Iran has expressed misgivings over the expansion of terrorism in the Middle East region, saying this scourge is being used as a means to overcome the nations’ votes. “Causing insecurity, disrupting democratic trends, overcoming ballot boxes, imposing weapons and terror rather than [promoting] democratic trends, all of these suggest that terrorism is being used today…

June 20 is World Refugee Day and this year a report was issued revealing that the number of displaced persons has reached a post-World War II high. Over 51 million people have been forced out of their homes as a direct result of war and instability. The leading conflicts responsible for this burgeoning problem are…

The European Union (EU) member states have agreed to ban imports from Crimea as part of the bloc’s policy of non-recognition of the territory’s move to join Russia. The EU Council of Ministers said in a press release on Monday that “as of June 25, goods originating in Crimea and Sevastopol may no longer be imported into…

A former Pentagon official says the future of NATO is questionable because the member states do “not have the resources” to maintain a strong alliance. “It is a really serious question on what the future of NATO is going to be. And I think that because the Europeans are not putting the resources that they…

Anti-war activists in a number of US cities have staged protests to express their opposition to any possible US military intervention in Iraq. Over the recent days, militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have been wreaking havoc in Iraq and committing atrocities against people. ISIL militants overran large swathes…

US President Barack Obama says he does not need congressional approval about his upcoming decision on possible military intervention in Iraq, where al-Qaeda-linked militants have taken over several cities. On Wednesday, Obama met with senior members of Congress and discussed options for helping Baghdad halt the advance of the militants of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State…

A group of Iraqis have staged a demonstration in the British capital, London, to express their anger at the inflammatory and sectarian reporting of events in the Arab country by the state-run British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Hundreds of British Iraqis gathered outside the BBC headquarters on Wednesday to protest against the corporation’s coverage of the…

Official results show that Colombia’s incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos has won a second term in office following the presidential election runoff. The figures from the country’s electoral board showed that Santos won 50.95 percent of the vote, compared to the 45 percent for conservative Oscar Ivan Zuluaga. Another 4.03 percent were declared to have…

Brazilian riot police have fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters marching toward a 2014 FIFA World Cup stadium in Rio de Janeiro. About 150 masked protesters were trying to reach the Maracana stadium ahead of the match between Argentina and Bosnia on Sunday. Chanting anti-FIFA slogans and carrying banners that read “FIFA…

Pakistanis have held a demonstration in the southwestern city of Quetta to express their anger over a government ban on road travel to holy sites in neighboring Iran. Carrying placards and chanting slogans on Sunday, the protesters demanded the ban to be lifted. They also asked for better security for pilgrims going to the holy…