DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

A view shows oil pump jacks outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia June 4, 2023. Brent crude oil futures were down 10 cents to $90.61 a barrel by 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT), after falling to a session low of $89.50, the lowest since Sept. 8. Higher interest rates and a stronger dollar make oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, which could dampen oil demand. Talks to restart Iraqi oil exports via a crude oil pipeline that runs through Turkey are still ongoing, an Iraqi oil official told Reuters on Tuesday, one day after Turkey said operations would start again this week after a near six-month stoppage. U.S. crude inventories were expected to have fallen by about 100,000 barrels last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.

Persons: Alexander Manzyuk, Phil Flynn, Craig Erlam, Stephanie Kelly, Natalie Grover, Laura Sanicola, Trixie Yap, Marguerita Choy, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Wednesday, Brent, . West Texas, U.S ., U.S, Reserve, Futures, Investors, Organization of, Petroleum, Reuters, Gulf Cooperation, BMI Research, Thomson Locations: Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Asia, Turkey, Gulf, Iraq, .

Al-Jaber serves as the CEO of the state-run Abu Dhabi Oil Co., which has the capacity to pump 4 million barrels of crude oil a day and hopes to reach 5 million barrels a day. He also made the call to the annual Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, which brings together the largest players in the oil and gas industries. And al-Jaber himself has repeatedly said the world must rely on oil and gas for the near-term to bridge that gap. Though all smiles at Monday's conference, al-Jaber has acknowledged the withering criticism he's faced. Iraqi and regional Kurdish government officials did not immediately acknowledge the pipeline reopening, though Iraq's oil minister has said it was anticipated, without elaborating.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, al, Al, “, he's, it’s, ” al, Haitham, Ghais, Alparslan Bayraktar, ”, Bayraktar Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Oil Co, Abu, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, Conference, Brent, United Arab, Turkish Energy, Kurdish Locations: ABU DHABI, United Arab, United Nations, Abu, Abu Dhabi, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Jaber, OPEC, Iraqi, Turkish, Turkey, Ceyhan

☆ The US Air Force is buying a new missile as it makes plans to blast through enemy air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia and Ukraine are using their air defenses to deny each other control of the air. The US wants to avoid that, and it's working on a new missile to take down enemy air defenses. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Russian and Ukrainian air forces have played a relatively minor role in the war in Ukraine. Both sides have tended to keep their aircraft over friendly territory rather than risk tangling with sophisticated enemy air defenses, such as Ukraine's US-made Patriot and Russia's S-400. Ukrainian air forceThe US military currently uses the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-radiation Guided Missile, or AARGM, which is an upgraded HARM.

Persons: —, it's, James Hecker, Hecker, Northrop Grumman, Northrop, Northrop Grumman What's, they've, " Hecker, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US Air Forces, Air and Space Forces Association, Ukrainian, Press, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff, Handout, REUTERS, US Air Force, Radiation, Storm, US, Air and Space Forces Magazine, Joint, Air Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Europe, Kharkiv, Vietnam, Iran, North Korea, Forbes

☆ What is the PKK, the Kurdish rebel group behind bomb blast in Turkey?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

* The PKK is a militant group founded by Abdullah Ocalan in southeast Turkey in 1978 with an ideology based on Marxist-Leninist ideas. * It launched its insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 with the initial aim of creating an independent Kurdish state. It subsequently moderated its goals to seeking greater Kurdish rights and limited autonomy in southeast Turkey. Much of the fighting in the past was focused in rural areas of mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, but it has also conducted attacks in urban areas. * In recent years the conflict has moved from southeast Turkey to be focused mainly in northern Iraq, where the PKK has bases in the mountains.

