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☆ Exclusive: US issues new 120-day waiver letting Iraq pay Iran for electricity
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday moved to let Iraq pay Iran for electricity via non-Iraqi banks, a U.S. official said, a step Washington hopes may keep Tehran from forcing unpopular power cuts during the sweltering Iraqi summer. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a 120-day national security waiver allowing Iraq - heavily dependent on Iranian electricity - to deposit such payments into non-Iraqi banks in third countries instead of into restricted accounts in Iraq, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have to help the Iraqis with this perennial pressure from the Iranians to access the money," said the U.S. official. It is not clear, however, whether Iran might ease up on Iraq as a result. Tehran could decide it has greater leverage over Iraq than over other nations and continue to exert pressure.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden's, Arshad Mohammed, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul Organizations: U.S, Iraq, U.S ., United Nations, Thomson Locations: United States, Iran, Washington, Tehran, Iraqi, Iraq, Baghdad, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, Israel

Baghdad, Iraq CNN —Condemnation grew in Iraq after a 300-year-old minaret, viewed as a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, was demolished in the southern city of Basra on Friday. Built in 1727, the 11-meter Siraji minaret, was demolished to create road expansion following complaints of traffic around the mosque, Basra Governor Assad Al Eidani said in a televised interview with Al Taghyeer news channel on Friday. He added that the leveling was a necessary step for road expansion in a growing city experiencing traffic jams. Local residents and government officials were left furious with the decision to proceed with the demolition. A resident of Basra, Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, told CNN that the people of the city “are in pain” over the demolition of the historic minaret.

Persons: Basra Governor Assad Al Eidani, Al, Al Eidani, Ahmed Al Badrani, Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, ” Ibrahim Organizations: Iraq CNN, Ministry of Culture, Iraq’s, CNN Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Basra, Basra Governor

☆ Iraqi PM Sudani, Syria's Assad hold talks on security, water in Damascus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani review an honor guard in Damascus, Syria July 16, 2023. Syrian Presidency/Handout via REUTERSBAGHDAD, July 16 (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday in the first such visit by an Iraqi premier since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011. Assad and Sudani discussed securing their shared 600km border from security threats, including Islamic State militants, and agreed to enhance cooperation to reduce drug smuggling, they said during a joint news conference. Sudani said Iraq supported the lifting of sanctions on Syria, put in place and expanded by the U.S. and European countries since 2011. Sudani's visit comes as other countries, including Saudi Arabia, rebuild relations with Damascus after years of tensions.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, Timour Azhari, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Iraqi, Islamic State militants, U.S, Islamic, Arab League, Top, European Union, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Iraqi, Damascus, Syria, Syrian, REUTERS BAGHDAD, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Islamic State, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Jordan, United States, United Kingdom, European

☆ 4 major fighter-jet deals could reshape the Middle East's biggest militaries for decades to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Middle Eastern countries have for decades been major buyers of advanced fighter jets. Four potential deals involving Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt show that the trend will continue. Four looming acquisitions by Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt show that this trend will not change any time soon. Egypt's EaglesEgyptian Air Force MiG-29s during an exercise in Sudan in May 2021. While the Russian jets couldn't exchange data with Egypt's US-made aircraft, Cairo hoped they could operate as an "air force within an air force" and partially redress its limited air-to-air capabilities.

Persons: Cuneyt, MURAD, Erdogan, Mehmet Kaman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, Biden, Sen, Bob Menendez, hasn't, Iran's, Vladimir Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, ALEXANDR DEMYANCHUK, it's, —, Iran hasn't, ATTA KENARE, Mohammed Reza Ashtiani, Iraq's, KARIM SAHIB, Saddam Hussein's, Ali Mohammed, KARI, ASHRAF SHAZLY, Derek Seifert, Frank McKenzie, Israel, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, Dassault Rafales, Dassault, Vipers, NATO Air Policing, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Getty Images, NATO, Senate Foreign Relations, SPUTNIK, Army Day, Iranian Parliament's National Security, Foreign, Iranian Defense, Rafale, ISIS, Getty Images Iraq, Thales Ground, AIM, Meteor, Egypt's Eagles Egyptian Air Force, Eagles, US Air Force, US Central Command Locations: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Wall, Silicon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Poland, Ankara, Syria, Greece, Samarkand, Getty Images Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, US, Tehran, AFP, Iranian, Persian, Baghdad, France, South Korea, Czech, Iraqi, Balad, Sudan, Qatar, Cairo, Derek Seifert Egypt

