Commentary: A Brave New Iraq? | Jakarta Globe:
An inquiry by an Iraqi parliamentary committee also found that former prime minister – and now former deputy prime minister due to al-Abadi’s reforms – Nouri al-Maliki and other senior officials were responsible for the loss of Mosul to IS forces in June 2014. Al-Abadi has called for the court martial of the military officers who presided over the losses of Mosul and then Ramadi in 2015.
But why are these protests occurring and why now? What is al-Abadi trying to achieve by such reforms? Are these measures genuine or merely designed to placate the masses? If genuine, is serious reform even possible given inevitable opposition from those with a vested interest in the status quo?
Drones targeting UK jihadists in Syria for months, ministers admit | UK news | The Guardian:
As the defence secretary Michael Fallon said ministers would not hesitate to approve further strikes against jihadists who have their own kill list, Jeremy Corbyn led a cross-party group of MPs who raised doubts about the change in strategy.
Corbyn said: “There has to be a legal basis for what’s going on. This is war without parliamentary approval. And in fact parliament specifically said no to this war in September 2013.”
Netanyahu visit: Britain prepares major security operation in face of protests — RT UK:
An online petition to have Netanyahu arrested for his involvement in the 2014 Gaza war has now reached over 90,000 signatures.
The petition’s founder Damian Moran told the Anadolu agency: “I never really understood the Palestine conflict until about 10 years ago when I did some actual research on it and was horrified by what I found.
“I could empathize greatly with Palestinians with all the horrors they faced.”
The British government has said it will not arrest Netanyahu because “under UK and international law, certain holders of high-ranking office in a state, including heads of state, heads of government and ministers for foreign affairs are entitled to immunity, which includes inviolability and complete immunity from criminal jurisdiction.”
