Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Minister of Trade, Atheer Al-Ghurairy, stated on Saturday that Iraq achieved self-sufficiency in wheat for this season as the supply exceeded expectations, according to a statement cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The Iraqi ministry illustrated in its statement that Al-Ghurairy visited marketing sites in Kirkuk governorate and met with farmers to discuss ways to overcome obstacles and organize the entry of wheat trucks into the market.

An official at the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture said that the wheat crop is expected to range between 4 million and 4.5 million tons this season.

The Iraqi Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Jabr, said last March that wheat production in Iraq is expected to reach four million tons during the 20222023 season, according to Reuters.

Jabr explained that the increase in production is a result of the governments plan to cultivate 4,000 square kilometers in desert lands and 2,500 square kilometers in other parts of Iraq.

The Iraqi market needs about 4.2 million tons annually to achieve self-sufficiency in the wheat crop.

For quality purposes, Iraq imports one million tons of wheat to mix it with the local wheat, which does not have the required percentage of gluten, according to the Ministry of Trade.

Iraq was self-sufficient in wheat during the three years before the war in Ukraine, with production of 4.7 million tons in 2019, 6.2 million tons in 2020, and about 4.2 million tons in 2021.

However, factors such as water scarcity and desertification led to a decrease in the local production of wheat, which reached about three million tons last season, prompting the government to import wheat to cover the shortfall.

The lack of rain in the winter season constitutes the most significant challenge to the production of agricultural crops in Iraq, including wheat, rice and barley.

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Baghdad Iraq unveiled on Sunday a 2,800-year-old stone tablet returned by Italy, as the war-ravaged country works to recover from abroad antiquities looted from its territory.

The tablet whose text is written in cuneiform, the Babylonian alphabet  bears the insignia of Shalmaneser III, the Assyrian king who ruled the region of Nimrod, in present-day northern Iraq, from 858 to 823 BC.

The circumstances surrounding the tablets arrival in Italy remain unclear, but the Italian authorities handed it over to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid during a visit to Bologna over the past week.

I would like to thank the Italian officials for their efforts and cooperation in bringing back this piece, Rashid said during a ceremony Sunday at a Baghdad presidential palace to hand the artefact over to the national museum.

The tablet had arrived in the 1980s in Italy, where it was seized by police, said Laith Majid Hussein, director of Baghdads council of antiquities and heritage.

Iraqi Culture Minister Ahmed Fakak al-Badrani said the circumstances behind its discovery were unclear.

Perhaps (it was found) during archaeological excavations or during work on the Mosul dam, Iraqs biggest built in the 1980s, he said.

He underlined the importance of the piece, whose cuneiform text is complete.

Modern Iraqs territory is the cradle of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian civilisations, to which humanity owes writing and the first cities.

The countrys antiquities have been the target of looting that increased in the chaos following the US-led invasion of 2003.

We will continue to work to recover all the archaeological pieces of Iraqi history from abroad, said the Iraqi president.

We want to make the national Iraq Museum one of the best museums in the world, and we will work to do so.

In May, New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg announced the return of two ancient sculptures to Iraq: a limestone Mesopotamian elephant and an alabaster Sumerian bull from the old city of Uruk.

The figurines, stolen during the Gulf War, were smuggled into New York in the late 1990s, according to the prosecutors office.

The bull was part of the private collection of Shelby White, a billionaire philanthropist and Met trustee.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Ministry of Communications announced on Saturday it is launching internet service through space, according to a statement cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The statement mentioned that the Ministry of Communications is seeking to provide the best internet service to people in Iraq.

Projects to provide internet via fiber-optic cables require a relatively long time to complete the deployment of cables in all areas because of the difficulties represented in the excavation works and the expensive costs of these projects, the statement illustrated.

In order to diversify the sources of internet service, increase competitiveness, and reduce prices, the concerned department in the Iraqi Ministry of Communications started the contractual procedures to introduce internet via space service in Iraq for the first time, according to the statement.

Iraq is following in the footsteps of developed countries that use low-orbit satellite technologies that provide internet service directly to users through a huge network of satellites provided by reputable international companies.

The Iraqi Ministry of Communications is negotiating with international companies to provide satellite internet to the people of Iraq as soon as possible, the statement added.

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Brussels NATO on Sunday underlined the unwavering commitment of its KFOR peacekeeping force to its duties in Kosovo as tensions flare with pressure building on Serbia over the detention of three Kosovo police officers.

The commitment of NATO KFOR to the implementation of its mandate is unwavering, as demonstrated by the recent additional deployment of 500 troops, alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.

We once again remind all parties of their obligations to KFOR including respect for the Administrative Boundary Line, procedures for the Kosovo Police and the 2013 Agreement on the deployment of the Kosovo Security Forces to the north, she tweeted.

NATOs KFOR has swelled to more than 4,000 troops after a battalion of 500 reinforcements from Turkey was sent to Kosovo two weeks ago, following clashes with ethnic Serb protesters in late May that wounded 30 of the peacekeepers.

An extra NATO battalion is on alert to deploy to Kosovo if required.

Serbia is holding three Kosovo police officers who were detained on Wednesday.

Kosovos government has called it a kidnapping and, as a security measure, banned all Serbian trucks from entering its territory.

The United States has strongly called for Serbia to release the police officers. Washington and Brussels are both urging a de-escalation of tensions.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called on Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovos premier Albin Kurti to meet in Brussels in the next few days to agree on ways to ease the situation.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Its ethnic Albanian majority rose up in 1999, sparking a NATO military intervention against Serbias forces.

But Belgrade and its allies Beijing and Moscow refuse to recognise its independence, effectively preventing Kosovo from having a seat at the United Nations.

Serbs in Kosovo remain largely loyal to Belgrade, especially in the north, where they make up a majority and reject every move by Pristina to consolidate its control over the region.

On Friday, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs protested in the flashpoint northern town of Mitrovica against the arrest of an alleged Serb paramilitary leader.

Also on Friday, KFOR issued a statement saying it was unclear where exactly the Kosovo police officers were arrested whether it was on the territory of Kosovo or Serbia.

It urged both parties to refrain from provocative rhetoric and to avoid any unilateral act that could escalate the tension in the area.

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Beijing An Armenian poet and communist fighter in World War II will enter the Pantheon mausoleum and join an elite group of Frances revered historical figures, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday.

Known as being pantheonised, the rare tribute is reserved for those who have played an important role in the countrys history.

Missak Manouchian, who arrived in France in 1925 as a stateless refugee after fleeing violence, later joined the communist Resistance during World War II.

