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☆ A woman was accosted in Tehran. The Iranian police arrested her.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Hannah Peart | Hannah Peart Is An Intern In The Nbc News London Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Molaei captioned the video: “A scene from being a woman in Iran.”An image of Roshanak Molaei, verified and released by the Norwegian human rights group Hengaw. According to a statement by the organization, Molaei had previously argued on social media with a government official over mandatory hijab laws. The woman is being prosecuted for not observing mandatory hijab laws.”According to Hengaw, on Nov. 2 Molaei was "summoned by FATA," the Iranian cyberpolice, about her post, and was arrested the following day. This is not the first time Molaei is arrested for opposing Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, according to Hengaw. Molaei's new arrest is yet another incident fueling alarm from international human rights organizations.

Persons: Roshanak, Molaei, Hengaw, ”, FATA, Mahsa, Amini, “, Masoud Pezeshkian Organizations: NBC, Center for Human Rights, for Human Rights, Islamic Azad University, Amnesty Locations: Iran, Tehran, Norwegian, Norway, Kurdistan

Charlotte Kates, a New Jersey native and Rutgers Law School graduate who co-founded the pro-Hamas organization Samidoun, has become the focus of an ongoing legal debate: When does free speech cross the line into breaking federal anti-terrorism laws? Germany banned the organization last November, and Israel designated it a terrorist organization in 2021. Kates’ open support of terrorist organizations puts her in the middle of a growing legal dispute: When does free speech cross the line into breaking federal anti-terrorism laws? “As far as I’m concerned, this is legitimate political advocacy, unpleasant as it may be.”What is ‘knowingly’ coordinating with a terrorist organization? “You don’t have a right to pick and choose which law to follow.”Not all federal law enforcement experts agree with Burns’ approach.

Persons: Charlotte Kates, Kates, “, ” Kates, Samidoun, Tom Petrowski, ” Petrowski, Dr Basem Naim, Odysee Petrowski, David Goldberger, Goldberger, ”, —, Basem Naim, Naim, Israel “, Andrew Lichtenstein, they’re, John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “ We’re, “ It’s, Frank Figliuzzi, ” Figliuzzi, Daniel Richman, webinars, ” Richman, “ Definitionally, Khaled Barakat, Barakat, ” Samidoun, Lara Burns, Burns, George, ” Burns, Barbara McQuade, ” McQuade, McQuade, webinar Organizations: Rutgers Law School, NBC News, Treasury, Canadian, Republican, Justice Department, FBI, Civil, Terrorism Task Force, Hamas, Samidoun, Odysee, Palestine Islamic, American Civil Liberties Union, YouTube, ”, Columbia University, Supreme, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Liberation Tigers, NBC, Columbia, Treasury Department, Front, Liberation, PFLP, Palestine, Palestinian, Columbia University Apartheid, World Trade, Patriot, Brandenburg, Land Foundation, George Washington University’s Program, Extremism, Islamic State, Eastern, Eastern District of Locations: New Jersey, Vancouver , British Columbia, U.S, South Africa, Germany, Israel, Vietnam, Dallas, Palestine, American, Skokie , Illinois, New York, Chicago, New York City, Kurdistan, Tamil Eelam, webinars, Swiss, Instagram, Brandenburg v . Ohio, Texas, Eastern District, Eastern District of Michigan

☆ Kurdish militants claim responsibility for deadly attack on Turkish defense firm
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A banned Kurdish militant group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack on the headquarters of a key defense company in Ankara that killed at least five people. A man and a woman stormed TUSAS’ premises on the outskirts of Ankara, setting off explosives and opening fire. The assailants were also killed in a subsequent battle with security teams and more than 20 people were injured in the attack. Its defense systems have been credited as key to Turkey gaining an upper hand in its fight against Kurdish militants. Meanwhile, police in Istanbul detained at least 35 people suspected of links to the PKK, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Persons: TUSAS, Turkey’s, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Abdullah Ocalan Organizations: Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, People’s Defense, Kurdish, Workers ’ Party, Syrian Democratic Forces, Turkish, Anadolu Agency Locations: Ankara, Turkish, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Istanbul, Kurdistan, Iraq’s Sinjar, Kurdish

CNN —Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials said. At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the “terrorist attack” on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit. Turkish Aerospace IndustriesTurkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “An attack on a major Turkish defense contractor, a public company, but also the crown jewel of Turkey’s defense industry, is going to be a huge trauma,” she said.