Persons: Abdullah Ocalan, Ocalan, Abdul, Latif Rashid, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Kurdistan Workers Party, Marxist, European Union, BATTALION, PKK, Turkish, Islamic, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Iraq, Kurdish, United States, Syria, Kenya, Istanbul, Kurdistan, U.S, Islamic State

☆ After Ankara bombing, Turkey hits back in Iraq and at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Daren Butler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament as he attends the reopening of the Turkish parliament after the summer recess in Ankara, Turkey, October 1, 2023. On Sunday morning, two attackers detonated a bomb near government buildings in Ankara, killing them both and wounding two police officers. It launched an insurgency in southeast Turkey in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It said the attackers had hijacked the vehicle and killed its driver in Kayseri, a city 260 km (161 miles) southeast of Ankara. Turkey's armed forces have in recent years conducted several large-scale military operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria against Kurdish militants.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Abdul, Latif Rashid, Ali Yerlikaya, Yerlikaya, Yasar Guler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Robert Birsel, Jonathan Spicer, Mark Heinrich, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Kurdistan Workers Party, United Nations, Iraq, European Union, Reuters, PKK, Counterterrorism, Immortals Battalion, Kurdish, Islamic, Defence, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Handout, Iraq, Iraq ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Iraq's, Gara, Kurdistan, United States, Kayseri, Kurdish, Ataturk, Islamic State, Syria

Istanbul CNN —Turkey’s military carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in northern Iraq on Sunday, just hours after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in the capital in the latest attack of its nearly four-decade long insurgency. The ministry said in a statement that two attackers murdered a civilian and stole his vehicle ahead of the opening of parliament in Ankara. According to Ankara, the PKK trains separatist fighters and launches attacks against Turkey from its bases in northern Iraq and Syria, where a PKK-affiliated Kurdish group controls large swaths of territory. And in November last year, Ankara blamed the PKK for a bomb attack on a central pedestrian boulevard in Istanbul that killed six and injured dozens. In recent years, Turkey has carried out a steady stream of operations against the PKK domestically as well as cross-border operations into Syria.

Persons: Istanbul CNN —, ”, Ali Unal, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Organizations: Istanbul CNN, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Turkish Defense Ministry, United Nations Charter, European Union, Turkey’s, Ministry, Firat News Agency, Sunday, Group, Kurdistan Regional Government Locations: Istanbul, Iraq, Kurdistan, Metina, Gara, “, Turkey, United States, Ankara, Turkish, Iran, Kordestan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, Kurdish

☆ Joe Biden has a decision to make about Julian Assange
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

A small group of lawyers and media executives gathered in a well-appointed back room to listen to Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother. In the case of Vault 7, WikiLeaks' source turned out to be a disgruntled former C.I.A employee. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn New York, Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother, declined to rule out the possibility of a plea deal. Every time the Australian government raises this issue, the Chinese government puts out a statement about Julian Assange. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, right, was part of a delegation of Australian officials in the US to press for the release of Julian Assange.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, Tucker Carlson, Tucker, Shipton, he'd, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Monique Ryan, Albanese, Mike Pompeo, Caroline Kennedy, Der Spiegel, El Pais, David Hicks, Julian, John Shipton, Assange's, John, Gabriel, Brett Assange, Peter Whish, Wilson, We've, Robert Carr, Chelsea Manning's, Obama, We're, Cheng Lei, —, Chelsea Manning, Manning, What's, Julian Assange's, John MacDougall, …, they'd, he's, John Young, Laura Poitras's, Mueller, Robert Mueller's, John Podesta's, Bernie Sanders, John Koeltl, They've, Donald, Trump, we've, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, He's, I'm, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, I've, Putin, exfiltrate Assange, Julian wasn't, Dana Rohrabacher, Rohrabacher, Jennifer Robinson, Tracey Nearmy, we'd, Marjorie Taylor, Greene, Antony Blinken, Biden, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, WikiLeaks, Washington Post, Washington, DOJ, The Washington, Australia's Labor Party, New, Biden, Senate Intelligence, Justice Department, New York Times, Guardian, Chelsea, Pentagon, Getty, Justice, The State Department, Laura Poitras's WikiLeaks, State Department, DNC, Democratic, Committee, Democratic National Convention, of, Russian Federation, Novaya Gazeta, Trump, CIA, The Justice Locations: New York, London, Assange's, Pacific, Ecuadorian, Washington, Russia, Australia, Shipton, Brig, Chelsea, Iraq, Australian, China, American, Moscow, Getty Shipton, … Shipton, Cryptome, There's, Southern, of New York, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Panama, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Iraq wedding fire caused by 'gross negligence', government investigation says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Volunteers search for the remains of missing bodies following a fatal fire at a wedding celebration, in the district of Hamdaniya, in Nineveh province, Iraq, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad Acquire Licensing RightsBAGHDAD, Oct 1 (Reuters) - A fire that swept through a crowded wedding hall in a northern Iraqi town killing more than 100 people was blamed on "gross negligence" and lack of safety measures, the results of a government investigation into the disaster said. “The fire was accidental and unintentional and occurred due to gross negligence,” the investigation findings said. The blaze trapped people inside the wedding hall and rescue teams struggled to reach them because exit doors were few and small, Shammari said. The investigation also made recommendations that legal action should be taken against local officials.

