Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi President, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, approved on Wednesday the federal budget law, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Presidency.

Rashid said that approving the budget is a step to moving forward with the governments program, which will secure the necessary needs of the people, provide basic services in health and education sectors, rehabilitate the infrastructure, and initiate vital and strategic projects that will have a positive impact on the lives of Iraqis.

The Iraqi President emphasized the need to rationalize government spending, preserve public money, and diversify the sources of the economy, particularly with the economic and environmental challenges the country is facing.

The President approved the budget law after the Iraqi parliament passed the 198.9 trillion Iraqi dinar ($153 billion) budget for 2023 in mid-June.

The new budget includes record expenditures on an increasing government salary bill and development projects aimed at improving services and rebuilding war-damaged infrastructure.

The Iraqi Parliament voted on the proposed federal budget law for Iraq for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The budget deficit is anticipated to be 64.36 trillion Iraqi dinars ($49.14 billion), a record high and more than quadruple the previous years deficit.

The Iraqi parliament approved a new article allocating 150 billion Iraqi dinars ($114.5 million) for the completion of Iraqi-Chinese projects.

The post Iraqi President approves Iraqs general budget appeared first on Iraqi News.

London Leaders and representatives from more than 60 countries are expected in London from Wednesday for a two-day conference to secure funding to help Ukraine recover from the ravages of war.

The International Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023, hosted by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is the second to be held since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

The first, in Lugano, Switzerland, in July last year saw Kyivs allies commit to supporting Ukraine through what is expected to be an eye-wateringly expensive and decades-long recovery.

Ukraines Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told them rebuilding could cost at least $750 billion.

The World Bank has since put an estimate of $14 billion on Ukraines immediate needs for repairing the damage caused by the bitter fighting.

But a recent study by the World Bank, the UN, the European Union and the Ukrainian government said the wider recovery of the economy would cost $441 billion.

Whatever the final amount, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has likened it to the amount of money needed for the US-led Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Future funding

Among the dignitaries attending the meeting are US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Frances Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky will dial in via videolink, as his armed forces try to wrest back control of territory seized by Russian troops.

The UK first under former prime minister Boris Johnson, then the short-lived Liz Truss, and now Sunak was one of Zelenskys earliest and most vocal backers.

According to Downing Street, Sunak wants to underscore the Wests commitment to supporting Ukraine now and for the long haul.

We will maintain our support for Ukraines defence and for the counter-offensive, and well stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes as they continue to win this war, he will tell delegates on Wednesday.

But as well as government support from around the world, he wants to galvanise more private-sector backing to help in the reconstruction.

On Tuesday night, Sunak announced that the UK would back Ukraine to the tune of $3 billion so it could unlock vital World Bank loans to help bolster its public services, including schools and hospitals.

The guarantee will run over the next three years, he said. He also announced an extra 240 million ($306 million) in development aid funding for humanitarian projects.

France is expected to announce funding to help rebuild critical civilian infrastructure, according to a diplomatic source.

Reconstruction in itself brings a guarantee of security, the source added, insisting that the aim was to make Russia know that this support...

Hong Kong Asian markets mostly dipped Wednesday, following a downbeat lead from Wall Street as investors braced for Fed boss Jerome Powells testimony to the US Congress.

The retreat extended a subdued start to the week, with investors unimpressed by Chinas efforts to boost its economy, including a fresh interest rate cut that was smaller than expected.

All three major US indices as well as the top European markets closed in the red on Tuesday, and Asian investors picked up the baton in a similar mood.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington and Seoul all dropped in morning trade. Tokyo also fell at the open but clawed back into positive territory.

All eyes are on Washington, where Fed Chair Powell will make a semiannual appearance before Congress.

His comments will be closely scrutinised for clues about the direction of the Feds campaign to fight soaring inflation with interest rate hikes.

He will come on and try to remain hawkish, ANZ Banks Mahjabeen Zaman told Bloomberg Television, saying there was still a risk of further hikes.

The US central bank last week held rates steady after 10 straight increases, but signalled more hikes to bring prices under control.

The anxiety over Powells testimony built on top of disappointment on market floors this week with Beijings moves to try and revive the Chinese economy.

The Peoples Bank of China reduced its benchmark five-year rate by 10 basis points on Tuesday, less than the 15 points expected, though it did meet forecasts for a 15-point reduction in the one-year rate.

Developments in China, where the central bank cut its reference interest rate by ten basis points, continue to point to a slower-than-predicted post-pandemic recovery in the worlds second-largest economy, said ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista.

