DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Julian Assange ends stalemate with US, exchanging guilty plea to felony charge for his freedom
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Thomas Manglona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Assange addresses the Oxford Union Society from the Ecuadorian Embassy in January 2013. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images Assange attends a news conference inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in August 2014. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: Julian Assange, “, ” Assange, Assange, Kim Hong, Ramona Manglona, Chelsea Manning, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, ASSANGE, Adrienne Watson, Stella, ”, Gabriel Shipton, he’s, hasn’t, Julian, –, ” Shipton Organizations: Northern Mariana Islands CNN, Northern, Northern Mariana Islands . Justice Department, WikiLeaks, United States, Reuters, Army, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, British, Justice Department, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, White, Sweden, National Security, Department of Justice, BBC Radio Locations: Saipan, Northern Mariana, London, United Kingdom, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Australia, United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sweden, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Westminster, AFP, Stockholm, Geneva, Switzerland, Austin , Texas, United Nations, Quito, Southwark, Baghdad, Guantanamo Bay

☆ Opinion: Will Julian Assange receive a hero’s welcome in Australia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Opinion Latika Bourke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Julian Assange is no martyr, but the Trump administration’s continued pursuit of the WikiLeaks founder ended up making him one — in the eyes of many Australians. Assange, who was released from prison in the UK on June 24, has long been a polarizing figure in his native Australia. Once Assange pleads guilty, under the plea agreed with the US, he will have spent five years in solitary confinement. Assange’s WikiLeaks disclosures put Western human intelligence sources at risk by the way they were dumped on the internet unredacted. He is reported to be heading to Canberra where he’ll be given a hero’s welcome by some, including his family and hardline supporters.

Persons: Latika Bourke, ”, Read, CNN — Julian Assange, Trump, Latika Bourke Louis Douvis, Assange, narcissist, Pamela Anderson, Vivienne Westwood, Assange “, Chelsea Manning, Matt Canavan, ” Canavan, Julian Assange, Saeed Khan, Canavan, “ he’s, George W, “, Assange’s, Julian Hill, Stella Assange, indefatigably, Hill, Caroline Kennedy, Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, Albanese’s, Albanese, Scott Morrison, he’s, ” Hill, Assange hasn’t, he’ll Organizations: Nightly, Sydney Morning Herald, Love, CNN, WikiLeaks, Trump, US Army, Australian, Wikileaks, Getty, Reuters, Australian Labor, Democrat, Labor, Liberal, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Australian, India, British, Ecuadorian, London, Sweden, Sydney's, Australia, AFP, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Canberra

☆ Qaeda Commander at Guantánamo Bay Is Sentenced for War Crimes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A U.S. military jury on Thursday ordered a former Qaeda commander to a serve a 30-year prison sentence for war crimes carried out by his insurgent forces in wartime Afghanistan in the early 2000s. The military judge excused the panel from the chamber and then announced that, under a plea agreement, the prisoner’s sentence would end in eight years. The outcome was part of the arcane system called military commissions, which allows prisoners to reach plea deals with a senior official at the Pentagon who oversees the war court but requires the formality of a jury sentencing hearing anyway. Mr. Hadi, 63, was aware of the deal that reduced his sentence to 10 years, starting with his guilty plea in June 2022. It was unclear whether victims of attacks by Mr. Hadi’s forces and their family members had been told.

Persons: Abd al, Hadi al, Hadi Organizations: U.S, Pentagon Locations: Afghanistan, C.I.A

☆ Ricardo M. Urbina, Trailblazing Latino Judge in Capital, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ricardo M. Urbina, a trailblazing Latino lawyer who scored victories for civil liberties as an empathetic federal judge and for civil rights as a record-breaking track star — helping to fuel an epochal protest at the 1968 Olympics — died on Monday in Washington. His death, in an assisted living facility, was caused by complications of Parkinson’s disease, his son, Ian Urbina, said. Judge Urbina, the first Latino appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the United States District Court in Washington, figured most prominently in cases that originated with the federal government’s war against terrorism and that put him at odds with the administration of President George W. Bush. In 2007, he extended habeas corpus rights to Shawqi Ahmad Omar, a citizen of Jordan and the United States who was about to be transferred to Iraqi custody to be tried as a terrorist.