Persons: Ahmed Saad, Abdul Amir al, ” Shammari, Shammari, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Ahmed Rasheed, Jane Merriman Organizations: Volunteers, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Hamdaniya, Nineveh province, Iraq, Rights BAGHDAD, Iraqi, Christian

India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer, also raised imports from Iraq while taking less Saudi oil, the data showed. India imported about 1.55 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in September, 16% more than in August, while imports from Iraq increased by 17% to about 1.1 million bpd, LSEG data showed. Vortexa pegged imports of Russian oil at 1.52 million bpd, compared with 1.44 million bpd in August. India's Saudi Oil Imports surged in Aug, Russia fell to 7-mth lowAccording to Kpler data, India's imports of Russian crude jumped back to 1.8 million bpd in September from less than 1.5 million bpd in August. They mostly purchase Russian oil on the spot market, while largely relying on term contracts for Middle Eastern crude.

Persons: Viktor Katona, Kpler's Katona, Nidhi Verma, Mohi Narayan, Arpan Varghese, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Saudi Oil Imports, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Russia, LSEG, India, Iraq, Kpler, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine

Baghdad, Iraq CNN —A popular Iraqi TikTok personality was shot dead on Monday in Baghdad, an Iraqi security source told CNN. Known on social media as “Noor BM,” 23-year-old Noor Alsaffar had over 370,000 followers collectively on Instagram and TikTok. While being queer is not explicitly banned under current Iraqi legislation, LGBTQ people are often targeted under vague morality clauses in its penal code. Alsaffar spoke in videos about facing threats on social media over choices of dressing. The Iraqi LGBTQ rights group, IraQueer, posted about Alsaffar’s death, adding the hashtags #Transphobia and #MuderOfTransPeople on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Persons: Iraq CNN —, Noor, Noor Alsaffar, Alsaffar, ” Khaled Almehna, Iraq’s Al, “ I’m, I’m, Samir Jermani, “, ”, Iraq “ Organizations: Iraq CNN, CNN, Twitter, Human Rights Watch Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Iraqi, Sweden, Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia

☆ A fire at a wedding hall in northern Iraq kills at least 100 people and injures 150, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People look at the aftermath of a fire that broke out during a wedding at an event hall in Al-Hamdaniyah, Iraq on September 27, 2023. At least 100 people were killed and more than 150 injured when a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in the northern Iraqi town of Hamdaniyah, state media and health officials said. A fire that raced through a hall hosting a Christian wedding in northern Iraq killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, authorities said Wednesday, warning the death toll could rise. Television footage showed flames rushing over the wedding hall as the fire took hold. Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr earlier put the number of injured at 150 via the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

Persons: That's, Saif al, Badr Organizations: Health, Iraqi News Agency Locations: Al, Hamdaniyah, Iraq, Iraq's Nineveh, Mosul, Baghdad, Nineveh

CNN —A fire at a wedding in northern Iraq has killed at least 100 people and injured 150 others, according to the Iraqi state news agency INA citing local authorities. The disaster in the Hamdaniya district of northeast Nineveh governorate, was set off by fireworks, candles, and other materials used during the wedding celebration, the Iraqi Civil Defense said. Nineveh governor Najm Al-Jubouri told the Iraqi state news agency INA that the injured were transferred to hospitals in Nineveh and the Kurdistan region. Videos from the scene show thick smoke billowing out of the at the Al Haytham Wedding Hall while crowds and ambulances gather outside. The wedding hall where the fire broke out was covered with highly flammable Ecobond panels that violated safety instructions requirements, according to the Iraqi Civil Defense, ANI reported.