With Chinas economy struggling to regain momentum, the headwinds for the global economy get stronger.

CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said the consensus was that the PBoCs measure wont make much difference and that it is just tinkering around the edges.

Key figures around 0245 GMT

Tokyo Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 33,523.53

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.6 percent at 19,296.96

Shanghai Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,236.00

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0917 from $1.0918 at 2020 GMT on Tuesday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2763 from $1.2766

Dollar/yen: UP at 141.61 from 141.40 yen 

Euro/pound: UP at 85.53 pence from 85.50 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent at $71.46 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.3 percent at $76.14 per barrel

New York Dow: DOWN 0.7 percent at 34,053.87 (close)

London FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3...

Mexico City Voice actors around the globe are mobilizing against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate and clone human voices that they fear poses a threat to their livelihoods.

Were fighting a very big monster, said Mario Filio, a Mexican artist who has done voiceovers for Hollywood star Will Smith, the Obi-Wan Kenobi character in Star Wars and the party-loving lemur King Julien in the animated movie Madagascar.

Campaigning under the slogan Dont steal our voices, more than 20 voice acting guilds, associations and unions from Europe, the United States and Latin America have created the United Voice Artists coalition.

It represents the faceless voiceover artists and narrators of commercials, movies, audiobooks and video games who fear that their voices will be replaced by machines, or even cloned by artificial intelligence without their consent.

The undiscriminating and unregulated use of artificial intelligence is a risk that could lead to the extinction of an artistic heritage of creativity and wonder, an asset that machines cannot generate, according to the group, which says its members include the US National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) and Latin Americas Organization of United Voices.

Our voices are our livelihood, NAVA vice president Carin Gilfry said in a statement last month.

And if we dont have control over how those voices are used, we cant make a living, she added.

Voice artists were already competing with text-to-speech technology that turns written words into synthetic voice.

Now artificial intelligence has brought a new threat.

Thanks to machine learning, software can compare a voice sample with millions of existing ones, identifying patterns that generate a clone.

Its fed by voices that weve been providing for years, said Dessiree Hernandez, president of the Mexican Association of Commercial Announcers.

Were talking about the right to use your voice without your consent, she added.

Adapt or disappear

Platforms offer human sounding text-to-speech services for a fraction of what professionals would charge. 

One, revoicer.com, says that it does not intend to replace human voiceovers, but to offer a quicker and cheaper alternative.

Although they continued to be hired, voice actors suspect that companies are using their voices to build up their archives.

The artists are seeking tools to track their voices in the face of sophisticated piracy.

They want laws to prevent recordings of their voices being used to develop AI without their consent, and also support setting quotas for human voiceovers, said Colombian voice artist Daniel Soler de la Prada.

In the future, audiences could...

San Francisco US President Joe Biden equated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with dictators on Tuesday as he addressed a Democratic Party donors reception in the presence of journalists.

Speaking at a campaign fundraiser in northern California, Biden said Xi had been angered over an incident in February when a Chinese balloon - which Washington says was used for spying - flew over the United States before being shot down by American military jets. 

The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didnt know it was there, Biden said.

Im serious. That was the great embarrassment for dictators, when they didnt know what happened.

That wasnt supposed to be going where it was and he didnt know about it, Biden said of Xi. When it got shot down he was very embarrassed and he denied it was even there.

Biden, who at 80 is running for re-election, also waived off concerns about the Asian giant, telling donors that China has real economic difficulties.

The remarks are likely to raise strong objections from Beijing, where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited just days earlier in an attempt to lower the temperature between the two global powers.

The post Biden equates Chinas Xi with dictators at donor reception appeared first on Iraqi News.

Nairobi Trevin Brownies first day as a content moderator for Facebook is etched in his memory, working out of a subcontractors nondescript office in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. 

My first video, it was a man committing suicide there was a two- or three-year-old kid playing next to him. After the guy hanged himself, after about two minutes, the child notices something is wrong, said the 30-year-old South African, recalling the youngsters heartwrenching response.

It made me sick But I kept on working.

For three years he watched hundreds of violent, hateful videos every day and removed them from Facebook.

Brownie and more than 180 of his former colleagues are now suing Meta, Facebooks parent company, for the harm they suffered in the first major class action over content moderation since 2018. 

He worked in Nairobi for Sama, a Californian company subcontracted by Meta to moderate Facebook content for sub-Saharan Africa between 2019 and 2023.

Sama has since announced it will be closing its content moderation hub in Nairobi, which employed people from a number of African countries recruited in particular for their knowledge of local languages. 

