Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Marking the 6^th anniversary of Mosuls liberation from the grip of ISIS, UNESCO officially delivered heritage house number 100, labelling it a significant milestone in its work to restore the historic part of the city, according to a statement issued by UNESCO.

The statement revealed that as part of its flagship initiative Revive the Spirit of Mosul, UNESCO launched in 2020 the rehabilitation of 124 historical houses within the Old City of Mosul, which suffered severe damage during the recent conflict.

The statement elaborated that this project was made possible through generous financial support from the European Union and fruitful collaboration with the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and local authorities.

The reconstruction of these houses was done according to the highest heritage standards, using traditional techniques and traditional materials, so that this exceptional heritage of Mosul can once again be transmitted from generation to generation, according to the statement.

Restoring these heritage houses also means creating jobs for 4710 workers and craftsmen. UNESCO provided training to local workers in various methods of rehabilitating heritage buildings, as mentioned in the statement.

The statement indicated that 1568 local job seekers were involved in the rehabilitation process in partnership with the Ministry of Labor.

The statement elaborated that the rehabilitation of the 24 remaining houses is on track and they will be delivered to their owners by the end of this summer.

The statement added that this successful project in Mosul has been extended to Basra in southern Iraq, where UNESCO is currently restoring 11 historic houses in coordination with the local authorities.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi President, Abdul Latif Rashid, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert, discussed on Monday the displaced issue and climate challenges, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Presidency.

The statement mentioned that the meeting addressed the political situation in Iraq and the efforts exerted by the United Nations to tackle the issue of the displaced and climate challenges.

The Iraqi President and the UN representative also talked about the work of the United Nations and its associated organizations in supporting Iraq and activating their role, especially in the projects adopted by the United Nations, such as the issue of the displaced and ways to facilitate their return to their areas of residence.

Plasschaert emphasized her eagerness to do everything possible to help the Iraqis in all fields.

A report issued in July by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) mentioned that one million people remain displaced in Iraq six years after the defeat of the terrorist group ISIS, with a quarter of them perceived as ISIS-affiliates.

On a visit to Anbar, Baghdad and Basra in mid-July, the UNDPs Assistant Secretary-General and Crisis Bureau Director, Asako Okai, stated that supporting the countrys efforts to reintegrate everyone is critical to preventing extremism and boosting recovery.

More than six million people were forced to flee their homes between 2014 and 2017 as ISIS fighters controlled around 40 percent of the country, including Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city.

80 percent of displaced people have been able to return home, according to the UNDP.

The post Iraqi President, UN representative discuss the displaced issue, climate change appeared first on Iraqi News.

San Francisco Twitters owner Elon Musk and its new CEO said Sunday that the social media network would ditch its bird logo, be rebranded with the name X and move quickly into payments, banking and commerce.

Founded in 2006, Twitter takes its name from a play on the sound of birds chattering, and it has used avian branding since its early days, when the company bought a stock symbol of a light blue bird for $15, according to the design website Creative Bloq. 

Late on Sunday night, Musk changed his profile picture to the companys new interim logo a white X on a black background and changed his Twitter bio to X.com.

Musk said the company was Going with (a) minimalist art deco logo, and that X.com now points to twitter.com.

He had earlier tweeted that If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, well make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow.  

Musk also tweeted that under the sites new identity, a post would be called an X.

The changes were not visible on the website as of 0530 GMT Monday.

Musk had already named Twitters parent company the X Corporation, and previously said his takeover of the social media giant was an accelerant to creating X, the everything app a reference to the X.com company he founded in PayPal. 

Such an app could still function as a social media platform, and also include messaging and mobile payments.

Powered by AI, X will connect us in ways were just beginning to imagine, Twitter chief executive Linda Yaccarino tweeted Sunday.

Yaccarino, an advertising sales executive at NBCUniversal who Musk poached last month to become Twitters CEO, said the social media platform was on the cusp of broadening its scope.

X is the future state of unlimited interactivity centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities, Yaccarino tweeted.

New revenue streams

Since Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, the platforms advertising business has partially collapsed as marketers soured on mass firings at the platform that gutted content moderation as well as on Musks management style.

In response, the billionaire SpaceX boss has moved toward introducing payments and commerce through the platform in a search for new revenue. 