Persons: Ricardo M, —, Ian Urbina, Judge Urbina, George W, Bush, Shawqi Ahmad Omar Organizations: Superior, District of Columbia, United States, Court, United Locations: Washington, Jordan, United States

A simple principle underpins a contentious Thursday decision by the U.S. and key allies to tap profits from Russian sovereign assets in support of Ukraine: Moscow must make reparations. Questions have also been raised over the legality of setting such a precedent: Russia has been cut off from its frozen assets, but retains their ownership. The proposal must now pass various legal hurdles and be backed by European states, where the majority of frozen Russian assets are held. Further loans secured against the interest accrued by Russian frozen assets could be forthcoming, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signaled on Thursday. The annual summit comes as most of the G7 leaders face their own domestic upheavals including national elections and falling approval ratings.

Persons: Charles Michel, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin, we're, Biden, Michel, Janet Yellen, Yellen, We're, Russia's, Ursula von der Leyen, Georgia Meloni Organizations: U.S, West, . Security, Kyiv, Treasury, Bank, European Commission Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan . U.S, Kuwait, U.S, Borgo Egnazia, Puglia

☆ Opinion: Literary protest against the war in Gaza has gone off the rails
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Opinion Ilene Prusher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Ilene Prusher Jordana MillerBut something about this year’s Jerusalem International Writers Festival, which was held late last month, was off. The festival’s artistic director, Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler, thought about whether the beloved book festival should happen this year at all. A shadow over the literary worldExamples abound of how fallout from the ongoing war is casting a shadow over the literary world. To be sure, these are not the only cancelations the literary world has experienced related to the war; nor are Jewish writers the only ones who have faced controversy. From the start of this war, it seems I’m much more therapist than writer,” she read in a lilting Hebrew.

Persons: Prusher Jordana Miller, Julia Fermentto, —, ”, Baillie Gifford, Suzanne Nossel, “, Nicholas Kristof, Miriam Libicki, they’re, Sir Simon Schama —, Benjamin Netanyahu, ’, John Irving, Covid, Tzaisler, Harry Potter, Noya Dan, Eshkol Nevo, I’m Organizations: Florida Atlantic University, CNN, Jerusalem CNN, Writers, PEN America, PEN, AP, New York Times, Jerusalem Writers, soccer, European Championship, Columbia University, Hay Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, Hay, Wye, Wales, Vancouver, Scotland, Europe, British, Iraq, Iraqi

☆ Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, credited with fusing East with West, has died at 95
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Tokyo (AP) — Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, who won the prestigious Pritzker Prize for designs praised as smartly and artfully fusing the East with the West, has died. Maki, who taught architecture and urban design at Harvard, died June 6, his office, Maki & Associates, said Wednesday. A devoted educator, Maki, in addition to teaching at Washington University, Harvard and the University of Tokyo, lectured around the world. Maki, along with fellow Tange students Arata Isozaki and Kisho Kurokawa, were the pillars of Japanese modernism. The Pritzker, in selecting Maki, praised him as part of a new wave of architects rebuilding postwar Japan.

