Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced the launch of the digital application Al-Rafidain for Agricultural Extension to benefit farmers in all Iraqi governorates, according to a statement issued by the FAO.

A launching ceremony was held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Baghdad under the auspices of the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture, where the digital application, which serves both the crop and livestock sectors of agriculture, was presented.

The statement mentioned that participants urged agricultural extension officers to widely use the application and promote it among farmers.

The FAO representative in Iraq, Salah El Hajj Hassan, explained that supporting digital agriculture and agricultural extension services is one of the organizations key initiatives.

Hassan added that the main objective is to support farmers and rural families in their agricultural and marketing endeavors and to ensure the provision of the latest technologies to help officers and farmers, as indicated in the statement.

This initiative reflects the FAOs commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture, while the Ministry of Agriculture demonstrates its eagerness to strengthen the sector, the statement mentioned.

By harnessing the power of digital innovation, FAO and the Iraqi Agriculture Ministry are paving the way for a more flexible, inclusive and prosperous agricultural future in Iraq, the statement added.

The post FAO, Agriculture Ministry launch digital app to benefit Iraqi farmers appeared first on Iraqi News.

Bucharest Online influencer Andrew Tate, his brother and two women were indicted in Romania on human trafficking and rape charges, prosecutors said Tuesday, six months after they were detained.

Police arrested Tate, 36, and his brother Tristan, 34, and the two Romanian women late last year. Under preventive detention at first, they were placed under house arrest at the end of March.

The anti-organised crime prosecutions unit (DIICOT) ordered the indictment of the four defendants for offences including setting up an organised criminal group trafficking in persons rape, they said.

The brothers deny all the accusations. If found guilty, they would face years in prison.

While this news is undoubtedly predictable, we embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation, Tates media team said in a statement.

It added the indictment allows us to present a comprehensive body of evidence, diligently collected and prepared over time, which will undoubtedly substantiate the brothers claims of innocence.

Prosecutors have applied for the defendants to stay under house arrest which is now subject to a courts ruling.

Sexual exploitation

It was held that, in early 2021, the four defendants formed an organised criminal group with a view to committing the crime of trafficking in persons on the territory of Romania, but also in other countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, DIICOT said in a statement.

DIICOT said the organised criminal group sexually exploited seven victims through acts of physical violence and psychological coercion.

They were sexually exploited by members of the group by forcing them to engage in pornographic acts with a view to producing and disseminating such material via social media platforms, DIICOT said.

The seven victims, who were allegedly brought to and kept in the outskirts of Bucharest, were recruited through the loverboy method with the group misleading them with fake feelings of love and plans for lasting partnerships.

In addition to the charges of human trafficking and rape, the four are also indicted for illegal access to a computer system, altering the integrity of computer data, instigation to assault or other violence and assault or other violence, DIICOT said.

As part of the probe, Romanian police raided several properties connected to the Tate brothers and seized assets, including a collection of luxury cars.

A dual citizen of the United States and Britain, former kickboxer Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago, after first starting a webcam business in the UK.

In 2016, Tate appeared on the Big Brother reality television show in Britain but was r...

London Flaunting his bulging muscles, cigars and fast cars, Andrew Tates videos on social media fascinate millions of teenage boys.

Giving tips on how to be successful along with misogynist and sometimes violent maxims, the 36-year-old Briton has said women cannot be independent and blames those who are raped or assaulted.

His controversial output has made him one of the worlds best-known influencers.

The former kickboxing champion was indicted for human trafficking and other charges in Romania together with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Romanian police arrested the four late last year. Under preventive detention at first, they were placed under house arrest at the end of March.

Tate has denied any wrongdoing and is continuing to dispense his wisdom on Twitter, where he has grown from 4.8 million to 6.9 million followers since January. 

We will all disappear one day. The difference between me and most is that when I disappear the world still feels my presence, he wrote earlier this year.

In 2022, the words Andrew Tate were among the most searched on Google. But many adults only learnt of his existence in recent months, despite his influence on young men in the English-speaking world and beyond.

He went viral in December after he launched a bizarre Twitter attack on climate change activist Greta Thunberg. 

Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions, he wrote to her, posting a photo of him filling a Bugatti with petrol.

