Articles
Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government for three years. Proposed legislation for an Irish language act and reforming the assembly's controversial veto system are among the key sticking points in ongoing talks. The DUP…
FA urged to reconsider deal with betting firm
09 Jan 2020
Culture secretary Nicky Morgan has said that she hopes the Football Association will ‘reconsider’ after it allowed a betting company to broadcast FA Cup matches, more than two years after it had said it would end…
Europe: countries redeploy troops
09 Jan 2020
Despite a call by the Iraqi parliament for the withdrawal of its forces, the USA stated it has no plans to do so, even though a draft letter signalling a pull-out was sent to Iraq’s prime…
Ukraine jet crashes, killing 176
09 Jan 2020
On 8 December, a Ukrainian jet bound for Kiev crashed soon after taking off from Tehran. The majority of passengers were from Iran and Canada. Ukraine initially blamed engine failure, but later retracted the statement. President…
Iraq: Iran / US hostility
09 Jan 2020
Many believe the US killing of Qasem Soleimani (plus four senior commanders and an Iraqi militia leader) risks causing Iraq instability. The USA believed the men were organising radical tactics against it, describing the action as…
Iran: proxy forces proliferate
09 Jan 2020
Qasem Soleimani was named head of Iran's elite paramilitary Quds Force in the late 1990s. He then became widely known for expanding his country's regional influence by bolstering Shiite proxy forces around the region to counter…