Persons: Fumihiko Maki, Pritzker, Maki, Mark Lennihan, Zaha Hadid, Kengo Kuma, Skidmore Owings, St . Louis, oku, ” Maki, “, Kenzo Tange, Arata Isozaki, Kisho Kurokawa, Bill Lacy, Arnold Brunner Organizations: Tokyo, Harvard, Associates, National Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Center, Arts, Trade, Trade Center, Pritzker, University of Tokyo, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Skidmore, Jackson & Associates, Washington University, Washington University , Harvard, MIT Press, American Academy of Arts, American Institute of Architects, AIA Locations: Kyoto, U.S, San Francisco, New York, Chiba, Japan, Hillside, Tokyo, Manhattan, British, Iraqi, Michigan, Merrill, Chicago, Sert, Cambridge, St ., Israel

☆ Fact check: Trump falsely claims Iran didn’t fund terror groups when he was president
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They weren’t funding Hamas, and they weren’t funding anything. They weren’t funding Hezbollah,” Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said in a May interview with right-wing host Dan Bongino. Trump’s own administration said in 2020 that Iran was continuing to fund terror groups including Hezbollah. Trump could have fairly said that his sanctions on Iran had made life more difficult for terror groups (though it’s unclear how much their operations were affected). “Iran has never ceased funding many of its core proxy groups” such as Hezbollah, said Phillip Smyth, who studies Iran’s proxies.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Dan Bongino, Phil McGraw, Phil, Trump, Pompeo, Trump’s, Mike Pompeo, ” Pompeo, “ We’re, “, ”, Ali Vaez, Hanin Ghaddar, Colin Clarke, Phillip Smyth, Brian Hook, ” Hook Organizations: Washington CNN, Hamas, CNN, Hezbollah, State, Trump, Crisis, The Washington Institute for Near, Washington Post, ” Reuters, The, The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qods Force Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Hamas, Palestinian, Israel, “, Tehran, Syria, Iraq, The Stockholm, Bahrain, Yemen, Qaeda, Europe, Africa, Asia

☆ Raisi helicopter crash: Some in Iran claim US sanctions to blame but the truth may be more complicated
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Even before Iran’s army chief Mohammad Bagheri ordered an investigation into the helicopter crash that cost the Islamic Republic the lives of two of its top politicians, blame was being laid at America’s door. People mourn the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash the previous day, at Valiasr Square, on May 20, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. The next question might be, knowing the weather was bad and having three helicopters on the journey, why put both president and foreign minister in the same aircraft? Former Foreign Minister Zarif would want the world to believe Iran’s technological core has been hollowed out by US sanctions, but that allegation too is tainted by hubris. Iran’s presidents are not idle, they need to go places.

Persons: Mohammad Bagheri, Ebrahim Raisi, Javad Zarif acidly, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Raisi –, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Malek Rahmati, Mohammed Ali Alehashem –, Ilham Aliyav, Majid Saeedi, Yemen’s Houthis, AKINCI, Ali Khamenei, –, Russia –, Zarif, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Islamic, Bell, Turkish Transport, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Former Locations: Islamic Republic, America’s, United States, Iran, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Tehran, Turkish, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey

☆ Opinion: Why Julian Assange’s fate matters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Opinion Alan Rusbridger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A determined American journalist, let’s call her Gillian, is sleuthing away at a story about India’s nuclear weapons program. Though Gillian is based in London, when she finally gets to publish her story, the Indian government is bent on revenge. Is Washington going to stand idly by and meekly accept the possibility of an American journalist languishing in an Indian jail? The clue is in the inverted commas around “journalist.” To my mind, Julian Assange is in some ways recognizably a journalist. However, to many journalists Assange is not a proper “journalist,” and they can’t really see what his fate has to do with theirs.

Persons: Alan Rusbridger, Read, let’s, Gillian, Alan Rusbridger Simone Padovani, meekly, Julian, He’s, ”, —, there’s, Julian Assange, Assange, Stephanie Lecocq, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, El País, Der Spiegel —, Chelsea Manning, Sarah Ellison, ” Clinton, Manning, Barack Obama’s, Iraq —, ’, It’s, John Podesta, Richard Nixon, Daniel Ellsberg —, Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg, Wally Fong, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden Organizations: Prospect Magazine, CNN, Guardian, WikiLeaks, Court, la Republique, Reuters, New York Times, US Army, Apache, US, Washington Post, The New York Times, Pentagon, Australian Locations: American, London, Delhi, Washington, la, Paris, Kenya, Iran, El, Le, Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Los Angeles