Persons: Najm Al, Jubouri, ” Al, Al Haytham, Mohammed Shiaa Al, Sudani Organizations: CNN, Iraqi Civil Defense, INA Locations: Iraq, Hamdaniya, Nineveh, Iraqi, Kurdistan

☆ US-made ATACMS cluster missiles could give Ukraine's HIMARS the power to punish Russia's artillery and 'cut off' its army, former US artillery officer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

One variant that could help Kyiv is the M39 cluster missile, which has nearly 1,000 submunitions. Rice has lobbied for Washington to send cluster munitions since July 2022, and his efforts have also focused on cluster rockets and missiles. Fewer of these were produced compared to the older M39 cluster variant, military research indicates. That's what ATACMS cluster missiles will help do, he said. With longer-range M39 ATACMS missiles packed with far more explosive submunitions, this becomes even more of a deadly challenge for Moscow's army.

Persons: —, Biden, ATACMS, Dan Rice, Rice, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Getty Images Rice, Zelenskyy, Maj, Charlie Dietz, Ukraine's, Serhii Mykhalchuk, there's, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, MGM, Tactical Missile, Artillery, White, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Army Tactical Missile, Korean Defense Ministry, Getty Images, Department of Defense, State Department, Kyiv, Black, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Crimean, Washington, France, Desert Storm, Iraqi, South Korea, U.S, Crimea, Donetsk Oblast, Azov, Russia, Kerch, Moscow

☆ More than 100 dead, 150 injured in fire at Iraq wedding party
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NINEVEH, Iraq, Sept 27 (Reuters) - More than 100 people were killed and 150 were injured in a fire at a wedding party in Hamdaniya district in Iraq's Nineveh province that left civil defence searching the charred skeleton of a building for survivors into the early hours of Wednesday. Nineveh Deputy Governor Hasan al-Allaq told Reuters that 113 people had been confirmed dead, with state media putting the death toll at at least 100, with 150 injured. The fire ripped through a large events hall in the north-eastern region after fireworks were lit during the celebration, local civil defence said, according to state media. Preliminary information indicated that the building was made of highly flammable construction materials, contributing to its rapid collapse, state media said. Ambulances and medical crews were dispatched to the site by federal Iraqi authorities and Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to official statements.

Persons: Hasan al, Allaq, Timour Azhari, Enas, Sonali Paul, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: NINEVEH, Iraq, Hamdaniya district, Iraq's Nineveh, Nineveh, Kurdistan, Baghdad, Cairo

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday it had captured an operator for the Islamic State extremist group during a helicopter raid in northern Syria. The operator, Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, “was assessed to have relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The U.S. has approximately 900 troops in Syria focused on countering the remnants of the Islamic State group, which had held a wide swath of Syria until 2019. News of the capture came as U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces imposed a curfew after continued skirmishes with rival Arab militiamen. Political Cartoons View All 1179 ImagesSyria remains in a bloody 12-year civil war that has killed a half-million people.

Persons: Abu Halil al, “, Troy Garlock, Bashar Assad Organizations: WASHINGTON, State, ISIS, U.S . Central Command, Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces Locations: Syria, U.S, Col, Kurdish, Deir el, Zour, Ziban, Damascus, United States

☆ Iran Parades New 'Longest-Range' Drone on Iraq War Anniversary -State Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Iran on Friday paraded its military hardware on the anniversary of its 1980s war with Iraq, including "the longest-range drone in the world" along with ballistic and hypersonic missiles, Iranian state media said. It has an operational range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles) and can fly for up to 24 hours, state media reported then, adding that its payload could reach 300 kg (661 pounds), double the capacity of the Mohajer-6 drone. U.S. officials have accused Iran of providing Mohajer-6 drones, among other unmanned aerial vehicles, to Russia for its war against Ukraine. The Iran-Iraq war erupted on Sept. 22, 1980 when the forces of then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The conflict, which was economically devastating and left at least half a million dead, ended in stalemate in August 1988.

Persons: Shahed, Arash, Ebrahim Raisi, Saddam Hussein, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters Locations: Iran, Iraq, Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Tehran, Persian, “, Israel

☆ Iran parades new 'longest-range' drone on Iraq war anniversary, state media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 22 (Reuters) - Iran on Friday paraded its military hardware on the anniversary of its 1980s war with Iraq, including "the longest-range drone in the world" along with ballistic and hypersonic missiles, Iranian state media said. The United States has accused Iran of providing Mohajer-6 drones, among other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to Russia for its war against Ukraine. [1/8]Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech during the annual military parade in Tehran, Iran, September 22, 2023. The United States issued fresh Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting multiple people and entities in Iran, Russia, China and Turkey over Tehran's drone and military aircraft development. The Iran-Iraq war erupted on Sept. 22, 1980 when the forces of then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Iran.