Twitter is thought to have around 200 million daily active users, but it has suffered repeated technical failures since the 52-year-old Tesla founder bought the app and sacked much of its staff.

Since then, many users and advertisers alike have responded adversely to the social media sites new charges for previously free services,...

London Mick Jagger once sang what a drag it is getting old but the most senior swinger in town shows little sign of slowing down as he turns 80 on Wednesday.

The Rolling Stones frontman is still strutting and gyrating in front of packed-out arenas, most recently touring Europe to mark the bands 60th anniversary.

The icon of 60s counterculture underwent a heart valve replacement in 2019, but his regime of running, kick-boxing, cycling and yoga has maintained his svelte figure and longevity as an energetic showman.

The band completed its 14-date Sixty tour last year, although had to cancel one date when Jagger caught Covid.

It was the first time the band had performed without drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021.

The remaining members plan to release a new album in tribute to their late drummer later this year, the first LP of original material since  A Bigger Bang in 2005.

It will reportedly feature Beatles legend Paul McCartney and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman, 86, more than 30 years after his departure from the band.

Beyond the Stones, Jagger teamed up with Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl in 2021 to record Eazy Sleazy, a song about life during the pandemic.

With songs like Jumpin Jack Flash, Gimme Shelter, Sympathy for the Devil and Not Fade Away, Jaggers band helped detonate the cultural and social explosion of the 1960s.

The charismatic frontman built a reputation for pushing boundaries, taking full advantage of the eras sexual revolution and recreational drug use.

Establishment figure

Michael Philip Jagger was born on July 26, 1943, to middle-class parents in Dartford, south of London.

He started jamming with childhood friend Keith Richards in 1960 after they discovered a mutual love of the blues, and have enjoyed a productive, if love-hate, relationship ever since.

Jagger dropped out of the London School of Economics in the pursuit of fame and in 1965 the band had their first smash hit with (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction.

A string of massive hits across five decades followed, including Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Women and Paint It Black.

The band became as famous for their off-stage antics as those on it.

Jagger and Richards were found guilty of drug offences in 1967, while founding member Brian Jones paid the ultimate price for the rock and roll lifestyle, drowning in his swimming pool in 1969.

I wasnt understanding enough about his drug addiction, Jagger said in 1995. Things like LSD were all new. No one knew the harm. People thought cocaine was good for you.

Despite the drug-fuelled indulgences and controversies, Jagger has always kept a careful eye on the c...

Paris Ukrainian athletes are steadfast in their condemnation of the IOC permitting Russians to compete in sports events but some are at odds with their government over the threat to boycott the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

With no end in sight to the hostilities since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine and with a year to go to the start of the Paris Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to decide whether competitors from Russia and its ally Belarus can compete under a neutral flag.

Olha Saladukha, Ukraines 2011 triple jump world champion and now a lawmaker, prays that her compatriots are not presented with an ultimatum.

I hope that neither the IOC nor the French government will force us to make a difficult choice: boycott the Games or shake hands with those who have the blood of Ukrainians on them, Saladukha told AFP.

Talented 800 metres runner Dmytro Kovalschuk is one of the many Ukrainian athletes who have fought on the frontline.

His faint hopes of competing in Paris were dashed when after seven months of combat he suffered a serious shoulder wound.

I believe (the Olympics) is not the place for them, for those bringing violence into the world we should not ignore it, Kovalschuk told AFP.

I believe the Olympic Games is about uniting people.

How can we unite with those who launch rockets and heavily shell facilities or homes and kill people?

This is unfair if Russian sports people whose country started this should be able to compete and we cannot.

The toll in terms of both athletes lives and facilities is stark.

At least 317 athletes and coaches were killed, said Saladukha.

These are not only soldiers at the front, but also people in the rear.

The enemy is deliberately and systematically destroying our sports infrastructure.

As of today, 343 sports facilities have been damaged, 95 of them completely destroyed.

Saladukha says a boycott of the Olympics is a last resort. She hopes France will listen to the Ukrainian parliaments demand to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from French territory.

The 40-year-old would though be willing for them to be in Paris on one condition.

Another solution could be for those Russian and Belarusian athletes who want to participate in the Games to sign an anti-war declaration, she said.

They should condemn Putins war. After that, those who sign such a document can form a refugee team and compete at the Olympics.