☆ Extreme weather blunts the US military's technological edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewMore extreme weather is scrambling the high-tech systems that have given the US military its edge. For example, severe weather can degrade navigation systems such as GPS and sensors on precision-guided munitions. Heavy rain ground aircraft and drones, intense heat exhausts troops, dust storms gum up tank engines, and storms damage ships at sea. The problem is that tactical units on the front lines, or in remote areas, often lack the connectivity to receive weather reports. "NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], the private sector and universities are actively working to improve global weather models," Regens said.

Persons: —, James Regens, Napoleon, Jason Serrit, Regens, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Royal United Services Institute, Waterloo, Staff, US Air Force, Antiphon Solutions, North America, Pentagon, NOAA, National Oceanic, Administration, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: British, Iran, Iraqi, California, Oklahoma, Europe, NATO, Forbes

☆ Ali Partovi learned to code in a war zone. Now, he's trying to build a new kind of venture fund.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But amid the chaos, there was one solid thing in Partovi's life, one thing he knew he could always put in order: computer code. Related storiesNow, Partovi has reached the top echelon of seed investors, ranking 13th on Business Insider's Seed 100 list. 'Neo Scholars'Through his seed-stage fund Neo, Partovi has amassed a formidable portfolio of early-stage investments, including Ramp, Deel, Vanta, MosaicML, and many more. As these "Neo Scholars," as they're known, graduate or drop out to build startups, Neo backs them with money from its investment fund.

Persons: —, Ali Partovi, Saddam Hussein, Partovi's, Hadi, Partovi, Facebook, Uber, There's Erik Goldman, Dropbox, Vanta, There's Ari Steinberg, who's Organizations: Service, Business, Boston University, Sharif University of Technology, Harvard, Microsoft, University, CS, Stanford, Facebook, Airbnb Locations: Tehran, Iran, Iraq, North America, Silicon

☆ The Russian Army may have defeated Ukraine — if it had followed its own manual
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It is also evidence of a major reason why Russian troops have often fought poorly in the Ukraine war: they are not following their own playbook. Artem Priakhin/Getty ImagesAssessing current Russian doctrine is difficult. However, the problem may not have been Russian doctrine as much as the overall strategy of the Ukraine war. "There are plenty of aspects to their defense that are entirely consistent with their historical practice and doctrine," Boston said. If the Russian military was that bad, then maybe the Ukrainian military wasn't that good?

Persons: Scott Boston, Artem Priakhin, wouldn't, Ukraine's, Michael Peck Organizations: US, RAND Corp, Kyiv, Russian Army, Aerospace Forces, Warsaw, Kyiv —, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Boston, St . Petersburg, Soviet, Western Europe, Iraq, Forbes

☆ New mission could reveal secrets of the moon’s ‘hidden side’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In one lunar region, Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has beaten the odds and survived three long, frigid lunar nights since its sideways landing on January 19. The Tianwen-2 mission will visit the space rock later this decade. But first, China has set its sights on returning to the moon’s “hidden side.”An illustration depicts the far side of the moon, with Earth behind it. Since the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, China remains the only country to have landed on the moon’s far side, sometimes called the “dark side” of the moon. Scientists hope that returning samples from the far side could solve some of the biggest remaining lunar mysteries, including the moon’s true origin.

Persons: Graziano Ranocchia, Ranocchia, Plato, Emma Pomeroy, “ She’s, ”, Pomeroy, Armas Rakus, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Kevin Bacon, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Engineers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, Apollo, Platonic Academy of Athens, University of Pisa, Netflix, University of Cambridge, Norton Disney, Archaeology Group, Roman, International Space, CNN Space, Science Locations: China, Kurdistan, Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Morocco

☆ Jury in Federal Lawsuit Deadlocks on Abu Ghraib Torture Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A federal jury in Virginia said on Thursday that it was unable to reach a verdict in a lawsuit filed by three Iraqi men who said they were tortured while being held by the United States at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago. The jurors had deliberated for almost eight days, and with the panel still deadlocked the judge in the case, Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, declared a mistrial on Thursday. The three plaintiffs had sued a defense contractor, CACI Premier Technology, asserting that CACI employees working as interrogators at the prison directed U.S. military guards to abuse the men in an effort to “soften” them up. The testimony of the three men last month was the first time a civilian jury had heard allegations of post-9/11 abuses directly from detainees.

