IRAQ

An Iraqi demonstrator flashes the victory sign during a demonstration in Baghdad Saturday

Live rounds have allegedly repeatedly been fired during the protests, which have evolved into calls for fundamental government change

Iraqi protesters gather for a demonstration against state corruption, failing public services and unemployment at Tayaran square in Baghdad

"We're not infiltrators", Sayyed said over and over again as he marched Friday to Baghdad's iconic Tahrir Square after Iraqi officials accused "aggressors" of being behind four days of anti-government protests.Despite pleas from embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi for a "return to a normal life" and the endorsement of the protests by Iraq's top Shiite religious authority, Sayyed said he would continue to demonstrate "until the government falls".

The UN appeal came as protesters clashed with anti-riot police for a fourth day of mass rallies that have left 34 people dead

A riot police vehicle burns in Tayeran Square in the heart of Baghdad on Thursday as protests escalate in the capital and across the south

Thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in Iraq's capital and across the south on Thursday, the third day of mass rallies that have left 31 dead.Defying curfews, tear gas and live rounds, truckfuls of demonstrators gathered to vent anger over corruption, unemployment and poor services in the biggest challenge yet to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.In his first public address since protests began, the embattled premier made a televised speech early Friday as heavy gunfire rang out across Baghdad.

Iraqi demonstrators have struggled to communicate with each other or post footage of clashes

Analysts say the broad-based nature of this week's protests may ultimately prove to be their weakness as the movement struggles to convert its strength on the streets into concrete political gains

The political future of Kosovo will be decided in general elections this Sunday

Demonstrators are protesting against state corruption, failing public services and high unemployment in the first significant popular challenge to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi paid tribute to the security forces after Tuesday's protests but President Barham Saleh condemned the violence, saying: "Peaceful protest is a constitutional right"

US-backed Syrian fighters in March expelled IS jihadists from their last patch of territory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz

Protesters clash with Iraqi anti-riot police on a bridge leading to the capital's Green Zone during a demonstration against state corruption and poor services

Munir Akram served a previous stint in the post from 2002 to 2008

During the Soviet era, Kalashnikov's work was shrouded in secrecy

The coffin of former French President Jacques Chirac lies in state during a memorial ceremony at the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides cathedral at the Invalides memorial complex in central Paris on September 29, 2019

The French public on Sunday began bidding a final farewell to late former president Jacques Chirac, fondly remembered as a charismatic giant of domestic and international politics despite a mixed legacy.Chirac's death on Thursday aged 86 prompted a flood of tributes to a man whose high-profile political career spanned three decades capped by 12 years as president from 1995-2007.But it also sparked questions about how much this consumate political operator had actually achieved during a long spell in office and again threw the spotlight on a 2011 conviction for graft over his time as Paris mayor.

Members of the public queued to lay flowers outside Chirac's home in Paris

Chirac was so enamoured of the traditional Japanese sport he even named his dog Sumo

Jacques Chirac, seen here with Margaret Thatcher in 1987, was caught on microphone making an offensive remark during tense European talks with the British prime minister