Thunbergs crushing reply referencing his smalldickenergy was retweeted over 570,000 times.

Tate was born in the United States in 1986 and has US citizenship, according to his website.

But after his parents separated, he grew up with his mother and brother in Luton, an economically depressed town north of London. He has lived in Romania for several years.

Before his rise to fame on social media and subsequent arrest, Tate was a professional kickboxer who gained the title of world champion. 

Multi-millionaire

He first came to wider attention by appearing as a contestant on the Big Brother reality show in the UK in 2016. But he was quickly ejected after a video emerged showing him hitting a woman.

After that he focused on building his online presence.

In August last year, he was banned from social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, for misogynist messages. 

His Twitter account was allowed back, however, after Elon Musk bought the company. 

Tate founded the so-called Hustlers University, where he promises to teach paying students the secrets that ONLY the wealthiest people know. 

Tate and his brother Tristan were once brok...

Boston Rescue teams raced against time on Tuesday in their search for a tourist submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic with five people on board.

One of the passengers has been identified as British businessman Hamish Harding, whose aviation firm had posted on social media about his expedition.

Prominent Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, who is vice-chairman of the conglomerate Engro, and his son Suleman were also on board, a family statement said.

The 21-foot (6.5-meter) craft, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, began its descent to the wreck on Sunday but lost contact with the surface less than two hours later, according to authorities.

As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available, the Dawood family statement said.

We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety, it added.

The US Coast Guard had launched two planes to survey the remote area in the North Atlantic, while its Canadian counterparts had sent a plane and a ship.

Time is a critical factor. The vessel has a range of 96 hours for the crew of five, and US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said Monday afternoon that he believed it still had 70 or more hours of oxygen remaining.

It is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area, but we are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board, Mauger told reporters in Boston on Monday.

But with no reported sightings of the vessel or communication signals throughout the day, the US Coast Guard halted its flights for the day.

It said search operations through the night would be led by the US National Guard and the missions operator.

The Coast Guard added that searches by Canadian aircraft, which were using buoys to scan underneath the surface, would continue on Tuesday morning.

Rory Golden, an Irish explorer on a support vessel with OceanGate Expeditions, urged the public to avoid speculation, and thanked those offering support.

The reaction and offers of help globally is truly astonishing, and only goes to show the real goodness in people at a time like this, he wrote in a Facebook post.  

An OceanGate Expeditions spokesperson told AFP in a statement late Monday that for some time, we have been unable to establish communications with one of our submersible exploration vehicles which is currently visiting the wreck site of the Titanic.

Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely.

The company uses a submersible named Titan for its dives to the Titanic wreck, with seats priced at $250,000, according to its website....

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, confirmed that Iraq is open to solutions and paths set by the United Nations to address crises, face economic challenges, address the crisis of the displaced, and work to return them to their areas of residence, according to a statement issued by the Prime Ministers Office.

Al-Sudanis statements took place during his meeting on Monday with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

The Iraqi Prime Minister clarified that the government began to provide all the requirements necessary for the success of the upcoming elections of the governorate councils.

The Iraqi leader explained that the government prioritized the partnership with the international organization to find sustainable solutions to basic issues.

Hennis-Plasschaert appreciated the efforts of the Iraqi government to tackle the deep-rooted problems and prioritize the basic needs of the Iraqi people.

The UN official added that the governments efforts reflect its endeavor to improve the living and social standards of the Iraqi people.

The post Iraqi PM confirms Iraq is open to solutions set by the UN appeared first on Iraqi News.

Doha Qatar has agreed to supply the China National Petroleum Corporation with natural gas for 27 years, the Gulf countrys energy minister said on Tuesday.

Qatar will supply four million tons annually, said Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi, QatarEnergys CEO, seven months after a deal with the same terms was struck with Chinas Sinopec.

The post Qatar signs 27-year gas supply deal with Chinas CNPC appeared first on Iraqi News.

Beijing Chinese imports of Russian oil last month hit their highest level since Moscows February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Beijings customs data showed Tuesday.

China is Russias largest economic partner, with trade between them reaching a record $190 billion last year, according to Chinese customs data.

