Author: An Nasifar

The national football teams of Tajikistan and Pakistan have refused to play in friendly matches against Russia. A match against Tajikistan had been set to take place in December, but the federation declined, saying they already had matches booked for those dates. Pakistan has also cancelled an October game against Russia due to a lack of preparation time. However, the Pakistanis said they would play in December. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Russian teams were barred from competing in any FIFA or UEFA championships. As a result, the team has had to settle for friendly matches. The Russians…

Efforts to amend the 1959 Personal Status Law are another attempt to create a parallel authority to that of the state. Controversial efforts in Iraq today to change the country’s personal status law and give more power to the religious sects reflects the growing institutionalization of sectarianism as the basis upon which Iraqi society is being recast. This represents a further erosion in the authority of the state, with potentially serious consequences that will increase Iraq’s fragmentation. During the 1990s, the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein led what was referred to as the “Faith Campaign.” He built numerous mosques and…

The Mossad enlisted Iranian security agents to plant explosives in the Tehran guesthouse where Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was staying, according to a report in the Telegraph. The report says the initial plan called for assassinating Haniyeh when visited Tehran in May to attend the funeral of president Ebrahim Raisi, but two Iranian officials tell the newspaper the operation was called off due to the large number of people in the building and seeming high possibility of failure. The British daily says the agents nevertheless went ahead and planted explosives in three rooms at the compound, and later left Iran. They…

Iraq will pursue those behind recent attacks on military bases hosting US and other international forces, the country’s prime minister has said. Iraq’s prime minister has ordered security forces to pursue the perpetrators of attacks on military bases hosting international coalition advisers, a government military spokesman said on Monday. The announcement came after a recent spike in rocket and drone attacks against Iraq military bases which host U.S. and other international forces. “Attacks that target Iraqi bases that houses advisers from the international coalition in Iraq are unacceptable. They are here based on the invitation of the government,” said a spokesman for…

Human-induced climate change including war and urbanization has played a major role in exacerbating a three-year drought in Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Citing the findings of scientists from Iran, the UK, the US, and the Netherlands, World Weather Attribution reported that the drought spanning 36 months from July 2020 to June 2023, was “the second worst in the observed record.” According to the report, the drought which affected large parts of Iran and the whole Euphrates and Tigris basin, the two rivers crossing Iraq and Syria, would have been less severe if the world had been 1.2°C cooler. The consequences…

MISSOULA – Patrick Beckwith directs the Military and Veterans Services Office at the University of Montana. Normally he recruits military-connected students to campus and assists them once they arrive. Beckwith has a different mission this fall. As part of the Montana Army National Guard, he deployed to Iraq to serve as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which works to stabilize the region after the defeat of ISIS. “I am a lieutenant colonel serving as a base director in charge of support and infrastructure operations,” he said. “It is basically like running a small town the size of Hamilton, except with…

After more than a week of public pressure from the U.S. for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday allowed that his government might be open to only “little pauses” in its assault on Hamas. The Israeli leader sought to play down differences with his country’s most vocal backer on the world stage at a time of rising scrutiny of the sharply rising civilian toll of fighting. Netanyahu spoke after President Joe Biden made a direct appeal to him nearly a month into the war seeking to rally support behind securing even limited relief for civilians…

In a small village in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, solar panels adorn most homes, part of a small but growing effort to harness the sun’s energy in Iraq, where electricity is scarce.”Solar covers all our needs: the refrigerator, television, air cooler, washing machine, vacuum cleaner,” said Daniar Abdallah, 33, a resident of Hazar Merd who converted to solar and hasn’t looked back.”It has helped us a lot,” said the father of two, who spent $2,800 in 2018 to install photovoltaic panels for his family home. Despite its vast oil wealth, Iraq struggles to provide enough electricity to its 43…

The Saudi government has set a mechanism to provide travel permits for Saudi businessmen to Iraq and launched an electronic service through the Ministry of Commerce website to allow investors to explore commercial and investment opportunities and participate in forums, exhibitions and forums in Baghdad. Saudi Arabia and Iraq are seeking to expand the volume of trade exchange. Non-oil exports to Iraq during the past five years amounted to SAR 14.8 billion ($3.9 billion), with building materials representing the highest exporting sectors with a value of SAR 4.4 billion ($1.1 billion), followed by food products with SAR 4 billion ($1…

GrowSmart Maine announces the addition of two new members to its team, Aqeel “AJ” Mohialdeen, outreach and communications director, and Amanda Vermillion, development and operations associate. Mohialdeen is originally from Baghdad. In 2010, he came to the United States with a special immigrant visa due to his international development work with USAID in Iraq, according to a news release from GrowSmart Maine. Since earning his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of Baghdad, he has worked as a graphic designer, a photographer, a journalist, a documentary filmmaker, marketing specialist, campaign strategist, cross-cultural consultant, and an outreach and multimedia…