Mediaboss Marketing

TEHRAN Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi has praised the strong relations between Tehran and Baghdad, saying they are so strong that cannot be broken.

Speaking at a memorial ceremony for the demise of Imam Khomeini, Masjedi said the resistance front is pressing ahead with its plans to strengthen itself.

The resistance front is moving towards strengthening its capabilities in confrontation with the enemies, he said, expressing the Islamic Republic of Iran's pride in its defense of vulnerable Muslims in the world.

He also pointed to the depth of relations between the Iranian and Iraqi peoples, stressing that Iraq and Iran are one soul in two bodies and there is no separation between them.

The Iranian and Iraqi peoples, in times of hardship and difficulties, have always been by each other's side and in defense of the causes of the Islamic world, and no force can separate the two peoples from each other, Masjedi noted, according to Al-Alam.

The Iranian ambassador referred to the role of the late Imam Khomeini in supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people and added, The resistance of the Palestinian people today against the Zionist entity stems from and is inspired by the revolution of Imam Khomeini.

Masjedi stressed that Imam Khomeini's revolution is an uprising for all the oppressed in the world, noting that America failed to break this uprising and that Iran is proud of its defense of all vulnerable Muslims in the world.

He praised the role of the Popular Mobilization Forces and the two martyred commanders, Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis in combating terrorist groups.

He also praised the sacrifices and heroism of the Popular Mobilization Forces and all Iraqi armed forces in the fight against terrorism.

He pointed out that America and its followers sought a lot to eliminate the uprising of the late Imam and the last of them was the former U.S president, Donald Trump, who all went to the dustbin of history.

The Joe Biden administration was forced to negotiate with Tehran because it realized the capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region, Masjedi noted.

For his part, the head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Committee, Faleh al-Fayyad, said that Imam Khomeini's revolution gave a new meaning to humanity in the world.

Al-Fayyad added that Iraq was and still looks with respect and appreciation for the revolution of Imam Khomeini.

He explained that the Iraqis interacted a lot with Imam Khomeini's revolution and the line that the martyr Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr walked, stressing that Imam Khomeini's revolution had a great resonance in the Islamic and Western worlds. He stressed that all free people view the personality of Imam Khomeini as the teacher, pioneer and leader in reviving moral values.

A memorial ceremony has been held in various Iraqi cities in recent days in memory of the passing away of Imam Khomeini and similar ceremonies will be held in the coming days as well.

Visit link:
Iraq and Iran are one soul in two bodies: ambassador - Tehran Times

Cases of the deadly black fungus infection, which is hitting India hard, have been recorded in Iraq, the countrys Health Ministry said on Sunday.

This disease is well-known and has existed for years now, can be easily diagnosed and can be treated, ministry spokesman Saif Al Badr told The National.

We are registering it among other consequences of Covid-19, but we are still seeing limited numbers nationwide.

The country has only registered one death from black fungus in the southern city of Nasiriyah, he said, adding that there may have been a small number of other cases that were not registered.

Black fungus disease, also known as mucormycosis, is being reported to be increasing among patients recovering from Covid-19, mainly in India.

The rare disease, which has a 50 per cent mortality rate, has been linked to the overuse of steroids during the treatment of coronavirus, which can affect the immune system if steroid treatment continues for a long period.

Most vulnerable to the infection are patients with diabetes and those who are immunocompromised. It initially develops in the nasal passages and can later spread into the eyes and brain.

Treatment is often based on surgery, which can involve removing parts of the skull, jaw or even the eyes.

Iraq is still seeing a high number of coronavirus cases with daily numbers ranging from 3,000 to 4,000.

The country registered 3,154 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,221,678, according to Health Ministry figures.

The ministry also reported 30 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 16,518.

Iraq's vaccine rollout began in late March, but it has been faltering, mainly because of vaccine hesitancy among Iraqis.

As of Saturday, only 637,455 Iraqi citizens have been vaccinated. Iraqs population stands at around 40 million people.

Authorities are still imposing a partial lockdown from 9pm to 5am.

India has had about 12,000 cases and more than 300 deaths from black fungus in the past few months, according to the Indian Health Ministry.