Persons: Abu, Leonie M Organizations: U.S, CACI Premier Technology Locations: Virginia, United States, Alexandria

☆ Israel is retiring its Patriot missile batteries. They could help a struggling Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Israel has never been impressed with the US-made Patriot air defense system. AdvertisementIsrael has never been satisfied with its version of the Patriot air defense system that Ukraine views as essential to its survival. AdvertisementA Patriot air defense system test-fired during a training in Chania, Greece, on November 8, 2017. Israel previously refused a US request for its vintage Hawk missiles, long in storage and out of service, for Ukraine. Jordan requested the US deploy a Patriot missile on its soil in October and helped intercept the Iranian barrage on April 13.

Persons: Israel, —, Israel wouldn't, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Israel isn't, Bohl, Anthony Sweeney, US Army Federico Borsari, Borsari, it's, Jordan Organizations: Scud, Patriots, Service, Israel, Patriot, East, US Army, Center for, Patriot PAC, Patriot's PAC, Analysts, United Arab, Israeli PAC Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Iraqi, Russia, North Africa, Chania, Greece, United States, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia

☆ Reconstruction reveals face of Neanderthal specimen Shanidar Z
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Known as Shanidar Z, after the cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where she was found in 2018, the woman was a Neanderthal, a type of ancient human that disappeared around 40,000 years ago. The Shanidar Z facial reconstruction suggests that these differences might not have been so stark in life, Pomeroy said. Shanidar cave in Iraqi Kurdistan was first excavated in the 1950s. Neanderthals may not have honored their dead with bouquets of flowers, but the inhabitants of Shanidar Cave were likely an empathetic species, research suggests. Shanidar Z is the first Neanderthal found in the cave in more than 50 years, Pomeroy said, but the site could still yield more discoveries.

Persons: sapiens, Emma Pomeroy, Pomeroy, ”, “ She’s, ” Pomeroy, Graeme Barker, “, Adrie, Alfons Kennis, Dr, Lucía, Danish paleoartists Adrie Organizations: CNN, BBC, Netflix, University of Cambridge’s, Cambridge, Liverpool, University of Cambridge, Catalan Institute, Human Locations: Kurdistan, Europe, East, Central Asia, Shanidar, Cambridge, Spain, Danish

☆ Israel's strike showed Iran's air defenses were 'woefully unprepared.' Here's what Tehran may do next.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The incident in the city of Isfahan may force Tehran to upgrade its air defenses, possibly from more advanced Russian systems, to defend itself from the possibility of larger Israeli missile attacks. While Iranian air defenses failed to stop Israel's strike they have hugely improved in recent years. AdvertisementThe S-300PMU-2 is the most advanced air defense system Iran has acquired from Russia. "In practice, this could go either way, depending on the amount of Israeli missiles that would be hypothetically launched and from where." AdvertisementKhoueiry anticipates that early detection by Iranian air defenses could give these Iranian-made systems "more chances" against Israeli missiles.

