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Congress is urging the administration of US President Joe Biden to enhance engagement with Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government over "a range" of ongoing disputes, while condemning Iran's "blatant violations of Iraqi sovereignty".

Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government's escalating disputes over natural resources have threatened Washington's investment in "supporting a stable, sovereign and democratic Iraq free from malign foreign influence", Michael McCaul, Republican leader of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The natural resources dispute has been exacerbated by infighting among Iraq's political parties, which have failed to form a government since elections in October last year.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi pose for a photo after reviewing the honour guard during a welcome ceremony in Tehran. All photos: EPA

"Meanwhile, the Iraqi people suffer, lacking a government that represents their interests and unable to reap the full benefits of revenues from Iraqs oil, gas and other natural resources," Mr McCaul wrote.

Mr McCaul also called for a "robust" administrative response to Iran's actions in the region, condemning recent missile attacks from Tehran as "blatant violations" of Iraq's sovereignty. In an unprecedented assault in March, Iran attacked the Kurdish regional capital Erbil, appearing to target the US and its allies.

Adding to the sense of instability, anger in Iraq has continued to fester after Baghdad accused Washington's Nato ally Turkey of being behind a July attack in the Kurdish district of Zakho that killed at least nine people.

Mr McCaul's letter on Monday highlighted the more than $12.7 billion in foreign, security and humanitarian aid Washington has sent to Iraq since 2014.

"These investments of taxpayer dollars must be accompanied by a commensurate diplomatic push to urge Iraqs leaders in Baghdad and Erbil to negotiate with each other and make the political decisions necessary to protect Iraqs sovereignty and prosperity to benefit the Iraqi people," Mr McCaul wrote.

The minority leader sent the letter weeks after the US embassy in Baghdad expressed concern over the Kurdish government using violence against demonstrators protesting against unpaid state salaries as well as Turkish incursions into border areas.

Non-profit organisation the World Resource Institute's Fragile State Index ranks Iraq as "extremely vulnerable" to collapse, with a score of 100 out of 120.

A woman inspects damage in a children's room following an overnight attack in Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. All photos by AFP

Updated: August 22, 2022, 11:38 PM

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Biden must engage with Iraq and Kurds to end range of disputes, Congress says - The National

An Iraqi member of parliament yesterday called on the country's auditing and anti-corruption bodies to take legal action to stop an alleged deal between the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and an Israeli company, Al-Sumaria News reported.

Alia Nassif revealed that the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority offered Intel Business, a company that Nassif says has ties with Israel, a business contract through which the company would offer security services for Baghdad International Airport.

The Iraqi legislator claimed that this would give the enemy intelligence access at the Iraqi airport and would result in a breach of the airport's security.

On 26 May Iraq's parliament passed a law criminalising the normalisation of relations with Israel. The law bans all kinds of relations with Israel, including diplomatic, political, military, economic, cultural etc.

It stipulated punitive measures that include imprisonment for encouraging relations with Israel. The law also orders the lifting of immunity, be it political, parliamentary, or judicial, for those who engage in relations with Israel.

READ: More is required for Gaza by the Arab and international community

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Iraq MP calls for stopping deal between Aviation Authority, company with ties to Israel - Middle East Monitor

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Ever since he could remember, Ahmed Shareef dreamed of becoming a soccer player, until a bomb explosion in 2004 hit his hometown in Baghdad, Iraq, during the U.S. invasion of the country, leaving him without his eyesight and a right arm at 7 years old.

I lost my hope and dream to play soccer again, Shareef recalled.

Soon after, he was brought to the United States through a charity called the Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF), a non-profit organization on Staten Island that supports medical treatment, transportation, lodging and rehabilitation in the United States for children around the world who suffer from the violence of war, natural disasters, or have little or no access to medical resources.

Over the years, Shareef said he found himself going back and forth between Baghdad and Staten Island for medical treatment, seeing over 20 doctors. His third visit to Staten Island -- as a teenager --- became his last, after Elissa Montanti, founder of GMRF and a native Staten Islander, made an exception with Shareefs case and became his legal guardian in 2012.

