Author Archives: jimmy
Improbable new pact shows Iran’s ally in Baghdad is losing power
Just six months ago, Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, was buzzing. Walking through the streets of the ancient city, where I was living and working, I could sense the tension that had descended on the Kurds as they geared up for another fight against Baghdad. “We won’t let (Iraqi prime minister Nouri) al-Maliki take Kirkuk from us,” people told me repeatedly. Continue reading
Weekend Interviews – June 1, 2013
Weekend Interviews – May 25, 2013
‘Gas discoveries give Israel new regional clout’
Israel’s newfound natural gas reserves will boost its regional clout and could help it improve ties with neighboring states in need of new energy sources, Energy Minister Silvan Shalom said. Continue reading
Did ancient beams discarded in Old City come from first and second temples?
Under a tarp in one little-visited corner of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem lies a pile of rotting timber that would hardly catch a visitor’s eye. Continue reading
Weekend Interviews – May 18, 2013
Pope Francis ‘performs first exorcism’
According to TV2000, a Catholic television channel, the act was carried out in St Peter’s Square after Mass on Sunday. Continue reading
Behind the Lines: Erdogan’s Kurdish gambit
On May 8, fighters of the Kurdish PKK militia began to withdraw from their positions in Turkey, bound for their mountain strongholds in Kurdish-ruled northern Iraq. The decision by the PKK to withdraw is the result of orders issued by jailed movement leader Abdullah Ocalan. Continue reading