Bach ignores the majority

However, two athletes with hopes of being in Paris agree with tennis player Lesia Tsurenko who told AFP in June it was best for Ukrainians to beat the Russians on any field.

Tennis has allowed Russians and B...

Paris Paris airports face a double challenge during the Olympics next year already under huge pressure, they will also be the first impression that many foreign visitors get of the Games.

Frances main international airport, Charles de Gaulle (CDG), and the smaller Orly will be two crucial gateways to the Olympics, which open in around a year on July 26, 2024.

The Parisian airports authority ADP believes it can cope with the increased traffic in July and August next year in what is already one of the worlds most visited cities.

What is keeping managers awake at night is the exceptional nature of tens of thousands of the arrivals and their outsized baggage.

Some 85,000 competitors, coaches and officials will be accredited for the Olympics and the Paralympics, excluding spectators, said Renaud Duplay, the deputy director of CDG.

In terms of numbers, its a drop in the ocean compared to the approximately 340,000 people who pass through CDG and Orly on peak summer days, he said.

On the other hand, the Olympic arrivals have expectations that are different from those for which our infrastructure is designed.

The canoeists, for example, will bring kayaks, there will be crates and crates of bicycles and unwieldy poles for pole vaulters.

There will be a volume of oversized luggage that is just not the one we usually have, Jerome Harnois, the top state official in charge of Paris airports, said.

Lost or misplaced equipment could mean competitors missing out on Olympic glory, and trigger a storm of negative publicity for the organisers and France as a whole.

Access to the centre of Paris is also a concern.

The upcoming extension of the Metros line 14, which will link Orly to the centre of the capital and several key Olympic venues in Seine-Saint-Denis to the north of Paris, should help alleviate some pressure.

On the other hand, a long-planned fast rail link between CDG and Paris will not be ready, leaving the often-derided RER B suburban train line as the alternative. 

Coach and bus traffic between the two airports will be strongly regulated to avoid chaos, Duplay said.

A question mark also hovers over what passenger numbers can be expected in the summer of 2024, when the post-Covid recovery in tourism will still be being felt. 

Past Olympics though have shown that visitor numbers actually decline during the Games because tourists postpone their visits.

During the London Olympics in 2012, for example, traffic only increased by six or seven percent compared to normal, Harnois said.

Personalised welcome

Each team delegation arriving on a regular flight will benefit from a personalised welcome, with around one thousand volunteers chosen for the task.

We will pick them up at the...

Toronto World number two Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the ATP Toronto Masters due to fatigue, Tennis Canada said on Sunday.

The announcement comes a week after the 23-time Grand Slam champion from Serbia fell to Spains Carlos Alcaraz in the final at Wimbledon.

His withdrawal deprives the US Open tune-up tournament that starts on August 7 of a four-time champion.

I have always enjoyed my time in Canada, but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take, Djokovic said in a statement released by Tennis Canada.

I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there.

Alcaraz denied Djokovic a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title last week, handing him his first defeat on the All England Clubs Centre Court in 10 years.

The Spaniards victory also ended 36-year-old Djokovics chance of a calendar Grand Slam after his triumphs at the Australian Open and French Open took his tally of major titles to a mens record 23.

Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks will now gain automatic entry into the Toronto main draw.

The American defeated fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas and 12th-seeded Cameron Norrie en route to the last eight at Wimbledon.

Hale acknowledged that Djokovic, who won the Canadian title in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2016, would be missed.

Of course, were disappointed that Novak wont be playing at the National Bank Open this year, Hale said in a statement. Hes an incredible player and one we know our fans were eager to watch at Sobeys Stadium.

He will be missed but we still have a long list of sensational players confirmed for this years event, including 41 of the top 42 players in the world.

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Rome Italy hosted Mediterranean leaders in Rome on Sunday at a conference aimed at extending an EU-backed deal with Tunisia to curb the arrival of migrants on European shores.

The summit convened by Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni laid the foundations for a fund to finance investment projects and support border controls, with a medium-term aim of better regulating migratory flows.

Opening the conference, Meloni said talks would focus on illegal and legal immigration, refugee support and the most important wide cooperation to support development in Africa.

The day of talks was the start of a process that would be followed with a donors conference to finance investment projects and support border control, Meloni said, adding that no date had yet been set.