When he came back when he was 9, he started playing a little keyboard that I had. When he came back at 15, I had a bigger keyboard, and before you know it, I hear him playing tunes. I was like Oh my God, Ahmed!, recalled Montanti, whose organization has helped more than 500 children in 56 war-torn countries over the past 25 years.

Growing close throughout Shareefs visitations to the United States, Montanti said she did not want him to have to keep going back and forth, so she asked his mother if he could stay with her, and she agreed.

Hes my hero. Hes my inspiration. Hes an incredible, incredible musician. Hes like my son, Montanti said. We have coffee together every morning, and he always has a smile on his face.

Shareef started living with Montanti in Arrochar and attended Curtis High School as a teenager, where he played the piano, trumpet and drums in the schools jazz band. Now, Shareef plays in a band with Montanti and other musicians at local venues across Staten Island.

I had no future and no life for me in Iraq, Shareef, now 25, recalled. He still lives in Arrochar and added he keeps in touch with his parents and siblings back home.

DREAMS OF PLAYING SOCCER AGAIN

After graduating from Curtis, Shareef continued playing music and doing internships, working toward becoming a music and English teacher.

That was until he read information online in 2019 about U.S. blind soccer.

He recalled wondering at the time, Is this my dream coming back to me?

Right away, he emailed Kevin Brousard, the finance director for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) and three-time world champion blind athlete, about his love of soccer and how he dreamed of playing again.

Brousard welcomed me to the sport, said Shareef.

The USABA began to build its first soccer programming in 2018.

In 2019, Shareef was flown out to San Diego, Calif., by the USABA, where he traveled solo, for his first blind soccer camp.

Ahmed first attended a USABA blind soccer camp in 2019 in San Diego, and he has shown steady improvement in his skills and field awareness since that time, Brousard said. His passion for the game is palpable, and he has served as an outstanding advocate for growing the sport, especially in the New York City area.

In summer 2021, Shareef was invited to another soccer camp in Ohio.

Most recently, in this past July, Shareef attended soccer camp in Charlotte, N.C., where he was immersed in three full days of training, with two on-field sessions each day, alongside other blind athletes and coaches.

We have to shout the word Voy to communicate with other players when we dont have the ball, so we dont run into each other, Shareef said. Its a new thing. Its different than sighted soccer, but its still soccer.

Training a mix of newcomers and experienced athletes throughout the training camps is an important step for the USABA in identifying talented athletes for the first-ever USA Blind Soccer National Team, to be named in October 2022. The first international competition for the inaugural team will be this December in Guatemala at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Central American Championships.

BLIND SOCCER IN THE UNITED STATES

Blind soccer is an eye-opening adaptation to the worlds most popular sport, which was debuted for the first time at the Athens 2004 Paralympics. The sport is now played in over 60 countries, and it is one of the fastest-growing Paralympic sport in the world.

The USABA, a member of the the IBSA (which has governed Blind soccer since 1996), received the highest level of certification from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in 2022 to become the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of blind soccer.

USABA has provided life-changing opportunities for thousands of Americans who are blind and visually impaired, Brousard said. Not only does USABA provide events and programs to keep participants physically fit and healthy, but participants find a great sense of community and camaraderie through their experience.

The USABA will make its Paralympic debut as the host nation for Blind Soccer at the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

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At age 7 he lost eyesight in Iraq bombing. Now, at 25 and living on S.I., he is pursuing dream of playing soc - SILive.com

According to aCentral Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)report on Monday, Egypt's exports to Bahrain hit $450.7 million in 2021, compared to $139.3 million in 2020,an increase of 223.5 percent

On the other hand, Egypts imports from Bahrain in 2021 amounted to $466.5 million, compared to $261.7 million, an increase of 78.2 percent

Trade exchange between Egypt and Bahrain surged 128.7 percent during 2021to reach $917.2 million, up from$401 million in 2020.

The most important commodity groups exported by Egypt to Bahrain during 2021 were books, newspapers and pictures worth $387.1 million;fruits worth $9.3 million;machinery, appliances and electrical equipment worth $9.1 million;mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation worth $7.3 million; and vegetables and herbs worth $6.2 million.