And in May, China imported 9.71 million tonnes of oil from Russia, detailed customs data showed, up from 5.4 million tonnes in February 2022 and 6.3 million the following month.

The figures show that imports of Russian crude by China since Moscows invasion of Ukraine have almost doubled.

They are in line with trade figures released this month that showed Chinas trade with Russia soaring to levels not seen since February 2022.

Trade between the two countries last month was worth $20.5 billion, data from Beijing showed, with Chinese imports from Russia worth $11.3 billion.

During a summit in March, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin pledged to boost trade to $200 billion in 2023 as they hailed their no limits partnership.

And Russian energy deliveries to China are set to grow by 40 percent this year, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last month.

Beijing says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine war, but has been criticised by Western countries for refusing to condemn Moscow and for its close strategic partnership with Russia.

A new era

Speaking on Russias economy this month, President Putin admitted that the second quarter of last year had been the most difficult as the West punished his country with unprecedented sanctions. 

Analysts say China holds the upper hand in the relationship with Russia, and that its sway is growing as Moscows international isolation deepens.

China and Russia have in recent years ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts, with their strategic partnership having only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.

In February, Beijing released a paper calling for a political settlement to the conflict, which Western countries said could enable Russia to hold much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.

During their March summit in Moscow, Xi invited Putin to visit Beijing and the two leaders declared that ties were entering a new era.

And last month, the Chinese leader offered his firm support on Moscows core interests at a meeting with Moscows Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, during the highest-level visit by a Russian official to China since last years invasion of Ukraine.

The post China imports of Russian oil highest since Ukraine invasion: data...

Ramallah A Palestinian died Tuesday from gunshot wounds sustained in an earlier Israeli raid, the Palestinian health ministry said after announcing another man was killed elsewhere in the occupied West Bank.

Amjad Aref Jaas died from critical wounds to the abdomen sustained from live occupation (Israeli) fire in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, a ministry statement said.

The 48-year-olds death raises to six the number of Palestinians killed in Mondays hours-long raid by Israeli troops, which wounded more than 90 Palestinians according to health officials.

Eight Israeli security personnel were wounded in Jenin, the military said.

After the firefight ended, the Palestinian health ministry announced Israeli troops killed a 20-year-old near the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Zakaria Mohammed al-Zaoul was martyred by live occupation (Israeli) bullets to the head, in the town of Husan, the ministry said late Monday.

The Israeli military said troops were on routine activity in the city, south of Jerusalem, when a suspect hurled Molotov cocktails at them.

The soldiers responded with live fire. A hit was identified, it added.

In a statement, the militant group Islamic Jihad claimed Zaoul as a member.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported the military used live fire, tear gas and stun grenades during the clashes with young Palestinians.

The deaths are the latest in a surge of violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has killed at least 166 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian this year.

The tally compiled from official sources includes combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its armed forces routinely carry out patrols and raids in Palestinian towns and cities.

The post West Bank toll rises with deaths of two Palestinians appeared first on Iraqi News.

Beijing The United States and China looked to set up a safety net for their intensifying rivalry during a visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but the trip achieved only general promises and no breakthroughs on hoped-for military talks and flashpoint issues.

Both President Xi Jinping, who met Blinken on Monday at the end of his 11 hours of talks in Beijing, and President Joe Biden saluted the long-awaited trip as a sign of progress following months of soaring tensions.

It was clear coming in that the relationship was at a point of instability, and both sides recognised the need to work to stabilise it, Blinken told reporters in Beijing.

US officials have repeatedly spoken of expanding communication to establish guardrails in the relationship to prevent misunderstandings from descending into conflict.

But Blinken acknowledged that the United States did not achieve one of its wishes most crucial to avoiding miscalculations a resumption of dialogue between the two militaries.

And the two powers remained far apart on Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy that Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force.

Blinken insisted the United States wanted to preserve the status quo and responsible management of the Taiwan question as he raised concerns about provocative moves by Beijing.

Chinas top diplomat, Wang Yi, told Blinken that on Taiwan there was no room to compromise or concede by Beijing, which has carried out military drills twice since August including after a defiant visit to Taipei by Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the House of Representatives.

Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said Beijing was increasingly on guard as Taiwan approaches elections next year and that Blinkens remarks sounded like boilerplate placeholders.

The two sides have basically agreed to explore the possibility of stabilising the bilateral relationship. There is no certainty they will achieve that goal, she said.

Can gap be narrowed?

Glaser noted that while the United States speaks of managing the growing rivalry, Xi again spoke of avoiding competition between major powers.

I think accepting competition is necessary in order to stabilise the relationship. So I see this gap between the two sides that has yet to be narrowed, and I dont know if it will be, she said.

Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Center, said the United States shared blame for the failure to restart dialogue in the military realm, an area where a crisis is most likely to erupt.

The Biden administration which the rival Republican Party is eager to portray as weak on Beijing has refused Chinese requests to lift sanctions on its new defence minister, General...

Guayaquil Six people were killed and eight wounded Monday in an apparent gang shootout in Guayaquil, a port city in Ecuador terrorized by a wave of violence blamed on a spiraling drug war, authorities said. 

Police Colonel Marcelo Castillo told AFP that six people had died in Guayaquils second mass shooting this month, which appeared to have been a settling of scores between rival gangs.

The prosecutors office later said eight others had been wounded and taken to local hospitals, while no one had so far been arrested.

Such attacks have become ever-more frequent in Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil, as rival gangs ramp up the fight for drug markets and routes in the countrys overcrowded prisons and on the streets leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.

More than 420 prisoners have died in vicious fighting between rival criminal groups in Ecuadoran prisons since February 2021, many beheaded or burned alive.

Widespread corruption among guards has allowed inmates to obtain guns and explosives.

As the lawlessness spreads, there have been several car bomb explosions in Ecuadoran cities, and bodies discovered hanging from pedestrian bridges some without heads.

The country is also increasingly plagued by sadistic kidnappings, with criminals sending hostages fingers to their loved ones to pressure them into paying more ransom.

In Mondays shooting, Castillo said the attackers arrived in a black vehicle in a populated neighborhood in the early hours. Four or five got out and opened fire, despite several people being in the street.

It is pure retaliation for previous acts of violence, the police colonel said. They kill each other without mercy.

He added that one of those killed had a record of criminal association and one of the wounded was known for involvement in drug trafficking.

Some 132 spent cartridges were found at the scene, said Castillo.

Terrorists

Guayaquil, on Ecuadors southern Pacific coast, is the countrys largest city, biggest port and economic hub, but in recent years has become the increasingly bloody center of a turf war.

The location of the city, home to three million of Ecuadors 18 million people, makes it a strategic launch point for shipments of drugs to the United States and Europe.

Ecuador is located between Colombia and Peru, the worlds top producers of cocaine. The country also, conveniently for cartels, uses the US dollar as its currency.

So far this year, authorities have seized 100 tons of drugs in operations. For 2022, the haul was just over 200 tons, and in 2021, a record 210 tons.

The countrys murder rate almost doubled between 2021 and 2022, from 14 to 25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, according to official figures.

I...

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Officials in the oil sector said that a Turkish delegation in the energy sector met with Iraqi officials in the oil sector in Baghdad on Monday to discuss the resumption of oil exports from northern Iraq, Reuters reported.

The Undersecretary of the Iraqi Oil Minister, Basim Mohammed Khudair, told Reuters last Thursday that the two parties agree that it is necessary to resume oil exports as soon as possible, and Iraq is ready to pump 500,000 barrels per day of oil in case both parties agree on the resumption of oil exports.

Turkey halted exports of 450,000 barrels per day from northern Iraq through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline on March 25 after the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) issued its ruling in an arbitration case.

The ICC obliged Turkey to pay Baghdad $1.5 billion in compensation for damages caused by the Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG) export of oil without permission from the federal government in Baghdad between 2014 and 2018.

The 80-day halt of oil exports from the Kurdistan region of Iraq cost the KRG more than $2 billion, according to Reuters.

The crude oil pipeline extends from the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

The KRG began exporting crude oil independently in 2013, a step Baghdad considered illegal.

Attempts to resume oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan were delayed because of the Turkish presidential elections and discussions between the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) and the KRG over an oil export deal.