He led a small group of foreign Resistance fighters against the Nazi occupation, carrying out attacks on German forces and acts of sabotage in Nazi-occupied France in 1943.

Macron said Manouchian embodies the universal values of France, and carries a part of our greatness.

In 1944, the group, which included a number of Jews, was put out of action when 23 of its members were rounded up and sentenced to death by a German military court.

Manouchian was shot by the Nazis on February 21, 1944.

The collaborationist Vichy regime later tried to discredit the group and defuse the anger over the executions in an infamous red poster depicting the dead fighters as terrorists.

By entering the Pantheon, Manouchian will become both the first foreign and communist Resistance fighter to be awarded the honour.

Macron paid tribute to Manouchians bravery and quiet heroism in a statement Sunday, as well as to other foreign Resistance fighters.

Manouchian will enter the Pantheon alongside his wife Melinee, who survived him by 45 years and is buried alongside him at the Ivry-sur-Seine cemetery.

Other major French figures to be reburied in the Pantheon, which sits on a hill in Pariss Left Bank, include Victor Hugo, Voltaire and Marie Curie.

Since 2017, Macron has pantheonised three others including the French-American dancer and rights activist Josephine Baker, who became the first black woman to be honoured in the secular temple.

The pantheonisation of Manouchian had been called for by the French left, particularly the Communist Party.

On Sunday, Macron will decorate Robert Birenbaum part of the foreign Resistance fighter group alongside Manouchian at the Mont Valerien site where Manouchian and other resistants were executed by the Nazis.

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Paris One by one, the 10 women, mostly aged under 30, went defiantly to their deaths by hanging in a city square in Shiraz in southern Iran. The youngest was only 17 years old.

They had been charged with crimes including espionage but, for supporters around the world, they were simply being hanged because they were Bahais, and refused to renounce their faith even under pain of death.

On Sunday, Iranian Bahais marked 40 years since the June 18, 1983 executions of the 10 Bahai women in Shiraz, seen as one of the most egregious abuses committed against the non-Muslim minority that has been persecuted ever since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Their deaths continue to horrify Bahais but also inspire the community as it still struggles against discrimination in daily life in Iran. Bahais hope all Iranian women can draw strength from them after a wave of women-led protests shook the clerical leadership late last year.

The arduous path to gender equality in Iran has been walked by countless women over the decades. That road has been marked by the sacrifices of those who chose to stand for their principles even over their lives, said Simin Fahandej, the Bahai International Community (BIC) representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

Asked to recant

The women had been arrested in October and November 1982, tortured, denied the right to a lawyer and had been offered the opportunity to save their lives by converting to Islam, according to the BIC.

They refused to sign the statements that were prepared for them and were taken on June 18, 1983 from their prison to Chowgan Square in Shiraz where they were hanged one by one in front of each other.

Two days earlier, six Bahai men were executed in the same square, some of them relatives of the 10 women. In all, more than 200 Bahais were executed in the frenzy of hangings that followed the revolution, according to the BIC.

There is tremendous pride in the faith and selfless courage of the 10 women and their strength in the face of extreme physical and psychological pressure, Anthony Vance, director of the US Bahai Office of Public Affairs, told AFP.

Soosan Sabet, the second cousin of one of the women executed, Akhtar Sabet, who was hanged aged just 25, said she had good memories of her relative, a pure, kind, friendly and sociable person who worked as a nurse.

Even in prison, she started serving the elderly and sick people. She would prepare their breakfast, provide medical treatment and wash their clothes, Sabet told AFP.

During the interrogation, she was asked repeatedly to recant her faith and convert to Islam in order to be released from prison. Akhtar Sabet refused and was hanged.

Ruhi Jahanpour, who was initially held with the women, freed, evaded re-arrest and escaped abroad, described the wo...

Athens After an inconclusive election in May, Greece returns to the ballot box next Sunday with conservative former prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on course to win a second straight four-year term.

Polls show that Mitsotakis New Democracy party is in line to be the clear winner, with between 40 and 43.9 percent of the vote.

Mitsotakis, 55, last month cruised to victory with a score of 40.79 percent, more than 20 points ahead of his nearest rival, former leftist prime minister Alexis Tsipras.

But he fell short of a workable parliamentary majority and declined to form a coalition government.

A Pulse poll for private Skai TV last week said nine out of 10 New Democracy voters would vote conservative again on Sunday.

Mitsotakis says that under his stewardship, Greeks paid lower taxes and the country became a success story attractive to investors, posting growth above the European average and returning tourism revenue to nearly pre-pandemic levels.

Growth will continue

I promise Greeks that (economic) growth will continue, he told Skai TV last week.

We are more experienced, more prepared and more determined.

Mitsotakis critics counter that he showered billions of euros on political allies and friendly media, tried to bury a major wiretapping scandal and attempted to dodge responsibility for Greeces worst train disaster in February.

This time, Harvard graduate and former McKinsey financial consultant Mitsotakis faces a challenge on his right that could determine the size of his parliamentary group.

A new hard-right party, Niki, narrowly missed out on parliamentary seats in May and is now polling over the required 3 percent threshold, as is the established nationalist party Greek Solution.

Another new party, Plefsi Eleftherias, headed by hard leftist former parliament speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou is also likely to clinch parliamentary representation.

And former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis also seeks election under the radical left MeRa25 party.

If eight parties succeed in entering parliament on Sunday, the winner will need a higher percentage of the vote to maximise their parliamentary group in the 300-seat chamber.

Mitsotakis has been criticised for warning that a third election could be held in August, at the height of the busy tourism season, if a government cannot be formed after Sunday.

A final vote?

Last month, the former PM blamed deep policy differences with his closest rivals, leftist leader Alexis Tsipras and socialist head Nikos Androulakis, for his refusal to form a coalition government after Mays ballot.

And he has declined to cooperate with any hard-right party.

The upcoming election is held under new rules that give the winner a bonus of up to 50 seats, facilitating efforts to form a singl...

Khartoum Sudans warring generals agreed a new 72-hour ceasefire from Sunday, US and Saudi mediators said, after fighting intensified with deadly air strikes in Khartoum and an exodus of wounded from Darfur over the border into Chad.

Air strikes killed 17 civilians, including five children, in the capital Saturday, a citizens group said, as medics in Chad reported hundreds of wounded from Darfur seeking treatment.

Multiple truces have been agreed and broken during the two-month war, including after the United States slapped sanctions on both generals after a previous attempt collapsed at the end of May.

