Raqqa was captured two years ago by US troops and their YPG/PKK allies but since US President Trump abruptly ordered a pull-out in October, Moscow has swiftly advanced into that territory.
Fahem al Tai, 53, had been taking part in weeks of rallies denouncing Iraq's entrenched political elite as corrupt, inept and beholden to neighbouring Iran.
A consensus on businessman Samir Khatib appeared to form last week among the main parties, including Saad al Hariri. But Khatib failed to win enough backing from the Sunni Muslim establishment for the position.
Segregation has quietly eased over the past year or so, as eateries, cafes, conference centres and concert halls stopped strictly enforcing it.
The air raids in the militant-run northwestern region of Idlib also wounded several others, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
Officials raise the death toll to 25 protesters killed and over 130 wounded while an armed drone hit the home of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al Sadr in Najaf city, sources say.
Turkey's second busiest airport and Europe's twelfth was chosen from among those with at least 30 million passengers.
The attack came a day after a string of suspicious stabbing incidents targeting demonstrators left 13 wounded in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Iraq’s leaderless protest movement.
The kingdom has made attempts to exploit and complicate bilateral issues between Turkey and the Greek-Cypriot administered part of Cyprus for its own foriegn policy gains.
A number of policy setbacks have pushed Saudi Arabia to revisit its blockade of Qatar raising the spectre of a potential rapprochement.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani urged leaders to abandon partisan politics in choosing a new head of government and said he would have no involvement in efforts to replace Adil Abdul Mahdi.
Football diplomacy and the Saudi king's decision to invite the Qatari emir to a Gulf summit in Riyadh led to speculation about an imminent diplomatic breakthrough between Gulf rivals.
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