Author: Abu Hadah

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Long-time Mideast rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia took another significant step toward reconciliation Thursday, formally restoring diplomatic ties after a seven-year rift, affirming the need for regional stability and agreeing to pursue economic cooperation. The agreement was reached in Beijing during a meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers, a month after China had brokered an initial reconciliation agreement between the two regional powerhouses. The latest understanding further lowers the chance of armed conflict between the rivals, both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. It could bolster efforts by diplomats to…

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, discussed on Thursday the issue of Iraqi immigrants and refugees on the Polish-Belarusian border with the Russian Ambassador to Iraq, Elbrus Kotrashev, according to a press statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. The statement mentioned that the meeting addressed the bilateral relations between the two countries, and ways to enhance prospects for cooperation in all fields, to serve the mutual interests of the people of both countries. Hussein and Kotrashev talked about the latest developments in region, and stressed the need to ease tensions and rely on dialogue to solve the outstanding issues…

In Thailand , joint military exercises between American and Thai soldiers started on Monday, February 27.  Called “Operation Cobra Gold”, these maneuvers are a symbol of the long American military presence in the region, in the face of an increasingly influential China. If there’s one country in the region that’s particularly sensitive to US military exercises in Asia, it’s North Korea . For Pyongyang, it is a provocation, or dress rehearsal for a future invasion of its territory. In Thailand, military maneuvers with both the United States and China In this country which served as a rear base for American soldiers throughout the Vietnam War, more…

Iraq is a Middle Eastern country that borders the Persian Gulf. The major river systems of the Tigris and Euphrates flow through Iraq and form the Mesopotamian marshes before emptying into the Gulf. Many large and small lakes dot the country’s landscape, including the largest lake, Lake Tharthar, located northwest of the capital of Baghdad. The rivers, lakes, marshes, and seas of Iraq provide homes to a wide variety of fish species. 1. Common Carp Let’s start with one of the most spectacular-tasting fish! The carp is the main ingredient of the national dish of Iraq, Masgouf. Masgouf is a grilled seasoned carp…

The president of Serbia has endorsed a proposed EU deal that constitutes a de facto Serbian recognition of Kosovo. While neither Serbia nor Kosovo signed the agreement, the endorsement represents a huge breakthrough in the two countries’ deadlocked relations. President Vučić of Serbia and Prime Minister Kurti of Kosovo met with the EU High Representative Josep Borrell to review the EU proposals to normalise relations between the two countries on Monday, February 27th. Both countries seek to join the EU, but the bloc has requested they bury the hatchet before they can accede. The majority-Albanian Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008. However, Serbia regards…

Slovakia could build a new nuclear reactor in the future as electricity consumption will increase from the new energy-intensive projects. The Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Agency has already received an application for a building permit from the Nuclear Energy Company of Slovakia, which is partly state-owned. The company aims to build a power plant on the site of the current Jaslovské Bohunice power plant, which will reach the end of its useful life sometime after 2040. “Given that we certainly won’t have enough electricity by 2040-45, we need to start today to address exactly what our children will be using to generate…

Baghdad – The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Ali Al-Alaq, confirmed on Monday that the CBI seeks to make a quantum leap in financial technology, according to a statement cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA). A statement issued by the CBI mentioned that Al-Alaq received on Monday the Regional President for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region at Visa Inc., Andrew Torre, and his accompanying delegation. Both sides discussed the support provided by Visa to regulate the market and increase the acceptance of electronic collection, in support of the government’s decisions…

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will arrive in Dushanbe on March 2. Intergovernmental meetings and high-level talks are planned during the visit. As part of Mishustin’s visit to Dushanbe, the Ninth Conference on Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan “Business and Investment Partnership between Russia and Tajikistan” will be held on March 2-3, Asia-Plus was told at the State Committee on Investment of Tajikistan. The conference is held to expand practical cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan. Panel sessions of the conference will be devoted to the topics of Russian-Tajik cooperation in the field of industrial cooperation, energy, ecology, transport and logistics, as…

Iraq won the Arabian Gulf Cup. But Iraq also lost ordinary fans because of their government’s ineptitude. It was meant to be the icing on the cake. The crowning of Iraq as champions of the Arabian Gulf was supposed to bring to a conclusion a tournament that had welcomed Iraq back into the international scene. Celebrations, however, were overshadowed by the reported deaths of at least four from a stampede which also injured dozens of others ahead of the tournament’s final on January 19. Poor crowd control, awful security protocols and mismanagement resulted in the fatal chaos. Instead of the…

Late Liberal Party senator Jim Molan has been remembered as one of Australia’s most significant army generals since the second world war, and a stalwart of conservative politics whose work on border security and defence shaped Coalition policy. The 72-year-old died of prostate cancer on Monday surrounded by his family, who in a statement paid loving homage to the former major general and head of coalition forces in the Iraq War, noting his health deteriorated rapidly after Christmas. “Most of all, he was an adored husband, father, grandfather and brother,” the statement said. “Our loss is immeasurable.” Senator Jim Molan…