A 24-hour ceasefire from June 10 to June 11 provided Khartoum residents with a brief respite from the air strikes and artillery exchanges that have ravaged whole neighbourhoods of the capital but the fighting resumed within 10 minutes of the ceasefire ending.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United States of America announce the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a ceasefire throughout Sudan for a period of 72 hours, a Saudi foreign ministry statement said late Saturday.

The ceasefire is due to take effect at 6 am (0400 GMT), the mediators said.

The two sides agreed that during the ceasefire period they would refrain from movements and attacks, the use of warplanes or drones, artillery bombardment, reinforcement of positions, resupply of forces, or refrain from attempting to achieve military gains, the mediators said.

They also agreed to allow freedom of movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Sudan.

The SAF, commanded by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has since April 15 been battling the paramilitary RSF, headed by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, after the two fell out in a power struggle.

A record 25 million people more than half Sudans population are in need of aid, the United Nations says.

Intensifying air strikes

Witnesses say air strikes have intensified in the capital over the past few days.

On Saturday, warplanes struck several residential districts of Khartoum, killing 17 civilians, including five children, according to a citizens support committee. AFP was not immediately able to independently confirm the committees figures.

Residents had earlier reported air strikes around the citys southern Yarmouk district home to a weapons manufacturing and arms depot complex where the RSF claimed full control in early June.

In a video published Friday on the armys Facebook page, deputy army chief Yasser Atta warned civilians to keep away from houses where the RSF are located because the army will attack them at any time.

Since battles began, the death toll across the country has toppe...

Paris Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Portugal won in Euro 2024 qualifying on Saturday after Scotland produced a stunning late comeback to beat Erling Haalands Norway in Oslo.

Portugal defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 in Lisbon to make it three wins out of three in Group J, with Manchester City star Bernardo Silva opening the scoring a minute before half-time.

Fernandes headed in the second from a Ruben Neves cross in the 77th minute and scored his second, and Portugals third, in added time.

Cristiano Ronaldo wore the captains armband and played all 90 minutes as the 38-year-old mens international appearance record-holder won his 199th cap.

However, the forward now playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia did not manage to add to his record 122 international goals he found the net with a header midway through the first half only to be denied by an offside flag.

Portugal, who visit Iceland on Tuesday, are top of Group J with nine points out of a possible nine having scored 13 goals and conceded none.

They are two points clear of Slovakia, who beat Iceland 2-1 in Reykjavik with Tomas Suslov unwittingly scoring the winner 20 minutes from time after an Alfred Finnbogason penalty for the hosts cancelled out Juraj Kuckas opener.

Luxembourg beat Liechtenstein 2-0 in the same six-team group, from which the top two sides qualify for the finals in Germany.

Scotland have three wins out of three in Group A after following a famous victory over Spain in March by coming from behind late on to beat Norway 2-1 on Saturday.

It looked as if Norway would get their first win of the campaign after Erling Haaland was fouled in the box on the hour mark by Ryan Porteous and converted the resulting penalty.

It was Haalands 22 goal in 24 games for Norway, and he was taken off six minutes from time by coach Stale Solbakken with the job seemingly done.

But then Scotland equalised in the 87th minute when Leo Ostigard failed to deal with a John McGinn pass, allowing Lyndon Dykes to stab home.

And Scotland were not finished as they snatched the winner with a minute left, McGinn and Dykes combining to set up Norwich Citys Kenny McLean to slot in, leaving Norway with just one point from three outings.

Lukaku rescues Belgium

Scotland, who went 23 years without appearing at any major tournament before going to Euro 2020, are now in a fantastic position on top of Group A, five points clear of Georgia and six ahead of Nations League finalists Spain.

They have played a game more than both of those sides, however, and welcome Georgia to Glasgow on Tuesday.

Sometimes when its your moment you just have to ride the wave. The boys believe in themselves and kept going, said Scotland boss Steve Clarke.

Georgia, coached by ex-France international Willy Sagnol, won 2-1 in C...

Beijing Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in China on Sunday for the highest-level trip by a US official in nearly five years as the rival powers look to lower the temperature after soaring tensions.

Neither side expects breakthroughs during Blinkens two-day visit, with the worlds two largest economies at odds on an array of issues from trade to technology to regional security.

But the two countries have increasingly voiced an interest in seeking greater stability and see a narrow window before elections next year both in the United States and Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy which Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force.

In a sign of the fragility of the effort, Blinken had been due to visit four months ago, the fruit of a cordial summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in Bali in November.

But Blinken abruptly postponed the trip after the United States said it detected a Chinese spy balloon over US soil, leading to furious calls for a response by hardliners in Washington.

Speaking in the US capital before his departure, Blinken said he would seek to responsibly manage our relationship by finding ways to avoid miscalculations between the countries.

Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict, he said.

Blinken was speaking alongside Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who said that the region wanted the United States both to stay as a power and to find ways to coexist with a rising China.

Blinkens trip is essential, but not sufficient, Balakrishnan said.

There are fundamental differences in outlook, in values. And it takes time for mutual respect and strategic trust to be built in.

Major differences persist

Foremost among the sensitive issues is Taiwan. Beijing carried out major military drills around the island in August, seen as practice for an invasion, after Nancy Pelosi, then-speaker of the US House of Representatives, defiantly visited Taipei.

And in April, China launched three days of war games after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the United States, where she met with current speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Ahead of Blinkens visit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the United States needed to respect Chinas core concerns and work together with Beijing.

The US needs to give up the illusion of dealing with China from a position of strength. China and the US must develop relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality, respect their difference in history, culture, social system and development path, he said, a nod to frequent US criticism of Chinas rights record.

Blinken is the first top US diplomat to visit Beijing sin...

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) An exciting week in Baghdad; the grand opening of the much anticipated and meticulously curated Al-Sarraf Islamic Coins Gallery. Nestled within the National Meusum of Iraq it houses an extensive display of coins donated by Abdullah Al-Sarraf. In attendance were many prominent figures, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani. 

Abdullah Al-Sarraf (1910-2000), was the generous donor of this massive collection. He was a prominent businessman whose generosity and passion helped further the arts, literature and poetry, and whose house in Najaf served as a refuge and station for intellectuals and poets.

Over the course of ninety years, Al-Sarraf developed an extraordinary passion for collecting and studying rare antique coins, particularly focusing on ancient Islamic coins. Each coin held a story, serving as tangible artifacts for historians and archeologists, representing a glimpse into the past and a connection to the people and cultures that had once flourished. They reflect different periods, kingdoms, countries and rulers throughout time, as well as, a rich tapestry of Islamic civilization. 

