Tariq al-Hashemi (L) meets with Erdogan in Ankara in April 2011. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara will continue to support Iraq’s fugitive vice president even after Interpol issued a worldwide alert for his arrest. Erdogan told a news conference in Italy on Tuesday that his government had always supported Tariq al-Hashemi and would continue to do so in future. The Turkish... 

Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, May 4, 2012. Interpol has issued an international Red Notice for the arrest of fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi “on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks.” “The Red Notice for al-Hashemi represents a regional and international alert to all of Interpol’s 190 member... 

Israel’s Knesset Israeli lawmakers are scheduled to dissolve the Knesset amid divisions among different political parties in the Tel Aviv regime. Israel’s Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, recently called for the dissolution of Knesset and an early general election to be held on September 4. Likud chairman Zeev Elkin said on May 2 that September 4 is the agreed date for the... 

As the US beefs up its military presence in the Persian Gulf region, Pentagon strategists estimate that they would need less than a month to defeat Iranian forces should a military conflict take place. US Central Command (CENTCOM) believes it can destroy or significantly degrade Iran’s conventional armed forces in about three weeks using air and sea strikes, a defense source told The Washington... 

Israel's current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Former PM Ehud Olmert and the recently-resigned Kadima leader Tzipi Livni have joined the chorus of past and present senior Israeli politicians criticizing the government and its warmongering policy against Iran. ­Livni announced her resignation as leader of the centrist liberal Kadima party on Tuesday, saying in her speech that Netanyahu’s... 

Patima Zakka with her son Thousands of Palestinians are on hunger strike in Israeli prisons – for over a week, they have been protesting against indefinite detention without charge and alleged ill-treatment. Some of those who got out, told RT about their life behind bars. Human rights groups in the West Bank say 2,000 Palestinians have been on hunger strike for more than a week, and others are... 

A 2008 survey says 0.8% of Christian Palestinians cited 'fleeing religious extremism' as a reason for emigration Despite claims by Israeli government officials, Christian Palestinians regularly face discrimination. A recent report by CBS show 60 Minutes on “Christians of the Holy Land” has received a lot of attention, not least for the embarrassing contribution by Israeli Ambassador... 

Egypt has canceled its natural gas supply deal with Israel, insisting the move has nothing to do with politics. Israel downplayed the decision, which could further deteriorate bilateral ties that have decayed markedly since the Egyptian revolution. Egypt’s Natural Gas Holding Company announced the termination of the contract on Sunday, citing violations of contractual obligations. It denied the... 

Captured US RQ-170 drone Iran has completed reverse-engineering of the captured US spy drone and has started building its own copy, Iranian media reports. The Revolutionary Guard is yet to decode parts of the software the Sentinel aircraft uses, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who heads the force’s aerospace division, said on Sunday. “The Americans should be aware to what extent we have infiltrated... 

Bahraini protests attend a demonstration calling for the cancellation of the upcoming Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix race in Isa town, near Manama. Anti-regime protesters stage a mass demonstration near Manama to demand the cancellation of the Formula One Grand Prix which is slated to start on April 22 in Bahrain, Press TV reports. Demonstrators took to the streets of Karrana, a village in the Northern... 

Iraqi activists said this unnamed teenager was brutally killed by religious police for having an 'emo' hairstyle Iraqi activists sounded the bell over the killing of dozens of teenagers by religious police for having “emo” haircuts reported the Daily Mail and Al Arabiya in March 2012. Activists told the Lebanon-based al-Akhbar daily that at least 90 Iraqi teenagers with “emo” appearances... 

Secondary school students sit at the Abu Baker Al Arabi government school in Riyadh Gays, tomboys and “emos” can no long enter public schools and universities in Saudi Arabia, until they change their appearance and behavior. That is how the country has chosen to tackle the spread of these “phenomena”. ­The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the country’s... 

Last year NATO countries bombed Libya, demanding “democracy” in the country. But now it’s clear it was all about oil and it’s not like the Americans and Brits are going to be democratic about it, and share those spoils equally with France and Italy. So… oil giants Total from France and ENI from Italy are just going to have to wait in the sidelines while the hungry American and British big... 

Damascus says all military operations will be halted by Thursday morning, but their troops will “remain on alert” to confront any possible threat. The announcement comes as Tuesday failed to bring the truce provided by Kofi Annan’s peace plan. “After our armed forces carried out successful missions in combating the criminal acts of terrorist groups and imposed the authority of the... 

Iran bans imports of goods from 100 European firms Iran reportedly plans to ban imports from European companies as part of its countersanctions against the European Union (EU). Deputy President of Iran Trade Promotion Organization Sasan Khodaei confirmed that Iran has banned imports from 100 European countries. In an interview with Press TV on Wednesday, Khodaei said Tehran has imposed sanctions against...