Saudi Arabia

Women’s passion for football in predominantly Muslim countries is not only for the passion of the beautiful game, but is also fueled by the fact that it fulfils a need to release energy and in a conservative society that severely restricts their freedom Women’s passion for football is not simply a love of the beautiful game.

The International Energy Agency cut its forecast for 2014 oil demand to 92.7 million barrels a day due to weaker than expected global economic growth.

The Syrian National Coalition, the main exiled opposition group seeking the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, on July 9 elected Saudi-based Syrian opposition figure Hadi al-Bahra as its new president.

“Why not leave the dark pages of history behind? I hope we can turn over a new page in our relations.”

Syrian warplanes bombed Sunni militants' positions inside Iraq, military officials confirmed Wednesday, deepening the concerns that the extremist insurgency that spans the two neighboring countries could morph into an even wider regional conflict. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned against the threat and said other nations should stay out.
     

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s dismissal of President Abdullah Gül’s congratulatory message to Egypt’s new President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – even if he did not mention Gül by name - as “meaningless” may be a criticism of Gül. It could also mean that Gül and Erdoğan are playing the good policeman-bad policeman game here.

A Libyan renegade general has called on all Turks and Qataris to leave volatile eastern Libya, accusing the two countries of supporting “terrorism,” his spokesman said June 22.

Baghdad asked Washington June 18 to carry out air strikes on militants who attacked Iraq's main oil refinery and seized more territory in the north, amid warnings the country's future was at stake.

Turkey has updated its travel warning for Iraq, increasing the number of Iraqi provinces where Turkish citizens may face security problems, from seven to 15.

Anbar, Baghdad, Basra, Diyala, Mosul, Kirkuk and Salahaddin were already listed by the Foreign Ministry as provinces that Turkish citizens should avoid travelling through.

Iraq's Shiite rulers defied Western calls on June 17 to reach out to Sunnis to defuse the uprising in the north of the country, declaring a boycott of Iraq's main Sunni political bloc and accusing Sunni power Saudi Arabia of promoting 'genocide.'