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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 6:38:16 GMT -5
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Post by ahinton on Sept 6, 2017 6:46:58 GMT -5
What is currently happening in the Middle East? A great deal, of which the outcomes of none of it seem remotely clear or likely to become so in the foreseeable future.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 7:03:59 GMT -5
Well, Syria is a mess, but President Bashar al-Assad is currently winning the civil war there? What began as a peaceful uprising against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad six years ago became a full-scale civil war that has left more than 300,000 people dead, devastated the country and drawn in global powers. BBC News - Middle East - Why is there a war in Syria?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2017 18:39:19 GMT -5
Good morning to everyone reading ' The Third' today! I trust that all is well with all of you! The London ' Times' leads today with some editorial comment on a Kurdish tinderbox. ' The Times' thunders that pulling Iraq apart is a recipe for never-ending war. Putting it back together, however, may now be impossible! ' The Guardian' also leads today with some editorial comment on a the seventh son rising. ' The Guardian' argues that a crackdown on dissent by the youngest heir apparent in Saudi history will not help the desert kingdom find a way out of an economic mess at home and misguided entanglements abroad. Saudi Arabia is in a mess, Uncle Henry.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2017 21:03:54 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 13:48:51 GMT -5
Good morning to everyone reading ' The Third' this evening! I trust that all is well with all of you tonight! ' The Guardian' leads tomorrow with some editorial comment on the Kurdish referendum: a fair question . ' The Guardian' thunders that The vote by Iraqi Kurds on their desire for independence, due to take place on Monday, poses real risks in an unstable region. But their case deserves to be heard.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2017 9:39:33 GMT -5
' BBC News' reports today that Iraqi Kurdistan is in an historic independence vote. People are voting in a landmark referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq - a move which has been criticised by foreign powers. Polls are open in the three northern provinces that make up the region, as well as disputed areas claimed by the Kurds and the government in Baghdad. Iraq's prime minister has denounced the referendum as "unconstitutional". Kurdish leaders say an expected "yes" vote will give them a mandate to start negotiations on secession. Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population of 37 million, Kurds faced decades of repression before acquiring autonomy in 1991. Voting in Monday's referendum is open to some 5.2 million Kurds and non-Kurds aged 18 or over who are registered as resident in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq. Polling stations are expected to close at 18:00 (15:00 GMT). "We have been waiting 100 years for this day," one man queuing to vote at a school in the Kurdistan Region's capital, Irbil, told Reuters news agency. "We want to have a state, with God's help. Today is a celebration for all Kurds. God willing, we will say yes, yes to dear Kurdistan." At polling stations here there is a sense of history in the making. Some began queuing last night. The Kurds say the referendum is an example of democracy in action. Instead of opposing them, they believe that Western powers should be giving them strong support. A man in his 60s, in traditional dress, told us people had been counting the months, days and minutes until they could cast their ballots. "It is the proudest moment of my life," he said. Some came to vote carrying pictures of loved ones killed battling so-called Islamic State (IS). "My husband's blood wasn't shed for nothing" said one woman, adding that her family had not slept for days, worrying that the referendum would be cancelled. Whatever comes next this vote could reshape the Middle East. That's just what neighbouring states - with their own Kurdish minorities - fear. Not all Kurds are expected to vote "yes", though. The Change Movement (Gorran) and Kurdistan Islamic Group parties said they supported independence but objected to the timing and organisation of the referendum, while businessman Shaswar Abdulwahid Qadir launched a "No4Now" campaign because of the economic and political risks of secession. And in the disputed city of Kirkuk, the local ethnic Arab and Turkmen communities have called for a boycott. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned on Sunday that the referendum "threatens Iraq, peaceful co-existence among Iraqis, and is a danger to the region". "We will take measures to safeguard the nation's unity and protect all Iraqis." The central government has demanded that all international airports and border crossings be returned to its control, and asked all countries to "deal only with it on matters of oil and borders". Neighbouring Turkey and Iran also vehemently object to the referendum, fearing it will stoke separatist feeling among their own Kurdish minorities. Ankara said it would consider the result of the referendum "null and void" and intended to form closer ties with Iraq's central government. Tehran called the vote "illegal and illegitimate", having banned all flights to and from the Kurdistan Region a day earlier. Iran denied closing its land border, AFP news agency reports. My own feeling would be that Kurdistan will eventually become independent, and rightly so. Why should Kurds not have their own country after all, Uncle Henry?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 0:02:30 GMT -5
' BBC News' reports today that people living in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence for the Kurdistan Region in Monday's controversial referendum. The electoral commission said 92% of the 3.3 million Kurds and non-Kurds who cast their ballots supported secession. The announcement came despite a last-minute appeal for the result to be "cancelled" from Iraq's prime minister. Haider al-Abadi urged Kurds to instead engage in dialogue with Baghdad "in the framework of the constitution". Kurdish leaders say the "Yes" vote will give them a mandate to start negotiations on secession with the central government in Baghdad and neighbouring countries. Iraq's parliament meanwhile asked the prime minister to deploy troops to the oil-rich region of Kirkuk and other disputed areas held by Kurdish forces. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters took control of Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic region claimed by the Kurds and Arab-led central government, when jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State (IS) swept across northern Iraq in 2014 and the Iraqi army collapsed. The referendum was held in the three Iraqi provinces that make up the Kurdistan Region, as well as "areas of Kurdistan outside the region's administration". Electoral commission officials told a news conference in Irbil on Wednesday afternoon that 2,861,000 people had voted "yes" to independence and 224,000 had voted "no". Turnout was 72.61% among those eligible to vote. In a speech to parliament before the result was announced, Mr Abadi insisted that he would "never have a dialogue" about the referendum's outcome with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Haider al-Abadi (left) met Parliament Speaker Saleem al-Jubouri on Wednesday. The vote was vehemently opposed by Baghdad and much of the international community, which expressed concern about its potentially destabilising effects, particularly on the battle against IS. Mr Abadi said his priority now was to "preserve citizens' security" and promised to "defend Kurdish citizens inside or outside" the Kurdistan Region. "We will impose Iraq's rule in all districts of the region with the force of the constitution," he added. The prime minister also reaffirmed his threat to prevent direct international flights to the Kurdistan Region if Baghdad was not given control of Irbil and Sulaimaniya airports by Friday afternoon.The KRG's transport minister said he was seeking clarification from Baghdad. "We don't understand how to give them the two airports," Mowlud Murad told reporters. "They are already subject to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority." Mr Abadi has demanded that his government be given control of Irbil international airport. The United States, which was "deeply disappointed" that the referendum was held, has also questioned Mr Abadi's threat to ban international flights. State department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday that such a move "would not be an example of engaging constructively". Lebanon's Middle East Airlines and EgyptAir meanwhile warned customers they would halt flights to Irbil from Friday until further notice. Mr Abadi has also demanded control of all border crossings and oil revenues. Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population of 37 million, Kurds faced decades of repression before acquiring autonomy in 1991. BBC News - Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence in referendum
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 2:55:04 GMT -5
'BBC News' reports today that Iran's foreign minister has said he assumes that the US will abandon the international deal restricting his country's nuclear activities. But Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped Europe would keep the agreement alive. US President Donald Trump - a stern critic of the deal - will announce next month whether he believes Iran has adhered to its terms. If he says it has failed to do so, US Congress will begin the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran. President Trump and Iran's President Rouhani traded insults at the UN. In an interview with two British newspapers, Mr Zarif said that if the deal collapsed, Iran would no longer have to follow its limitations on uranium enrichment, centrifuge numbers and the production of plutonium. But he insisted Iran would only use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
"You either live by it [the deal] or you set it aside," Mr Zarif told the Financial Times and the Guardian. "You cannot be half pregnant." "My assumption and guess is that he [Trump] will not certify and then will allow Congress to take the decision," Mr Zarif said during the interview at the Iranian UN mission's residence in New York. "The deal allowed Iran to continue its research and development. So we have improved our technological base. If we decide to walk away from the deal we would be walking away with better technology." He said of Mr Trump: "I think he has made a policy of being unpredictable, and now he's turning that into being unreliable as well. He has violated the letter, spirit, everything of the deal." Mr Zarif said Iran's options "will depend on how the rest of the international community deal with the United States"."If Europe and Japan and Russia and China decided to go along with the US, then I think that will be the end of the deal," he said. "Europe should lead."European Union officials have said they could act to legally protect European investors in Iran if the US reimposes sanctions. But, in line with the US, they have also criticised Iran over its non-nuclear activities in the region.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 10:05:47 GMT -5
I ran, Uncle Henry; you walked; Jason stood; Alistair composed a symphony for the Proms!
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Post by ahinton on Oct 1, 2017 11:11:10 GMT -5
I ran, Uncle Henry; you walked; Jason stood; Alistair composed a symphony for the Proms! Isn't my part in this somewhat premature? (I will do what's been settled upon, of course, but I haven't done it yet!)...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 11:39:09 GMT -5
A symphony for our (financial) times, Alistair! You can settle for a combination of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Hinton, Alistair! Of course, that is not to say that we are being ambitious, but have your best shot! Uncle Henry will be listening too, I hope!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2017 23:08:31 GMT -5
Good morning to everyone reading ' The Third'. I trust that all is well with all of you this new working week. I have now contacted various people who may be interested in performing your new orchestral piece, Alistair, so with a bit of luck we are now looking at a BBC SSO Prom next summer! This Christmas, I am asking the BBC to pull out all the stops. We are now ready to go! ' The Financial Times' leads today with some editorial comment arguing that we should all use diplomacy to avert conflict over Kurdistan. ' The FT' concludes that realistic talks are the only way to avoid another Middle East war. So the salmon pink newspaper prefers jaw-jaw, Uncle Henry, to war-war? This is all it ever publishes, Jason!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2017 11:59:51 GMT -5
' BBC News' reports this afternoon that the Kurdish leader and former Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, has died at the age of 83, Iraqi state TV has said. Talabani was a veteran of the Kurdish struggle for an independent state and founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 1975. In 2005, two years after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, he became Iraq's first non-Arab president. He stepped down in 2014, two years after suffering a stroke that led him to seek medical treatment in Germany. Although the post of president is largely ceremonial, while in office he helped mediate disputes among the country's many political and religious factions. Talabani's death was announced on Tuesday amid a major rift between the autonomous Kurdistan Region and the Arab-led central government in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has demanded that the Kurdish authorities annul the referendum on independence that was held eight days ago and banned international flights. The Kurdistan Regional Government insists the vote, in which more than 90% of people backed secession from Iraq, was legitimate and accused Mr Abadi of "collective punishment". BBC News - Veteran Iraqi Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani dies
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2017 13:17:30 GMT -5
Tehran’s Nuclear Fuse has been lit! President Trump is poised for another dramatic showdown, this time with Iran, which he believes is bamboozling the West. Under the terms of the 2015 accord with Tehran, sanctions have been lifted against the regime in return for the freezing of its nuclear programme. Mr Trump insists on describing the deal as “one of the worst and most one- sided transactions the United States has ever entered into”. He now looks set to call time on the agreement. Despite the many flaws with the deal, unilaterally scrapping it would be a mistake. It slows down Iran’s progress towards nuclear status. Monitoring Iran’s behaviour is still not easy but it is under intense scrutiny. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors compliance, has not yet detected ... Tehran's nuclear fuse
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