Brownie said he watched all manner of horrors more than 100 beheadings, organs being ripped out of people, rapes and child pornography, child soldiers being prepared for war.

Humans do things to humans that I would never have even imagined. People have no idea of the sick videos that are posted, what they are escaping.

Legal battles  

Today, Brownie is involved in one of three cases against Meta in Kenya related to content moderation.

He and another 183 sacked Sama employees are contesting their unlawful dismissal and seeking compensation, saying their salaries failed to account for the risks they were exposed to and the damage to their mental health.

Up to 260 moderators are losing their jobs as a result of the Sama closure in Nairobi, according to the petition.

The legal offensive began with a lawsuit filed in May 2022 in a Nairobi court by a former content moderator, Daniel Motaung, complaining about poor working conditions, deceptive hiring methods, insufficient pay and a lack of mental health support.

Meta said it did not want to comment on the details of the cases but told AFP it demanded that its subcontractors made psychological support available 24/7.

Asked by AFP to respond to the claims, Sama said it was not able to comment on ongoing cases. 

Downplayed the content

Testimonies collected by AFP in April from several former Sama content moderators who are among the plaintiffs in the dismissal case support Motaungs claims.

Two of...

Tehran Since the start of the year, Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity, engaging with friends and foes alike as it seeks to reduce its isolation, improve its economy and project strength.

Irans ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi has led the way, swinging through China, Syria and Venezuela, hosting Saudi Arabias top diplomat, and reaching out to other long-time regional rivals such as Egypt.

And this week his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has travelled to Oman, the mediator in indirect talks between Iran and its sworn enemy the United States over its suspect nuclear programme and a possible prisoner swap.

Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham Houses Middle East and North Africa programme, said Iran was seeking to show it can overcome its adversaries.

Iran is looking to show that despite sanctions and domestic protests it continues to weather the storm by bolstering stronger international economic and foreign ties, she said.

These links aim to increase economic connectivity and boost internal morale. 

At stake are agreements focused on easing tensions through the de-escalation of Irans nuclear programme and release of US prisoners held in Iran, said Diako Hosseini, a Tehran-based foreign policy analyst.

Iran hopes such agreements would allow it to revive an economy battered by sanctions, rampant inflation and record depreciation of the rial against the dollar.

Policy of openness

In 2018 under then president Donald Trump, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the landmark Iran nuclear deal and imposed waves of sanctions on the Islamic republic.

The punitive measures remain in place and are considered a strong deterrent for any foreign companies weighing up investments in Iran, regardless of their nationality.

Any indication of a thaw in relations would therefore be viewed favourably by Arab countries, especially those of the Gulf, which are seeking to ease tensions fuelled in recent years by the conflicts in Yemen and Syria.

This desire was one of the main drivers of the China-brokered normalisation of relations in March between Iran and Saudi Arabia after seven years of hostility.

Since then, Iran has sought to cement or restore ties with other Arab countries including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Tehran says its policy of openness has contributed to a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, even if the risk of an armed confrontation is still high with Israel, the Islamic republics arch-enemy.

Only the enemies of Islam, led by the Zionist regime (Israel), are upset by the progress of cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Raisi said last week when he received the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

New world or...

New York French teen giant Victor Wembanyama, considered the greatest NBA prospect since LeBron James two decades ago, has some cautionary tales among players who became top picks in the NBA Draft.

History has proven there are no sure things among those selected first overall, as the versatile 7f 4in (2.24m) Wembanyama is expected to be on Thursday by the San Antonio Spurs.

There have been epic flops selected ahead of eventual legends in the NBA Draft as well as superstars going first overall such as James did to Cleveland in 2003.

The Cavaliers also chose forward Anthony Bennett first overall in 2013 and he played on four teams in four seasons before exiting the NBA for stops in Turkey, Israel and Taiwan. The same year, Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo went 15th in 2013 and became a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player who helped Milwaukee win the 2021 crown.

Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan went third overall to Chicago in 1984 after two-time NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon went first to Houston and Portland selected center Sam Bowie, who was undone by leg and foot injuries over 10 NBA seasons before retiring in 1995.

Portland also saw 2007 top pick Greg Oden limited by chronic knee injuries, the center playing only 82 games for the Trail Blazers and 23 more in a brief comeback with Miami.

The second pick in 2007 was Kevin Durant, a future 13-time All-Star forward, NBA MVP and two-time champion.

Wembanyama arrives as the past five NBA MVPs have come from beyond US borders, none of them top picks.

