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One minute Stephen Vause was a schoolboy at Raynes Park High School in South London, the next he was out in the dusty deserts of Iraq.

He signed up to join the British Army when he was just when I was 18.

"I had a friend who had joined the Army and I wanted to push myself", he says.

"I loved training. I got to see the world. I went to South Africa on a safari on horseback. I also went to Canada.

READ MORE: 'I found my long-lost relatives in Australia and discovered my great uncle was a brave war hero who died in World War 1'

"I hadnt travelled much, and now I was seeing the world. It broadened my horizons. And I passed my driving test! It was the best time of my life."

Stephen was excited when he was posted to the warzone of Iraq aged 18 in 2005.

He remembers going out on dangerous patrols near Basra, taking cover when sirens went off indicating that danger was near.

At this point, US and British forces were embroiled in a deadly war of attrition as insurgent forces continually harried them with mortar fire and bomb attacks as they sought to secure the province after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

One particular day, Stephen was told to go on guard at the sanger (fortification) and watch out for insurgents.

Suddenly he saw two men coming towards him.

He radioed back to camp and said indirect fire was coming.

He doesn't remember what happened next. He only know he was caught up in a horrific bomb attack.

His life was saved by an RAF helicopter pilot, Michelle Goodman, and her crew, which included medic Michael Day.

They risked their lives and rescued him despite coming under heavy enemy fire.

By the time he was rescued, Stephen was in a coma.

When he woke up he discovered he had suffered horrific injuries.

"The extent of my injuries became clear when I saw a photograph of the head injuries I had suffered. I cant remember how I reacted," he recalls.

"But my injuries from the attack were so severe that my life was in imminent danger. I went to Putney first, then to Headley Court, and a few other places before coming to Royal Star & Garter in Surbiton."

Now 15 years later, he receives 24-hour specialist care at the home in Surbiton.

He is wheelchair bound and uses a tablet to aid his communication.

Aged 34, his recovery still continues.

"Ive had to relearn the basic things that I used to take for granted, like eating and talking," Stephen says.

"I wasnt able to eat for years, but Im making progress. Ive started shaving myself again. Now I can use a tablet.

"Its given me my voice back. I work hard every single day.

"I have had setbacks. But everyone gets setbacks in life, and its how you bounce back and overcome them."

It's clear his sheer determination has kept him going through the dark times.

"Never Give Up. I have that tattooed on my arm," says Stephen.

"Even when youre at your lowest point, keep going. Keep fighting and things will get better. Im living proof of that. I have no regrets joining the Army. It was the best thing I ever did.

"Everyday Im making improvements. Im recovering. My speech is getting better, I can now shave myself. All these improvements Im making are positives for me. I also appreciate life more."

Stephen's family and friends have also kept him going through the trauma and his still in touch with members of his regiment too.

"Family and friends are very important to me. I talk to them a lot, and when its possible, we see each other," he says.

"I served in the 4th Battalion The Rifles, and recently attended the Just Rifles 10th annual charity dinner and dance."

Stephen is so inspirational he recently won the won the Inspiration category at the 2021 Soldiering On Awards.

He won the accolade following a public vote, on October 28 after taking part in a 60-mile virtual cycling challenge from his room.

He virtually cycled from London to Brighton and raised more than 5,000 for charity, supported by Royal Star & Garter staff.

The Soldiering On Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of those who have served their country.

Stephens Help for Heroes fundraising efforts began on Christmas Eve 2020, and were backed by celebrities including Lord Sugar and Jeremy Vine.

The final moments of his exploits on February 1, were captured on film by Royal Star and Garter staff and shared by Lorraine Kelly on her ITV breakfast show.

His Help for Heroes fundraising is not the first time Stephen has demonstrated kindness and generosity.

In 2018, when his sister raised money for Royal Star & Garter by participating in the Tough Mudder challenge, he supported her by undertaking his own challenges, including lifting weights, sit-ups and hand-eye coordination tasks.

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And he introduced the sport of Boccia to the Surbiton home, which he often plays with other residents.