The United Arab Emirates pledged 100 million euros ($111 million) to that fund, Meloni said in a press conference following the conference.  

Ahead of the talks, Pope Francis appealed to the leaders to help the scores of people who try to enter Europe each year in search of a better life as they flee poverty and conflict.

The Mediterranean can no longer be the theatre of death and inhumanity, the pontiff said during his weekly Angelus prayer.

During the 2022 election campaign that brought her to power, the far-right Meloni vowed to stop the disembarkation of migrants in Italy, which the government puts at nearly 80,000 coastal arrivals since January, compared to 33,000 in the same period last year. 

But while the government has put obstacles in the path of humanitarian ships rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, it has failed to stop the departures themselves, which mostly originate in Tunisia and Libya.

Italy and the European Commission have sought to step up engagement with Tunisia, promising funding if it stems emigration from its territory.

Meloni has also sought to act as an intermediary between Tunisia cash-strapped and on the cusp of a major debt crisis and the International Monetary Fund, where a nearly $2 billion bailout package for the North African country has stalled amid an IMF demand for structural reforms.

Last week, the EU signed a memorandum of understanding with Tunisia that provides for 105 million euros in direct European aid to prevent the departure of migrant boats and combat smugglers. 

The deal also provides for more Tunisians who arrive illegally to be repatriated, and for sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia to be sent back to their countries of origin.

A much larger EU package to Tunisia, a long-term loan of around 900 million euros proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in June, is conditional on approval of the IMF loan.

Tunisia is a nation that is in extreme distress and clearly leaving it to its fate can have consequences that a...

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, announced on Sunday that the bank will resume the sale of US dollars through licensed banks in the northern governorate of Nineveh, according to a statement issued by the Prime Ministers Office.

The decision was made during a meeting on Sunday with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, where he directed the government to adopt simple procedures for citizens.

The meeting addressed measures taken by the CBI regarding the stability of the Iraqi currency in the market and the plans prepared to reform and develop the banking sector in Iraq to be able to face challenges.

The Deputy Governor of the CBI, Ammar Hamad Khalaf, explained during his speech at the 6th edition of the Iraq Finance Expo held at the Baghdad International Fair that Iraqs foreign reserves rose to $113 billion, driven by the rise in global oil prices, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

Khalaf explained that the CBI plays a key role in financial and economic stability, adding that 2023 is witnessing many changes that will contribute to achieving stability in Iraq.

Khalaf added that the Iraqi economy is seeing growth in gross domestic product, a surplus in the general budget due to increased global oil prices, and an increase in deposits in Iraqi banks.

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Budapest Lewis Hamilton said he was taking the positives from his pole position qualifying lap on Saturday to boost his spirits after missing out on the podium in Sundays Hungarian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion made a poor start and was well beaten by runaway championship leader and defending double champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull who cruised to a crushing victory. 

It was Red Bulls record 12th consecutive race win and Verstappens seventh in succession, leaving Hamiltons Mercedes a distant fourth.

The initial getaway wasnt the worst Ive ever had, but it obviously wasnt as good as Maxs! 

I had a bit of wheelspin and obviously Max was on the inside and ran me wide and then I got done by the two McLarens, he said. 

So definitely, not a great start! Actually, it was reminiscent of 2015 when I fell back from first too. 

After that I just didnt have the pace to keep up with the guys. The balance of the car was pretty awful in the first stint, I had a lot of understeer, a snap of oversteer through corners and I just couldnt keep up with them. 

But then bit by bit the car became more drivable.

So, Im going to take the positives from yesterday. It was amazing from the team to get to where we were and to beat everybody in qualifying. 

That was really spectacular for us and while it shows we dont have the best car it was an incredible lap. We have a lot of work to do. It looks like we are a long way from the Red Bull in a race and now we are behind the McLaren, but we just got to keep pushing.

Team-mate George Russell came through the field from the back of the grid to finish a strong sixth. 

P6 was beyond our expectations, he said.

Strategists quoted P11 before the race, P7 if we maximised. At the end we were P6, ahead of both Ferraris who started 12 positions ahead of us. 

The car was really quick. This place is one of my favourites and as a team we generally do well here, so it was no surprise how quick we were today.

