in Iraq
Iraq
Israel-US Diplomatic Spat Complicates Gaza Situation
washington — White House officials said Monday that they were "perplexed" and "disappointed" that Israel's leader called off a delegation meant to discuss U.S. concerns about his imminent plans to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
But they said Monday they would use a trio of high-level U.S. meetings with Israel's defense minister, including talks with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday, to press their case.
"We're kind of perplexed by...
Categories: Iraq
Calls Grow in Israel to Draft Ultra-Orthodox for Military Service
An Israeli law that grants exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews is due to expire at the end of the month, paving the way for their possible conscription. Most ultra-Orthodox oppose serving in the army and their parties are threatening to topple the government if the status quo is changed. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Videographer: Ricki Rosen
Categories: Iraq
Iraq Central Bank Says Regulated Dollar Transactions Rising
baghdad — Iraq, fighting a booming currency black market, has considerably increased overseas dollar transactions through the official global SWIFT system, the Central Bank vice governor said Monday.
With dollars dominating the country's economy, Baghdad has imposed a series of restrictions on the use of American greenbacks domestically.
At the end of 2022 the country's banking sector also adopted the international financial messaging system known as SWIFT as part of the reforms,...
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Turkey Warns of Offensive Against Kurdish Rebels in Iraq
Turkey says it is preparing to launch a major military operation into Iraq against Kurdish rebels operating from there. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vows to end what he says is the threat posed by the Kurdish rebel group, PKK, which has been fighting Turkey for decades. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, Ankara is looking to Baghdad and Tehran for support.
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11 Killed in Suspected IS Attack on Syria Truffle Hunters: Monitor
Beirut, Lebanon — An attack by the Islamic State group (IS) killed at least 11 people hunting desert truffles in northern Syria on Sunday, a war monitor said, after the latest such incident.
Between February and April each year, hundreds of impoverished Syrians risk their lives to forage for the delicacy in the vast Syrian desert — a known hideout for jihadists that is also littered with mines.
Desert truffles can fetch high prices in a country battered by 13 years of war and a crushing...
Categories: Iraq
Iran's Currency Hits Record Low
Tehran — Iran's currency fell to a record low on Sunday, plunging to 613,500 to the dollar, as its people celebrated the Persian New Year.
On Sunday, people were trying to exchange rials for foreign currency at Tehran's main hub of exchange shops in Ferdowsi Street, but most were closed due to the Nowruz holidays, which are run from March 20 to April 2.
Mohsen, a 32-year-old employee at one of the exchange shops, said the holiday was contributing to the low prices, "The...
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Lebanon's Displaced Celebrate Ramadan And Long For Home
MARWANIEH, Lebanon — Shortly before sunset on a recent evening, Mervat Reslan and a group of other women made french fries in vats of boiling oil to serve with that night's iftar — the meal that breaks the daily fasts Muslims observe during the holy month of Ramadan.
They belong to roughly 60 families who have been sheltering at an abandoned hotel in the southern Lebanon town of Marwanieh to escape the shelling and airstrikes that have made it too dangerous to stay in their homes in...
Categories: Iraq
Israeli Airstrike Hits Hezbollah Stronghold in Northeast Lebanon
BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike deep in northeastern Lebanon early Sunday wounded at least three people, a local official said.
The airstrike near the city of Baalbek, a stronghold of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, was the latest to hit the area in recent weeks.
The strike occurred a few minutes after midnight and wounded three people according to Baalbek's mayor, Bachir Khodr, who posted the news on X.
It was not immediately clear what was hit. The strike came hours after...
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Ignoring Syrian Crisis Risks Destabilizing Region, Experts Say
GENEVA — More than 13 years after Syria erupted into civil war, the United Nations says the country has become a more dangerous place for civilians, noting that the oppressive government of President Bashir al-Assad that sparked the flames of conflict remains in power and continues to escalate hostilities on multiple fronts.
“The Syria crisis remains one of the most deadly to civilians in the world. Hostilities continue to plague various parts of Syria and have recently seen a sharp spike,...
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UN Chief Calls Blocked Gaza Aid 'Moral Outrage'
Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories — During a visit to the Rafah crossing Saturday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said blocked aid to Gaza is a “moral outrage.”
“Here from this crossing, we see the heartbreak and heartlessness of it all. A long line of blocked relief trucks on one side of the gates, the long shadow of starvation on the other,” Guterres said.
“That is more than tragic. It is a moral outrage,” he said.
In his remarks, Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian...
Categories: Iraq
China’s Renewables, Oil Consumption Fit Gulf States, Analysts Say
Tel Aviv, Israel — During China’s annual national legislature this month, Premier Li Qiang announced plans to construct more solar and wind farms as well as hydropower projects.
China is already the world’s largest producer of renewable energy and also holds near-monopolies on the globe’s renewable energy manufacturing and supply chain. Last year alone China produced more solar panels than the U.S. has ever produced in total.
China’s dominance in electric vehicle battery components and...
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US Says It Struck 3 Houthi Underground Storage Sites in Yemen
Washington — The U.S. military said Friday it had struck three underground storage facilities used by Yemen's Houthis, as the Iran-backed rebels continue to launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
U.S. forces "conducted self-defense strikes against three Houthi underground storage facilities in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen," Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
It said U.S. forces had also "successfully engaged and destroyed...
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Book Reviews: ‘An American Dream,’ by David Finkel; ‘A Dangerous Country,’ Ron Kovic; ‘Diplomats at War’ Charles Trueheart.
Three new books track the pain that persists among American soldiers and diplomats in the aftermath of war.
Categories: Iraq
At UN, Russia and China Veto US Effort at Gaza Cease-Fire
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council failed again Friday to demand a Gaza cease-fire after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution supporting a halt to the fighting.
"Russia and China simply did not want to vote for a resolution that was penned by the United States, because it would rather see us fail than see this council succeed," U.S. Ambassador Linda-Thomas Greenfield said.
Eleven of the 15 council members supported the U.S. text, Algeria joined Russia and...
Categories: Iraq
UN to Vote on Resolution Calling for Immediate Cease-Fire in Gaza
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a United States-sponsored resolution declaring that "an immediate and sustained cease-fire" in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is "imperative" to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was optimistic that the new, tougher draft resolution would be approved Friday by the 15-member...
Categories: Iraq
UN Fact-Finding Mission Seeks Extension, But Tehran’s Allies Could Force Termination
Washington — U.N.-appointed international legal experts who investigated Iran’s suppression of a women’s rights movement that erupted in September 2022 are appealing for more time to do their work, but objections from Tehran’s allies could terminate their mission next month.
The chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, Sara Hossain, made the appeal Monday in Geneva, where she and her two counterparts presented their first in-depth report to the U.N. Human...
Categories: Iraq
No Need for US Waiver to Build Gas Pipeline With Iran, Pakistan Says
islamabad — Pakistan said Thursday that it does not need a waiver from U.S. sanctions to build its portion of a pipeline to import natural gas from Iran.
"It is a segment of the pipeline which is being built inside Pakistani territory. So, we do not believe that at this point there is room for any discussion or waiver from a third party," Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in response to a VOA question at the weekly news briefing.
Donald Lu,...
Categories: Iraq
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