Persons: —, Israel, Arash Azizi, Azizi, Freddy Khoueiry, RANE, Khoueiry, Jalaa Marey, Clemson University's Azizi, It's, it's Organizations: Service, Israeli, Economist, Business, Clemson University, Iran's, Rampage, Clemson, Moscow, Russian Locations: Iran, Russian, Isfahan, Tehran, Russia, Israel, Britain, East, North Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israeli, Lebanon, it's, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ TikTok Star Is Killed in Third Death of Social Media Influencer in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It took less than 46 seconds for the helmeted assassin to pull over his motorcycle, walk to the driver’s side of the S.U.V., yank open the door and fire his handgun four times, killing one of Iraq’s most prominent TikTok personalities, a 30-year-old woman whose name on social media was Um Fahad. The Iraqi Interior Ministry, which released the video, said it had formed a committee to investigate her death. The victim, whose real name was Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, had become popular on social media sites, especially TikTok and Instagram, where her videos showed her wearing tight or revealing clothing, or singing and cuddling her young son. They won her some 460,000 followers, but also drew the ire of conservatives in Iraqi society and in the government. At one point, officials ordered Ms. Sawadi jailed for 90 days, reprimanding her for a post that showed her dancing at her 6-year old son’s birthday party.

Persons: yank, Fahad, Mahdi Sawadi, cuddling, Sawadi, reprimanding Organizations: Iraqi Interior Ministry Locations: Baghdad

☆ Same-sex couples face up to 15 years in prison in Iraq’s LGBTQ crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Nechirvan Mando | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iraq has passed a new law that penalizes same-sex relations with up to 15 years in prison, a move condemned by rights advocates as the latest attack on the country’s LGBTQ community. Samar called on the US and other countries to put diplomatic pressure on the Iraqi government to revoke the law. He warned that international business coalitions have already signaled that such discriminatory practices could negatively impact Iraq’s economic growth. “Respect for human rights and political and economic inclusion is essential for Iraq’s security, stability, and prosperity. This legislation is inconsistent with these values and undermines the government’s political and economic reform efforts,” Miller said on Saturday.

Persons: ” –, Raad al, Mohsen Al, ” Al, Mandalawi, ‘, I’ve, ” Samar, Samar, Mohammed Shia, Joe Biden, “, ” Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Sarah Sanbar, ” “, ” Organizations: CNN, Iraq, Maliki, Iraqi, US Department of State Locations: Iraq, Iraq Samar, Samar, Al

Baghdad, Iraq CNN —Iraqi social media star Ghufran Sawadi, better known as Umm Fahad, was shot dead outside her home in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on Friday night, a Baghdad police source told CNN. The attack took place in the Zayouna area east of Baghdad, and was captured on video by a surveillance camera and shared on social media. A Baghdad police source confirmed the authenticity of the video to CNN. Other Iraqi social media personalities have previously been targeted in deadly attacks. Most recently, another popular Iraqi TikTok personality, Noor Alsaffar, known as Noor BM, was shot dead in Baghdad in September 2023, an Iraqi security source told CNN at the time.

Persons: Ghufran, Umm Fahad, Sawadi, ” Sawadi, ”, Noor Alsaffar, Noor, Alsaffar Organizations: Iraq CNN, CNN Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Iraqi, Instagram

☆ Julian Assange’s mission was to change the world - but at what cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Julian Assange leaves a Melbourne court after facing charges of computer hacking in 1995. WikiLeaks/ReutersUnder a global spotlightAs WikiLeaks continued its disclosures, Assange found himself the latest cause célèbre – his every movement intensely scrutinized. … He liked the fuss that (the disclosures) caused but he was oddly incurious actually about the documents.”Others offer alternative explanations for Assange’s eccentricities. There were mounting calls for Assange to leave WikiLeaks and, when he didn’t, many cut ties with it. Outside the confines of his diplomatic shelter, the world questioned whether Assange was trying to circumvent justice.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange, ”, He’s, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biden, Assange’s, Anthony Albanese, Assange, “, ” –, Julian Assange, Ian Kenins, Sarah Palin’s, Atika Shubert, Shubert, ” Shubert, célèbre, Fidel Narvaez, “ Assange, ” Narvaez, James Ball, Joe Raedle, ” Ball, Ball, …, Narvaez, Hans Crescent, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Abu Hamza al, Masri, Stella Assange, Daniel Leal, Stella, “ I’m, Nick Vamos, It’s, Alice Jill Edwards, Agnès Callamard, El País, Der Spiegel, Jameel Jaffer, Xiaofei Xu, Alex Stambaugh Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, Court, Ecuadorian, Army, Australian, Pentagon, NASA, University of Melbourne, Fairfax Media, of Scientology, Republican, CNN, Chelsea, Apache, Reuters, Guardian, Ellingham, Hans, London’s Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, of Justice, Britain's, Getty, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service, Human Rights, UN, Amnesty, The New York Times, Columbia University Locations: United States, Australian, London’s, Australia, Townsville, Queensland, cybercrime, Melbourne, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, London, Afghanistan, ”, Sweden, Ecuador, UK’s, Belmarsh