Other countries have reportedly recorded many Covid-linked black-fungus cases, including Pakistan and Russia.

On May 25, Bangladesh reported its first death caused by black fungus.

Read the original here:
Iraq records cases of lethal 'black fungus' infection in Covid-19 patients - The National

Iraq has been buffeted by ill-winds over the past 40 years. Wars, sanctions, terrorism and domestic conflict have threatened its stability and the well-being of its citizens.

But by far the most serious long-term threat the country faces is from the potential economic impact and environmental devastation of climate change. According to the UN Environment Programme, Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable country in the world to the consequences of changes in the climate.

Evidence of growing climate risks is all around us. Very high temperatures are becoming more common, drought more frequent, and dust storms more intense. Desertification is affecting 39 per cent of Iraqs territory, and 54 per cent of our land is threatened with the loss of agriculture because of increased salination. Dam building on the headwaters and tributaries of the historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers the lifeblood of our country has reduced water flow, leading to a migration of the salt wedge from the Gulf upstream into the Shatt Al Arab.

These dams are creating growing shortages of water for irrigation, which threatens our agricultural production; access to drinking water in our towns and villages is also at risk. According to Iraqs Minister of Water Resources, our country could face a shortfall of as much as 10.8 billion cubic metres of water annually by 2035.

The irony is that, in looking towards a better future, we must return to our recent green past

The potential human costs of climate changes are immense. Seven million Iraqis have already been affected by drought and the risk of displacement. Based on Iraqs high population growth rate, estimates suggest that the countrys population will grow from 38 million today to 80 million by 2050, heightening the economic and social risks if climate change is left unaddressed.

Confronting climate change must be a national priority for Iraq. And it is imperative that we act now. Our future generations depend on us, and we have a solemn responsibility to meet the challenge.

There is now an urgent need for a national programme to revitalise Mesopotamia and use it as an opportunity to diversify the Iraqi economy; support renewable energy and clean instruments; participate in carbon markets; increase the resilience of vulnerable areas that are exposed to climate changes and to sharp economic reversals; and to provide better and more sustainable living conditions for our citizens.

In January, I ratified our Parliaments decision entering Iraq into the Paris climate agreement, a pact that represents an important opportunity for our planet to collectively confront climate change. Meanwhile, the Cabinet voted in February to invest in solar electricity plants to generate clean energy. Before that, the environment ministry began drafting our Nationally Determined Contributions detailing how we will address climate change in Iraq.

A motorcyclist rides along side the garbage floating on water canal running from the Euphrates River in Karbala, Iraq September 23, 2020. Picture taken September 23, 2020. Reuters

Iraqi youths pose for a picture as women harvest rice in the marshes (ahwar) of the southern district of Chibayish in Dhi Qar province, on September 22, 2020. AFP

An Iraqi Marsh Arab girl paddles her boat at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq April 13, 2019. Reuters

Geese swimming in the marshes of the southern Iraqi district of Chibayish in Dhi Qar province, about 120 kilometres northwest of the southern city of Basra. AFP

An Iraqi Marsh Arab paddles his boat as he collects reeds at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq April 14, 2019. Reuters

Mosul Dam lake, around 50 kilometres north of the Iraqi city of Mosul, April 16, 2019. AFP

A view shows damaged and destroyed houses in the old city of Mosul on the Tigris River in Mosul, Iraq, June 3, 2020. Reuters

A general view of the Mosul Dam, north of Mosul, Iraq, June 15, 2019. Reuters

An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, February 20, 2020. Reuters

The Ilsu Dam separating the newly government built Hasankeyf town and the remains of the ancient town of the same name and its archaeological sites which were flooded as part of the Ilsu Dam project located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. AFP

Iraqi youths dive into the Euphrates river to take a swim and cool off, during increased temperatures in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq July 14, 2020. Reuters

A man sails on the Euphrates river at sunset in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah in the Dhi Qar province, about 360 kms southeast of the capital Baghdad , on December 30, 2020. AFP

We still have much to do. We need to develop a comprehensive set of initiatives to enhance environmental sustainability, conserve our available natural resources and establish a green economy. This requires tangible measures focused on land use, water preservation and energy efficiency as a first step to a more ambitious and longer-term programme.