Other finalists in the Inspiration category were Margo Hetherington MBE, Mark Ormrod MBE and Martin Hewitt.

Speaking about his award, Stephen said: Im stunned. I want to thank everyone who voted for me, but I also want to share this award with the other finalists. They all deserved to win.

Royal Star & Garter works closely with Help for Heroes, who have funded a bespoke wheelchair and specialist gym equipment to support Stephens care.

Carol Betteridge OBE, Head of Clinical & Medical Services at Help for Heroes, said: Huge congratulations to Steve for winning such a highly fought category where all the finalists are absolute inspirations.

"Steve fights every day to manage his physical injuries so his fundraising challenge for us was a major undertaking, and he did it with such determination and humour.

"He shows us all the great things you can achieve when you put your mind to it. He is an absolute hero.

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London Iraq war veteran's heroic 15-year battle to overcome bomb blast injuries - My London

A group of Iraqi militias has issued a warning that they were prepared to take up arms against the U.S. military presence in Iraq if U.S. troops stayed in the country past the upcoming year's end deadline for combat operations revealed over the summer by President Joe Biden.

In a statement issued Friday and shared with Newsweek, the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Commission, an umbrella of paramilitary groups aligned with the pro-Iran Axis of Resistance opposed to the U.S. footprint in the region, said its members were "closely monitoring the extent of commitment to the outcomes of the so-called strategic dialogue round" that took place between Washington and Baghdad in July.

The message went on to say that the council "did not believe in the seriousness of the occupation and its commitment" to withdrawing combat troops from Iraq according to the established timeline, but was itself "committed to giving the Iraqi negotiator an opportunity to expel the American occupation from our pure land through diplomatic means."

But since then, the commission said it had "not yet seen any manifestations of withdrawal despite that only 42 days separate us from 12/31/2021."

"On the contrary, we have observed that the brazen American occupation increased its numbers and equipment in its bases in Iraq," the commission said, "and we even heard official and semi-official statements from officials of the American states of evil about their intention not to withdraw from the country under the pretext that there was a request from Baghdad [not] to do so, at a time when we did not see any response or denial from the Iraqi government about these clumsy statements!"

The militia said its forces were prepared to meet such an outcome with action.

"We affirm that the weapons of the honorable resistance, which have been talked about a lot in the past days, and some insisted on embroiling them in recent political rivalries, will be ready to dismember the occupation as soon as the moment comes and the deadline ends after twelve o'clock in the evening of 12/31/2021," the statement said.

The ongoing presence of U.S. troops going on four years after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) has remained a dividing factor in the country, especially as clashes between U.S. troops and Iraqi militias have escalated in recent years. Frictions peaked at the turn of 2019 to 2020 as deadly exchanges culminated in the U.S. slaying of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport.

Shortly after this event, Iraqi lawmakers voted for the expulsion of foreign forces from the country, and Soleimani's successor, Esmail Qaani, has further vowed to push U.S. forces from the region.

Rocket strikes have continued to target U.S. positions and President Joe Biden has twice retaliated, striking sites in both Iraq and neighboring Syria, where Iran-backed groups deployed against ISIS and other jihadis have also targeted U.S. troops tasked with a similar mission.

Domestic politics have also proven an incendiary factor as of late. Last month, the country held its sixth election since the 2003 U.S. invasion that toppled longtime leader Saddam Hussein.

The results saw strong gains for influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and a disappointing turnout for paramilitary blocs whose supporters took to the streets to challenge the vote, leading to clashes with security forces in which at least two demonstrators were killed.

Upon the backdrop of these events, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's residence was targeted by small, explosives-rigged drones earlier this month in an apparent assassination attempt that prompted near-universal condemnation, including from the U.S., Iran and the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Commission. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Those seeking a timely withdrawal of U.S. forces have accused Kadhimi of being soft on Washington, while those critical of Tehran have accused Iran of exerting pressure on the Iraqi leader through the use of its local partners.

