Latest update: 03/01/2013 

- demonstrations - Iraq - Nuri al-Maliki - shiite - Sunni


Iraqi Sunni protests trigger reaction from PM Maliki

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Anti-government protests in Iraq, which began over a week ago, are continuing. The country's Sunni community, which dominated Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein, say they are being marginalised by the current Shia establishment. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has partially met one of their demands and released 700 women prisoners, but he warned demonstrators against triggering an "Iraqi Spring".

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By Kate WILLIAMS / Mariam Pirzadeh
PKK rebel fighters begin retreat to northern Iraq
08/05/2013 - TURKEY

PKK rebel fighters begin retreat to northern Iraq

Kurdish rebels began withdrawing from Turkey on Wednesday, taking a major step towards ending a 29-year conflict which has killed tens of thousands. The PKK originally demanded an independent state in Turkey's Kurdish south-east, but has since scaled down its goals, looking for wider political and cultural autonomy for Kurds in Turkey. A total of 2,000 PKK rebel fighters are expected to leave Turkey and cross into their stronghold in northern Iraq.
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Could methane hydrate solve Tokyo's energy crisis?
08/05/2013 - Japan

Could methane hydrate solve Tokyo's energy crisis?

After 10 years of research, Japanese engineers have extracted offshore methane hydrate from beneath the ocean floor. The substance, more commonly called flammable ice, is a great hope for the future of Japan, which desperately lacks energy since almost all of its nuclear reactors remain shut after the Fukushima disaster. France 24 asks if methane hydrates will solve the energy puzzle for Japan, or even the world.
South Dakota introduces law allowing teachers to carry guns
07/05/2013 - USA

South Dakota introduces law allowing teachers to carry guns

It is now more than four months since 20 children and six adults were gunned down at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. At the time, President Obama declared that enough was enough, and that new gun laws had to be brought in. But all the proposals from the White House for new legislation have come to nothing: every one of them has failed in Congress. Gun culture remains alive and well in the US, especially in the rural heartland, as our correspondent found out.
Germany's 'trial of the year' begins as alleged neo-Nazi appears in court
06/05/2013 - GERMANY

Germany's 'trial of the year' begins as alleged neo-Nazi appears in court

Germany's trial of the year, that of Beate Zschäpe, is opening in Munich. She's the sole survivor of the NSU terror cell and alleged accomplice in 9 racially motivated murders. The case will revisit a scandal that shook the Turkish community: for years, police ignored clues that suggested racist attacks and instead blamed the mafia. Victims’ relatives were even suspects. Turks in Germany began to believe that authorities were blind to detecting racist crimes. Will the trial change that?
North Korea, Russia, Syria and Iran named worst countries for press freedom
03/05/2013 - MEDIA

North Korea, Russia, Syria and Iran named worst countries for press freedom

Reporters Without Borders has published its press freedom index, ranking 179 countries. The NGO singled out Kim Jong-Un, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad as the world's worst press freedom predators. Ninety professional journalists were killed in 2012, a record since the press freedom group started its reports. Syria was the world's most dangerous country, with 18 professional reporters killed.

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