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☆ 2 men charged in connection with drone strike in Jordan that killed 3 U.S. troops
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-17 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Two men have been charged in Boston federal court in connection with a fatal drone strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens earlier this year. Abedini was further charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The men allegedly conspired to evade U.S. sanctions and supply the Iranian government with a type of drone navigation technology used in the Jan. 28 drone attack at the Tower 22 base in Jordan, a U.S. military outpost, prosecutors said. The drone, launched by IRGC-backed militants, made impact near a shelter where some troops were sleeping and killed three U.S. service members. The two men allegedly conspired to procure goods and technology from Sadeghi’s place of work and exported them and supplied them to Iran to Abedini’s Iranian company SDRA.

Persons: Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, Mohammad Abedini, Abedini, San’at, Sadeghi, SDRA, he'll, General Merrick Garland, Joshua S, Levy Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, SDRA, Prosecutors, Illumove SA, IRGC Aerospace Force, IRGC’s Aerospace Force, NBC News, Justice Department, United, District of Locations: Boston, Jordan, U.S, Natick , Massachusetts, Iran, Massachusetts, Iranian, Switzerland, Italy, United States, District of Massachusetts

☆ Two Iranian citizens charged in connection to drone strike that killed 3 US soldiers in Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-16 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two Iranian citizens are facing federal charges in connection to a drone strike that killed three US Army soldiers and injured dozens more in Jordan early this year, the US Justice Department announced Monday. The men, 42-year-old Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and 38-year-old Mohammad Abedini, are charged with conspiring to export electronic equipment from the United States to Iran. Sadeghi, who is a dual US-Iranian citizen, lives in Massachusetts and made his initial appearance in court Monday. Abedini is also charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and was arrested Monday in Italy. CNN has reported that the enemy drone followed a different, American drone as it approached the US military outpost along the Syrian border, though it was not immediately clear whether the enemy drone intentionally followed the American one or if it was a coincidence.

Persons: Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, Mohammad Abedini, Abedini, CNN’s Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand, Oren Liebermann, Jack Forrest Organizations: CNN, Army, US Justice Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Sadeghi, DOJ, US Army Locations: Jordan, United States, Iran, Iranian, Massachusetts, Italy, Gaza

☆ Exclusive: AI cloud startup Ori is in talks to raise up to $80 million in funding, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AI cloud startup Ori is raising up to $80 million in new funding, two sources have told BI. AdvertisementAI cloud computing startup Ori is in talks to raise up to $80 million in a fresh funding round, two sources told Business Insider. Related storiesYahya added: "I was pleased to recently be at 10 Downing Street to discuss UK AI policy. Our plan is to invest nine figures in the UK AI infrastructure over the next 24 months." In May, rival AI infrastructure startup CoreWeave secured $7.5 billion in debt financing from Blackstone just weeks after it secured $1.1 billion in equity funding.

Persons: —, Ori, Mahdi Yahya, Yahya, Blackstone Organizations: Ori, Nvidia, Service, Business, BI

ZOUK MOSBEH, Lebanon — When night falls, it's no longer sleep but the humming threat of an Israeli strike that descends on the Lebanese capital. Israel's overnight attacks, which reached the heart of Beirut in the early hours of Thursday, mean that few in the city and beyond are getting any rest. The strike on central Beirut's Bachoura neighborhood was the deepest Israel has attacked into the capital. A man walks amid the rubble of a building leveled in an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted the neighborhood of Moawwad in Beirut's southern suburbs Thursday. AFP - Getty ImagesA man stares at a building still smoldering Thursday after it was leveled in an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted the neighborhood of Moawwad in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Persons: ZOUK, it's, Hala Kobaissi, Beirut's Salim Salam, —, people's, Emilie Madi, ” Hiam Khoury, Israel ramped, Marwan Naamani, Abdel Salam Abdallah, ”, Rayan Youness, “ They’re, Youness, Dr, Tania Baban, ” Baban, Matthew Savill, shouldn’t, Savill, Mahdi Ghuloom, Khoury Organizations: Residents, NBC News, Reuters, Israel, Getty, AFP, Royal United Services Institute, Israel Defense Forces, Le Beck Locations: ZOUK MOSBEH, Lebanon, Beirut, Israel, Bachoura, Beirut's Bachoura, Hadath, Dahieh, Sidon, Khiam, Illinois, Moawwad, Beirut's, AFP, United States, Iran