Persons: ”, Ali Yerlikaya, –, Cevdet Yılma, Yasar Guler, Guler, “, ” Yerlikaya, Mehmet Demiroglu, TUSAS, Ragip, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Erdogan, Mark Rutte, Mansur Yavas, Yilmaz Tunc, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, “ It’s, ” Aydıntaşbaş, Tal Rifa’at, Farhad Shami, Mazloum Abdî, Serdar Ozsoy, Kamiran Hassan, Asos, Ebubekir Şahin, Netblocks, Putin, ” Putin, Turkey “ Organizations: CNN, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Turkish, Turkish Defense, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, European Union, Social, Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party, Reuters, Anadolu, Turkey’s Ministry of Industry, Technology, TUSAS, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, European Council, Foreign Relations, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, ISIS –, of Communications Center, ” Broadcasters, Television Supreme, Facebook, YouTube, US State Department Locations: Ankara, Turkey, United States, Syria, Iraq, Ragip Soylu, Russian, Kazan, Turkish Aerospace Industries Turkey, Turkish, Kurdish, Kobani, Tal, Aleppo, Mawat, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq’s Kurdistan, Turkey’s

☆ Why Iran relies on ballistic missiles to threaten its adversaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Iran uses ballistic missiles as a replacement for aircraft," a regional expert said. Iran used more ballistic missiles than the 120 it launched during its April barrage, its first direct attack on Israel. Iran has also shown a preference for firing ballistic missiles against less-defended targets closer to home. Since 2017, Iran has also used its ballistic missiles against ISIS in Syria, following terrorist attacks in Iran and, on one occasion, alleged militant targets in Pakistan. In January 2024, Tehran even used ballistic missiles to destroy a businessman's residence in neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan.

Persons: —, Nicholas Heras, Sebastien Roblin, Roblin, Institute's Heras, Heras Organizations: Service, Israel, US Navy, New Lines Institute, Ballistic, ISIS, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israeli Air Force, Iranian, West Bank, Patriot Locations: Iran, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Iranian, Tehran, Iraqi Kurdistan, AFP Iran, East, Russia

☆ Oil slips on dollar's strength from U.S. jobs data
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Oil wells are seen at an oil facility by the Highway 5 near Bakersfield in California, U.S. on Nov. 27, 2022. Oil prices nudged lower for a second straight session on Monday, weighed down by a firmer dollar as expectations of interest rate cuts were pushed out further following strong U.S. jobs data on Friday. On Friday, data showed the U.S. added more jobs than expected last month, leading investors to trim expectations for rate cuts and causing the dollar to rally. In the U.S., Washington stepped up purchasing of crude oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve after prices fell. Last week, U.S. energy firms cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating to the lowest since January 2022, energy services firm Baker Hughes said on Friday.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Le, Tony Sycamore, Sycamore, Brent, WTI, FGE, Washington, Baker Hughes, Hayan Abdel, Ghani Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, greenback, European Union, IG, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Organization of, Petroleum, bbl, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Iraq's Oil Locations: Bakersfield, California, U.S, European, Sydney, OPEC, Kurdistan, Iraq, Turkey

☆ New mission could reveal secrets of the moon’s ‘hidden side’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In one lunar region, Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has beaten the odds and survived three long, frigid lunar nights since its sideways landing on January 19. The Tianwen-2 mission will visit the space rock later this decade. But first, China has set its sights on returning to the moon’s “hidden side.”An illustration depicts the far side of the moon, with Earth behind it. Since the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, China remains the only country to have landed on the moon’s far side, sometimes called the “dark side” of the moon. Scientists hope that returning samples from the far side could solve some of the biggest remaining lunar mysteries, including the moon’s true origin.

Persons: Graziano Ranocchia, Ranocchia, Plato, Emma Pomeroy, “ She’s, ”, Pomeroy, Armas Rakus, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Kevin Bacon, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Engineers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, Apollo, Platonic Academy of Athens, University of Pisa, Netflix, University of Cambridge, Norton Disney, Archaeology Group, Roman, International Space, CNN Space, Science Locations: China, Kurdistan, Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Morocco

☆ Reconstruction reveals face of Neanderthal specimen Shanidar Z
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Known as Shanidar Z, after the cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where she was found in 2018, the woman was a Neanderthal, a type of ancient human that disappeared around 40,000 years ago. The Shanidar Z facial reconstruction suggests that these differences might not have been so stark in life, Pomeroy said. Shanidar cave in Iraqi Kurdistan was first excavated in the 1950s. Neanderthals may not have honored their dead with bouquets of flowers, but the inhabitants of Shanidar Cave were likely an empathetic species, research suggests. Shanidar Z is the first Neanderthal found in the cave in more than 50 years, Pomeroy said, but the site could still yield more discoveries.