On March 18, 1968, Al-Sarraf gifted his treasured collection to the National Museum of Iraq which consisted of pieces of gold, silver and copper. 

In a previous interview Al-Sarraf attributes his passion for acquiring coins to his father. He shares, In the year 1935, I traveled to Palestine and bought coins from the markets of Jerusalem and coins from Damascus. I also bought from Europe and returned them to the homeland. Thus, the amount of coins became significant, but it was difficult for me to solve their hierarchies, so I went to the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad and sought the help of an expert. 

In the matter of coins, my teacher, Mr. Nasir Al-Naqshbandi, author of the book Islamic Dinar, became my mentor, helping me explore Islamic money in different eras, which took 40 years, he adds. 

Al-Sarraf stayed for a year and a half working in the hall that the Ministry of Culture allocated for his coins. In appreciation for his material and scientific efforts, a grand ceremony was held in 1969.

In 2003, during the Iraq War, the museum was looted, and many artifacts were either destroyed or stolen. Without a doubt, this was one of the most devastating losses for the...

Montreal Canadas Supreme Court on Friday upheld an immigration agreement that allows authorities to bar asylum seekers from entering the country from the United States.

The Safe Third Country Agreement, which came into effect in 2004, says that asylum seekers must make their application in the first safe country in which they arrived once they left their country of origin.

The judges unanimously ruled that the accord did not infringe refugee claimants rights to liberty and security.

In July 2020, a Federal Court judge invalidated the agreement, ruling that it violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because those returned to the US faced poor detention conditions.

Advocacy groups challenged the constitutionality of the agreement on behalf of claimants, including an Ethiopian woman who was held in solitary confinement for a week in a US detention center after being removed by Canadian authorities.

Even if asylum seekers face real and not speculative risks of refoulement from the United States, the Canadian legislative scheme provides safety valves that guard against such risks, Judge Nicholas Kasirer found in Fridays decision.

However, the Federal Court should re-examine the policy for women asylum seekers who fear persecution on the basis of their gender, the Supreme Court said.

For many refugees, in particular those who identify as women and are from the LGBTQIA+ communities, the US is not a safe country, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) said.

They face risk of being placed in arbitrary detention and solitary confinement in the US, and then being returned to a country where they face persecution, torture or death.

Amnesty International Canada called on Ottawa to withdraw from the agreement as soon as possible.

The Safe Third Country Agreement does push refugees, particularly those fleeing gender-based persecution, at serious risk of refoulement, Secretary General Ketty Nivyabandi said at a press briefing.

Since March, migrants can be turned back across the entire border between the two countries.

Previously, the agreement did not apply to asylum seekers arriving in Canada outside official ports of entry such as Roxham Road, south of Montreal.

In 2022, 40,000 migrants arrived from the United States via this crossing.

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Blagodatne The blue and gold flag flying above the shattered doorway of the Blagodatne cultural centre is Ukrainian, but the soldiers lying dead inside are Russian.

A week after launching their counteroffensive in the southeast against Moscows invasion force, Ukraine has retaken a small string of settlements on the Mokri Yaly River in the region of Donetsk.

Kyivs forces are pushing onwards, and even the Russian army confirms that its positions in Urozhaine, another two kilometres (just over a mile) south of Blagodatne, have come under attack.

The push south in this valley is led by the experienced 68th Jaeger (Hunter) Brigade, and is the most concrete sign of Ukrainian progress since the wider offensive began.

The Ukrainian military has said that it has already faced powerful resistance from Russian troops, despite not yet reaching the invaders main fortified defence line.

When I get to the centre of Donetsk I will say that our mission is partly accomplished, a senior officer from the 68th, using the call sign Lermontov, told AFP.

Ive been dreaming about Donetsk since 2014, its the heart of the Donbas, he said, in a brief interview as he juggled a walkie-talkie and a smartphone to hand out orders.

Poets portrait

Blagodatne, a small farming community, is 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of Donetsk, the main city in the Donbas, a region partly held by Moscows proxy forces since 2014.

The Ukrainian offensive aims to recapture all the land seized by Russia either during the 2014 conflict or after last years full-scale invasion, but it has only just got underway.

Ukraine raised the flag over Blagodatne on Sunday, but soldiers there told AFP that clearing pockets of resistance took a further two days.

Some areas of the village have yet to be swept for mines, and there are corpses of Russian soldiers and a small number of Ukrainian civilians still to be cleared. 

At least four Russian troops died inside the gutted cultural centre, scarred by months of frontline artillery exchanges even before the latest battle.

They lie where they fell amid broken glass and spent 5.45 mm cartridges.

One of the dead had his cranium blown apart from below as if he had been shot from under his jaw, perhaps a suicide in the desperate final stages of the battle.

Another body lay in a shell-damaged library, under a portrait of the 19th-century poet and artist Taras Shevchenko, the founding figure of modern Ukrainian literature.

In the lobby of the centre stood a half-full crate of unused 5.45 mm cartridges, the calibre used by the Soviet-era AK-74 assault rifle used by both sides.

The corpses were not long dead, but the centre seemed long-abandoned. Swallows swooped through the shattered windows into the roofless concert hall...

United Nations Malis foreign minister called Friday for the UN Security Council to withdraw the peacekeeping mission in his country without delay, denouncing its failure to respond to security challenges.

The countrys military rulers have increasingly imposed operational restrictions on peacekeepers and also broke Malis longstanding alliance with former colonial power France.

The government of Mali calls for the withdrawal without delay of Minusma, the name of the United Nations force in Mali, said Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

However, the government is willing to cooperate with the United Nations on this issue, Diop said, rejecting all options for changing the mandate of the mission as proposed by the UN secretary-general.

Minusma seems to have become part of the problem by fueling community tensions exacerbated by extremely serious allegations which are highly detrimental to peace, reconciliation and national cohesion in Mali, said the minister.

This situation generates a feeling of distrust among the populations with regard to Minusma, he added, noting a recent damning report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on an anti-jihadist operation in Moura in March 2022.

Divisions

UN chief Antonio Guterres in January put forward three options for amending the mission, from an increase in personnel to a withdrawal of troops. 

In a report published at the beginning of the week, he recommended to the Council an intermediate solution, to reconfigure the mission to concentrate on a limited number of priorities.

After the Security Council meeting, Minusmas head told reporters that conducting UN peacekeeping operations was nearly impossible without the consent of the host country.

Its a decision that the council has to make, said El Ghassim Wane.

But the point Im making, and I believe its a point that everyone agrees on, is that peacekeeping is based on the principle of consent from the host country and absent that consent, of course operations are nearly impossible, he added.