☆ A UK destroyer scored the Royal Navy's first missile kill since the Gulf War, when one of its warships pulled off another historic first
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA UK warship on Wednesday shot down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen, marking the Royal Navy's first such kill since the Gulf War more than 30 years ago. AdvertisementA view shows HMS Diamond in the Red Sea on Operation Prosperity Guardian, in this handout image taken on January 6, 2024. Related storiesDuring the Gulf War, the Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester used Sea Dart missiles to destroy an Iraqi silkworm anti-ship missile that was targeting an American warship. That engagement marked the first time anti-air missiles successfully destroyed an enemy missile threat during a battle at sea. The HMS Diamond, a UK warship, responds to a Houthi attack on Jan. 9, 2023.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Diamond, Chris Sellars, Handout, Grant Shapps Organizations: Service, Royal, Viper, Business, US Central Command, Prosperity, REUTERS, The Times, Royal Navy, UK Ministry of Defense, US Navy Locations: Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Gloucester, Iraqi, American, Gulf of Aden

☆ Turkey may soon put its controversial Russian S-400 air defenses in operation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Turkey may deploy its Russian S-400 Triumf air defenses on the Iraqi border. Turkiye newspaper reported earlier this month that Turkey's S-400s may be deployed on the border, implying it will defend against drones allegedly acquired by the PKK. Since then, there has been no indication that Turkey's S-400s have been put into operation. "However, Turkey may use the potential threat of Iran-linked militia groups or PKK as a pretext to deploy S-400s." "Such a goal was unattainable and unrealistic given the extent of Turkey's integration into the NATO defense system," Ozeren said.

Persons: —, Hulusi Akar, Ali Bakir, Bakir, Suleyman Ozeren, Ozeren, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, State Victoria Nuland Organizations: Service, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, PKK, Defense, Ibn Khaldon, Security Initiative, Business, Northern, American University, Orion Policy Institute, NATO, State Locations: Turkey, Russian, Israel, Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, Ankara, Washington, Turkish, Qatar, Northern Iraq, Turkey's, Iraq, Moscow, Russia, NATO

☆ Rockets fired from Iraq towards U.S. military base in Syria, Reuters reports citing sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

At least five rockets were launched from Iraq's town of Zummar towards a U.S. military base in northeastern Syria on Sunday, two Iraqi security sources and a U.S. official told Reuters. At least five rockets were launched from Iraq's town of Zummar towards a U.S. military base in northeastern Syria on Sunday, two Iraqi security sources and a U.S. official told Reuters. The attack against U.S. forces is the first since early February when Iranian-backed groups in Iraq stopped their attacks against U.S. troops. Another popular Telegram group close to Kataib Hezbollah, Sabreen News, later said there had been no official statement by the Iran-backed faction. A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said more than five rockets were fired from Iraq towards troops at a coalition base in Rumalyn, Syria, but no U.S. personnel were injured.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Joe Biden Organizations: U.S, Reuters, Iraqi, White, Kataib, Hezbollah, Sabreen Locations: Iraq's, Zummar, Syria, Iranian, Iraq, United States, U.S, Iran, Rumalyn

Search resuls for: "iraqi"

25 mentions found