Iraqi forces storm Mosul airport, military base

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from FRANCE 24 Observers around the world – all checked by our staff here in Paris.

The migration crisis, the rise of nationalism and the Covid-19 pandemic have put borders back in the headlines. Although frontiers had never disappeared, globalisation and modern forms of transport had seemed to render them obsolete, at least in many regions. FRANCE 24 brings you a documentary series on four borders that are emblematic of our times. Our reporter Lucile Wassermann travelled to the Arar border crossing between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which is coming back to life in the middle of the desert.

This week, Iraq was plunged into more political uncertainty. Lawmakers from the parliamentary bloc of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr resigned en masse at their leader's request. The Sadrist bloc is the largest in parliament and since an election last October, parties have been unable to form a government. The move aims to up pressure in a bid to end the country's political paralysis. We take a closer look.

Baghdad is hoping to revive talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the deadly confrontation in Yemen. Diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh have been non-existent for years.

Iraqi officials have blamed Turkey for an airstrike on the Kurdistan region that killed at least eight tourists. But Turkey distanced itself from the shelling, saying it was a "terror attack."

Mali's army repels a terrorist attack on its largest military base, located on the outskirts of Bamako. Seven attackers were killed and eight arrested in the assault.

After his supporters stormed parliament and declared a sit-in, influential Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr dismissed calls for dialogue with an Iran-backed faction and called for the dissolution of the legislature.

After his supporters stormed parliament and declared a sit-in, influential Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr dismissed calls for dialogue with an Iran-backed faction and called for the dissolution of the legislature.

At least 15 people have died in clashes after supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the government palace. The unrest came after the cleric announced he was retiring from politics.

As quickly as Baghdad erupted, Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters went home. All it took was a word from the leader, a demonstration of force by the populist Shiite cleric as protracted coalition-building in Iraq spills over into a power play with neighbouring Iran. Can Sadr stare down pressure from across the border? His umpteenth announcement on Monday that he was quitting politics was the signal for clashes that killed at least 30 people.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Iraq's Foreign inister Fuad Hussein said he was hoping to host a meeting in Baghdad between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hussein said that after five meetings between intelligence officials of the two rival powers in recent months, it was time to upgrade and have the two top diplomats meet in person.

Some pro-Russian web users in West Africa have been sharing a photo that allegedly illustrates the destruction of a Ukrainian military base in Odesa on September 25. However, the photo has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.