vote

Iraqi forces take control of Kirkuk governor's office: official

Kirkuk - Muslimchronicle

Iraqi forces Monday took control of the governor's office in Kirkuk, the federal police chief said, as they pursued an operation to take back parts of the disputed province from Kurdish fighters. The provincial headquarters were empty when they were seized, General Raed Jawdat said. A source within the provincial administration said Kirkuk governor Najm Eddine Karim, who has refusedRead more

Liberia to hold Weah, Boakai runoff for presidency: electoral commission

Monrovia - Muslimchronicle

Liberia's electoral commission announced Sunday that a runoff vote for the presidency will be held between former footballer George Weah and incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai. With the vote counts in from 95.6 percent of the polling stations, Weah has taken 39.0 percent of the votes and Boakai 29.1 percent, both well short of the 50 percent barrier required to winRead more

Scottish independence case helped by Brexit chaos: Sturgeon

Edinburgh - Muslimchronicle

Britain's struggles to chart a way out of the European Union are boosting the case for Scottish independence, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday, but she shied away from committing to a date for another referendum vote. Scotland rejected independence by a 10 percentage point margin in a 2014 vote, and polls indicate that support for it has notRead more

French MPs to vote on tough anti-terror law

Paris - Muslimchronicle

A new counter-terrorism law is set to sail through France’s Parliament Tuesday, making permanent several controversial measures under the state of emergency that has been in place for nearly two years in the face of repeated attacks. The vote comes just two days after more bloodshed, with a suspected Islamist radical stabbing two women to death in the Mediterranean portRead more

Catalonia vote poses big problems for Spain and aspiring new state

Barcelona - Muslimchronicle

Millions of Catalans hope to go to the polls on Sunday to vote on whether the region should become independent from Spain, in a referendum fiercely opposed by the central government and which threatens to expose ruptures in the country’s 39-year democracy. Catalonia, which has its own language and is a semi-autonomous region in Spain’s northeast, has long felt distinctRead more

Iraq’s Kurds vote 'yes' to independent state in referendum — official results

Irbil - Muslimchronicle

Iraq’s Kurds announced a massive “yes” vote for independence on Wednesday following a referendum that has incensed Baghdad and sparked international concern. Official results showed 92.73 percent of voters backing statehood in Monday’s non-binding referendum, which Iraq’s central government rejected as illegal. Turnout was put at 72.61 percent. Longtime Iraqi Kurd leader Masoud Barzani said the vote would not leadRead more

Interpol approves membership for State of Palestine

Jerusalem - Muslimchronicle

Palestine joined Interpol as a member state on Wednesday, a move opposed by Israel, in a vote at the international police organisation's general assembly in Beijing, Interpol said. "The State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands are now INTERPOL member countries," an Interpol tweet read. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, which said earlier that Israel's efforts to delay a vote untilRead more

Iran vows to stand with Baghdad, Ankara against Iraqi Kurds' independence push

London - Muslimchronicle

Tehran vowed on Tuesday to stand alongside Baghdad and Ankara against the outcome of an independence referendum staged by Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq, a day after thousands of Iranian Kurds marched in support of the vote. State media also quoted an army commander as saying that new missile systems were installed on Tuesday, a day after the referendum, inRead more

Iran warns of regional chaos from Iraqi Kurd vote

Tehran - Muslimchronicle

Iran said Tuesday that the independence vote in Iraqi Kurdistan would trigger “political chaos” in the region, while the Revolutionary Guards said they were sending new missile equipment to the border. “The outcome of this move is political chaos in the region,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, chief foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader. “The honorable people of Kurdistan willRead more

Four million Kurds defy pressure, threats with independence vote

Irbil - Muslimchronicle

More than 4 million Kurds in northern Iraq defied pressure from Baghdad, threats from Iran and Turkey, and international warnings of regional conflict to vote on Monday in a referendum on independence. The vote is expected to deliver a comfortable “yes” for independence, but is not binding. However, it is designed to give Masoud Barzani, who leads the Kurdistan RegionalRead more