The post Turkish delegation visits Iraq to resume oil exports from northern Iraq appeared first on Iraqi News.

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi football continues to be brilliant in 2023 by advancing to the final of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) for mens under-23.

The Iraqi national under-23 football team is scheduled to play against its Iranian counterpart in the WAFF U-23 Championship on Tuesday in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, after beating the Omani team on Sunday.

The Iraqi under-23 football team achieved a 1-0 win over their Gulf neighbours, Oman, in front of 30,000 spectators at Al-Madina International Stadium in Baghdad.

The Iranian U-23 team achieved a 4-3 win against Jordan in the semi-final of the U-23 WAFF following penalty shootouts.

The Iranian team won the first edition of the competition in 2015, while the Iraqi team is trying to win its first title.

Iraqs first team (Lions of Mesopotamia) won the 25^th Gulf Cup title last January, and the youth team achieved second place in the 2023 U-20 Asian Cup last March following a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the final and reached the U-20 World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The final match of the 2023 WAFF U-23 Championship will be held between Iraq and Iran on Tuesday at 9 p.m. at Al-Madina International Stadium, which accommodates up to 32,000 spectators.

The post Iraq advances to West Asia Cup U-23 final appeared first on Iraqi News.

Glasgow Brendan Rodgers made a dramatic return as Celtic manager on Monday, four years after walking out on the Glasgow giants to join Leicester.

Rodgers agreed a three-year contract with the Scottish champions, who were searching for a new boss after Ange Postecoglou left to take charge of Tottenham.

Former Liverpool boss Rodgers had been out of work since being sacked in April by Leicester, who went on to be relegated from the Premier League.

I am really delighted to return to Celtic and I am hugely excited by this great opportunity. When I was given the privilege of being asked to join the club again, it was a very simple decision for me and my family, Rodgers said.

Ange has done some brilliant work across the last two years and I will be doing all I can to maintain Celtics momentum as we face into all our domestic and European challenges.

The manner of Rodgers exit in February 2019 infuriated sections of the Celtic support.

A banner in the first game following his departure read: You traded immortality for mediocrity. Never a Celt, always a fraud.

However, time has been a healer, at least for the Celtic board as they have turned to the Northern Irishman to maintain the Hoops domestic dominance.

We have enjoyed some great times at Celtic before and this will be my goal again, to deliver good football, ensure we have a team we all love to watch and ultimately bring more success to our fans, Rodgers said.

The club is in fantastic condition at all levels and I would like to thank the board for putting their trust in me to take the team forward.

A proven winner

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell added: We wanted a proven winner and thats what Brendan is. Through the process of identifying the new manager, it was clear that Brendan was the outstanding choice.

He has delivered before for Celtic and we are sure through his many qualities, he will do so again.

Celtic have won 11 of the last 12 Scottish Premiership titles and five domestic trebles in seven seasons.

Rodgers more than played his part in that success, winning all seven available trophies during his two-and-half years at Parkhead and left with Celtic eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

The 50-year-old went onto enjoy success with the Foxes too, leading Leicester to back-to-back fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League in 2019/20 and 2020/21 and winning the clubs first ever FA Cup two years ago.

However, it all went horribly wrong for Leicester this season.

Rodgers was fired with 10 Premier League games remaining after dropping into the relegation zone.

But after winning only twice under interim boss Dean Smith, Leicester went down just seven years after winning the Premier League.

...

Edinburgh The UKs main opposition Labour party on Monday vowed to turn the country into a clean energy superpower if it wins the next election.

A vote has to be held by the end of next year, and Labour is currently well ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks Conservatives in opinion polling.

Outlining its green energy plans in Edinburgh, Labour promised that its plans to address the climate emergency would be front and centre of its economic strategy for government.

Leader Keir Starmer pledged 100 percent clean power by 2030 creating 500,000 new jobs, including 50,000 in Scotland, to deliver energy independence from the likes of Russia and cheaper household bills.

It is an ambitious goal. It will put us ahead of any major economy in the world. But at the moment were nowhere near the front of the pack, he said in a speech.

This is a race we have to win, he added.

The Conservatives under former prime minister Boris Johnson promised to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

But Starmer claimed that too much time had been lost and there had been a lack of investment in green energy compared to countries such as the United States.

