• We will not politically surrender the will of the people says Kurdistan Foreign Affairs head

    May 27

    The head of the Kurdistan Foreign Relations Department, Fatah Mustafa, stressed today that Kurdistan would never politically surrender to brazen economic actions taken by the Iraqi government, reports Rudaw.

    Mustafa called for equal power sharing to address the Kurdish desire for complete independence from Iraq.

    Responding to a question on tension between Baghdad and Erbil regarding oil production, Mustafa said,

    “Oil is not the only issue. There’s the status of Peshmarga. [Baghdad refuses to pay budget for Kurdish security forces.]  The best solution is to form a confederation, where we move to two or three sovereign states within the boundaries of Iraq so that we can have equal powers and equal rights. That would be only fair considering the suffering and the tragic history of Kurdish people.”

  • Chemical weapons inspectors attacked in Syria
    A convoy of vehicles carrying weapons inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has come under attack in Syria, according to the latest reports.

    The team were travelling to the site of an alleged chlorine gas attack, in the opposition held Kafr Zita in the Hama province, when they reportedly came under attack from a roadside bomb. The OPCW has stated that “all team members are safe and well”.
  • Farc rebels will work towards peace in Colombia without surrendering
    The leader of the Colombian rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) , speaking on the 50th anniversary of the group’s formation, said that he organisation was working towards peace, reports the BBC.
  • Philippine defends military pact with US
    The Philippine government today, defended a recent pact that allowed the US to expand its military presence in the region, stating that it was within the constitution, reports the Associated Press.
  • Alleged Rwandan war criminal to be deported from Canada
    A man accused of being a war criminal involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide is to be deported, after losing his appeal at the Federal Court of Canada.

    The court ruled that 59-year-old Jean Berchmans Habinshuti's fears of persecution by the current Rwandan government were “speculative at best”, noting that he was employed by the Rwandan government from 1992 to 1999, before serving as a Member of Parliament from 1999 until 2003.
  • UN Security Council resolution to refer Syria to ICC blocked
    A resolution at the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court was blocked by Russia and China last week, despite securing the backing of 65 countries and the rest of the Security Council.
  • Eurosceptics and far right make gains across Europe
    11:51 BST

    Eurosceptics and far-right parties have made significant gains across Europe in the European Parliament's election. (See here for UK and here for EU results).

    In France the far-right party, the National Front, led by Marine Le Pen came out top with 25% of the votes across the country. The ruling Socialists party, led by President Francois Hollande, came in third with just 14%.

    The National Front has campaigned for France to exit Europe and impose limits on immigration, including the reintroduction of border controls.

    In the UK, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) swept through England, winning 25.7% of the votes and 23 MEPs.

    Labour and Conservatives came in second and third, with just over one percent between them, whilst the Liberal Democrats saw significant losses, coming in fourth place after the Greens.

  • Kurdish Independence from Iraq: The Ball is Rolling - Rudaw
    An editorial piece in a Kurdish daily, Rudaw, based in the self-autonomous region of Kurdistan, concluded that the recent Kurdish actions were an indication of Kurdish leaders' resolve to seek independence from Iraq.

    Full editorial reproduced below.

    Kurdish Independence from Iraq: The Ball is Rolling

    The Kurdistan Region appears to have set the ball rolling toward independence from Iraq.

    The first signs of this emerged last week when the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced -- despite threats from Baghdad -- the sale of one million barrels of Kurdish oil that had been stored at the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

    With this move Kurdish authorities in Erbil not only defied Iraq’s central government, they also ignored warnings from the United States, which has consistently stood against Kurdistan selling its oil without Baghdad’s consent.
  • Obama looks forward to 'working closely' with Indian government
    US President Barack Obama has congratulated the newly sworn-in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a statement earlier today and called for a strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.

    A statement released by the White House said,
  • Nigerian government backs out of release deal with Boko Haram
    The Nigerian government called off a deal with Boko Haram to release some of the abducted schoolgirls, reports the BBC.

    Nigeria’s government backed down form a deal that would have seen the release of 100 detained Boko Haram militants in exchange for abducted school girls.

    The reasons behind the government’s decisions to cancel the swap still remain unclear.
  • Pope Francis bypasses Israel to visit Palestinian regions
    Pope Francis visited the West Bank in what was seen as a symbolic acceptance of Palestinian statehood in a trip to the Palestinian region today, whilst labelling the failure of talks between Palestine and Israel unacceptable, reports The Guardian.
  • Suicide attack kills 3 in Nigerian city
    A suicide attack within the Nigerian business district of Jos in the Plateau state killed at least 3 people today, reports the BBC.

    The second attack on the city of Jos, com

  • Palestinian offer to renew peace-talks with Israel rejected by US
    A Palestinian offer to resume talks with Israel was rejected by the US Secretary of State John Kerry this week, reports Gulfnews.
  • New Ukrainian president pledges to align country with Europe and resolve conflict with separatists
    Ukraine’s presidential elections were won by a billionaire who has pledged to end the conflict with pro-Russian separatists and align the country with Europe, reports Reuters.

    Petro Poroshenko, who previously served in a cabinet under former president Viktor Yanukovich, received an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting.
  • EU prepares sanctions packages against Russia
    A document detailing three EU sanction scenarios against Russia emerged today ahead of discussions at a leaders’ summit next week, reports Reuters.

    The lowest level of sanctions would restrict imports of Russian luxury goods and ban exports of fertilisers, chemicals, tyres and vessels, whilst also banning all arms imports and exports.
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