Persons: sapiens, Emma Pomeroy, Pomeroy, ”, “ She’s, ” Pomeroy, Graeme Barker, “, Adrie, Alfons Kennis, Dr, Lucía, Danish paleoartists Adrie Organizations: CNN, BBC, Netflix, University of Cambridge’s, Cambridge, Liverpool, University of Cambridge, Catalan Institute, Human Locations: Kurdistan, Europe, East, Central Asia, Shanidar, Cambridge, Spain, Danish

☆ Turkey may soon put its controversial Russian S-400 air defenses in operation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Turkey may deploy its Russian S-400 Triumf air defenses on the Iraqi border. Turkiye newspaper reported earlier this month that Turkey's S-400s may be deployed on the border, implying it will defend against drones allegedly acquired by the PKK. Since then, there has been no indication that Turkey's S-400s have been put into operation. "However, Turkey may use the potential threat of Iran-linked militia groups or PKK as a pretext to deploy S-400s." "Such a goal was unattainable and unrealistic given the extent of Turkey's integration into the NATO defense system," Ozeren said.

Persons: —, Hulusi Akar, Ali Bakir, Bakir, Suleyman Ozeren, Ozeren, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, State Victoria Nuland Organizations: Service, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, PKK, Defense, Ibn Khaldon, Security Initiative, Business, Northern, American University, Orion Policy Institute, NATO, State Locations: Turkey, Russian, Israel, Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, Ankara, Washington, Turkish, Qatar, Northern Iraq, Turkey's, Iraq, Moscow, Russia, NATO

☆ Ex-CIA director says Israel could use 'covert' operations to retaliate against Iran's drone strikes without escalating the conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA former CIA director says Israel could take a covert, rather than an overt, response against the Iranian drone strikes that took place on Saturday. They can pursue asymmetric attacks, cyberspace, and so forth," former CIA director and retired general David Petraeus told CNN on Sunday. The airstrike had reportedly killed several top Iranian military commanders. AdvertisementAnd that, Petraeus told CNN on Sunday, isn't something that Iran wants to see. Representatives for Petraeus did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: —, Israel, David Petraeus, Petraeus, BI's Rebecca Rommen, Mossad's, Brent Crude Organizations: Service, CIA, CNN, Business, United Nations, UN, NY, Atlantic Council, New York Times, Business Insider Locations: Washington, Iran, Israel, Jordanian, Iranian, Syria, Islamic Republic of Iran, Damascus, Tehran, Iraq's Kurdistan

☆ 'Drone hunting drones' are already impacting Middle East conflicts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran's 538 loitering missile is designed to intercept low-flying drones. The 358 missiles confiscated by the US Navy were powered by small gas turbine engines made by a Dutch company. "As air defense systems increase in power and effectiveness, it will mark a new challenge to drone systems that have long had command of the air," Rogers said. A US Central Command handout shows one of the Iranian-made 538 loitering missile seized by the USS Forrest Sherman in November 2019. CENTCOM'Drone hunting drones'A report in March speculates that Turkey's arch-foe, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK group, may have acquired Iranian Meraj loitering missiles.

Persons: —, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Bohl, USS Forrest Sherman Organizations: Service, US Navy, Cornell Brooks Tech, Institute, Cornell University, American Warfare, Saudi, US, Pentagon, East, Command, USS, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Turkish Locations: Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Iran's, Dutch, Turkey, North Africa, Kurdistan, Iraq, Tehran

☆ ‘From the Ashes’ exhibition is helping Indigenous communities in the Amazon Rainforest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The rest of it goes to the Indigenous Xingu community, primarily for firefighting equipment,” he said. Aislan Pankararu, Courtesy of Migrate Art and Christie'sThe Amazon rainforest, which is crucial for trapping and storing carbon emissions, is facing a tipping point by 2050 that could have devastating consequences. According to the non-profit Amazon Aid, the primary driver of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest is deforestation for agriculture, logging, and other economic opportunities. Butler visited the Amazon rainforest and its Indigenous Xingu communities two years ago. The collection also includes works made by members of the Indigenous community, such as three paintings by Kamo Waurá, a village shaman.