Persons: Shahed, Arash, Tehran's, Ebrahim Raisi, Majid Asgaripour, Saddam Hussein, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: United, Ukraine, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: Iran, Iraq, Republic, United States, Russia, Washington, Tehran, Ukraine, “, Persian, Israel, China, Turkey

☆ GCC countries, US call for completion of demarcation of Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime borders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens to Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi as they attend a breakfast with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nations, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in New York, U.S. Craig Ruttle/Pool via REUTERS/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the U.S., in a joint statement on Wednesday, called for the completion of demarcation of Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime borders "beyond boundary point 162". The statement comes after a meeting of GCC Arab foreign ministers, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi in New York. They also called on the Iraqi government to "expeditiously resolve the domestic legal status of the 2012 Kuwait-Iraq Agreement to regulate maritime navigation in Khor Abdullah and ensure that the agreement remains in force." The joint statement also "called on Iraq and the UN to exert maximum efforts to reach a resolution of all the issues involved." Reporting by Enas ALashray, Muhammad Al Gebaly; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, Craig Ruttle, Jasem, Khor Abdullah, Enas ALashray, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Christopher Cushing, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Cooperation, Foreign Ministers, Gulf Cooperation Council Nations, Rights, Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, UN, United Nations, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Rights CAIRO, Kuwaiti, Iraqi, Kuwait, Iraq, Khor

☆ House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing next week on repealing the law that made the 2003 Iraq invasion possible
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing next Thursday on AUMFs. That tees up a potential repeal of the more than 20-year-old law, which authorized the Iraq war. The Senate easily passed a bill to do just that earlier this year, but it's stalled in the House. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe effort to repeal the Iraq war powers has been stalled for months in the House, largely owing to the opposition of defense-minded Republicans on key committees. But dozens of House Republicans also voted for the bill.

Persons: it's, Leslie Shedd, Ken Buck, Gregory Meeks, Saddam Hussein Organizations: Foreign Affairs, Senate, Service, Iraq, Caucus, House Republicans, Republican Rep, Democratic, Democrats, Republicans, ISIS Locations: Iraq, Wall, Silicon, United States, Colorado, New York

☆ Iraq’s Leader, Heading to U.N., Pitches Himself as Face of Change
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | More About Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Iraq’s prime minister addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, he is hoping to persuade the world that he is the leader who can finally solve his country’s persistent problems of corruption and political instability — and make it a reliable partner for the region. He asserts that as the first Iraqi leader since the U.S. invasion in 2003 to have spent his entire life within the country, he is better able to understand what Iraqis have been through, and to make changes. Every other prime minister after the toppling of Saddam Hussein spent years in exile or working abroad, but Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, 53, never fled Iraq, despite Mr. Hussein’s having ordered the execution of his father and other close relatives. “I am a product of the institutions of the state,” Mr. al-Sudani said in a recent interview in Baghdad, “and I understand the citizens and their priorities.” He described himself as part of “a second generation” of post-Hussein politicians, and said those with his background were closer to the people and understood that “the street wants a change.”

Persons: Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Shia, Hussein’s, “, Mr, Sudani, Hussein, ” Organizations: United Nations General Assembly Locations: New York, U.S, Iraq, Baghdad, “

Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero sits underneath one of his sculptures during a stroll with Medellin's Mayor Federico Gutierrez (not pictured) in Medellin, Colombia January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Fredy Builes/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures and paintings of playful, rotund subjects in sometimes harrowing situations made him one of the world's richest artists, has died at 91. "Fernando Botero has died, the painter of our traditions and defects, the painter of our virtues. Although widely known for his large subjects, Botero insisted his pieces were not focused on body type. As an artist, Botero sought to make his work accessible, donating over 200 works to create the Botero Museum in Bogota, which is free and receives half a million visitors a year.