☆ As Iraq Tries to Chill Critics, Its Newest Target Is Social Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | More About Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Often it is unclear exactly which acts violate public order and morality, according to the U.S. State Department’s most recent report on human rights, as well as a report by Human Rights Watch and other free speech and human rights organizations. Um Fahad, the social media influencer who was dancing on her son’s birthday, said she still did not understand why she was arrested and imprisoned. In 2021, the federal court stripped commissioners of their immunity, making them vulnerable to financially crippling lawsuits from any politician, government ministry or party. That curbed the commission’s efforts to hold to account Iraqi government officials or institutions for human rights violations under Iraqi and international law. Officials note accurately that when government critics are pursued in court, in the majority of cases they eventually prevail.

Persons: Um Fahad, “, ”, Ali al, neutered, Saddam Hussein Organizations: U.S, U.S . State, Human Rights Watch, Iraqi Human Rights Commission Locations: U.S ., Iraq

☆ Iraq-Iran gas-for-oil barter would likely violate US sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However, three former U.S. officials said a barter would likely run afoul of U.S. sanctions. There has been speculation the waiver might be amended to allow barter, an issue the official declined to address. We have no comment at this time regarding reports of a barter arrangement between Iraq and Iran," the official said. Former U.S. officials said the Treasury Department, which oversees most U.S. sanctions against Iran, defines the term "transaction" so broadly that it would cover a barter exchange. "As far as a strictly legal question, it absolutely does violate U.S. sanctions," he added.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Richard Goldberg, Goldberg, Antony Blinken, that's, Arshad Mohammed, Josie Kao Organizations: Iraqi, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Trump, State Department, Iran, U.S, Treasury Department, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tehran, U.S, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Iraqi, Washington

☆ Montana GOP Senate candidate's old Facebook includes lewd photos of women, racist costumes, and homoerotic jokes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy's old Facebook profile is full of questionable photos. Screenshot/Tim Sheehy's FacebookOne week earlier, Sheehy posted a photo of a woman posing on exercise equipment with one nipple exposed. Screenshot/Tim Sheehy's FacebookOther photos appear to show Sheehy partying with friends while a student at the Naval Academy. "Well hey, at least you don't look like Sam here [sic]," Sheehy wrote, possibly referring to the woman in the photo. Screenshot/Tim Sheehy's FacebookSheehy (right) and other students posing in a homoerotic manner in a dorm room.

Persons: Tim Sheehy's, Sheehy, Tim Sheehy, They'd, Sen, Jon Tester, who've, Matt Rosendale, That's, Timothy Patrick, —, Carmen Sheehy, Carmen, Sheehy's, carmen, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, KIM, Hussein, Carmen —, weiner, Sam, Sheehy's Facebook Sheehy, Katie Martin, Tester, Ben Terris, Terris, Martin Organizations: Montana GOP, Facebook, Service, US, Republicans, Navy, Republican, US Army Ranger School, US Naval Academy, Naval Academy, Sheehy's Facebook Locations: Montana, Wall, Silicon, Georgia, Maryland, American, North Korean, Afghanistan, Fort Benning , Georgia

☆ Iraq to trade crude oil for Iranian gas to settle power debt - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 11 (Reuters) - Iraq will begin trading crude oil for Iranian gas to end the recurring issue of payment delays to Tehran due to the need for U.S. approval, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani said on Tuesday. By trading Iraqi crude for Iranian gas, Sudani said, Iraq would avoid rolling power cuts every summer while working to complete gas capture and extraction projects that would help make the country self-sufficient. The United States has pushed Iraq, OPEC second-largest producer, to cut its reliance on Iranian gas. Iraq spends roughly $4 billion per year on imports of Iranian gas and power while burning massive quantities of natural gas as a byproduct of its hydrocarbons sector. On Monday Iraq signed a massive deal with French oil major TotalEnergies that includes plans to capture gas from oilfields in the southern Basra region.

