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TEHRAN President Hassan Rouhani has highlighted the necessity to expand relations between Iran and Iraq and also speed up implementation of agreements.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to develop comprehensive relations with Iraq and is ready to cooperate and transfer its experiences to the country in fighting coronavirus, Rouhani told Iraqi President Barham Salih in a phone call on Friday.

Rouhani also described a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to Iran as positive.

Salih also called Kadhimis visit positive and called for increasing cooperation.

He noted that developing relations with Iran is a principle in Iraqs foreign policy.

Kadhimi visited Tehran on July 21-22 to discuss ties between Iran and Iraq. The Iraqi prime minister met with a number of high-ranking Iranian officials including Rouhani, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

During a joint press conference with Rouhani on July 21, Kadhimi said that his visit to Iran was aimed at boosting ties.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that Kadhimis visit to Iran was in line with expanding foreign ties.

In an interview with Iraqi News Agency, Abadi said that the objective behind the visit was benefiting Iraq and using depth of its history and civilization to boost its foreign relations, ISNA reported on Monday.

He also said that Iraq is very important for Iran in countering the sanctions.

The former prime minister said Iraq is like air way for Iran.

NA/PA

More:
Rouhani highlights need to expand relations with Iraq - Tehran Times

Situation Overview

Whilst movement trends in Iraq have generally remained stable since early 2018, there has been a considerable shift since August 2019 with increasing numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their area of origin (AoO) or being displaced for a second time. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM)s Emergency Displacement Tracking recorded over 9,600 households being displaced or returned to non-camp locations between 29 February and 15 June 2020, only 3% of which were recorded in Al Kaim district (representing 41% for Al Anbar governorate).

There have been concerns in the humanitarian and development community over the principled character and durability of new returns and potential consequences for humanitarian needs and social cohesion in areas to which families have returned or been secondarily displaced.

Al Rummaneh

Al Rummaneh is a sub-district of Al Kaim district, located on the north side of the Euphrates in western Al Anbar governorate, on the Iraq-Syria border.

KIs reported that Al Rummaneh town was housing over 3,600 families before 2014, mostly Sunni Muslim Arab population. The sub-district fell under the control of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in June 2014 forcing over 2,500 families to flee their homes, as reported by key informants (KIs) during data collection. However, since Al Rummaneh was retaken in November 2017, most residents displaced in 2014 have reportedly returned. At the time of data collection, an estimated total of 718 families were reported to remain in displacement.

Population Profile

3,360-3,945families were reported by KIs to be residing in Al Rummaneh before the events in 2014.

65-70%of the pre-2014 population in Al Rummaneh settlements displaced in 2014, as reported by KIs.

81-85%of the population displaced in 2014 have returned, as reported by KIs.

11-20IDP families are reported by KIs to reside in Al Rummaneh settlements (not specified area of origin).

Excerpt from:
Rapid Assessment on Returns and Durable Solutions, Al Rummaneh Sub-district - Al Kaim District - Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq, June 2020 - Iraq -...

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, July 28

The Gurugram drug control department has busted a drug-smuggling cartel that not just hoarded Covid treatment medicines, but was to smuggle these to Iraq in an upcoming Vande Bharat flight.

Three foreigners, including two Iraqi men and an Uzbek woman, all working as translators, were nabbed from Sector 47 along with Remdesivir (48 vials), Fabiflu (55 strips) and Lopikast (18 packs) drugs.

Remdesivir costs Rs 5,400 per vial here and is reportedly sold for around Rs 1 lakh in Iraq. Similarly, Fabiflu strip is priced Rs 2,500 in India and sells for Rs 8,000 in Iraq. Lopikast vial costs Rs 3,990 here and goes for around Rs 15,000 in Iraq. The seizure has also brought thecitys Covid hospitals under scanner as drugs like Remdesivir are directly provided to hospitals by the manufacturing company after verifying patient details. The local drug department too is provided with a daily-dispensing report of these drugs. The police are probing whether any hospital helped the accused in procuring the drugs.