Fridays meeting underscored the divisions within the Security Council on how to go forward with the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, established in 2013 to help stabilize a state threatened with collapse under the burgeoning threat from jihadist groups. 

Several countries, including France, which is in charge of drafting resolutions on Mali, the United States and Britain, have underlined the importance of Minusma, which French ambassador Nicolas de Riviere called an important issue for Mali but also for the stability of the whole region.

On the other hand, Russian ambassador Vassili Nebenzia said that any proposals here should be based...

Washington US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that his coming visit to China aims to open up better communications by addressing misperceptions and avoiding miscalculations.

Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict, Blinken said.

That is what the world expects of both the United States and China.

Blinken will hold talks Sunday and Monday in Beijing on the first trip by a top US diplomat in nearly five years.

The trip was rescheduled after the United States cancelled a planned Beijing visit by Blinken in February after Washington said it detected and later shot down a Chinese spy balloon.

The first goal of the trip to China, Blinken said in a press conference, is to establish open and empowered communications, so that our two countries responsibly manage our relationship.

He said the aim was also to set the record clear on US interests and values, and to explore areas of possible cooperation, including on global economic stability, fighting drug trafficking, and climate and health issues.

He added he would raise the issue of US citizens detained by China.

China has detained a number of US citizens on various charges, including Kai Li, a businessman accused of spying in 2016, and David Lin, an America pastor held since 2006.

Blinken was speaking in a joint press conference with visiting Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Balakrishnan said the Asian region had its eye on US-China relations, calling it the challenge of the century.

This is a very important and critical moment, not just for the United States and China, he said.

The rest of the world will be watching. So we hope and believe that you will be able to manage the differences, he said.

Irresponsible bullying

The visit comes as relations between the two superpowers have been particularly strained, on the issue of Taiwan, on Chinas ambitions to expand its political and security influence around the globe, and on economic relations.

Washington officials recently said China has set up intelligence operations in Cuba, just off the southeastern US coast.

And on Thursday a major US cybersecurity firm, Mandiant, said online attackers with clear links to China are behind a vast cyber espionage campaign targeting US government agencies.

Earlier this week Daniel Kritenbrink, the top State Department official for East Asia, stressed that  the United States was realistic about what Blinken could achieve in China.

Were not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of breakthrough or transformation, Kritenbrink told reporters.

In Beijing Friday, Chinese foreign mini...

Washington US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday rejected reports that Washington and Tehran were close to deals on limiting Irans nuclear program and releasing US citizens detained in the country.

With regard to Iran, some of the reports that weve seen about an agreement on nuclear matters or, for that matter, on detainees, are simply not accurate and not true, Blinken said when asked about indirect talks via Oman.

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Paris France said Friday it would throw its weight behind an emissions tax on the heavily polluting shipping industry, adding momentum to a campaign long championed by Pacific island nations and environmental campaigners.

French President Emmanuel Macron will push the issue at an international conference next week to discuss revamping the global development aid system where Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as a host of African heads of state are expected.

The shipping industry transports around 90 percent of traded goods worldwide and accounts for around three percent of global carbon emissions, which are currently unregulated. 

Two Pacific nations exposed to the risk of rising sea levels, the Marshall and Solomon islands, have been pushing over the last decade for a $100-per-tonne tax on maritime industry emissions which would create incentives for operators to cut their pollution.

We hope that we will give a real political boost to the proposal at the summit, an aide to said on condition of anonymity on Friday.

Macron will host dozens of foreign leaders at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris from June 22-23 and a pledge from participating countries such as China, Saudi Arabia or Brazil would represent a concrete achievement from the talks.

French officials believe it would add pressure on shipping groups and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency, which is set to host a summit in two weeks time where the carbon tax is expected to be discussed.

The Marshall and Solomon Islands proposals would add tax of around $300-400 to the price of a tonne of heavy oil used by container ships, raising approximately $60-80 billion (55-73 billion euros) of tax receipts per year, according to the World Bank. 

These funds could then be used by emerging countries to help finance their transition to a low-carbon economy and adapt to climate change.

The shipping industry, which operates across multiple jurisdictions and often in international waters, is currently completely exempt from tax either on their sales or their emissions, the French presidential aide said.

We need new resources to fight climate change and poverty as the needs are so huge, the official said.

Slow progress  

The United Nations warned in November last year that carbon emissions from shipping were growing and it called on the vast industry to scrap old, polluting vessels and upgrade infrastructure to speed up its green transition.

While the world is becoming increasingly aware of the need to slash greenhouse gas emissions to avert catastrophic climate change, the global maritime fleet saw emissions rise by 4.7 percent between 2020 and 2021 alone, the UNs trade and development agency UNCTAD....

Tunis A key critic of Tunisian President Kais Saied called in for questioning over allegations of conspiracy against the state accused the president Friday of criminalising all opposition.

Saied won a landslide victory in a 2019 presidential election but assumed sweeping powers in a July 2021 power grab in a move labelled a coup by his opponents.

Ahmed Nejb Chebbi, who heads the National Salvation Front, Tunisias main opposition coalition, was called in for questioning Friday by the counterterrorism squad as part of an investigation into claims of a plot against state security.

Today, as you can see, all forms of opposition, all independent opinion is considered a crime that could lead to jail, Chebbi told reporters before being quizzed by investigators for three hours.

In Kais Saieds Tunisia, the place of free men is in prison, Chebbi, 78, said.

He also questioned the motive behind his interrogation saying What am I being punished for? My right to think freely, to speak freely and to act within the framework of the law?.

Chebbi was free to leave after the investigation.

But police in Tunisia, birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, have arrested more than 20 government opponents since February, including former cabinet ministers, trade unionists and media figures.

One of the most prominent personalities detained is Rached Ghanouchi, the leader of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party who was sentenced in May to one year in prison on terrorism-related charges.

Before his detention in April, Ghannouchi, an 81-year-old former speaker of parliament, warned that efforts to stamp out political Islam and the left might lead to civil war.

Chebbi accused Saied on Friday of having destroyed all institutions and said the president was not aiming for the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Earlier this month, human rights watchdog Amnesty International condemned plans to summon Chebbi for questioning over unfounded accusations of conspiracy.

The plan is another step backward on human rights, it said. 

The post Tunisias Saied criminalising opposition, key critic says appeared first on Iraqi News.

New York Basketball legend Michael Jordan will sell his majority stake in the NBAs Charlotte Hornets to an investment consortium, the team announced Friday.