Unlike the southern suburbs and other parts of the country, there was no warning to evacuate this Shia-majority neighborhood. Families fleeing the central Beirut strike on Thursday streamed into the mosque’s grounds. But I don’t have the energy to be displaced again.”The Mostafa family from the southern Beirut suburbs share three mattresses amongst themselves amid the mosque’s looming colonnades. Israel’s war cabinet said it aimed to repatriate 60,000 people displaced by Hezbollah’s rocket fire in the country’s northern-most territory. Mahdi had fled his home in the southern Beirut suburbs to west Beirut and was taking a job around his old campus.

Persons: Israel, Israel –, cradled, Mohammad al, Amin, Joseph Campbell, ”, Fatima, Mostafa, Mostafa Mostafa, “, Mahdi, “ They’re, Hadeel Organizations: Lebanon CNN, Islamic Health Authority, Hezbollah, Families, Reuters, CNN, American University of Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Iran, American University of Beirut

☆ Manchester City equals ‘unbeaten’ record, Borussia Dortmund nets five first-half goals in high-scoring Champions League night
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —High-scoring matches, unwanted records and an unlikely winning run – Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League round seemed to have it all. Manchester City equals ‘unbeaten’ recordManchester City has set a number of records while commanding the English Premier League in recent seasons, but it appears its dominance also stretches to the Champions League. The Scottish side was unbeaten this season heading into the game, having also won its first Champions League match 5-1 last month. While City and Dortmund won easily on Tuesday, Barcelona also thrashed Young Boys 5-0 and Internazionale beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0. The French side continued its perfect start to the new Champions League season with a 4-0 win against Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday.

Persons: CNN —, –, Pep, “, ” Guardiola, Opta, Karim Adeyemi, Ina Fassbender, Emre, Daizen Maeda, Karim Adeyemi’s, Serhou, Guirassy, Felix Nmecha, Brendan Rodgers, it’s, Kerstin Joensson, Abdallah Sima, Mahdi Camara, Mathias Pereira Lage, Bayer Organizations: CNN, UEFA, League, CNN Sport, Manchester City, English Premier League, Champions League, Slovan Bratislava, Opta, Manchester United, City, Sparta Prague, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Scottish, Getty, Dortmund, ”, Young Boys, Internazionale, Red Star Belgrade, Red Bull Salzburg, Brest, Ligue, Austrian, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, UCL, Bayer Leverkusen –, AC Milan Locations: Europe, City, Dortmund, AFP, Barcelona, Brest

☆ How pagers turned into explosive devices in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Bruna Horvath | Bruna Horvath Is An Intern On Nbc News' Tech Team. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Pagers, devices that are used every day as a crucial form of communication for health care professionals, became a deadly weapon Tuesday as thousands of them simultaneously exploded in Lebanon, killing 37 people and injuring thousands. The explosions targeted the militant and political group Hezbollah, after the devices had reportedly begun beeping and heating up. Pagers are wireless communication devices that receive radio signals from short- or long-range paging networks. The pagers that exploded in Lebanon were made to appear as if they were Gold Apollo’s AR-924 pagers, but The New York Times reported that they were actually created by Israeli intelligence workers. Following the explosions on Tuesday, Hezbollah told Al Jazeera that the “treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly be punished for this aggressive act.”How did the pagers explode?