Persons: Mohammed Shia Sudani, Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, Henry Rome, Timour Azhari, Arshad Mohammed, David Gregorio, Stephen Coates Organizations: Iraqi, Reuters, State Department, Biden, Washington Institute for Near, Policy, Monday Iraq, Thomson Locations: Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Baghdad, Washington, United States, OPEC, Basra, Erbil

☆ Taliban halt Swedish activities in Afghanistan after Koran burning
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, July 11 (Reuters) - The Taliban administration said on Tuesday all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan must stop after the burning of the Koran outside a mosque in the Swedish capital last month. The order was likely to affect the Swedish non-governmental organisation, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, which has thousands of aid workers at work throughout the country in health, education and rural development. An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque last month, causing outrage in the Muslim world. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Taliban order. The Taliban administration did not provide details on which organisations would be affected.

Persons: Zabiullah Mujahid, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Swedish Committee, United, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Sweden, Afghanistan, Swedish, Emirate, Iraqi, Stockholm

☆ A darling of US conservatives, Iran’s top opposition group may face an uncertain future
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But recent setbacks for the most powerful Iranian opposition group have some observers wondering whether its glory days are numbered. The MeK believes these actions were part of a “policy of appeasement” of the regime in Tehran, a top representative from the group told CNN in an email interview. Gobadi told CNN the raid “was carried out at the behest or under pressure” from Iran. ‘Illegal and subversive activity’An Albanian foreign ministry coordinator told CNN by email that the country has not provided any seized material to Iran. Gobadi told CNN that that speakers or attendees have never received payments from the MeK.

Persons: Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Mike Pence, Saddam Hussein, bode, ” Shahin Gobadi, Ashraf, Gobadi, “, ” Gobadi, cyberattack, Albania “, Saud, Maryam Rajavi, Bryan Olin Dozier, Prince Turki al, Faisal, Al Faisal, ’ “, Emanuel Macron, Ebrahim Raisi, Trita Parsi, ”, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Liz Truss, Ali Ahmadi, ” Ahmadi, Alex Vatanka, ” Vatanka Organizations: CNN, United States National Security, Foreign Affairs, National Council of Resistance, Paris, Washington Summit, Organization of Iranian, Communities, Hyatt, Quincy Institute, British, Geneva Centre, Security, Middle East Institute Locations: Iran, Islamic Republic, Albania, France, Tehran, Paris, Tirana, Albanian, Saud Arabia, Washington ,, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, al, Riyadh

☆ Iraq, TotalEnergies sign massive oil, gas, renewables deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BAGHDAD, July 10 (Reuters) - Iraq and French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) on Monday signed a long-delayed $27 billion energy deal that aims to increase oil production and boost the country's capacity to produce energy with four oil, gas and renewables projects. TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanne signed the agreement with Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani at a ceremony in Baghdad, with Pouyanne calling it a "historic day". "I hope that this will be a strong signal to other investors to come to Iraq," Pouyanne said. Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP have all scaled back their operations in Iraq in recent years, contributing to a stagnation in oil production. Iraq's oil production capacity has remained at around 5 million barrels per day in recent years.

Persons: TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy, Patrick Pouyanne, Hayan Abdel, Ghani, we'll, Abdel, Pouyanne, Maher Nazeh, Nadine Awadalla, Timour, Louise Heavens, Jason Neely, Christina Fincher Organizations: Monday, Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, Baghdad, Basra, Saudi, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Dubai

☆ Sweden is considering making Koran burnings illegal, Aftonbladet reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, July 6 (Reuters) - The Swedish government is examining whether it could make setting the Koran or other holy books on fire illegal, as recent Koran burnings have damaged Sweden's security, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Aftonbladet paper on Thursday. An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque last week, causing outrage in the Muslim world and condemnation from the Pope. The Swedish Security services said such action left the country less safe. "We have to ask ourselves whether the current order is good or whether there is reason to reconsider it," Strommer told Aftonbladet. "We can see that the Koran burning last week has generated threats to our internal security," he said.