We got a tip-off and busted the racket. The accused procured the drugs at MRP from Gurugram and wanted to send these to Iraq, said Gurugram Drug Controller Amandeep Chauhan.

Sources said the cartel had somehow procured the traveller list of the forthcoming flight schedule for Iraq and planned to send the medicines in small batches with Iraqi nationals.

State Drug Controller Narender Ahuja said all district departments were on alert over black-marketing attempts of Covid drugs in Haryana. We have arranged direct company-to-hospital supply chains to stop black-marketing. Errants would face the music, he said.

Remdesivir sells for Rs 1L

Read more from the original source:
Bid to smuggle Covid drugs to Iraq, 3 held - The Tribune India

A second former executive of Monaco-based consultancy Unaoil has been jailed in the UK for his role in a multi-million-dollar bribery plot to secure oil infrastructure contracts in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Stephen Whiteley, 65, was jailed for three years on Thursday after being found guilty by a jury of paying bribes of more than $500,000 (Dh1.8 million) to secure a $55 million contract to build offshore moorings in the Arabian Gulf to allow tankers to load oil.

Whiteley, a former Unaoil territory manager for Iraq, and fellow ex-executive Ziad Akle, who was jailed for five years last week, said they plan to appeal against their convictions.

Unaoil acted as the middle-man for well-known companies vying for lucrative work after the chaos of the US-led war

The flagrant greed and callous criminality exhibited by these men undermines the reputation and integrity of British business on the international stage, said Lisa Osofsky, the head of the Serious Fraud Office, which investigated the case for four years. We will not cease in our mission to bring such people to justice.

A third Unaoil executive, Basil Al Jarah, pleaded guilty last year to paying bribes of more than $6m and will be sentenced in October.

British brothers Cyrus and Saman Ahsani who ran Unaoil struck a deal with prosecutors in the US where they last year admitted conspiring with companies to make corrupt payments of millions of dollars over 17 years from 1999 to government officials in nine countries.

Updated: July 31, 2020 03:19 PM

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Second former Unaoil executive jailed over Iraq contract bribe - The National

Thursday, July 30th 2020, 7:19 pm - The hot temperatures that were recently observed in Iraq were within one degree of an international record.

The Middle East has recently faced scorching temperatures as a heat dome sits over the region. The extreme weather is forcing millions indoors, straining electricity grids and breaking new temperature records.

Baghdad, Iraq reached a blistering 51.8C during the afternoon on July 28, which shattered its previous record high of 51C set on July 30, 2015. Little relief followed on July 29 when the city reached 51.1C, its second-highest temperature ever recorded.

Southeastern regions in Iraq saw even hotter temperatures on July 30 when weather stations in both Amara and Al Basrah peaked at 53.0C. Iraqs national temperature record is 53.8C, which was set in Basra in 2016, and is still the nations hottest temperature ever recorded.

The intense heat wave has also set record-breaking temperatures in other regions of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton says that the sweltering conditions are courtesy of heat dome, which is a ridge of high pressure that has been stagnant over the Middle East.

The upper level atmosphere has created a sinking flow that has trapped hot air near the Earths surface underneath this dome.' High pressure systems also prevent cloud formation, which has allowed for clear skies and relentless sunshine in Iraq and resulted in unbelievably hot conditions.

The temperatures that were recently observed in Iraq were less than one degree shy from global records. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says that the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth are 53.9C ( 0.1C margin of uncertainty) in Mitribah, Kuwait on July 21, 2016 and 53.7C ( 0.4C) in Turbat, Pakistan on May 28, 2017.

Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California reached 56.7C on July,10 1913, but weather historians have questioned the accuracy of old temperature records and the meteorological technology that was used over a century ago.

Continue reading here:
Several cities in Iraq reach 53C amid intense heat wave - The Weather Network