The U.S., for its part, has offered no sign it planned to pull out of Iraq completely as it did in Afghanistan in August, and the definition of "combat" forces has remained somewhat unclear as the Pentagon has maintained for years that its presence in the country was solely for training and advising Iraq personnel to fight ISIS.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for the Middle East Dana Stroud reaffirmed the Biden administration's commitment to the December 31 deadline during an interview aired Tuesday by Al Jazeera, but she also said that U.S. troops would continue to support Iraqi forces as long as Baghdad welcomed them in the country.

"We are still committed to advising and assisting the Iraqi forces in their fight, and we'll be there so long as they would like our help," she said.

She also said that "the United States remains absolutely committed to Iraq, the security of Iraq, the sovereignty of Iraq and the ability of Iraqi citizens to live in peace and safety."

On Sunday however, Iraqi member of parliament and the Al-Sadiqoon bloc that represents the powerful, influential Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia Hassan Salem referred to Iraq's resistance elements as the true defender of the nation, even if this bothered rivals such as the U.S., the United Kingdom, Israel and the monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula.

"The Islamic resistance factions are the only guarantee of Iraq's sovereignty," Salem tweeted Sunday, "and they are a thorn in the path of the U.S.-British-Zionist Gulf project that targets the country."

And the following day, as the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Commission published its position, the head of an Iraqi militia targeted twice this year in strikes order by Biden in response to attacks on U.S. military positions doubled down on the warning.

Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada Secretary-General Abu Alaa al-Walai tweeted Friday: "With the approaching hour of decisiveness and a major confrontation, the Islamic Resistance, the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, announces the opening of the door to belonging and volunteering to its ranks and calls on our resistant Iraqi people and the resistance factions to raise the level of readiness in preparation for the decisive and historic confrontation with the American occupation on 12/31/2021 after 12:00 a.m."

More:
Iraq Resistance Warns It's Ready to Expel U.S. by Force at End of Year - Newsweek

Highlights

Iraq flares around 45% of its associated gas

It is in talks with IOCs to develop two non-associated gas fields

Iraq is world's second worst gas flaring country after Russia

Iraq expects to end gas flaring at its oil fields by 2027, as OPEC's second biggest producer seeks help from international oil companies to help capture associated gas production, an oil ministry official told S&P Global Platts Nov. 22.

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"I am optimistic in 2026-2027 gas flaring will end," Ali Hammood, general director of the oil ministry's technical directorate said on the sidelines of the IBBC conference in Dubai.

Iraq is implementing various gas capture projects with the help of IOCs to capture associated gas.

Iraq currently flares nearly 45% of its 2.8 bcf/d of gas production, Hammood said.

These projects currently under development should help reduce the associated gas that is being flared.

Iraq was the world's second-worst flaring country after Russia in 2020, burning some 17.37 Bcm of gas last year, according to the World Bank. Iraq has been the world's second-worst gas-flaring nation since at least 2016, World Bank figures showed.

The oil ministry is also in negotiations with IOCs to develop non-associated gas from two fields, Akkas and Mansuriyah, Hammood said.

Iraq needs to boost gas production because it is under increasing pressure from Washington to wean itself off electricity and gas imports from Iran, which has been subject to US sanctions since 2018.

The US administration has been granting Iraq waivers since 2018 to continue importing Iranian energy.

Intermittent supply of gas and electricity from Iran has led to widespread power shortages in Iraq this summer, when temperatures have soared to 50 C, especially in the south.

Adding to Iran's outage is the difficulty Iraq is facing in paying billions of dollars of dues to sanctions-hit Tehran, complicating Baghdad's ability to settle its arrears without the threat of financial repercussions.

Iraq has struck several agreements with IOCs to capture its gas.

The country signed $27 billion worth of projects with TotalEnergies, including a $2 billion gas gathering project.

The Ar-Ratawi gas gathering network and treatment units will have a capacity of 600 MMcf/d to capture flared gas. The project will also produce 12,000 b/d of condensate and 3,000 mt/d of LPG to be used in the domestic market.