Ardh Al Sawad and the Garden of Eden. These labels, the oldest known to man, described the plush green and fertile soil of Mesopotamia. Sadly, this land is now becoming barren desert.

The irony is that, in looking towards a better future, we must return to our recent green past. One route is through an extensive national reforestation effort in the south and west of the country, focused on planting palm trees the cultural symbol of Mesopotamia and on restoring forests in the mountain and urban areas of Kurdistan. These will not only serve as a carbon sink; they will also bolster agricultural production and help to protect soil. This reforestation will accord and integrate with the ambitious Saudi initiative for Green Middle East.

Beyond this effort, we should introduce new initiatives to modernise irrigation and water management, update building standards, improve waste disposal and recycling, and capture flared associated gas.

Collectively, these elements will deliver tangible economic benefits over the next decade by creating new jobs in areas such as agriculture, construction and light industry; by fostering the development of new industry in areas such as plastics, construction supplies and food processing; by supporting private-sector activity; by encouraging foreign investment; and by promoting the role of youth in economic development.

Set in the geographic heart of the Middle East, and blessed with a biodiversity of palms, marshes and the mountains of Kurdistan, Iraq also has the potential to bring the countries of the region together. We may differ politically, but we must collaborate to confront climate change. It is a danger that threatens us all. We will need to link our national plans to regional initiatives, and to address our shared environmental and economic threats such as worsening dust storms, water scarcity, rising temperatures, desertification, and the dwindling of our financial resources as demand for oil falls through broad efforts to reduce the cross-border impact of climate change and to administer water jointly and fairly.

Indeed, the issue of water requires a constructive dialogue between Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria based on the principles of joint responsibility, and common efforts to administer water sustainably.

This national programme to revitalise Mesopotamia will require the participation of the entire Iraqi government, its departments and its agencies, and legislative support from the Council of Representatives. Mustering the necessary political will be imperative: ministries will need to be empowered; new specialised institutions will need to be established; and a raft of new laws and regulations will need to be passed. There also needs to be a role for social and civil youth movements.

Iraq will also require the help of its friends in the international community, for technical and planning support, and technology transfer. One of our first tasks will be to co-ordinate with specialised climate agencies to further develop our efforts. We will also look to access Green Funds, private capital markets and international donors to help to finance the investments envisaged.

The time for action is now. We face an arduous task, and there is no time to waste. But addressing climate change also represents an opportunity for Iraq and the region to introduce measures that will leave them on a more solid foundation as they face the challenges of the decades to come.

Barham Salih is President of the Republic of Iraq

Go here to see the original:
Climate fight is key to revitalising Iraq - The National

There are now numerous well-documented examples of wealthy right-wing and libertarian donors using their wealth to transform higher education in their own image. Between 2005 and 2019, for example, the Charles Koch Foundation has spent over $485million at more than 550 universities. As demonstrated by Douglas Beets and others, many of these grants include considerable donor influence over what gets taught and researched and even who gets hired. It should therefore come as no surprise that conservative megadonor Walter Hussman Jr. lobbied hard to deny the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones a tenured professorship at the University of North Carolina journalism school that bears his name. Nor that her offer of tenure, awarded through the normal channels of faculty governance, was ultimately revoked by a far-right board with a long track record of hostility toward academic freedom and faculty autonomy.

The denial of tenure to Hannah-Jones is not an isolated incident, but rather one example of a highly organized, well-funded attack on those academics seeking to research and teach the actual legacy of American racism. This culture war onslaught has included concocting the boogeymen of critical race theory, cultural Marxism, identity politics and other supposed apocalyptic ideas that nihilist leftist academics dreamed up to destroy America and Western civilization. This attack was on full display in Donald Trumps executive order banning implicit bias training and is regularly trotted out in an incessant hand wringing over safe spaces, trigger warnings and campus free speech. It is now enshrined in legislation in Florida, Tennessee and elsewhere preventing the teaching of critical race theory (CRT). By which, I assume -- and doing the rights work for them -- they actually mean critical race studies

Where does this bizarre attack on CRT come from? Most recently it has taken the form of a frontal assault on Hannah-Joness "1619 Project." The Trump administration even established the 1776 Commission to respond to Hannah-Joness claim that slavery must be recognized as central to the nations founding. Published two days before Trump left office, the 1776 Commission report was swiftly condemned as highly inaccurate, incoherent and regurgitating an outdated and false narrative of American exceptionalism.