Team chief Toto Wolff said: Yesterday was a mega Lewis lap, but we screwed it up with George in qualifying. I think we had the second-quickest car today but we didnt monetise on it and ultimately Verstappen won.

The start played a role, but that can happen. We brought the tyres in maybe too carefully.

We are going to fight back and win races and championships, but youve seen the pace Verstappen and Red Bull have. Its like a field of F2 cars against their F1 car.

The post Hamilton takes positives from fourth in Hungary appeared first on...

London Newcastle signed England winger Harvey Barnes from Leicester in a deal worth a reported 38 million ($48 million) on Sunday.

Barnes agreed a five-year contract with the Magpies as he remains in the Premier League following Leicesters relegation to the Championship at the end of last season.

The 25-year-old is expected to fill the void in Eddie Howes squad left by the impending departure of Allan Saint-Maximin, who is reportedly set to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli.

Saint-Maximin was left out of the Newcastle squad which recently travelled to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series.

Its an amazing club and for me its a massive opportunity to come and be involved in a successful team thats doing exciting things, so Im absolutely buzzing to be here, Barnes said.

I think its an attackers dream to come into a team like this; its high paced, its physically demanding, but you can see the rewards of that with the chances and the goals scored, so I think Ill certainty suit the style.

Barnes can look forward to playing in the Champions League next season after Newcastle secured a top four finish in the Premier League last term.

Newcastle also reached a first domestic final since 1999 last season, losing to Manchester United in the League Cup final.  

Harvey is an exciting talent who I have admired for a long time so Im delighted to welcome him to Newcastle, Howe said.

He will add a different element to our play and we look forward to working with him as we prepare for the season ahead. 

Barnes made 187 appearances for Leicester after emerging from their youth academy, scoring 13 league goals and providing one assist last season.

He helped Leicester win the FA Cup in 2021 and has earned one cap for England, coming on against Wales three years ago.

Barnes is Newcastles second high-profile close-season signing following their 52 million swoop for AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali.

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San Francisco Twitter owner Elon Musk hinted late Saturday night that he may ditch the social media networks blue cartoon bird branding and soon for an edgier logo based on an everything app he has long alluded to called only X.

Soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds, he tweeted around midnight, implying an end to the imagery from where the very word tweet stems. 

Like this but X, the billionaire SpaceX boss said, above a picture of the Twitter bird over a black and white marbled background.

To embody the imperfections in us all that make us unique, he replied to the post. 

Twitter, founded in 2006 and whose name is a play on the sound of birds chattering, has used avian branding since its early days, when the company bought a stock symbol of a light blue bird for $15, according to the design website Creative Bloq. 

The 52-year-old Tesla founder has previously said that his rocky takeover of Twitter last year was an accelerant to creating X, the everything app, a reference to the X.com company he PayPal. 

Such an app could still function as a social media platform, and also include messaging and mobile payments.

Musk has already named Twitters parent company the X Corporation.

If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, well make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow, he said. 

Musk went on to make several other X-related comments, saying a new emblem should be of course, Art Deco style and that under the sites new identity a post would be called an X.

Twitter is thought to have around 200 million daily active users but it has suffered repeated technical failures since the tycoon bought the so-called bird app for $44 billion in 2022 and sacked much of its staff.

Since then, many users and advertisers alike have soured on the social media site thanks to charges introduced for previously free services, changes to content moderation and the return of previously banned right-wing accounts.

Musk said earlier this month that Twitter has lost roughly half of its advertising revenue since he took control in October.

Facebook parent Meta earlier this month launched its own text-based platform, called Threads, which has up to 150 million users according to some estimates. 

But the amount of time users spend on the rival app has plummeted in the weeks since its launch, however, according to data from market analysis firm Sensor Tower. 

The post Musk hints Twitters bird branding could be replaced appeared first on Iraqi News...

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, during a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart on Sunday, expressed Iraqs readiness to play a mediating role to help find a solution to the war in Yemen, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

In a joint press conference with the Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Hussein stated that there is a ceasefire or an unannounced truce currently in Yemen, expressing that he hopes the current situation will turn into a dialogue between all Yemeni parties.

Iraq is ready to help in this regard. We have good relations with all parties, and we can take advantage of these relations to serve stability and security in Yemen. We can move regionally in this regard, the Iraqi Foreign Minister said.