Persons: Al Jazeera, ” Israel, Mohamed Azakir, Amer Al Sabaileh, Matthew Pines, ” “, John Brennan, ” Brennan, Muhammad Mahdi, Firas Abiad, Mojtaba Amani Organizations: Hezbollah, New York Times, Consulting KFT, Consulting, NBC News, ”, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Strategic Advisory, CIA, National News Agency, Lebanese, Cross, American University of Beirut Medical Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Hungarian, Hungary, American University of Beirut, Syria

Images of the destroyed pagers showed that they bore stickers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, Reuters reported. In a statement, Gold Apollo identified the other company as the Hungary-based BAC. Reached by phone on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Gold Apollo declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation. The explosions on Tuesday come amid rising concern that tensions between Israel and Lebanon could spiral into all-out war. Hsu of Gold Apollo said he also felt he had been victimized and was considering filing a lawsuit.

Persons: Hsu Ching, kuang, ” Hsu, ”, “, Mohamed Azakir, Jeanine Hennis, Matthew Miller, Muhammad Mahdi, Ali Ammar, Hsu, Gold Apollo Organizations: Reuters, of Economic Affairs, NBC News, Hamas, . Security, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, U.S . Locations: HONG KONG, Taiwan, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, Europe, New Taipei, Hungary, Beijing, United States, Gaza, Israeli, American University of Beirut, U.S

CNN —At least 13 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday, according to hospital officials and Gaza’s Civil Defense. The toll came from two separate strikes in the camp, the officials said. “A short while ago, one tower [block] was bombed,” Mahdi Abdullah, a man from northern Gaza displaced in Nuseirat, told CNN. The Israeli military has said its targets were Hamas compounds operating inside the schools. Israel launched its ground campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people.

Persons: “, ” Mahdi Abdullah, ”, Rahma Abu Hajjaj, Israel, ’ Organizations: CNN, Gaza’s Civil Defense, Israel Defence, Islamic Jihad, Civil Defense, UN, Ministry, Health Locations: Gaza, Israel, Nuseirat, Nuserirat

☆ Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gets powerful ships to confront adversaries well beyond the Persian Gulf
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Read previewIn the last three years, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has commissioned hundreds of new vessels. AdvertisementThe Shahid Hassan Bagheri is one of three new Soleimani-class missile corvettes that are the most heavily armed warships in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's fleet. Despite being lightly armed, it has a record of harassing US vessels and civilian ships in the Persian Gulf. AdvertisementThree Soleimani-class corvettes, Shahid Soleimani, Shahid Hassan Bagheri, and Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, have been commissioned, while a fourth, Shahid Ra'is-Ali Delvari, is under construction. AdvertisementMahdavi will eventually be joined by another converted container ship, the Shahid Bagheri.

Persons: —, Shahid Hassan Bagheri, Morteza Nikoubazl, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Shahid Soleimani, Nazeri, Shahid Nazeri, SAMs, Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, Shahid Ra'is, Ali Delvari, Hassan Bagheri, Abu Mahdi al, Shahid, Alireza Tangsiri, Shahid Mahdavi, 400Y8DYPlr — Mehdi H, Shahid Roudaki, Roudaki, Mahdavi, Lewis B, Puller, Shahid Bagheri, Bagheri, Tangsiri, IRGCN, Ayatollah Khamenei, Nadimi, Saviz, Diego Garcia, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Business, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Quds Force, Guard, Southern Hemisphere, American, British, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Persian, Gulf of Oman, Hormuz, China, Russia, Taiwan, Norway, Yemen, Makran, Morteza, Israel, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Syria, Mahdavi, West

☆ 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

☆ ‘Dune: Part Two’ review: Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya headline a sequel that feels as if it’s walking in sand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —If David Lynch’s 1984 “Dune” movie raced through the book, the second half of director Denis Villeneuve’s version at times moves as if it’s walking in sand, figuratively as well as literally. The technical wizardry, which earned the 2021 film six Oscars, certainly lends itself to big-screen consumption, and Warner Bros. (like CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Other new players include Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh as the emperor and his daughter, Léa Seydoux, and briefly, Anya Taylor-Joy. Warner Bros. PicturesWith composer Hans Zimmer’s muscular score (and the overall sound) working overtime, Villeneuve is at his best when depicting the fascistic power of the Harkonnens and their sprawling military machine. “Dune” premieres March 1 in US theaters.