An over-reliance on imported fossil fuels had also left UK consumers exposed to international price fluctuations, he argued.

We will need to run fast to catch up, faster still to get ahead, faster again to stay there, he said. Some nation will become a clean energy superpower. Why not Britain?

Central to Labours plan is the creation of a new state-owned company, GB Energy, to deliver on its 2030 goal and ensure the country is self-sufficient for power. 

Infrastructure investment from borrowing would aim at doubling onshore wind, trebling solar power and increasing offshore wind four-fold.

Labour would also insulate 19 million homes to keep heating bills down, Starmer said.

Local opposition has dogged the development of onshore wind projects in England for years but Starmer promised to provide financial incentives for local communities to give up land.

Environmental campaigners have been angered by Labour refusing to rule out a complete ban on new North Sea oil and gas projects.

Starmer conceded that oil and gas would be part of the mix for decades to come under existing licences well into the 2050s but the sector was dwindling.

In Scotland, questions have been asked about whether a Labour government would give the go-ahead for the Rosebank oil and gas field west of Shetland, in the far north.

Rosebank is probably up for decision very soon now. And if it is granted, that falls into the category of existing licences that Labour would promise to respect, he added.

The post...

Paris Europe should brace for more deadly heatwaves driven by climate change, said a sweeping report on Monday, noting the worlds fastest-warming continent was some 2.3 degrees Celsius hotter last year than in pre-industrial times.

Crop-withering drought, record sea-surface temperatures and unprecedented glacier melt are among the consequences laid out in a report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service.

The continent, which has been warming twice the global average since the 1980s, saw its warmest summer on record last year, with countries including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom experiencing their warmest year on record.

The world has warmed an average of nearly 1.2C since the mid-1800s, unleashing a devastating cascade of extreme weather, including more intense heatwaves, more severe droughts in some areas and storms made more ferocious by rising seas.

Hardest hit are the most vulnerable people and the worlds poorest countries, who have done little to contribute to the fossil fuel emissions that drive up temperatures.

But impacts are becoming increasingly severe across the world, with regions in the northern hemisphere and around the poles seeing particularly rapid warming.

In Europe, the high temperatures exacerbated the severe and widespread drought conditions, fuelled violent wildfires that resulted in the second largest burnt area on record, and led to thousands of heat-associated excess deaths, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Temperatures across the continent rose 1.5C in 30 years, from 1991 to 2021, according to the report, the State of the Climate in Europe 2022.

Severe heat left more than 16,000 people dead last year, the report said, while floods and storms accounted for most of the $2 billion in damages from weather and climate extremes.

Unfortunately, this cannot be considered a one-off occurrence or an oddity of the climate, said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo in the report.

Our current understanding of the climate system and its evolution informs us that these kinds of events are part of a pattern that will make heat stress extremes more frequent and more intense across the region.

Renewable hopes

Increasing temperatures have taken a toll on economies and ecosystems, the report said.

In the Alps, glaciers saw a new record mass loss for a single year in 2022, caused by very low winter levels of snow, a hot summer as well as deposits of wind-blown Saharan dust.

The story was similar in the oceans, with average sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic the hottest on record, with warming rates in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic and Black Seas and the southern Arctic more than three times the global average.

Marine heat wav...

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday that the number of Iraqi nationals evacuated from Sudan reached 595, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, mentioned in a statement that the number of evacuees has reached 595 so far, explaining that they were evacuated in three flights.

Al-Sahhaf indicated that the aircraft evacuating the Iraqi community in Sudan arrived at Baghdad International Airport with 165 individuals on board, including dozens of Sudanese and Syrians.

The Iraqi authorities announced in mid-May the evacuation of 429 Iraqi citizens from Sudan, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

The statement explained that two planes evacuated Iraqis in Sudan on April 27, and a third Iraqi plane evacuated the rest of the Iraqis in Sudan on May 12.

The step followed the announcement of the Jeddah Declaration, signed last month by the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces to protect civilians affected by the armed conflict ongoing since mid-April.

The agreement focused on the withdrawal of military forces from hospitals and service facilities, opening safe paths for the exit of civilians from conflict areas, and bringing humanitarian aid to the capital and conflict-affected areas.