The gas project will help reduce reliance on Iranian imports as well as lower burning of liquid fuels for power generation, which amount to 200,000 b/d, oil minister Ihsan Ismaael said at a press conference Sept. 5. Currently, Iraq pays Iran $8/MMBtu for gas, while the Ar-Ratawi project will deliver gas at a cost of $1.50-$2/MMBtu, the minister said at the time.

State-owned South Gas Co. and Baker Hughes plan to develop a 200 MMcf/d gas recovery project in the south following a three-year delay, the oil minister said Sept. 19.

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Iraq eyes ending gas flaring by 2027, as it courts IOCs to capture associated output - S&P Global

Iraq doesnt plan to normalize ties with Israel in the near future, its Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a security conference in Bahrain over the weekend.

This is a very difficult issue and has to do with many reasons. Of course, I am not here to explain the reasons, but the answer to this question is no, Hussein said.

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Bahrains Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, in contrast, spoke in Manama of his countrys support for its ties with Israel and the Abraham Accords, under which those ties were forged in 2020. Other Abraham Accord countries include the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan.

The Abraham Accords have also been viewed as a regional alliance against Iran. Zayani dismissed that view.

We are not forming a bloc against any country. The Abraham Accords are a path of peace, not only between the two countries. We hope its time that peace will spill over to the whole region. That is the objective, Zayani said.

There are millions of young people in the Middle East who are deprived of education, health and clean water, he said. It is important to explore venues to give those millions of people hope, he explained.

The vision of peace, he said, should include all the countries in the Middle East, including Israel and Iran, he said.

We can live all together in one region. We call this for all, including the Iranians, including the Israelis and all who are in the region, Zayani said.

For regional peace to occur, however, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved, he added.

We say that everywhere, and we advocate it, and we believe in it. We believe that this is the only way to reach a prosperous, safe and secure region, Zayani said.

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Iraq won't be part of the Abraham Accords, FM says - The Jerusalem Post

Issued on: 22/11/2021 - 04:42Modified: 22/11/2021 - 04:40

Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) From the rubble of Iraq's war-ravaged city of Mosul arises the sight of androids gliding back and forth in a restaurant to serve their amused clientele.

"Welcome", "We wish you a good time in our restaurant", "We would be happy to have your opinion on the quality of the service", chime the automated attendants, red eyes blinking out of their shiny blue and white exteriors.

"On television, you see robots and touch-screen tables in the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Japan," said Rami Chkib Abdelrahman, proud owner of the White Fox which opened in June.

"I'm trying to bring these ideas here to Mosul."

The futuristic servers are the result of technology developed in the northern city, erstwhile stronghold of the Islamic State jihadist group.

"We saw the concept on social media in more than one restaurant," said Abdelrahman, a dentist by profession.

Occupied by IS between 2014 and 2017, the northern metropolis of Mosul still bears the scars of war.

But at dinnertime, patrons of the restaurant that is packed every night can escape from the city on a voyage through space.

An astronaut floating across the muralled wall sets the scene and views of Earth and other planets as seen from space give customers the sense of peering out through the portholes of a spaceship.

The ceilings are speckled with glowing constellations.

But the star attractions remain the two androids, sporting a scarf and black beret, shuttling back and forth across the restaurant on rails to deliver orders.

As they approach, smartphones come out and children promptly line up next to them for a souvenir snapshot.

The robots are imported, Abdelrahman explained without giving the source, adding that everything in the restaurant is digital, including the 15 touch-screen tables with built-in menus.

A team from the University of Mosul's department of mechatronics -- integrating several fields of engineering as well as robotics -- was in charge of programming and connected a network and server to the restaurant.

Humans have not been completely replaced by machines.

Four young waiters are busy picking up the dishes from the robots' trays and placing them on the tables.

Having dinner with his wife, Bashar Mahmud was won over. He took a selfie, smiling broadly.

"I've travelled abroad and I've never seen anything like this, not in Turkey, Jordan or Saudi Arabia," exclaimed the 50-year-old blacksmith with a salt-and-pepper beard.

2021 AFP

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Robot waiters take Iraq's Mosulites back to the future - FRANCE 24