Persons: David Lynch’s, Denis Villeneuve’s, Frank Herbert’s, Paul Atreides, Mahdi, – Paul, Stellan, Rabban, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler, Elvis, Sting, Butler, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, Anya Taylor, Joy, Léa, Hans Zimmer’s, Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, ” There’s, Lady Jessica, Rebecca Ferguson, “, “ Wonka, callow, Javier Bardem, Dune’s ”, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Zendaya, Warner Bros, Villeneuve Locations: Hollywood’s

☆ Displaced Gazans Resort to Living in Chicken Sheds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Saleh SalemRAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - With one million Gazans displaced from their homes by Israeli bombardments seeking refuge in the border town of Rafah, five families have moved into a chicken farm, living in its long concrete sheds, the battery coops transformed into bunk beds. For the Hanoon family, one of five in an extended clan that have moved in there, the chicken farm feels close to rock bottom. Then an acquaintance, a friend of my cousin's, told me there's a chicken farm in Rafah with cages," he said. But as the time went by they had to accept that the chicken sheds would be their home for much longer. "It is hard to live in a place like this, a place which was designed for chicken and birds.

Persons: Saleh Salem, Umm Mahdi Hanoon, Mahdi, Abu Mustafa, Angus McDowall, Angus MacSwan Locations: Saleh Salem RAFAH, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, Radwan, Gaza City, al

☆ Iraq's Nujaba Says It Will Continue Attacks on U.S. Forces
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Nujaba said on Friday it will continue launching attacks on U.S. forces in the region until the Gaza war ends and U.S. forces exit Iraq, days after another major Iran-backed group said it was suspending such attacks. Iraq's shadowy Kataib Hezbollah said on Tuesday it would pause attacks on U.S. forces, a decision that followed the killing of three U.S. soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan near the Syrian border that Washington blamed on Iran-back militants. Part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance," the umbrella group has claimed more than 150 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the Gaza war began. In 2020, the U.S. killed Iran Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike at Baghdad airport. The strike came days after the U.S. blamed Kataib Hezbollah for the killing of a U.S. contractor.

Persons: Nujaba, Akram al, Ebrahim Raisi, Iran Quds, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al, Kataib, Timour Azhari, Jana Choukeir, Michael Georgy, Nick Macfie Organizations: IRI, Iran, Iran Quds Force Locations: BAGHDAD, Iran, U.S, Gaza, Iraq, Jordan, Washington, Syria, Israel, Tehran, Baghdad, Dubai

BEIRUT (AP) — The United States and Iraq held a first session of formal talks Saturday in Baghdad aimed at winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq. Washington has had a continuous presence in Iraq since its 2003 invasion. Although all U.S. combat forces left in 2011, thousands of troops returned in 2014 to help the government of Iraq defeat IS. Those estimated 2,500 U.S. troops and the bases they serve on have drawn more than 150 missile and drone attacks fired by the militias. Iraqi officials have complained that the U.S. strikes are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, ”, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al Organizations: Islamic, Coalition, Iranian, Israel, Popular Mobilization Forces Locations: BEIRUT, United States, Iraq, Baghdad, U.S, Iraqi, America, Syria, Iran, Israel, Washington, Gaza

☆ Iraq and the U.S. begin formal talks to end coalition mission formed to fight the Islamic State group
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Army soldiers watch as fellow Coalition soldiers pass by near the entrance to the International Zone on May 30, 2021 in Baghdad, Iraq. The United States and Iraq held a first session of formal talks Saturday in Baghdad aimed at winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had sponsored "the commencement of the first round of bilateral dialogue between Iraq and the United States of America to end the mission of the Coalition in Iraq." Although all U.S. combat forces left in 2011, thousands of troops returned in 2014 to help the government of Iraq defeat IS. Iraqi officials have complained that the U.S. strikes are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al Organizations: Army, Coalition, Islamic, Iranian, Israel, Popular Mobilization Forces Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, United States, U.S, Iraqi, America, Syria, Iran, Israel, Washington, Gaza

