IRAQ

Iraq's president vowed on Thursday to hold early elections in response to a month of deadly protests, but demonstrators said the move fell far short of their demands for a political overhaul.In his first televised address in weeks, President Barham Saleh said the country's embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi was ready to step down, but there was so far no one to take his place."The prime minister expressed his willingness to submit his resignation, asking the political parties to reach an agreement on an acceptable alternative," said Saleh.

A complex Russian-Turkish ceasefire deal struck last week has left Qamishli's Kurds uncertain about their future

The ruling lays bare a debate over the fate of European citizens who left to join IS and who are now being held in camps in Syria and Iraq

Anti-government protests in Iraq have left more than 250 people dead and 10,000 wounded since October 1

Chiyevedzo Mutero was one of dozens competing in the remote Zimbabwean bush to join the all-female anti-poaching Akashinga rangers when she broke her finger.She didn't consider quitting -- she even smiled as her finger was bandaged, before returning to the brutal military-style training."I'm happy, that's why I am not crying. I'm trying to be an Akashinga girl," the 22-year-old said.The rangers, armed and dressed in khaki combat gear, track and arrest poachers in five reserves, all former trophy hunting areas, encompassing 4,000 square kilometres (1,545 square miles) near the Zambian border in northern Zimbabwe.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured October 27, 2019) said he would "personally like" Brazil to become a member OPEC, ahead of a major auction for oil rights in the country

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (R) takes part in a panel discussion during the Future Investment Initiative forum at the King Abdulaziz Conference Centre in Riyadh on Wednesday

The Iraqi government's two main sponsors agreed early Wednesday to drop their support for embattled premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, overcoming their rivalry to resolve a political crisis sparked by widespread demonstrations.The surprise rapprochement came as tens of thousands flocked to the capital's Tahrir Square to demand the government quit, the largest rally yet since protests erupted on October 1.

White House national security official Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman was to testify that he witnessed improper efforts to pressure Ukraine to provide political support for President Donald Trump

Just months ago, the most hardcore among them were still bent on defending the last sliver of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" in Baghouz, Syria.Today, they're crammed together: 5,000 presumed jihadists in an overcrowded Kurdish prison in the country's northeast.AFP correspondents obtained exclusive access to the site in Hasakeh province. They found thousands of detainees, including children, lying cheek by jowl in stifling, stench-filled rooms, orange jump suits covering emaciated frames.

The Gingerbread neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, cited by the World Monuments Fund in its 2020 watch list

The president did not name the individual or release details of how he was killed. Experts say there were two possible replacements for the ISIS leader, Iyad al-Obaidi and Ayad al-Jumaili.

An Iraqi soldier is comforted by demonstrators during anti-government protests in the Shiite Muslim shrine city of Karbala late on Monday

President Donald Trump said this picture of the military dog that helped capture jihadist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been "declassified"

Protestors were targeted by tear gas in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, with some students bringing kits to help those affected

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base October 28, 2019, in Maryland en route to Chicago

Syrian children stand next to a burned vehicle on October 27, 2019 near where the operation reportedly took place

In Lebanon, where protesters have brought the country to a standstill with demands for a full overhaul of the political system, the economy grew at a very slow pace over the past few years

More than 200 people have died and thousands wounded in Iraq since anti-government protests broke out on October 1

President Trump said that the U.S. has brought "the world's number one terrorist leader to justice."

Syrian children stand next to a burnt vehicle near where the operation took place