Israel

Interpol has accepted the application of the Palestinian authorities to join the international police organization.

This happened despite Israel's fierce opposition, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Solomon Islands also joined the organization, Interpol - that now has 192 members - announced on Twitter, Tanjug is reporting.

Interpol has accepted the application of the Palestinian authorities to join the international police organization.

This happened despite Israel's fierce opposition, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Palestine joined Interpol as a member state on Wednesday, a move opposed by Israel, in a vote at the international police organization's general assembly in Beijing, Interpol said.

"The State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands are now INTERPOL member countries," an Interpol tweet read.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned that all military and economic measures are on the table against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), arguing that Masoud Barzani's decision to go ahead with the vote was "betrayal to Turkey."

US officials have reportedly said that Iran's claim it tested a ballistic missile over the weekend that could reach Israel was a lie, and a video of the launch was in fact recycled footage of a previous missile test, The Times of Israel writes.

Thanks to Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Masoud Barzani's move to hold a referendum on carving out an independent Kurdistan, the Middle East is once again a high-risk spot, competing with the ongoing crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

The countdown has started and the clock is ticking very loudly to warn the Iraqi Kurds that their referendum vote for independence, scheduled to take place on Sept. 25, is loaded with a potential disaster not only for northern Iraq but a bigger geography spanning Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran and probably beyond. 

US President Donald Trump once again expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the nuclear agreement with Iran, criticizing Tehran for a missile test, and accusing them of cooperating with North Korea, TASS reported, quoted by BTA.

"Iran has just tested a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. Not much of an agreement we have", wrote the American president on Twitter.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) region does not only accommodate Kurds, but also Turkmens and Arabs, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed on his way back from New York, when questioned about the planned independence referendum in the region. 

We do not yet know whether U.S. President Donald Trump's Sept. 21 message - in which he said he had "become close friends" with President Tayyip Erdoğan and relations between the two countries were "at their best level ever" - really is good news for those hoping for an improvement in Turkish-American relations.