☆ Trump’s avalanche of dishonesty: Fact-checking 102 of his false claims from this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +111 min

Below is a fact check of 102 of Trump’s false claims from the 12 speeches. But contrary to Trump’s claim, it’s not true that people had been attempting for decades to create such an initiative. Trump’s aid to farmersIn speech after speech, Trump claimed that he had given US farmers $28 billion from China. Even if the poll result is off, it’s clear that Trump’s claim that “nobody wants them” is not true. He said he was an airline pilot.”Facts First: Trump made a false claim while mocking Biden for making false claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, “, ”, Mexico’s, ‘ Trump, Defense Department –, ” Theresa Cardinal Brown, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, ” Trump, I’ve, Todd Harrison, Harrison, It’s, Trump’s, ” Ben Cahill, Nobody, Jimmy Carter’s, Barack Obama, isn’t, El Salvador –, Obama, we’d, Obama’s, Webster, Covid, Wuhan ”, They’d, they’d, you’d, Scott Gottlieb, ” Gottlieb, Trump Trump, it’s, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Dana El Kurd, Qasem Soleimani, they’ve, we’re, We’re, ’, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Biden’s, Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Biden Trump, Iran “, Democrats ”, that’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter “, Carter, ‘, Hillary Clinton, Kari Lake, Bill Gates, Gates, ” Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, Hunter Biden, “ Chris Wallace, ‘ He’s, ‘ ” Trump, Wallace, “ you’re, “ Biden, ‘ You’re, Wallace interjected, Rather, you’ve, ’ ” Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James &, ” Molchanov, Tim Woody, Woody, autoworkers, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Joe Biden’s, Erin Mellon, Gavin Newsom, Mellon, ” Vonette Fontaine, Biden “, CNN’s Matt Egan, Egan, ” Biden, Europe Trump, United Kingdom “, Brent, Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James, Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy, De Haan, Matt Smith, Matt Egan, Afghanistan Trump, we’ve, Krista Wiegand, Wiegand, ” Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Qasem, Bibi, Netanyahu, Soleimani, Asad, Mark Milley, Hezbollah Trump, Steven Cheung, John Kirby, Cheung, Kirby, Iran’s, ” Ali Vaez, Joseph Amon, Washington –, Faiq Zidan, Zidan’s, Zidan, Abu Mahdi al, China Trump, Ukraine Trump, Letitia James, James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, You’re, Bragg, Colangelo, Tanya Chutkan, I’m, Jack Smith, Bill Clinton, That’s, everybody’s, Letitia James –, Al Capone’s, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, CNN couldn’t, Schwartz, Eliot Ness, MAGA, “ MAGA, …, White, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Inflation Trump, Bacon, Joe, PolitiFact, Trump . Howard Gleckman Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Republican, Trump Trump, Republican Jewish Coalition, Department, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congress, Defense Department, former Defense Department, Center, US Customs, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, IHS, Islamic, The State Department, Customs Enforcement, Policy Institute, ICE, El Salvador, ”, Merriam, The New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, State Department, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, Obama, US International Trade Commission, Washington Post, U.S . International Trade Commission, New England lobstermen, England lobstermen, Americas, Crisis, government’s Energy, Administration, Washington Free Beacon, Energy Information Administration, Democrats, Biden, Electoral, Georgia, Michigan, Carter, Democrats can’t, Republicans, Alabama, Arizona, Fox News, ” Energy, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wildlife, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, Raymond James & Associates, Wilderness Society, Cox Automotive, Pew Research Center, New York Times, National Oceanic, California Gov, California, American Petroleum Institute, Union, West, Energy, American Automobile Association, AAA, GasBuddy, New Hampshire, Houston, Keystone XL, Obama administration’s State Department, –, Foreign, Military, DoD, Afghan, Defense, Policy, Taiwan News, “, University of Tennessee’s Center for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Israeli, NBC, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, National Security, Group, US government’s Defense Intelligence Agency, Narcotics Bureau, Global Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Justice Department, Washington, Judicial, Popular Mobilization Forces, Customs and, Middle East, Customs, Protection, CBP, Border Protection, Kiel Institute, European Union, New York, New, ExxonMobil, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Justice Department, Department of Justice, Washington DC, Presidential Records, Presidential, Mar, Biden White, MAGA Republicans, Inflation, Heritage Foundation, Trump ., Brookings Tax, Urban Institute Locations: New Hampshire, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Iowa, Mexico, “, U.S, Houston, Iraq, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nord, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, El, Washington, ”, ” In Texas, Covid, China, Wuhan, Italy, France, Abraham, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, New England, England, Kpler, Malaysia, Oregon, Alabama, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s, Moscow, Alaska, East, South Carolina, California, “ California, West Virginia, Virginia, United Kingdom, West Texas, “ U.S, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Mississippi , Louisiana, Canada, United States, Paris, Taiwan, “ China, Iranian, that’s, –, Singapore, Iraqi, San Diego, Kiel, York, Manhattan, York’s, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, Qaeda