Serbian center Nikola Jokic, a two-time MVP who led Denver to the title last week, went 41st in 2014, the same year Cameroons Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP with Philadelphia, went third.

The 2014 top overall pick was Andrew Wiggins, who helped Golden State win last years NBA title. Hes one of five top picks since James to win a title, although three of them Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and Kyrie Irving did so as a James teammate.

The other was Australian Andrew Bogut, the 2005 top pick by Philadelphia who helped Golden States 2015 title run.

Only Irving, Clevelands top pick in 2011, won a title with the club that drafted him.

San Antonio, however, has a solid history with top draft picks, the Spurs taking big men David Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan in 1997 with their past two.

Duncan helped the Spurs win five titles from 1999 through 2014, the first two of them alongside Robinson and the last four as a teammate of French guard Tony Parker, taken 28th overall by San Antonio in 2001.

The Spurs were 20-62 in the season before Duncan arrived. Duncan was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1998 and the NBA Finals MVP in 1999.

San Antonio went 22-60 this season so Duncans history might be a road map for Wembanyama.

The 19-year-old Frenchman is a big man with passing and ballhandling skills...

Riyadh Frances World Cup-winning midfielder NGolo Kante has joined Saudi Arabian champions Al Ittihad, the club said in a statement on Wednesday, joining up with compatriot Karim Benzema.

Kante is an Ittihad player now! the club said in a statement on Twitter, while chairman Anmar al-Hailee tweeted: Welcome to our new tiger Kante, a reference to the teams nickname.

The industrious midfielder, who won the World Cup with France in 2018, becomes the latest in a line of European stars choosing to ply their trade in Saudi Arabia.

His club career also glitters. He won the Champions League and World Club Cup with Chelsea, as well as back-to-back Premier League titles with Leicester City and Chelsea.

Kante has signed a three-year contract with the club, the Jeddah-based team said in a statement that offered no details on the contracts monetary value. 

Kantes addition to Al-Ittihad is considered one of the most high-profile and impactful signings in the clubs history. It is part of the clubs efforts to establish itself as a top choice for world-class players in the Saudi Professional League.

The 32-year-olds arrival follows that of former Real Madrid star Benzema, who joined Al-Ittihad earlier this month.

In a video posted online by the club, Benzema said in a message to his fellow Frenchman: One time I told you, youre the best player, box to box, in the world. Now Im happy to play with you again, and of course in the best team in Saudi.

Kante said he was very excited to play for the Tigers.

The kingdoms league had already signed up Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January.

His fellow Portuguese international Ruben Neves, formerly of Wolves, is reportedly set to join Al Hilal.

With its oil riches, Saudi Arabia, the conservative Gulf monarchy frequently targeted over its human rights record, has swiftly achieved a prominent role in world sports, dishing out billions of dollars in the process.

In football, the presumed goal is hosting the World Cup, which is intended to lift Saudi Arabias profile and prestige as it tries to diversify its oil-reliant economy by attracting tourists and investors.

In the coming years, Saudi Arabia will organise the mens Asian Cup football, the Olympic-style Asian Games and even the Asian Winter Games in 2029.

The post French football star Kante joins Saudi side Al Ittihad appeared first on Iraqi News.

New York Four people have died after lithium batteries for e-bikes sparked a fire in a New York building, officials said Tuesday, sounding the alarm over the skyrocketing number of such incidents.

The fire broke out overnight in a maintenance shop for electric bicycles and scooters, on the ground floor of a building in Chinatown. 

A large pile of blackened two-wheelers was seen strewn outside the charred facility on Tuesday, in a photo posted by New York Fire Department on their official Twitter account.

During a press briefing at the scene, the citys fire commissioner, Laura Kavanagh, said four people had died and two were seriously injured. 

It is very clear that this was caused by lithium ion batteries and e-bikes, she said, adding that the store had previously been cited for safety violations. 

It is the 108th such fire so far this year in New York, with a total toll of 66 injured and 13 dead, including Tuesdays victims, according to the fire department. 

In April, a 19-year-old woman and her seven-year-old brother were killed in a similar fire in the borough of Queens.

Fires related to e-bikes and scooters in New York have grown exponentially in recent years, from 44 in 2020 to 220 last year, as residents buy more of the electric devices especially for the citys highly popular meal delivery services.

Batteries are more likely to combust if they are of poor quality or older age, or if they are packed together during charging.

When they ignite, there is so much fire created that it can often be too late as soon as the fire has begun, Kavanaugh said.

The post Four dead after latest New York e-bike fire appeared first on Iraqi News.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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...