Mubarak elaborated that there has been an unannounced truce in Yemen since October 2022, and the Yemeni government is committed to this truce.

We believe it is time to end this war in Yemen, The Yemeni Foreign Minister added.

The conflict in Yemen, which has been ongoing since 2015 between the internationally recognized government and the Houthis, has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and resulted in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

The country has been witnessing relative calm since reaching a truce under the auspices of the United Nations in 2022, which expired last October.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency (FIIA) announced on Saturday that its officers had arrested 404 terrorists and drug dealers within a week, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

A statement issued by the FIIA clarified that 86 terrorists and 318 drug dealers were arrested last week.

The FIIA also announced that 998 suspects involved in different crimes were arrested. Additionally, 126 different weapons and 12 improvised explosive devices were seized.

In relation to the protests taking place in Iraq, the Iraqi Presidency stated on Saturday that there is an attempt to show Iraq as an unsafe country for foreign missions, calling on international organizations and Western governments to stop incitement and hatred practices.

The Iraqi Presidency mentioned in a statement that it condemns the attacks on the Holy Quran and provoking the feelings of Muslims, calling on Iraqi citizens and political forces to be careful and not be drawn into a strife that is being provoked by figures or parties living in Western countries.

Iraqi protesters set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad early Thursday ahead of a planned burning of a Quran in Sweden, AFP reported.

Swedish authorities approved an assembly to be held later outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where organizers plan to burn a copy of the Quran as well as an Iraqi flag, AFP added.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, during a phone call with his Swedish counterpart, stressed the need to prevent the recurrence of acts offensive to Islam and the Holy Quran, according to INA.

On June 28, a 37-year-old refugee of Iraqi origin in Sweden tore up and burned several pages of a copy of the Holy Book outside Stockholms central mosque after the Swedish police granted him permission to do so, according to a judicial decision.

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Athens High winds forecast for Sunday are expected to hamper firefighters battle to contain a blaze burning out of control on the Greek island of Rhodes, where some 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate.

The flames have burned for nearly a week on the island as Greece has been battered by an extended spell of extreme heat that has made it challenging to contain the blaze.

Local officials on Rhodes said on Saturday they had moved 30,000 people threatened by wildfires to safety including more than 2,500 who had to be ferried off beaches.

The wind is expected to become more intense from 12 to 5 pm, without excluding the possibility that could happen earlier, said fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis.

The fires during the night reached the village of Laerma and were burning houses and a church there, while many hotels were damaged by the flames that at some occasions reached the sea. 

Authorities have warned that the battle to contain the flames, raging in the middle of peak tourism season for heavily visited Rhodes, will take several days.

Another fire brigade spokesman, Yannis Artopoios, told Greek TV that the main fronts of the fire were were in areas south of the village of Apollon.

Thousands of people, locals and tourists were evacuated on Saturday from at least six villages.  

In Athens, the foreign ministry said it had activated its crisis management unit to facilitate the evacuation of foreign citizens in Greece due to the ongoing forest fires. 

Tourists and some locals spent the night in gyms, schools and hotel conference centres on the island while firefighters battled the blaze.

In addition, three passenger ferries have been moored at the port of Rhodes to accommodate those rescued.  

It is an unprecedented situation for the island, Panagiotis Dimelis, head of the Archangelos village council, told Skai TV, adding that many locals had rushed to help the tourists. 

From the moment the evacuation alert sounded early in the afternoon, tourists headed for the beach, pulling their suitcases behind them.

A large part of the island was without electricity as the public power utility PPC shut down the local plant in the south for safety reasons.

More than 200 firefighters fought the blaze during the night, while the air support started early on Sunday. 

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Washington After pausing in June, the US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hike interest rates again on Wednesday, adopting its most restrictive monetary stance for 22 years despite recent signs of slowing inflation.

After 10 consecutive hikes in just over a year, the Fed halted its aggressive campaign of monetary tightening last month to give policymakers more time to assess the health of the US economy, and the impact of recent banking stresses on lending conditions.

In the weeks since, positive upgrades to economic growth and cooler inflation data have reinforced the likelihood that the Feds rate-setting committee will vote for a quarter percentage-point hike on July 25-26.

This would raise the federal funds rate to a range between 5.25 and 5.5 percent its highest level since 2001. 