It might be tempting, therefore, to read this report as merely clumsy revanchist nonsense forced upon society by the Trump administration. However, the 1776 Commission report should also be read as encapsulating the cottage industry among conservative and libertarian think tanks that specializes in stoking culture war outrage against those engaged in the critical study of race.

For example, the 1776 Commission was chaired by Larry Arnn, the executive director of the Aequus Foundation, which gives money to right-wing think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the State Policy Network (which networks Koch-funded think tanks). Arnn also serves as president of Hilldale College, itself funded primarily by right-wing libertarian think tanks.

Another commission member, Thomas K. Lindsay, is currently a fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), which works closely with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to pass bills attacking renewable energy, denying climate change and undermining environmental protections. TPPF is funded by a whos who of Texas polluters, giant utilities and big insurance companies. TPPF has received $4.1million from Koch family foundations, millions in contributions from the Koch networks donor-directed pass-through funds, Donors Capital Fund and DonorsTrust, as well as six-digit donations from the State Policy Network, the Bradley Foundation, Exxon Mobil, the Hartland Institute, the Cato Institute and many other prominent libertarian donors and organizations.

Victor Davis Hanson is a retired California State University, Fresno, classics professor and visiting lecturer at Arnns Hillsdale College. He is also a fellow at the free market Hoover Institution, which receives its funding from right-wing and libertarian donors (including the Sarah Scaife, Olin, Bradley and Shelby Cullom Davis Foundations). He has attended at least one Koch donor summit and serves on the board of the Bradley Foundation.

Charles R. Kesler, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College, is a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute (CI), which states its mission as restoring the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. CI has collaborated with the David Horowitz Freedom Center to host the Dutch Islamophobe Geert Wilders. John C. Eastman -- who wrote the birther essay about Kamala Harriss eligibility to serve as vice president -- is a senior fellow at CI, which receives funding from DonorsTrust, Donors Capital Fund, Bradley Foundation, the Aequus Institute and many other luminaries within the libertarian donor network.

Another commission member, Mike Gonzalez, is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, where he regularly writes about the coercive effects of identity politics and diversity initiatives. His primer on critical race theory accuses CRT of destroying classical liberalism and Western civilization and unleashing the Black Lives Matter insurgency on society. The report is chock-full of concern about postmodernists and a fear that Friedrich Nietzsche, Herbert Marcuse and Joseph Stalin lurk behind every bush. His piece on "The 1619 Project" argues that one should look toward the 1620 Mayflower Compact, which embodies a a new belief-driven American identity (read: white and Christian) and juxtaposes this against Hannah-Joness ugly view of the nations soul.

The Heritage Foundation, where Gonzalez works, is a libertarian think tank created by Paul Weyrich (who also founded ALEC). It receives funding from the Scaife, Olin and Bradley Foundations; Koch family foundations; and others within the libertarian donor network.

Another commission member, Gay Hart Gaines, is a Republican activist who has been a member of various think tanks within the Koch network, including the American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute, and has been chair of the National Review Institute.

The commission also included Ned Ryun, the founder and CEO of American Majority, which works to elect pro-corporate candidates at the state level, and especially in Wisconsin. American Majority is funded by the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation as well as $7.9 million from the Koch networks donor-directed pass-through funds, DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.

While not appearing in the final document, Trump originally announced that the commission would also include Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, who made his career attacking radical leftist academics. He calls universities islands of totalitarianism and claims in his book Campus Battlefield that universities have become leftist echo chambers that reinforce an anti-American, anti-freedom, pro-Marxist worldview. TPUSA receives much of its funding from DonorsTrust and Donor Capital Fund, as well as other libertarian donors within the Koch network, including the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, the Bradley Foundation, the Bradley Impact Fund, the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, the Marcus Foundation and other influential Koch network donors. Kirk also co-founded the now disbanded Falkirk Center (i.e. Falwell + Kirk) at Liberty University, which specialized in ranting about cultural Marxists, critical race theory and other right-wing culture war tropes, including discredited claims of voter fraud.