The buyer group is led by Gabe Plotkin, chief investment officer at Tallwoods Capital LLC and Rick Schnall, co-president of private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. The group also includes musicians J. Cole and Eric Church, said a press release from Hornets Sports & Entertainment that did not disclose financial terms.

The star player, often known as MJ, will retain a minority stake in the franchise, the team said. The transaction is subject to approval of the National Basketball Association.

Jordan acquired a controlling investment in the Hornets in 2010. The franchise has been the leagues sole team with Black-majority ownership.

The value of Jordans stake came to about $3 billion, according to a report on ESPN.com that cited league sources.

Often considered the greatest ever basketball players, Jordan led teams to six NBA titles, won the leagues most valuable player award five times and garnered two Olympic Gold Medals. He played his last game professionally in 2003. 

The origin of Jordans lucrative partnership with Nike was chronicled earlier this year in the film Air, which was directed by Ben Affleck.

The post Michael Jordan to sell majority stake in NBAs Charlotte Hornets: team appeared first on Iraqi News.

Washington The United States on Friday announced a further $205 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine to help the country with shortages of food, drinking water and other needs as its fights against Russias invasion.

The aid, which will be distributed via partner NGOs in the region, was also aimed at helping victims of the conflict maintain contact with family members who have been separated, top US diplomat Antony Blinken said in a statement.

We continue to call for an immediate end to Russias war of aggression and for Russia to facilitate unhindered access to providers of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and safe passage for those who seek to move to safer areas, Blinken said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, more than six million people have fled the country and more than five million have been internally displaced, according to the US State Department.

The United States has provided more than $2 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war started, the statement said.

And it has released nearly $40 billion in military aid to Ukraine to strengthen its defenses against occupying Russian forces in parts of the countrys east and south.

The post US releases further $205 million in Ukraine aid appeared first on Iraqi News.

Kyiv A flurry of Russian missiles greeted a delegation of African leaders arriving in Kyiv Friday as part of a mission aiming to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow. 

The high-level diplomatic team hopes to bring to the table the voice of a continent that has badly suffered from repercussion of the Ukraine war, including by rising grain prices. 

(Russian President Vladimir) Putin builds confidence by launching the largest missile attack on Kyiv in weeks, exactly amid the visit of African leaders to our capital, Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. 

The African delegation arrived by train from Poland on Friday morning and began their visit in Bucha, a town outside the capital that has become a symbol of the alleged war crimes carried out by Moscow.

The delegation that was later due to hold talks with Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky includes three presidents: South Africas Cyril Ramaphosa,Senegals Macky Sall and Zambias Hakainde Hichilema, plus Comoros Azali Assoumani, who heads the African Union.

The leaders of Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville pulled out of the visit at the last moment and sent representatives instead.

Shortly after their arrival in the Kyiv region was announced, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and across the country, and air defences activated. 

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down 12 missiles including six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.

There were no reported damage inside the city, but three people were wounded in the surrounding region, the Interior Ministry said. 

Russia wants more war

The South African president arrived safely in Kyiv along with other leaders, his spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in a video message on Twitter. 

We are now awaiting the commencement of talks with President Zelensky.

The leaders were set to travel on to the northwestern Russian city of Saint Petersburg and meet Putin.

Yet Ukrainian officials have voiced scepticism over the visit as they say no negotiations with Russia are possible.

They were quick to highlight that Russia did not cease strikes during the high-profile visit.

Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace, Kuleba said.

The head of Zelenskys presidential office, Andriy Yermak, wrote that Putin is ready to disregard the security of foreign leaders, he doesnt really care, because he feels complete impunity.

We remember that missiles were also flying when US President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Ukraine, he added.

The African continent has been badly hit by rising grain and fertiliser prices and the wider impact on global trade since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. 

Ro...

New York US chip giant Intel will invest up to $4.6 billion to build a new site in Poland, creating around 2,000 jobs, the company said Friday.

Its new facility, to be located in the southern Polish city of Wroclaw, will help meet critical demand for assembly and test capacity that Intel anticipates by 2027, Intel said in a statement.

The investment in Poland is aimed at helping the European Union develop a more resilient semiconductor supply chain and reducing dependence on Asia, the statement added.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hailed the announcement as an element of cementing and consolidating transatlantic cooperation with the US.

From now on, from this investment by Intel, Poland will be a key part of the not-so-extensive supply system of these most advanced technologies, Morawiecki told reporters in Wroclaw.

Intel is one of the worlds leading semiconductor firms, making a wide range of products, including the latest-generation chips.

The EU aims to reclaim 20 percent of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity by 2030 twice its current production and has invested billions in Intels chip facilities in Germany and Ireland.

Intel has said its European sites will help with cost efficiency in the EUs supply chain, and that it plans to produce 80 billion euros worth of chips in Europe over ten years.

Intel has said construction of its plant in Germany, scheduled to start in the first half of 2023, has yet to begin, due in part to inflation. 

Germanys Ministry of Economic Affairs has said it is looking to support construction with additional public aid.

The announcement of Intels new Poland site follows a difficult first quarter of 2023 for the firm.

In April, it announced a massive fall in sales for the January-March period because of a steep drop in demand for semiconductors, especially those used in PCs.

The company was also affected by falling demand for chips that power data centers, and is struggling to compete with Nvidia for the semiconductors that undergird ChatGPT-style generative AI, a major new chip-hungry sector.

The chip industry is well-known for its volatility, with demand and supply see-sawing with the dips and rises in the world economy.

Its central role in the global supply chain became clear during the height of the Covid pandemic.

Lockdowns and health restrictions diminished production in Asia, leaving surging demand for chips unmet just as everyone turned online for work, shopping and entertainment.

Semiconductors have also become a political pawn between the US and China, with Washington urging its allies to stop supplying China with cutting-edge chips.

The post Intel to invest up to...

Moscow Mobile communications were severed Friday in Saint Petersburg in unprecedented security measures as President Vladimir Putin attended a global economic forum amid growing Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil.

The Roskongress Foundation, the organisers of the forum in Russias second city, earlier said internet communication via mobile operators would be blocked.

Use wifi, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, linking the heightened security to the threat of attacks from Ukraine. 

In the buildings hosting the forum, sniffer dogs were on patrol and long queues of vehicles waited to be searched, according to the local Fontanka daily.

The security measures are unprecedented, Peskov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

This is normal practice. The enemy acts brazenly and does not abandon its attempts to cause damage, said Peskov, adding that in such conditions it is very important to remain attentive and mobilised. 

The forum in takes place in western Russia at a time when the country has been the target of numerous drone attacks in recent weeks, along with an armed incursion and explosions blamed by Moscow on Kievs forces.