Persons: Gunnar Strommer, Pope, Strommer, Tayyip Erdogan, Johan Ahlander, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: NATO, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Swedish, Iraqi, Sweden, Stockholm

An Israeli researcher missing for months in Iraq is being held by a Shiite militia, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She holds both Israeli and Russian passports and entered the country using her Russian passport, according to the Israeli government. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations, so she would not have been allowed to enter with an Israeli passport. Ms. Tsurkov went to Iraq in January to do academic research. As well as studying at Princeton, she is a fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, a Washington-based research group.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Elizabeth Tsurkov, Tsurkov Organizations: Princeton University, Hezbollah, Princeton, New Lines Institute, Strategy Locations: Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Israel, Washington

☆ Israeli-Russian academic being held by militia in Iraq, Netanyahu says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, July 5 (Reuters) - An Israeli-Russian academic who went missing in Iraq a few months ago is alive and being held there by Shiite group Kataib Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday. It said she had gone to Iraq for research purposes on behalf of Princeton University in the United States. According to the university's website, Tsurkov is pursuing her PhD at Princeton's Department of Politics. A Princeton spokesperson declined to say whether Tsurkov was in Iraq on the university's behalf, citing policies and a federal law governing students' privacy and safety. Kataib Hezbollah is one of the most powerful Iran-backed militia groups there.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Elizabeth Tsurkov, Tsurkov, Tsurkov's, Irena, Elizabeth, Michael Hotchkiss, Maayan Lubell, Rami Ayyub, Simon Lewis, James Mackenzie, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis, Himani Organizations: Hezbollah, Israeli, Princeton University, Princeton, N12, Princeton's Department of Politics, State Department, Twitter, Timor Azhari, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Russian, Iraq, United States, Israel, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Baghdad, Washington

☆ Asia refiners expect Saudi Arabia to cut August crude prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Saudi Arabia in June unexpectedly raised prices for July-loading cargoes, eating into Asian refiners' margins. Profits at a typical Singapore refinery processing Dubai crude fell to an average of $3.44 a barrel in June, from $4.78 a barrel last month. Saudi crude prices typically closely track changes in benchmark Dubai monthly price spreads, but the two have disconnected in recent months. Saudi crude OSPs are usually released around the fifth of each month, and set the trend for Iranian, Kuwaiti and Iraqi prices, affecting about 9 million bpd of crude bound for Asia. Below are expected Saudi prices for August 2023 (in $/bbl against the Oman/Dubai average):Reporting by Muyu Xu; Editing by Florence Tan and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Unipec, Muyu Xu, Florence Tan, Jamie Freed Organizations: Saudi Aramco, Dubai, Global, Kuwaiti, bbl, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Saudi, Dubai, Oman, Singapore, PetroChina, Asia

☆ Iran holds off sending ambassador to Sweden in protest over Koran incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, July 2 (Reuters) - Iran will refrain from sending a new ambassador to Sweden in protest over the burning of a Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Sunday. A man tore up and burned a Koran outside Stockholm's central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim Eid al Adha holidays. Swedish police charged the man who burned the holy book with agitation against an ethnic or national group. He did not specify how long Iran would refrain from sending an embassador to Sweden. While Swedish police have rejected several recent applications for anti-Koran demonstrations, courts have overruled those decisions, saying they infringed freedom of speech.

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Eid, Sweden's, Amirabdollahian, David Goodman Organizations: Iranian, Twitter, Swedish, Dubai, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, Sweden, Stockholm

☆ Iraq plants mangrove forest to fight climate disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Essam Al-Sudani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BASRA, Iraq, June 29 (Reuters) - As Aymen al-Rubaye plants mangrove seedlings in the sprawling tidal flats of southern Iraq, the black smoke rising over the skyline behind him shows the ecological damage that he is toiling to undo. Rubaye, an agricultural engineer, is working for a project started by Iraqi government bodies and a United Nations agency to grow up to 4 million mangrove trees in the Khor al-Zubair mudflats region, located near major oil fields. The tidal flats south of Basra are a baking landscape of water, salt, mud and hazy sky, riven by channels that Rubaye and his team navigate by boat. [1/5]Engineer Ayman Al-Rubaie, 47, plants mangrove trees in the wooded areas of the Shatt Al-Arab River, in Basra, Iraq June 21, 2023. Mangrove plants "can resist these harsh conditions we are passing through" without needing irrigation water, Rubaye said.