Persons: CNN —, Sarah Ball, Simon Butler, ”, they’re, Aislan Pankararu, Takumã, Butler, Piers Secunda, Takumā, Christie's, Kamo Waurá, “, ” Secunda Organizations: CNN, London’s Truman, Amazon Aid Locations: British, Brazil, London’s, London, Northeast Brazil, Iraqi Kurdistan

☆ Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban lauds new phase with Sweden ahead of vote on its NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jennifer Hauser | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country had opened a new phase with Sweden during a joint press conference with Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson on Friday as Budapest prepares to ratify Stockholm’s long-delayed NATO bid. Orban, who said last week that the Hungarian Parliament would vote on ratification on Monday, met with Kristersson on Friday and announced at the press conference that Hungary had bought four fighter jets from Sweden. “Being members together in NATO we [will be] able to reconstruct the full trust towards each other,” Orban added later. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in 2022 and Finland joined NATO in April 2023 – doubling the alliance’s border with Russia. But Sweden’s bid was mired in challenges.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Orban, Kristersson, “, ” Orban, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Katalin Organizations: CNN, Swedish, Budapest, NATO, Russia, Gripen, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, European Union Locations: Hungarian, Sweden, Hungary, Ukraine, Finland, Russia, Turkey

☆ Iran is arresting teens for celebrating a soccer match loss from the national team, human rights activists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Iran has detained at least 10 teens for celebrating a soccer match, rights activists say. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said it identified at least three of the teens by name. Qatar beat Iran's soccer team in the AFC Asian Cup this month, knocking them out of the finals. AdvertisementIranian authorities have detained at least 10 male teenagers for "expressing joy" in response to a recent loss from the national soccer team, a Norway-based human rights organization said on Monday. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which focuses on rights issues in the Kurdistan region, said it identified at least three of the minors by name.

Persons: — Organizations: Organization for Human Rights, Qatar, Iran's, AFC Asian, Service, soccer team, Business Locations: Iran, Norway, Kurdistan

☆ Close US partners in the Middle East demand air defenses after Iranian drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Congress has already asked DoD to develop a plan to equip the Peshmerga with air defenses. Iraqi Kurdistan expects the US to appreciate such stances and provide air defenses, given the high stakes for the autonomous region. Ceng Sagnic, chief of analysis of the geopolitical consultancy firm TAM-C Solutions, said “several considerations” are involved in supplying the Peshmerga air defenses. Turkey may not object to an American air defense provision to Iraqi Kurdistan under certain conditions. Advertisement“Using recent clashes as a reason to request additional US air defenses is likely to be viewed negatively in Ankara,” Ali Bakir, a Turkey expert and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program, told BI.

Persons: —, America’s, Masrour Barzani, ” Mohammed Salih, ” Salih, Ceng Sagnic, ” Sagnic, Mazlum Kobane, ” Ali Bakir Organizations: DoD, Service, Kurdistan’s, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, TAM, C, ISIS, ”, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Patriotic Union of, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Reuters, US Locations: Kurdish, Syria, Turkey, Iraq’s Iran, United States, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Iran, Iraqi, Erbil, Jan, Washington, Iraq, American, Baghdad, Ankara, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kurdistan

☆ Iraq Bans 8 Local Banks From US Dollar Transactions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Timour AzhariBAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has banned eight local commercial banks from engaging in U.S. dollar transactions, taking action to reduce fraud, money laundering and other illegal uses of U.S. currency days after a visit by a top U.S. Treasury official. The banks are banned from accessing the Iraqi central bank's daily dollar auction, a main source of hard currency in the import-dependent country that has become a focal point of a U.S. crackdown on currency smuggling to neighbouring Iran. A central bank document verified by an official at the bank listed the banned banks. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThey are: Ahsur International Bank for Investment; Investment Bank of Iraq; Union Bank of Iraq; Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment and Development; Al Huda Bank; Al Janoob Islamic Bank for Investment and Finance; Arabia Islamic Bank and Hammurabi Commercial Bank. Banks banned from dollar transactions are allowed to continue operating and are allowed to engage in transactions in other currencies, the central bank says.