This raises the obvious question: Why are so many members of the 1776 Commission -- and the anti-CRT onslaught more generally -- so closely tied to Koch network think tanks and political organizations? Answer: because academic, journalistic and movement efforts to critically interrogate the lasting impact of slavery and American racism fundamentally challenge the free market fundamentalist ideology this network has mass-produced for decades. Koch network libertarians have propagated the fantasy that we all do (or should) live in a radically free market, populated by unraced and ungendered free individuals, all pulling ourselves up by our proverbial bootstraps. In this world, individuals are wealthy (or poor) on their own merit (or because governments tried too hard to make everyone equal). The founding myth for plutocratic libertarians -- an American dream on steroids -- is essential in maintaining this deeply ideological, pro-corporate policy agenda. This mythical narrative, however, requires studiously avoiding the fact that the United States is not a radically free market but rather a country founded on both the genocide of Indigenous peoples and the racialized practice of chattel slavery. Starting from the actual historical record, however, makes it impossible to take the libertarian mythology seriously -- a myth created by rich, cis, white males to justify their own economic superiority.

Think tanks and political operations within the plutocratic libertarian network have therefore invested heavily in this culture war position. Because they advocate unpopular policy proposals, corporate libertarians see CRT, "The 1619 Project" and other antiracist intellectual and political movements as posing an existential threat to their governing ideology -- one that depends on an imagined, asocial understanding of unfettered individual liberty. As such, we should not assume that the nonsensical and obscene 1776 Commission report will simply fade under withering critical scrutiny. Nor that Hannah-Jones will ultimately receive fair treatment by the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees. Rather, political actors, with political motivations, and a well-funded infrastructure, are behind this onslaught. As such, having an honest conversation about race in America also requires exposing, and pushing back against, those monied interests that are economically, politically and ideologically opposed to that conversation taking place.

Isaac Kamola is an associate professor of political science at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. His research examines critical globalization studies, the political economy of higher education and African anticolonial theory. He is author of Making the World Global: US Universities and the Production of the Global Imaginary (2019) and co-editor of Politics of African Anticolonial Archive (2017) and The Transnational Politics of Higher Education (2016).

Go here to see the original:
Guest Blog: Where Does the Bizarre Hysteria About 'Critical Race Theory' Come From? Follow the Money! | Just Visiting - Inside Higher Ed

Facebook on Friday announced that it may allow former President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts to be reinstated in January 2023.

At that time, the social media company will reevaluate whether the risk to public safety of allowing Trump back onto its services has receded.

"We will evaluate external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest," the company said in a blog post. "If we determine that there is still a serious risk to public safety, we will extend the restriction for a set period of time and continue to re-evaluate until that risk has receded."

If Trump is allowed back on the service, there will be a strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions that will be triggered if Trump further violates the company's content moderation rules, Facebook said.

This two-year suspension will prevent Trump from using Facebook or Instagram to broadcast to his followers until after the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.

FacebooksuspendedTrump's accounts following the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. The decision was Facebook's most aggressive action against Trump during his four-year term.

Facebook referred the ban to its oversight board a few weeks later,sayingthat given the significance of the suspension, "we think it is important for the board to review it and reach an independent judgment on whether it should be upheld."

Facebook's independent Oversight Board in May decided to uphold the company's choice to suspend Trump's accounts. In its decision, however, the board noted that Facebook needed to reassess how it moderates the speech of political leaders, clearly outline those rules for the public and determine how long is appropriate for these users to be suspended.

The company said it determined that a two-year suspension was the appropriate length to allow a safe period of time after the acts of the Jan. 6 insurrection and it was a significant enough suspension to be a deterrent to Trump and others from repeating the violations in the future.

In a statement issued by his office, Trump criticized Facebook's decision, calling it an insult to his voters and falsely claiming that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

"They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win," Trump said in the statement. "Our Country can't take this abuse anymore!"

Go here to read the rest:
Facebook says Donald Trump to remain banned for two years, effective from Jan. 7 - CNBC