Saint Petersburg is far from Ukraine, but an influential paramilitary blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion here in April. 

Moscow accused Kyivs secret services and Russian opponents of masterminding the attack. 

A few weeks later, a high-voltage power line was damaged by another explosion near St Petersburg, with the Russian authorities suggesting sabotage.

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Paris Billionaire Elon Musk is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday as part of a European trip, with national leaders jostling for investment from his electric car firm Tesla.

The maverick tech titan, who also owns SpaceX and Twitter, met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday, and she later tweeted that they had a fruitful meeting discussing innovation and opportunities.

Macron confirmed during a visit to Frances biggest technology trade fair VivaTech earlier this week that he would meet the businessman to tout the attractiveness of France and Europe.

Musk will also visit VivaTech later, appearing before an audience of thousands for what is billed as an hour-long conversation with the events French founder Maurice Levy.

Musk and Macron held talks in May and afterwards he said he was considering big investments in France.

The countrys technology minister Jean-Noel Barrot fuelled speculation earlier this week by telling US broadcaster CNBC that a lot of effort and energy had been expended to secure a Tesla factory for France.

But reports from Spain have claimed that Tesla is planning to build a factory there.

The electric carmakers European footprint is relatively small, having opened its first manufacturing plant in Germany last year.

Awkward interviewee

Macron gave details of his intentions during a walk around the aisles of VivaTech on Wednesday.

Were going to talk about artificial intelligence, where he is involved, social networks and regulatory frameworks, he said. 

Im also going to talk to him about cars, batteries and the sector, to tout the attractiveness of France and Europe.

Europes leaders and plutocrats are desperate to get some face time with Musk in Paris he will meet French fashion magnate Bernard Arnault, with whom he regularly trades the title of worlds richest man.

But despite the breadth of Musks business empire his brain implant firm Neuralink recently got US approval to start human tests it is his acquisition of social media network Twitter that continues to fascinate and baffle observers.

He bought the platform for $43 billion, sacked much of its staff, allowed right-wing conspiracy theorists to return and introduced all sorts of fees and charges.

He admits the platform is no longer worth anywhere near the amount he paid.

Maurice Levy, who will interview him in an auditorium that holds more than 4,000 people, said Twitter would certainly be on the agenda.

But Musk is a notoriously tricky interviewee, prone to lengthy pauses, off-topic rambles and making coded references to sex and drugs.

Levy said he would try to rise to the challenge but tol...

Villaroche France will pump hundreds of millions of euros into developing low-emission aircraft, engines and aviation fuel in the coming years, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.

Paris would dedicate 300 million euros ($330 million) to aircraft and motor research, Macron said during a visit to jet engine maker Safran just outside the capital.

Public and private cash would also be funnelled to developing small electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft and renewable fuels, including a biofuel plant for southwest France.

We French have to be the champions of ultra-clean planes and it is in our power to do it, Macron said. 

Aviation is a key sector of the French economy, with leading companies including Safran, Airbus and Dassault.

The industry employed 691,000 people in 2020 seven percent of Frances industrial workforce  with annual revenues of 186 billion euros, according to national statistics authority Insee.

Activity is taking off again after a Covid-enforced slump, with global passenger numbers set to match 2019s figure of 4.5 billion.

Airbus, which by itself accounts for around half of global airliner sales, expects the global plane fleet to double to around 46,000 by 2042.

But French and European industry faces fierce competition from the United States and China in the race for eco-friendly options.

The stakes are high, with up to four percent of global greenhouse emissions coming from air transport.

Macrons announcement comes before the opening next week of the Paris Air Show, a landmark on the global aerospace industry calendar.

The extra cash for low-emission planes was not welcomed by all.

The zero-emission plane doesnt exist, leading French Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau told broadcaster Franceinfo before Macron spoke. We might as well go looking for the Yeti.

Instead, we should immediately take measures like reducing the number of trips by plane, she added.

France recently banned short domestic flights on routes that could be covered in less than two-and-a-half hours by high-speed rail.

The post France to plough cash into low-emission planes: Macron appeared first on Iraqi News.

Beijing US chipmaker Micron said Friday it would invest more than $600 million in a packing and testing factory in northern China, less than a month after Beijing banned its chips from critical infrastructure projects.

In a WeChat statement, the firm said it would invest more than 4.3 billion yuan ($605 million) over the next few years in its plant in the city of Xian to acquire equipment and add a new factory at the facility.

Chinas cybersecurity watchdog last month said Micron had failed a national security review, telling operators of critical information infrastructure to stop buying its products.

It was the latest escalation in a bitter chip war between the United States and China, which has seen Washington move to block Beijings access to cutting-edge semiconductors.

This investment project underscores Microns unwavering commitment to our China business and our China team members, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a statement.

Micron said it would buy chip-packaging equipment from the Xian-based Licheng Semiconductor, which had already been operating some equipment in the US companys facility under a previous agreement.

The investment is in line with Microns global packaging and testing concept and would give the company the flexibility to manufacture a wide portfolio of products in Xian, the firm said in its WeChat statement.

Micron will also build a new facility with production lines for mobile DRAM, NAND and SSD chips, it added.

Chip war

About 10 percent of Microns $30.8 billion annual revenue last year came from China, according to company data.

But a large portion of Micron products sold in the country were bought by foreign manufacturers, analysts noted, and it was not clear if last months decision by Chinas cybersecurity watchdog affected sales to foreign buyers. 

Washington has said it has very serious concerns about Chinas restrictions on Micron.

Beijing began an investigation into Micron in late March, five months after the United States unveiled sweeping curbs aimed at cutting off Chinas access to high-end chips, chipmaking equipment and software used to design semiconductors.

The United States had cited citing national security concerns for the restrictions unveiled last year, expressing concerns that China will use US technology to develop advanced military equipment.

The White House has also urged South Korean chipmakers not to export to China to fill any gap left by a ban on US semiconductor imports.

The Netherlands and Japan US allies that are both leading manufacturers of specialised semiconductor technology have also announced restrictions on exports, without explicitly naming China.

The post...

Cotonou Sitting on top of a yellow jerry can of fuel, Jeannine waits for customers on a sidewalk in Benins economic capital Cotonou, but business is slow. 

The motorbikes and cars she normally supplies are no longer stopping to stock up on her cheap gasoline, which is smuggled in from neighbouring Nigeria.

Since Nigerias new president Bola Ahmed Tinubu abruptly ended his countrys long-standing subsidy on petrol two weeks ago, prices of black market fuel over the border in Benin have also doubled.