The continuous battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces prompted many countries to increase their efforts to evacuate their nationals or diplomatic missions by land, sea, and air.

Since April 15, violent clashes have been taking place between the Sudanese army forces and the Rapid Support Forces in separate areas of Sudan, most of which are concentrated in the capital, Khartoum.

Hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured, including aid workers, in the battles that started on April 15 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, according to reports issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The post 595 Iraqi nationals evacuated from Sudan appeared first on Iraqi News.

Yerevan The Armenian branch of the Red Cross said Monday that Azerbaijan was blocking access to Nagorno-Karabakh, as concern grows over the humanitarian situation in the restive region.

In April, Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin corridor the only road linking Karabakh to Armenia.

The Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between the Caucasus arch-foes. 

The move followed a months-long blockade by Azerbaijani environmental activists, which Yerevan claims has led to a humanitarian crisis complete with shortages of food and fuel.

Azerbaijan insisted at the time that civilian transport could go unimpeded through the Lachin corridor. 

Last week Armenia accused Baku of blocking traffic through the Lachin corridor.

There has been no Red Cross-facilitated movement through the Lachin corridor since Thursday, Zara Amatuni, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Armenia, told AFP.

Humanitarian supplies of medicines and other medical materials to hospitals in Karabakh and transportation of seriously ill patients have been suspended, she said.

Last week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the humanitarian situation in Karabakh has worsened dramatically.

He said food supplies to Karabakh have practically ceased and patients are not being allowed to be taken to hospitals in Armenia for medical treatment.

Bakus actions prove that Azerbaijan is pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh, he added.

On February 22, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) the UNs top judicial body ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement on the road.

The two former Soviet republics have fought two wars for control of Karabakh, in the 1990s and again in 2020.

Six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 ended with a Russian-sponsored ceasefire that saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades.  

There have been frequent clashes at the two countries shared border despite the ongoing peace talks between Baku and Yerevan under the mediation from the European Union and United States.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ethnic Armenian separatists in Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan. The ensuing conflict claimed some 30,000 lives.

The post Red Cross says Azerbaijan has blocked Karabakh access appeared first on Iraqi News.

Nairobi The European Union and Kenya signed a trade deal Monday in a coup for Brussels as it seeks deeper economic ties with Africa in the face of competition from China.

Kenyan President William Ruto presided over a ceremony in Nairobi to mark the formal conclusion of negotiations to the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement.

Once ratified and entered into force, Kenya will receive duty-free and quota-free access to the EU, its biggest market where it sends roughly one-fifth of all its exports.

Imports from the EU to Kenya such as chemicals and machinery will receive progressive tariff reductions over a period of 25 years, but some sensitive products will be excluded.

Today is a very proud moment for Kenya, and I believe a very proud moment for the European Union, Kenyan Trade Minister Moses Kuria said after signing the accord with EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.

Kenyas main exports to the EU are agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits and the countrys famous tea and coffee.

Over 70 percent of Kenyas cut flowers are destined for Europe.

Ruto said Kenyas farmers could be assured of a predictable market and the agreement provides new opportunities to boost this trade.

It ensures a stable market for industrialists, for our farmers, and also industrialists in the European Union, he said.

Priority region

Dombrovskis said EU companies had invested one billion euros ($1.1 billion) in Kenya in the past decade but that there was a strong appetite to do more business.

With this deal in place, we have the right platform to do so, he said.

It is the first broad trade deal between the EU and an African nation since 2016 and follows a spending spree by China on lavish infrastructure projects across the continent.

The EU has taken steps to counter Chinas Belt and Road programme, announcing in February it would increase investments in Kenya by hundreds of millions of dollars through its own Global Gateway initiative.

Kenya is seen by the international community as a reliable and stable democracy in a turbulent region and Dombrovskis said the East African powerhouse was a beacon of dynamism and opportunity.

In a briefing with reporters ahead of Mondays ceremony, Dombrovskis said Africa was a priority region for the EU and he hoped the Kenya deal would resonate elsewhere on the continent. 

Certainly, we think its going to be a boost, he said of its impact on future trade links with Africa.