Persons: pats, Ayman Al, Essam, Rubaye, Ahmed Albaaj, Angus McDowall, Peter Graff Organizations: United, World Bank, REUTERS, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: BASRA, Iraq, United Nations, Khor, Basra, . Southern Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab

☆ How a record-setting 'Ugly Baby' mission allowed US special operators to outmaneuver Iraqi forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US special-operations forces wanted to infiltrate northern Iraq to tied down Iraqi forces there. Operation Ugly BabyA map of the Ugly Baby mission route along Iraq's western border on March 22, 2003. US Green Berets in an MC-130H heading to Iraq during Operation Ugly Baby on March 22, 2003. A US special-operations aircraft that was forced land by enemy fire during Operation Ugly Baby in March 2003. In all, Task Force Viking numbered about 400 special operators, including elite Delta Force commandos, Green Berets from the 10th Special Forces Group, and frogmen from the UK's Special Boat Service.

Persons: —, Saddam Hussein, Elwell, JOSEPH BARRAK, Baby, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Operation, US, Allies, US Army, Operation Iraqi, NATO, Turkish, Special Forces, Green Berets, Air, Special Operations Squadron, Detachment Alpha, Air Force, Task Force, US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade, Getty, Delta Force, 10th Special Forces Group, CIA, Republication Guard, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Iraq, Operation Iraqi, Baghdad, reorienting, Turkey, Kurdish, Turkish, Romania, Jordan, Syria, Erbil, AFP, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Johns

☆ Burning of Quran in Stockholm Sparks Outrage in Muslim World
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | Isabella Kwai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The burning of a Quran outside a mosque in Sweden on one of the holiest days in Islam sparked outrage Wednesday in many Muslim countries and widespread condemnations of the Swedish authorities. The crowd became increasingly angry, scaling the wall surrounding the compound and pushing through an external gate. There was no sign that Iraqi diplomatic police forces attempted to stop them. The protesters did not enter the embassy itself, which was closed for the Islamic holiday, and eventually left. Iraq’s foreign ministry also condemned Sweden “for allowing an extremist to burn a copy of the holy Quran.”

Persons: Muqtada, Sadr, ” Locations: Sweden, Iraq, Swedish, Baghdad, Muqtada al, Sadr, Islam

☆ Swedish embassy in Baghdad: Protesters break in after Stockholm Quran burning
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Demonstrators breached the perimeter of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad Thursday, a day after a protester burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden. Videos circulating on social media showed some protesters climbing over a barricaded wall outside the embassy. Muslim countries and Islamic organizations had condemned the burning of the Quran in Stockholm. On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi to protest the Quran burning incident, the UAE’s state news agency WAM said. In January early this year Iraqi protesters clashed with security forces outside the Swedish embassy for a separate incident of Quran burning in Stockholm.

Persons: Muqtada, Sadr, Al Sadr, Momika, ” Al Sadr, it’s, Sweden’s, Abu, WAM Organizations: CNN, Embassy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, AFP, of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, United Arab Emirates Locations: Swedish, Baghdad, Sweden, Muqtada al, Iraqi, Stockholm, Stockholm –, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi

Although only two people were expected to take part, the organisers said they would tear up and burn the Koran. Sweden sought NATO membership in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. But alliance member Ankara has held up the process, accusing Sweden of harbouring people it considers terrorists and demanding their extradition. While Swedish police have rejected several recent applications for anti-Koran demonstrations, courts have overruled those decisions, saying they infringed on freedom of speech. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference on Wednesday he would not speculate about how the approved Koran burning could affect Sweden's NATO process.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Momika, Rasmus Paludan, Paludan, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Marie Mannes, Johan Ahlander, Terje Solsvik, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Police, NATO, Islam, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Swedish, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Stockholm, Turkey, Sweden, Ukraine, Ankara, Danish, Turkish, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Copenhagen