Persons: Fernando Botero, Federico Gutierrez, Fredy, Picasso, Botero, lounging, Abu, Gustavo Petro, Spain's, Manuel Marulanda, Mona Lisa, Fernando Botero Angulo, Dali, Monet, Sophia Vari, Colombia's, Julia Symmes Cobb, Diane Craft, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Medellin's, REUTERS, Rights, Spain's El Mundo, Revolutionary Armed Forces, The New York Times, Museum, Colombia's El Tiempo, Thomson Locations: Medellin, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Colombian, U.S, Bogota

☆ U.S. Treasury official says Iraq must act to avoid further action on banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Employees walk at the headquarters of the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad, Iraq August 15, 2023. Despite the crackdown, the senior U.S. Treasury official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were still other Iraqi banks operating with risks "that must be remediated". Iraq's central bank governor has said Iraq is committed to implementing tighter financial regulations and combating the smuggling of dollars. The central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. However, there were still "vested interests comfortable with the status quo that can create friction to driving change," the Treasury official said, without identifying who these were.

Persons: Ahmed Saad, Farhad Alaadin, Alaadin, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Shia Al, Timour Azhari, Alexander Smith Organizations: Central Bank of, REUTERS, Treasury, U.S, Reuters, Iraqi, U.S . Federal, Iraq, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: Central Bank of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq, Iran, BAGHDAD, U.S, United States, Iraqi, Iranian, Tehran, Iraq's

☆ White House Strategy on Impeachment: Fight Politics With Politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Peter Baker | More About Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Overall, this has not been handled well by the White House,” Mr. Epstein said. “We think they should work with us on legitimate issues — things that actually matter to the American people,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters. Neil Eggleston, who was a White House lawyer for Mr. Clinton, said it was important to draw the contrast. “The White House needs to continue to execute and be presidential,” he said. “It is too easy for the entire team to focus on responding to every new claim by the House Republicans.

Persons: Julian Epstein, Clinton, “, ” Mr, Epstein, ”, ” Karine Jean, Pierre, Neil Eggleston, Mr, Biden Organizations: White, Republicans, White House, House Republicans Locations: House, Baghdad, U.S, White

☆ Iraq jails police for failing to halt torching of Swedish embassy after Koran burning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Iraqi demonstrator holds the Koran during a protest near the Green Zone against the burning of a copy of the Koran and the Iraqi flag in the Swedish capital Stockholm, in Baghdad, Iraq July 22, 2023. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBAGHDAD, Sept 13 (Reuters) - An Iraqi court sentenced 18 police officers to prison after they were found guilty of failing to prevent protesters from setting fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July over a planned Koran burning in Stockholm. It says the officers were convicted of "abstaining from their duties to protect the Swedish embassy and to stop the persons who stormed and set fire to it". Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July and set it on fire over a planned Koran burning in Stockholm. Anti-Islam protesters, one of whom is an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden who burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque in June, had applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy.

Persons: Khalid Al, Ahmed Rasheed, Timour, Nick Macfie Organizations: Green, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Iraqi, Swedish, Stockholm, Baghdad, Iraq, Rights BAGHDAD, Sweden

☆ In a US showdown with China, there are some missions with no special-operations 'easy button'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Special-operations forces have been a centerpiece of US military operations for two decades. US leaders should remember that special operators aren't suited for some tasks, one expert says. But in an era of strategic competition with China, there are some missions with no special-ops "easy button," according to David Ucko, a professor and expert on irregular warfare. First, the US special-operations community should consolidate its core strengths, particularly irregular warfare, which is "highly relevant" to strategic competition with China. US Navy SEALs train with Philippine Navy special-operations and Australian army special-operations troops in Palawan in April 2022.

Persons: David Ucko, David Devich, Ucko, US Army John F, Mario A, Ramirez, Jared N, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, US Special Forces, US Army, Royal United Services Institute, China, Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, US Air Force, Tech, Westin Warburton, Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, State, Justice, Treasury, US Navy, Philippine Navy, US Marine Corps, Army Green Beret, Philippine National Police, Coast Guard, British SAS, Commonwealth, Group, SAS, Allies, Army Delta Force, Delta Force, US Army Rangers, US Army Green Berets, Psychological Operations, Boat Service, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, SOF, Afghanistan's Ghazni, British, Russia, North Carolina, Palawan, Ukraine, Taiwan, North Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Johns

Search resuls for: "iraqi"

25 mentions found