Category: Politics

Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, Defense Affairs Minister, received Piyush Shrivastav, outgoing Indian Ambassador to Bahrain.

The minister praised the distinguished Bahraini-Indian relations in various fields and wished the ambassador success in performing future diplomatic missions.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today sent a cable of congratulations to the President of the Republic of the Philippines, HE Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, on Philippines’s Independence Day.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa sent a cable of congratulations to President Ferdinand R. Marcos of the Philippines, on his country’s National Day.

HM King Hamad wished President Marcos abundant health and happiness, and the people of the Philippines further progress and prosperity.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Border Ports Authority announced the seizure and thwarting of an attempt to smuggle an amount of narcotic (crystal) in the possession of an Iraqi traveler at al-Shalamcheh border crossing.

A statement of the authority stated: “The detachments of the Border Ports Authority at al-Shalamcheh border crossing were able to arrest an Iraqi traveler and seized in his possession a quantity of narcotic (crystal) hidden inside his slipper,” indicating that the operation was carried out by the customs police detachment and the protection force at the port, inside the arrivals hall, in a failed attempt to smuggle them into the country.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Minister of Defense, Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi, affirmed the endeavor to eliminate all sleeper cells and remnants of terrorist gangs, and to track them wherever they are.

“We renew our pledge and our promise to the people of Iraq from its north to its far south, that we are moving forward in protecting the land and people of Iraq from any aggression,” the minister said in a statement on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the occupation of the city of Mosul by ISIS terrorists.

He added, “After the liberation of Mosul from the terrorism, we confirm our endeavor to eliminate all sleeper cells and remnants of terrorist gangs, and we will track them down wherever they are, so that they have no foothold in the land of civilizations.”

He continued: “The occupation of Mosul by the terrorists and the heinous crimes they committed in this city are no more than today being a painful memory that the people of Iraq remember and the spark of bravery and sacrifice inflames within them in order to protect and defend the homeland.”

The minister concluded: The heroes of Iraq from the armed forces and the entire people did it previously, and they will do it at any time if they sense a threat to their homeland.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The newspapers issued in Baghdad today, Saturday, June 10, followed the atmosphere surrounding the House of Representatives’ start to vote on the draft budget law and the reasons for postponing some of its paragraphs and other security, political and economic issues.

On the vote on the budget, Al-Sabah newspaper, published by the Iraqi Media Network, said: “The House of Representatives adjourned its session, which was held yesterday evening, Friday, and extended until dawn, to five o’clock this afternoon, Saturday, after it voted, yesterday, Friday, on several articles within the draft federal budget law for the years (2023, 2024, 2025).

The newspaper added: “Due to the differences between the political blocs, the vote on Article 14 related to the region’s revenues was postponed, and the vote on Article 15 related to contracting and appointment and its paragraphs related to contracting in the interior, defense ministries and combating terrorism was also postponed, in addition to postponing the vote on paragraphs of Articles 16 and 17, while Parliament voted on Articles 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24).

It indicated that: “The session, which was postponed more than once for several hours, was preceded by side meetings between the Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, the head of Al-Fateh Alliance, Hadi al-Amiri, and the heads of the coordination framework blocs. The Kurdish political blocs also held similar meetings before the start of the budget voting session. First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, held an important meeting with a number of heads of parliamentary blocs, in the presence of a chairman and a number of members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, within the framework of his efforts to reach consensus among all parties regarding the budget law.

Regarding the reason for deleting paragraph 12 of Article 14 in the draft budget, which provides for compulsory savings for the region’s employees, Al-Sabah quoted Jamal Kougar, a member of the Finance Committee, saying that “the two main parties in the region sacrificed this paragraph that affects the people and fought over the paragraphs that affect them personally.”

While referring to the words of MP Kadhim Al-Touki: “Article 14 stipulates the opening of a bank account in which the region’s revenues are deposited under the supervision of the Central Bank.”

He added, “The region refuses to hand over the revenues to Baghdad and deposit them in the account, and wants to establish a private bank that will be supervised by Erbil.” He pointed out that “the political forces agree to hand over the revenues of Erbil to Baghdad, with the exception of the Kurds, who refuse to do so.”

In another matter, Al-Zaman newspaper recalled the memory of the fall of the city of Mosul in the hands of the terrorist organization ISIS.

In this regard, it said: “Despite the succession of years since the tenth of June of 2014, its events and details are still entrenched in the memory of everyone who lived in the city of Mosul, especially in the five days preceding this date, specifically on the fifth of the aforementioned month, when a ban was announced in the city center. Sudden roaming confused everyone, especially middle school students who were taking their second exam on this day, along with hundreds of employees and millions of earners who went either to their work or to the markets in order to practice their day.