Persons: Timour Azhari, Al Huda, Ashur, Hammurabi, ”, Banks, Brian Nelson, Mohammed Shia, Giles Elgood Organizations: Treasury, Ahsur, Bank for Investment, Investment Bank of Iraq, Union Bank of, Kurdistan International Islamic Bank for Investment, Development, Al, Al Huda Bank, Islamic Bank for Investment, Finance, Arabia Islamic Bank, Hammurabi Commercial Bank, Central Bank of, U.S . Treasury, Huda Bank, Reuters, Iraqi Locations: Timour, Timour Azhari BAGHDAD, Iraq, U.S, Iran, United States, Israel, Gaza, Union Bank of Iraq, Kurdistan, Central Bank of Iraq, Washington, Baghdad

☆ Iran shows it can unleash its own deadly drone war against US troops
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. In its Sunday attack on a US outpost in Jordan, Iran and its militia allies showed they have the suicide drone technology to defeat US air defenses. The drone struck Tower 22 near Jordan's border with Syria, killing three US service personnel and injuring over 40 . Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERSSunday's attack wasn't the first time these militias have used such drones against American troops. Advertisement"The drone was deployed at the same time as a returning US military drone, allowing it to approach undetected," Rogers said.

Persons: —, James Rogers, Arash Azizi, Azizi, Houthis, Rogers, IRGC, Qassem, Soleimani, Samad, Biden, Ceng Sagnic, Sagnic Organizations: Service, Business, White, of, Clemson University, Iran's, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Planet Labs, Handout, REUTERS, Force, TAM, C Locations: Jordan, Iran, Jordan's, Syria, Iraq, Russia, Ukraine, Tehran, Yemen, Lebanon, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Baghdad

☆ Iran Executes Four People It Says Are Linked to Israeli Intelligence -State Media
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran carried out the death sentences of four people on Monday that it says were linked to an Israeli intelligence operation, after the Supreme Court rejected their appeal, Iranian state media reported. The defendants were accused of illegally entering Iranian territory from Iraq's Kurdistan region to carry out a bombing operation in an Isfahan-based factory producing equipment for Iran's Ministry of Defence. Their operation was meant to take place in the summer of 2022 on behalf of Israel's Mossad and was averted by Iranian intelligence, according to the reports. Iran and Israel are longtime foes and are currently locked in a row over Iran's nuclear programme. Israel accuses Iran of backing militant attacks against it, while Iran says Israel has carried out a number of killings of Iranian officials and scientists.

Persons: Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Iran's Ministry of Defence, Dubai Newsroom Locations: DUBAI, Iran, Kurdistan, Isfahan, Israel

☆ Explosive Drone Strikes Iraq's Khor Mor Gas Field -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An explosive drone struck Khor Mor gas field in the Sulaimaniya region of northern Iraq on Thursday, two sources told Reuters, adding the explosion had caused limited damage but no one had been injured. Pearl Petroleum, a consortium of United Arab Emirates-based energy firm Dana Gas and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum, have the rights to exploit the Khor Mor and Chemchemal fields, two of the biggest gas fields in Iraq. In a separate incident earlier in the day, an explosive-laden drone targeting U.S. forces at a base near Erbil airport in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region was shot down by air defences, the region's counter-terrorism service said. Iraq has witnessed near-daily drone and rocket attacks by hardline militias since Israel's war in Gaza began in October, mostly on bases housing troops belonging to a U.S-led military coalition. (Reporting by Timour Azhari; Writing by Enas Alashray and Timour Azhari; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

Persons: Dana, Timour Azhari, Enas Alashray, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Pearl Petroleum, United, Dana Gas, Crescent Petroleum Locations: BAGHDAD, Sulaimaniya, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Erbil, Iraq's, Kurdistan, Gaza, U.S

☆ Iran's ‘brazen’ strikes around the Middle East send a message to Israel and the U.S., analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Fayaz Aziz | ReutersIran's recent missile and drone strikes on targets in three countries — Syria, Iraq and Pakistan — may not have been directly related to Israel's war in the Gaza Strip but they still revealed an intent to send a clear message, analysts told CNBC. Iraqi and Pakistani ministers vocally criticized the attacks, calling them a "violation" and vowing consequences. watch nowPakistan responded a day later, striking targets inside Iran that Iranian authorities say killed several people. They were also the first time Iran had deployed its military directly at any time since the Israel-Hamas war began. "There is an element of signaling to the United States and Israel by carrying out these strikes because they do showcase Iran's continued ballistic missile capabilities," Bohl told CNBC.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Ben Taleblu, we've, Ian Bremmer, Yemen's, Ryan Bohl, Bohl, Safin Hamid Organizations: Reuters, CNBC, ISIS, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Washington D.C, Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Eurasia Group, Economic, Middle East, RANE Network, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, AFP, Getty Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Peshawar, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Washington, Israeli, Iraq's Kurdistan, State, Iraqi, Davos, Lebanon, Hamas, Yemen, U.S, Red, United States, Kurdistan, Arbil