Since this morning, barely five people have stopped, said Jeanine. Everyone prefers to go to the petrol station now.

Two weeks ago, a litre of Kpayo, the smuggled gasoline sold on the side of Beninese roads, doubled from 350 to 700 CFA francs (0.5 to 1 euro). That is now higher than the petrol in service stations at the market price of around 650 CFA a litre.

In Nigeria, fuel prices have also tripled since Tinubu ended the subsidies, with food, transport and power prices feeling the knock-on effect.

Ending the subsidy was the first measure taken by Tinubu, who sees the subsidies as unsustainable financial waste costing the state billions of dollars a year, and allowing massive smuggling of subsidised gasoline to neighbouring countries.

Why should we () feed the smugglers and be the Santa Claus of neighbouring countries, Tinubu said last week, justifying the decision, which has been unpopular in Nigeria.

For decades, Nigerias low-cost gasoline has been transported illegally by road to its neighbours, primarily Benin, where it is resold on the black market by a multitude of informal sellers.

You know, this fuel helps feed thousands of people in Benin, said Jeannine, a 48-year-old widow with five children, who says she does not have savings to start a new business.

The scale of the trafficking is such that the price of taxi fares has almost doubled in Cotonou. In Cameroon, another neighbour of Nigeria, several motorcycle taxi unions have gone on strike in protest.

Pray to God

Victorien Assogba Kossi, wearing a yellow shirt like all the zemidjans (motorbike taxis) of Cotonou, wonders what is wrong with Nigeria?

Is it because the border is closed? asks the driver who has never heard of Nigerian subsidies.

Were going to pray to God that it goes down, said the 46-year-old man, who says he was forced to cut corn rations for his children when business slowed.

A few kilometres away, Nicolas Evedjere is happy enough. The gas station manager has never sold as much as in recent days.

We had to close this morning, because we had nothing left to sell, our clients have multiplied by ten, he said smiling while adding he is sad t...

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) commemorated its Diamond Anniversary (60 years) in Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraqs Prime Minister, Mohammed Al-Sudani, attended the ceremony, as did top Iraqi government officials and OPEC representatives. Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdulghani, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kamal Abbasov, and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais were also present.

Iraq is proud of hosting this historic celebration, said Hayan Abdulghani, Iraqs Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil. It is time for the Organization to celebrate all the accomplishments it has achieved throughout the last six decades and more.

The ceremony was initially planned to take place in the Bab Al-Muaathams Al-Shaab Hall in September 2020, which is also the location of OPECs inception. But because of the COVID-19 epidemic and its effects on travel and health, it was repeatedly postponed.

The celebration will provide the entire OPEC Family with an opportunity to reflect on our exceptional history and celebrate our success, as well as to renew our commitment to the key principles that have underpinned the Organizations work since foundation, said Haitham Al Ghais, OPEC Secretary General. Remembering our past can serve as an inspiration for achieving a bright and successful future.

The Iraqi government has refurbished the Al-Shaab Hall, the site where OPEC was established.

Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela were the groups first five founding members, and they formally gathered in Baghdad between September 10 and 14 of 1960 to establish the organization. The meeting, which was held in Baghdad, was hosted by General Abdul Karim Qasim, the former Prime Minister of Iraq. Since then, 13 nations that produce oil have joined OPEC.

The early years of OPECs development were helped in large part by several important Iraqi officials. In order to re...

London British supermarket giant Tesco said Friday there are encouraging early signs of easing inflation, but customers are still looking to save cash in a cost-of-living crisis.

Recent data showed UK inflation slowed to a 13-month low in April, but remains elevated at 8.7 percent as soaring food prices offset weaker energy costs.

There are encouraging early signs that inflation is starting to ease across the market and we will keep working tirelessly to ensure customers receive the best possible value at Tesco, said chief executive Ken Murphy in an upbeat trading update.

He added: We are very conscious that many of our customers continue to face significant cost-of-living pressures and we have led the way in cutting prices on everyday essential items.

Tesco also revealed that retail sales excluding fuel rose 9.3 percent to 14.8 billion ($18.9 billion) in its first quarter to the end of May, from a year earlier.

The performance was also boosted by its strategy to match prices of similar goods offered by UK supermarkets run by German discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Tesco added that it is well-positioned for the months ahead and maintained its full-year guidance.

In late morning deals, the companys share price dipped 0.9 percent to 262.20 pence on Londons rising stock market.

Tesco is managing the weakening consumer landscape about as well as possible, said Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown.

Thats being helped by the groups enormous scale.

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Beijing Temperatures in Beijing hit a record for mid-June of 39.4 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) on Friday, Chinas meteorological authority said, warning the public to stay indoors.

At around 2:30 pm on June 16, the temperature at Beijings Nanjiao observatory hit 39.4 degrees Celsius, breaking the record high for mid-June, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) wrote in a social media post.

The CMA said the coming days would see temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius in Beijing, adding that the public should reduce the duration of outdoor activity and beware of heatstroke.

Beijing is under an orange alert for high temperatures the second-highest warning level. 

Eight provincial capitals across the country recorded their highest temperatures of the year on Thursday, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Scientists say global warming is exacerbating adverse weather, with many countries experiencing deadly heatwaves and temperatures hitting records across Asia in recent weeks.

Red alert

Multiple locations in Hebei province were under red alert the highest for temperatures over 40 degrees on Friday.

In the capital, road surface temperatures exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), which can easily cause road damage, vehicle tyre blowout, spontaneous combustion and other traffic accidents, city meteorologist Lei Lei told Xinhua.

Beijings previous record temperature for mid-June was 39.1 degrees on June 13, 2000, according to the CMA.

The Communist Party-run Beijing Daily advised readers on Friday to stay hydrated, suggesting the traditional sweet drink of mung bean soup or drinks containing electrolytes.

Personnel working in high-temperature environments should shorten their periods of continuous work, the newspaper added.

More than two million square kilometres (772,000 square miles) across China have been hit by temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius this week, Xinhua said.

The eastern metropolis of Shanghai last month recorded its hottest May day in more than 100 years.

The same month, the United Nations warned it is near-certain that 2023-2027 will be the warmest five-year period ever recorded, as greenhouse gasses and the El Nino climate phenomenon combine to send temperatures soaring.

A recent report from the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards.

There is a two-thirds chance that at least one of the next five years will see the increase in global temperatures exceeding the more ambitious target set out in the Paris accords on limiting climate change, the UNs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said.

The 2015 Paris Agreement saw countries agree to c...