The Kenya deal is the culmination of trade talks between the EU and the East African Community (EAC) that started roughly a decade ago.

In 2014, the EU and the EAC then Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania fin...

Jenin Israeli forces on Monday killed three Palestinians including a teenager and fired missiles from a helicopter during a raid on the occupied West Bank the army said was to pursue wanted suspects.

Three Palestinians died as a result of the occupation (Israeli) aggression on Jenin, a statement from the Palestinian health ministry said, adding that at least 29 others were wounded.

It named the three killed as Qassam Abu Saria, 29, Khaled Assassa, 21 and Ahmed Saqer, 15.

The Israeli army said a massive exchange of fire erupted as forces entered the northern West Bank city to arrest wanted suspects.

IDF (army) helicopters opened fire toward the gunmen in order to assist in extraction of the forces after large numbers of explosive devices were hurled at the forces, it added in a statement.

The army said a military vehicle had been damaged by an explosive device.

A Palestinian intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity it was the first time since 2002 during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising that the Israeli army has fired missiles from an aircraft during a raid in Jenin.

An AFP photographer in the city, the scene of frequent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, confirmed that fighting was ongoing as of 10:30 am (0730 GMT).

Jenins deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub, told AFP the Israeli forces had launched the raid at around 04:00 am (0100 GMT).

The army stormed the (Jenin refugee) camp and the city after the dawn prayer in large numbers, and there was intense gunfire, he said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, the Palestinian Authoritys civil affairs minister, said a fierce and open war is being waged against the Palestinian people by the occupation (Israeli) forces.

He called for the Palestinian leadership to take unprecedented decisions without elaborating.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War and its forces regularly launch incursions into Palestinian cities, which are nominally under the control of president Mahmud Abbass Palestinian Authority.

Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have frequently been the site of violent clashes between Israel and the Palestinians. 

In March, four Palestinians were killed during the a raid on the camp.

Ten Palestinian were killed in another operation in the camp in January the deadliest single raid in the West Bank for 20 years.

Since the start of the year, at least 162 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

The figures include combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab min...

United Nations A new global treaty on the high seas will enable the creation of sanctuaries deemed vital for the oceans, but many questions remain unanswered. Among them: How can we protect marine areas far from the coast? Where will they be created, and when?

Unique, fragile areas

The text to be adopted at the United Nations on Monday provides for the creation of marine protected areas in international waters, in areas that are unique, particularly fragile or important for endangered species.

Biodiversity is a priority, but its not the only important criteria, Minna Epps of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) tells AFP, referring also to ecological functions in areas conducive to plankton blooms.

One example is the thermal dome off the coast of Costa Rica. Each year, the upwelling of nutrient-rich deep-sea water causes an algae bloom, the first link in a food chain that provides a highly hospitable habitat for blue whales.

You dont want to just protect one ecosystem, adds Liz Karan of the Pew Charitable Trusts, underlining the importance of a network that would allow corridors for migratory species. 

The network ideally would link high seas marine protected areas with existing protected areas in national waters near coasts.

Based on such criteria, scientists and NGOs have already identified a dozen potential marine areas.

In addition to the thermal dome, they include the Emperor seamounts that extend across the Hawaiian archipelago in the Pacific, the so-called lost city in the middle of the Atlantic with its many hydrothermal vents, and the Sargasso Sea.

Also noteworthy are the Nazca and Salas y Gomez ridges, off the coast of Chile, which could become one of the first sanctuaries established after the treaty.

When will they be created?

Not for several years.

Four years would be very optimistic. Sadly, I think maybe five or six is more realistic, predicts Glen Wright, a researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), while Epps reckons we wont see any before 2027.

Once adopted, the treaty must be signed and ratified by 60 countries to come into force and enable the Conference of the Parties (COP) to meet.

The COP will be empowered to create a sanctuary on the proposal of one or more states, whereas today it is mainly NGOs that put forward such proposals.

Only Chile has mentioned a formal project at Nazca and Salas y Gomez.

Objective 3030

Although it will take several years for sanctuaries to be established, the treaty is considered crucial to achieving the goal set by all governments of protecting 30 percent of the planets land and oceans by 2030.

Without...