Here is a look at Sweden's complicated path toward NATO membership. Sweden has stayed out of military alliances for more than 200 years and long ruled out seeking NATO membership. But the Russian aggression caused a dramatic shift in both countries, with polls showing a surge in support for NATO membership. That leaves Hungary as the last hurdle for Sweden's NATO bid. Not surprisingly, Moscow reacted negatively to Sweden and Finland's decision to abandon nonalignment and seek NATO membership, and warned of unspecified countermeasures.

Persons: —, hasn’t, Nonalignment, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Viktor Orbán, Ulf Kristersson, ” Organizations: STOCKHOLM, NATO —, Nordic, NATO, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Kremlin, Swedish, ALLIANCE, Finns, RUSSIA, nonalignment Locations: NATO, Hungary, Sweden, Ukraine, Finland, Russia, Baltic, U.S, Turkey, Turkish, Swedish, Kurdistan, Stockholm, Budapest, SWEDEN, St, Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Moscow, Northern Europe

☆ Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s NATO membership, lifting key a hurdle
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden's membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country's entry into the military alliance. The legislators ratified Sweden's accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. Hungary then becomes the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden's accession. Turkey's main opposition party also supported Sweden's membership in the alliance but a center-right party and the country's pro-Kurdish party declared they would oppose it. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration never formally tied the sale of the F-16s to Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Ulf Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Sweden's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Burak Akcapar, Erdogan, Koray Aydin, Joe Biden's, John Kirby, Viktor Orbán Organizations: Swedish, NATO, Official Gazette, Ankara, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Good Party, U.S . Congress, Administration, Turkey, National Security, Nordic Locations: Vilnius, Hungary, Turkey, Ankara, Stockholm, Kurdistan, Sweden, Turkey's, Canada, Washington, NATO, Finland, Ukraine, Budapest

CNN —The Turkish parliament voted Tuesday to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid. Of the 346 members of parliament who voted, 287 were in favor of Sweden’s accession and 55 voted to reject it. However, on Tuesday, Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban said he had invited his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, to visit Hungary to negotiate the terms of Sweden’s accession. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. Erdogan initially objected to Sweden’s membership bid, accusing Swedish officials of being too lenient on military groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Victor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Erdogan, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, Turkish, NATO, Foreign Affairs Commission, Hungary’s, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Foreign Locations: Turkish, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, United States

☆ Explainer-What Turkey Gained in Delaying Sweden's NATO Bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Turkey ratified Finland's bid in April 2023 but, along with NATO member Hungary, has kept Sweden waiting. While Erdogan sent Sweden's NATO bid to Turkey's parliament for consideration last October, he openly linked the F-16s with its ultimate ratification. WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF SWEDEN'S BID? Though Turkey was seen as the main hurdle, Hungary has also not ratified Sweden's bid. Hungary pledged not to be the last to ratify the bid, but its parliament is in recess until around mid-February.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer ANKARA, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Gunnar Strommer, Jens Stoltenberg, Thomas Goffus, Viktor Orban, Timothy Heritage Organizations: NATO, Ankara, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Canada, U.S . Congress, Eurofighter Locations: Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Stockholm, Helsinki, Washington, SWEDEN, FINLAND, Madrid, Kurdistan, Ankara, United States, Netherlands, SWEDEN'S

☆ Turkish Parliament to Debate Sweden's NATO Bid on Tuesday -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Huseyin HayatseverANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's general assembly is set to debate Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, three sources from parliament said. But NATO member Turkey raised objections over what it said was the two countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists. Erdogan sent Sweden's bid to parliament in October, but has also linked its ratification with U.S. approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. After talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expected Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid "in coming weeks." The parliament's foreign affairs commission approved the bid last month in the first step of the ratification process.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Sweden's, Hakan Fidan, Antony Blinken, Christina Fincher Organizations: Turkish, NATO, Finland's, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, White House, U.S, Congress, Erdogan's AK Party, CHP Locations: Huseyin Hayatsever ANKARA, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Ankara, Hungary, United States, Stockholm, Canada, Netherlands

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