It added: “The announcement of the ban was a catastrophe that befell everyone, and the streets seemed crowded with people, and they were confused walking kilometers and did not know what the city would face in light of a media blackout and ambiguity surrounding the sudden ban announcement. In the following days, queues of people seemed to cross the right side on foot, while the left side was cut off from running any vehicle except for the security vehicles, and the city was going through a suffocating gasoline crisis at the time, as usual, without any solutions.

It pointed out: “The back streets were defined by the movement of civilian cars that were carrying the citizens of the right side to the nearest point in order to continue their movement and their search for a safe haven, since the armed confrontations started from this side until the disaster of the Mosul Hotel occurred when the military units stationed in it to repel the attacks of the elements that found that its last option was to direct a truck laden with explosives towards the last wall to shake it and shake its pillars, so it represented the final blow that opened the window of pain and sorrow for the people of the city.

The newspaper continued: “The memory is full of later scenes of deserted barracks and military clothes abandoned in the following days, along with traces of blood and wrecked cars at most of the main intersections of the city. Behind every barracks or wrecked car there was a sad story that was not archived by pens and the memory did not stop there to pick up the last of these painful stories.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The MP of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Najwa Hamid, announced: “The approval of the full budget will take place today, because there are no major differences between the political blocs over the remaining paragraphs.”

She said in a statement to the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: “The big differences over the budget related to the paragraphs related to the region, and they were resolved and approved, and the remaining paragraphs are only 4, and the vote on them has been postponed until Saturday evening, and there is no major disagreement over them between the political blocs.”

She pointed out: “The government will not challenge the paragraphs of the amended budget from Parliament because of the agreement and communication with it moment by moment, and therefore the budget will proceed as it was voted on in Parliament.”

She indicated: “The determination of all political blocs to approve the budget in today’s session, Saturday, to preach to the Iraqi people and sow joy in their souls.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The families and relatives of the martyrs of the Speicher crime commemorated the ninth anniversary of the painful tragedy, inside the crime scene in the presidential palaces complex in Tikrit.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, indicated in an issued statement today, that the meeting with House Speaker Nabih Berri came as a conclusion to the round of meetings and tours with the Iraqi Minister of Transport and the accompanying delegation during their visit to Beirut. He added that they briefed the Speaker on the outcomne of their talks, especially with regard to the “path of development” and Iraq’s call for Lebanon to be part of it, through branching inside Syria, where they looked into the possibility of making the ports of Beirut and Tripoli its sea outlet.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad Al-Makary, visited this afternoon the Monastery of ‘Our Lady of Al-Hara’ in Tabbaneh in the North, accompanied by “Marada Movement” political bureau member, Rafli Diab, and the head of the “March Association”, Leah Baroudi. They were received at the monastery by Father George Jreij on behalf of the Pastor of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli, Youssef Soueif, who welcomed Al-Makary on this first time visit by an information minister to the region ‘which comes as a support to the path of coexistence in an oasis for all.’ Makary thanked Father Jreij for his warm welcome, saying: “I am pleased today to be present in Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen and here in this monastery, and I say that when you are ignorant of the other, you naturally find a way to disagree with him, but that really dissipates through the exchange of knowledge and convergence…What happened in this region is that people met and converged.’ He added: “When you sit with the other and you are free from all the burdens that weigh you down, from poverty to lack of knowledge and political, sectarian and confessional differences, you must find your way to understanding and dialogue, and as March builds bridges of communication through intensive and qualitative work, in turn, the parish here in Tebbaneh is carrying out basic and continuous work…all in the absence of the state, unfortunately, which has never seriously paid attention to this region.’

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Syria’s national sport teams will participate in the 15th Arab Sports Games, set to be hosted by Algeria from 5th-15th July, and include 14 sports under the supervision of the Federation of Arab National Olympic Committees.

Seven Algerian cities will host the activities of the competitions, with the aim of consolidating the Arab youth unity, enhancing friendship among the Arab peoples and devoting the principles of the Arab Olympic movement.

The Syrian sport team will comprise 105 athletes, according to Head of the Syrian Olympic Committee Firas Mualla.

Syria’s sport teams’ participation in this Arab event has a special importance, particularly following a long hiatus for about 15 years, Mualla said, pointing out that the General Sport League sought to hold external camps in several states, including Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Iraq and other states.

Syria participates in 14 games including U-23 football, athletics, table tennis, boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, weightlifting, cycling, swimming, gymnastics, badminton, chess and special sports.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The comprehensive settlement process in Daraa province continued according to the items proposed by the State.

Hundreds of those who are willing to have their files settled from Busra al-Sham area, Daraa countryside, joined the comprehensive settlement process in Qasr al-Houriyat center, Daraa city.

Last Thursday, 2200 persons joined the comprehensive settlement process in Qasr al-Houriyat center, Daraa city, which the competent authorities has reopened to settle the status of the wanted persons and deserters from military service.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency