with the aim of destabilizing Jordan, a key U.S. Arab ally. Jordan has been the scene of largely peaceful but growing protests since the start of the Gaza war. Many of the demonstrations have been near the Israeli Embassy in the capital, Amman.  Some demonstrators demand Jordan ends its 1994 peace treaty with Israel, while others voice anger against Israel as...
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US top military leaders face Congress over Pentagon budget and questions on Israel, Ukraine support

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 18:04
Washington — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Brown Jr. testified on Capitol Hill on Tuesday about the Pentagon's $850 billion budget for 2025 as questions remained as to whether lawmakers will support current spending needs for Israel or Ukraine. The Senate hearing was the first time lawmakers on both sides were able to question the Pentagon's top civilian and military leadership on the administration's Israel strategy following the...
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Palestinians renew bid for full UN membership

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 03:39
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council began reviewing the Palestinians’ renewed bid for full United Nations membership on Monday, despite long-standing U.S. policy that would likely lead to a veto in the council. “Our position is a position that is known; it hasn’t changed,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters following a meeting of the Security Council committee that is considering the Palestinian application.  For decades, Washington has said Palestinian statehood...
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Bahrain pardons more than 1,500 in largest amnesty in years

Voice of America - Tue, 04/09/2024 - 00:19
Manama, Bahrain — Bahrain's king has pardoned 1,584 people facing criminal and "riot" charges, state media said Monday, in the largest such mass release in the Gulf nation in years.  The announcement of the royal decree carried by the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) did not specify whether political prisoners are among those to be released, though a rights group said it was likely.  BNA said that "this royal decree reflects his majesty's keenness to maintain the...
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Saudi Arabia says Eid al-Fitr holiday to start Wednesday

Voice of America - Mon, 04/08/2024 - 20:17
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, announced Monday that the holiday of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the Ramadan fast will begin on Wednesday. "Supreme Court declares tomorrow the last day of #Ramadan and Wednesday the first day of #Eid Al-Fitr," the official Saudi Press Agency said on its X account. The timing of Eid al-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar. Saudi media...
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