If I had to bet, I would bet they would raise the Fed funds rate 25 basis points at the next meeting, Joseph Gagnon, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), told AFP. 

The cooling of the economy is only happening slowly, Bank of Americas chief US economist Michael Gapen wrote in a recent investor note. 

We think most committee members believe further rebalancing of supply and demand is needed to ensure disinflation will continue, he added, explaining why he expects another hike on Wednesday.  

Futures traders now assign a probability of more than 99 percent that the Fed will hike its base rate by 25 basis points at its next meeting, according to CME Group.

While a July rate hike is now widely expected, questions remain about how much further the Fed will need to go this year to bring inflation back down to its long-term target of two percent. 

Recession risk fades

Since the Feds decision to pause in June, its favored measure of inflation has slowed to less than four percent year-on-year, while unemployment has remained close to record lows.

Economic growth has also been revised upward significantly for the first quarter on the back of stronger-than-expected consumer spending. 

The positive economic news has raised the chances of a so-called soft landing, in which the Fed succeeds in bringing down inflation by raising interest rates while avoiding a recession and a surge in unemployment. 

We see the line between mild recession and soft landing as increasingly fine and view the probabilities of the latter outcome undeniably on the rise, Deutsche Bank economists wrote in a recent note to clients. 

Goldman Sachs recently cut its probability of the US economy entering a recession in the next 12 months to 20 percent from 25 percent, although it remains slightly above average postwar levels. 

Recent data have reinforced our confidence that bringing inflation down to an acceptable level will not require a recess...

San Francisco After a wildly successful first few days, Threads popularity has waned in the weeks since Meta launched its challenge to Twitter, which lives on despite its problems.

The average amount of time people spend on Threads daily has plummeted more than 75 percent since the platform made a rock star debut on July 6, according to data from Sensor Tower, a market analysis firm.

Threads was quickly billed as a potential death knell for Twitter, a platform that has tumbled into chaos under the leadership of mercurial tycoon Elon Musk.

The launch saw sign-ups of more than 100 million users in less than five days, smashing the record of AI tool ChatGPT for fastest-growing consumer app and creating relief and excitement amongst early adopters fleeing Twitter.

I actually closed down my Twitter account after starting Threads, said Brooklyn resident Lauren Brose, head of marketing at a tech start-up.

I used to love Twitter. After Elon Musk took over Twitter, I found that the entire environment just changed completely.

But weeks later, Threads has since seen a material decline in new sign-ups, Sensor Tower said.

Twitter continues to dominate its space as a platform for online comment and news, and Musk would have to completely destroy it to drive away its audience for good, according to Silicon Valley investor and analyst Jeremiah Owyang.

Will Threads kill Twitter? Absolutely not. Its just not equivalent, he said.

Threads went live on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries at its launch, though it is not available in Europe because parent company Meta is unsure how to navigate the European Unions data privacy legislation.

Twitter is thought to have around 200 million regular users but it has suffered repeated technical failures since Tesla tycoon Musk bought the platform last year and sacked much of its staff.

Musk, also the boss of SpaceX, has alienated users by introducing charges for previously free services and allowing banned right-wing accounts back on the platform.

There is little doubt that Threads had a major leg up compared to other wannabe Twitter alternatives. 

Several rivals have emerged but most are niche platforms without the capacity to grow at the necessary scale to dethrone Twitter.

But Meta was able to easily prompt Instagram users to start Threads accounts, tapping into a base of at least a billion users at the image-focused social network.

Not about news?

Threads has a lot to prove, and features to add, to become a formidable Twitter alternative, according to Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg.

It needs to foster creators to engage users, and to find its own identity separate from Instagram and Twitter, Enberg said. 

Given that Twitter is in a state of disarray, the brillia...

Washington Mykhailo Mudryk finally found the net for Chelsea and new signings Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson also scored in a 4-3 friendly win over Brighton in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Brighton took the lead in 13th minute when a short corner routine ended with Kaoru Mitoma heading the ball across the box and Danny Welbeck firing home with a first-time drive.

French forward Nkunku, a recent acquisition from RB Leipzig for a reported 63 million ($80 million) brought the London club level in the 19th minute for his second goal of pre-season.