[1/5] Police officers intervene after people's reaction as demonstrators burn the Koran (not pictured) outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm, Sweden June 28, 2023. "It's legal but not appropriate," he said, adding that it was up to the police to make decisions on Koran burnings. Representatives of the mosque were disappointed by the police decision to grant permission for the protest on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, mosque director and Imam Mahmoud Khalfi said on Wednesday. Up to 10,000 visitors attend Stockholm's mosque for the Eid celebrations every year, according to Khalfi. Turkey in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO application after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Persons: Stefan Jerrevang, Hakan Fidan, Ulf Kristersson, Momika, Eid, Imam Mahmoud Khalfi, Khalfi, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Marie Mannes, Johan Ahlander, Burcu Karakas, Terje Solsvik, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan, William Maclean Organizations: Police, TT News Agency, REUTERS, NATO, Swedish, Islam, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Stockholm's, Stockholm, Sweden, REUTERS STOCKHOLM, Turkey, Ankara, Ukraine, Khalfi, Danish, Turkish, Copenhagen, Istanbul

☆ Inflation is finally cooling — but the Wagner Group's attempted mutiny in Russia may send it back up, analysts warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Oil prices spiked more than 1% on Sunday after the Wagner Group's attempted mutiny. Analysts say oil prices could continue to gain on the geopolitical risks in energy giant Russia. Following the aborted coup over the weekend, benchmark crude oil US West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude oil futures both jumped over 1% on Sunday. As of Monday, oil prices have come off — but analysts say oil futures could continue posting gains due to the geopolitical risk in energy giant Russia. Benchmark US WTI crude oil futures were up 0.2% at $69.29 a barrel at 1:29 a.m. EDT on Monday.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Rystad Energy's Jorge Leon, —, Vladimir Putin's, Jorge Leon, Leon, Paul Sheldon Organizations: Service, West Texas Intermediate, Brent, Rystad Energy, P, Commodity Locations: Russia, Kuwait, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

☆ US Army unveils its new 'M10 Booker' infantry assault vehicle that's named after 2 hero soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Army has unveiled its new "M10 Booker" infantry assault vehicle. The army's newest infantry assault vehicle was announced at a celebration of the Army's 248th birthday at the National Museum of the US Army at Fort Belvoir, according to Army Public Affairs. M10 Booker. The armored assault eventually led to the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, according to Army Public Affairs. The M10 Booker, built by General Dynamics, will allow "light maneuver forces to overmatch adversaries," the Army said.

Persons: Booker, It's, Stevon, Robert D, Booker Stevon, Robert, —, Sergeant Stevon, Staff James McConville, Saddam Hussein's Organizations: US Army, Service, National Museum of, Army Public Affairs, Booker, Staff, US Army Nebraska, Army, 34th Infantry Division, Allied, Public Affairs, General Dynamics, The Defense Locations: Iraq, Fort Belvoir, Tunisia, Fondouk, Desert, Iraqi, Pennsylvania, Baghdad

☆ India's Russian oil buying scales new highs in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India, the world's third biggest oil consumer and importer, buys more than 80% of its oil from overseas markets. Its refiners have been gorging on Russian oil since the West imposed sanctions over Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. India imported 801,400 bpd of Iraqi oil in May, down about 13.7% from April, while supply from Saudi fell 15% to 616,100 bpd, the data show. India's overall May oil imports rose marginally from April to 4.8 million bpd, the data showed. India's oil imports from various regionsOPEC's share of India's oil imports in May fell to a record low of 42.6% and averaged 44.3% in the first two months of this fiscal year, the data showed.

Persons: Nidhi Verma, Jason Neely Organizations: Thomson Locations: DELHI, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Moscow, Ukraine, Saudi, Russia

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