With a power vacuum and years of civil conflict following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, militias grew and multiplied in Iraq, some supported by Iran. While he came to power with the Iranian-backed groups' support, he also wants continued good relations with the U.S. and has backed the ongoing presence of American troops in his country. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a meeting with al-Sudani this month, warned of consequences if Iranian-backed militias continued to attack U.S. facilities in Iraq and Syria. An official with one of the Iranian-backed militias said al-Sudani put “great pressure” on the militias not to carry out attacks during Blinken's visit. But the U.S. military response to the attacks on its forces has been minimal.

Persons: Biden, Israel, Asad, Haq, Badr, Bashar Assad, Mohammed Shia, Antony Blinken, Sudani, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, —, Qassim Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al, Muhandis, Qassim Abdul Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Islamic, Hamas, Pentagon, Islamic Jihad, WHO, State, Popular Mobilization Forces, Hezbollah, Iran’s, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Officials, Quds Force, Military, Associated Press Locations: Iraq, Syria, Islamic State, skyrocket, U.S, The U.S, Baghdad, Israel, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Al, Tehran, Boukamal, Maysulun, Deir el, Bulbul, Mayadin ., IRAQ, Zahra

The documentary, which will air this Sunday on “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” exposes an RSF-led campaign to enslave men and women in El Geneina, the largest city controlled by the paramilitary group in Sudan’s Darfur region. Several former Darfuri abductees told CNN that fighters from the RSF and their Arab militia allies hurled racist abuse at them during their captivity. ‘They flogged us with whips’Another woman told CNN she and the female members of her family were raped in captivity for four days. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/ReutersCNN also found evidence of the enslavement of males as part of the attack on El Geneina. They felt his biceps because they said they “wanted a strong one,” he told CNN.

Persons: Chad CNN — Mahdi, “, ” Mahdi, “ I’d crouch, –, Anderson Cooper, ”, Zohra Bensemra, El Geneina, Wagner —, Khalid, Alex Platt, —, Mahdi, abductees, Raghm, ’ ”, ’, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Wagner Organizations: Chad CNN, CNN, Rapid Support Forces, Red Cross, Reuters, Chadian, El, Industrial School, Strategic Initiative, Women, Unit, CNN Rights, Darfur —, Human Rights, Reuters CNN Locations: Chad, West Darfur, El, El Geneina, Darfur, Sudan's Darfur, Ourang, Adre, Russian, Sudan —, Sudan, Horn of Africa, Khartoum, “

☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington on Saturday to demand a ceasefire in Gaza where thousands have been killed in an Israeli offensive since an attack by Palestinian Islamists Hamas, and to denounce President Joe Biden's policy towards the war. The demonstration was among the largest pro-Palestinian gatherings in the United States and among the biggest for any cause in Washington in recent years. [1/2]Demonstrators rally in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at Freedom Plaza in Washington, U.S., Nov. 4, 2023. "Biden, Biden you cannot hide, you signed up for genocide," protesters chanted in Washington on Saturday. Washington has sought to persuade Israel to accept localized pauses, which Israel has thus far rejected.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Mahdi Bray, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Israel, Kanishka Singh, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Activists, American Muslim Alliance, Freedom, REUTERS, United Nations, . Washington, Thomson Locations: Washington, Gaza, United States, Freedom, Israel, Washington , U.S, .

“He risked his life to get the information out for me when I was in the prison in Iran. He met White in 2018 after one such arrest when Vatankhah faced accusations of spreading propaganda against Tehran's government. Though Vatankhah was later released, he was arrested again, this time winding up in the same cell as White in Iran's Mashhad prison. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it does not discuss individual humanitarian parole cases. Vatankhah said his humanitarian parole is good for one year, but he already has applied for asylum, which would allow him to remain in the U.S.

Persons: — Michael White, White, Mahdi Vatankhah, “, ” White, Vatankhah, Jonathan Franks, White's, —, Qassem Soleimani, Paris Etemadi Scott, “ Mahdi, ”, He's, Eric Tucker Organizations: WASHINGTON, Navy, AP, U.S, Iranian, Quds Force, Revolutionary Guard, Citizenship, Immigration Services, State Department, Twitter Locations: Iranian, White, United States, Los Angeles, Iran, U.S, Southern California, Iran's Mashhad, American, Turkey, Paris, California, San Diego

Iran is once again deploying police officers on the streets to enforce its conservative dress code for women, which many have flouted since the protest movement that rattled the country began last fall, according to state news media and social media posts. Months into the protests, Iran quietly withdrew the morality police from the streets in an apparent concession to try to calm the nationwide upheaval against the government. The protests began last September after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in custody after the morality police accused her of violating the dress code and arrested her on a Tehran street. A spokesman for Iran’s police force, Gen. Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, said on Sunday that effective immediately, police officers would begin patrolling to “deal with those who, unfortunately, regardless of the consequences of dressing outside the norm, still insist on breaking the norm.” He added that the patrols would “expand public security and strengthen the foundation of the family.”He said the police would first warn people caught breaking the hijab law governing dress, which requires women to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing that hides the shape of their bodies. Those who still refused to comply, he said, would be prosecuted.

Persons: Mahsa Amini, Saeed Montazer al, Mahdi, ” Locations: Iran, Tehran

rules governing how asylum seekers must be treated. We showed the video in person to three senior officials from the European Commission in Brussels, describing how we had verified it. asylum rules and international law, including ensuring access to the asylum procedure,” said Anitta Hipper, the European Commission spokeswoman for migration. Greece and the European Union hardened their attitudes toward migrants after the arrival in 2015 and 2016 of more than one million refugees from Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. Poland, Italy and Lithuania have recently changed their laws to make it easier to repel migrants and to punish those who help them.

☆ Opinion: Six experts imagine an internet that women actually want
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Cnn Opinion | As Equals | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Women still have less access to the internet, with men being 21% more likely to be online than women globally. One reason for this is because being a girl, teenager, woman, trans or non-binary person makes us victims of digital violence. An internet women want is one where there is no fear to comment, to express an opinion, or publish photos of our bodies -- and where there are no limits simply because you are a woman on the internet. Women stood together internationally when Iranian women cut their hair , showing how the internet politicises women, sparks debates and builds international solidarity. Therefore, an internet that women want -- and that works for women -- needs to start by being affordable for women.

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