Brighton were reduced to ten men in the 59th minute when Dutch full-back Jan Paul van Hecke received a second yellow card after a reckless challenge on Cesare Casadei.

Five minutes later Chelsea went ahead when Ukrainian Mudryk burst in from the left and after a smart exchange with Jackson, unleashed a drive into the bottom corner from outside the box.

It was the first Chelsea goal for Mudryk who joined the club in a huge deal, reportedly costing up to 100 million euros (88 million, $108 million) in January.

Senegal international Jackson then set up Conor Gallagher to make it 3-1 and got on the scoresheet himself with the fourth for Mauricio Pochettinos team.

A 79th minute penalty from Joao Pedro gave Brighton some hope but although substitute Deniz Undav added a late third for Albion, Chelsea secured the win.

Chelseas next opponent in the Premier League Summer Series will be Newcastle United in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The post Mudryk on target as Chelsea beat ten-man Brighton 4-3 appeared first on Iraqi News.

Budapest Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position since 2021 after edging Max Verstappen in qualifying on Saturday for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion ended a barren run stretching back 33 races by claiming a record-increasing 104th pole of his career and his record ninth at the Hungaroring circuit. 

His success with a last-gasp lap was greeted with cheers by the crowd and ended defending double world champion Verstappens run of five straight poles for Red Bull.

I didnt expect this, for us to be fighting for pole position here this weekend, said a hoarse and emotional Hamilton, who had described his car as being at its worst on Friday. 

But hats off to the team. Theyve done a fantastic job added Hamilton, back on the front of the grid for the first time since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.

The Briton outpaced Verstappen by just 0.003 seconds in a thrilling conclusion to their contest. 

Verstappen, whose Red Bull car ran with an updates package, was disappointed. 

Weve not been on it so far this weekend,he said, but with a 99-point lead ahead of team-mate Perez in the title race, he could afford a rare off day.

Lando Norris was third ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, Alfa Romeos Zhou Guanyu and Ferraris Charles Leclerc with Valtteri Bottas taking seventh for Alfa Romeo. 

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was eighth for Aston Martin ahead of Red Bulls Sergio Perez, back in the top-ten shootout for the first time in six outings, and Nico Hulkenberg of Haas.

The post Hamilton ends drought to claim record pole in Hungary appeared first on Iraqi News.

New Delhi Energy ministers from the group of 20 nations meeting in India Saturday failed to agree on a roadmap to phase down the use of fossil fuels in the global energy mix.

A final statement after the meeting did not even mention coal, a major contributor to global warming.

The dirty fuel is also a key energy source for many developing economies such as India the worlds most-populous country and China, the worlds second-largest economy.

Campaigners were dismayed by the failure to reach agreement in Goa on COP goals including tripling the worlds renewable capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.

It came despite G7 leaders agreeing in Hiroshima in May to accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels.

Global temperatures are hitting record highs, triggering floods, storms and heatwaves.

Explaining the stalemate, G20 president India said that some members had emphasised the importance of seeking a phase down of unabated fossil fuels, in line with different national circumstances.

But others had different views on the matter that abatement and removal technologies will address such concerns, it added. 

Alden Meyer, a senior associate at independent climate think tank E3G, condemned the outcome of the meeting.

With temperature records being set daily around the world and the impacts of climate change spiralling out of control, the world needed to hear a clarion call to action from the G20 energy ministers, he said in a statement.

Instead, what we got was very weak tea indeed.

Cannot afford delay

A coalition of key EU economies including Germany and France and some of the most vulnerable island states this week urged the G20 to accelerate plans to reach net zero emissions and phase out fossil fuels, adding: Humankind cannot afford to delay.

They called for greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 at the latest and be cut by 43 percent by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, in line with recent updates from UN climate experts.

But many developing economies argue that the developed West must pay more as a legacy polluter and greenhouse contributor. 

They insist that any transition needs huge capital and new technology, while giving up on polluting fuels without affordable alternatives will condemn their huge populations to poverty. 

G20 host nation India is itself only pledging to reach net zero by 2070, 20 years later than the commitment made by many other countries.

A report prepared for its G20 presidency estimated the cost of the energy transition at $4 trillion a year and emphasised the importance of low-cost financing for developing countries and technology transfers a key demand of New Delhis.

Some major oil producers have also...