Meanwhile,the most important commodity groups that Egypt imported from Bahrain during 2021 were metal ores worth $296.4 million;aluminum and its products worth $129.2 million;iron and steel worth $21.8 million;plastics and their products worth $4.1 million;and copper and its products worth $3.7 million.

According to CAPMAS, remittances from Egyptian expatriates in Bahrain recorded$104 million during the fiscal year 2020-2021, an 18.5 percent decrease from $127.7 million in compared tothe fiscal year 2020-2021.

Meanwhile, remittances of Bahraini expatriates in Egypt amounted to $1.9 million during the fiscal year 2019-2020compared to $1.8 million during the fiscal year 2020-2021, an increase of 1.2 percent.

Bahraini investments in Egypt amounted to $160.4 million during the fiscal year 2020-2021, compared to $174.6 million during the fiscal year 2019-2020, a decrease of 8.2 percent.

In the case of Jordan, Egypt's exports to the Hashemite Kingdom increasedduring the first quarter of 2022 to $198.9 million, up10.5 percent from the $180 millionrecorded during the same period in 2021.

Egypt's imports from Jordan hit $62.5 millionduring the first quarter of2022, up 51.2 percent from the $41.3 million recorded during the same period a year earlier.

Trade exchange between Egypt and Jordan recorded $361.4 million during the first quarter of 2022, up from $221.3 millionduring the same period of 2021,an increase of 18.1 percent.

The most important commodities that Egypt exported to Jordan during the first quarter of 2022 were mineral fuel, mineral oils and products of their distillation at$56.9 million.

Remittances of Egyptians working in Jordan recorded $774.2 millionduring the fiscal year of 2020-2021, up from $678.5 millionduring the same period of the fiscal year 2019-2020,an increase of 14.1 percent.

The value of Jordanian investments in Egypt was estimated at $56.7 millionduring the fiscal year 2020-2021, down from $58.4 millionduring fiscal year 2019-2020.

CAPMAS also published a report ontrade between Egypt and Iraq.

According to the report, trade exchange between Egypt and Iraq increased 14.1 percentin the first quarter of 2022,recording $147.3 million, up from $129.1 millionin the same period last year.

Egypt's exports to Iraq hit $141.8 millionin the first three months of 2022, up from $124.1 millionin the corresponding period in 2021.

Egypt's imports from Iraq also rose 11.3 percent to record $5.5 millionin the first quarter of 2022, up from $5 millionin 2021.

CAPMAS hadissued a reportearlier on Mondayon theUAE investments in Egypt, which leapfrogged by 169 percent during the first half of Fiscal Year 2021-2022, reaching $1.9 billion, up from $712.6 million during the same period in 2020-2021.

The CAPMAS reports come at the leaders of UAE , Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq visitEgypt to hold a five-country Arab meetingwith President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in New Alamein city, in which they discussed ways to boost bilateralrelations and cooperation among them.

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Egypt's exports to Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq increase during the 1st half of FY 2021-2022 - Economy - Business - Ahram Online

Baghdad, 3 August 2022 - Eight years after facing an atrocious onslaught by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Yazidi community has still not achieved the peace and prosperity it truly deserves.

Thousands of Yazidis are yet to return to their families and loved ones. Their whereabouts remain unknown. Many continue to suffer mental anguish after years of captivity, torture, sexual violence and slavery, as well as profoundly inhumane treatment. Countless others are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of a beloved family member, if not the entire family. Meanwhile, many Yazidis remain displaced from their places of origin. Due to continuing tensions, their ancestral homeland in Sinjar is still deprived of the essential stability needed to rebuild their lives, free of fear and intimidation.

It must be clear that it is everyones responsibility to work relentlessly to ensure that the ongoing plight of the Yazidis ends now, and that every effort is made to provide the people of Sinjar with opportunities for a better future. The State is an umbrella for all, and its authority is the guarantor for every citizen of this country, irrespective of political affiliation, religion, or ethnic group. No Yazidi, nor any other Iraqi, should be a pawn in local or regional power competition.

This is why the Sinjar Agreement must be fully implemented, without further delay. Stable governance and security structures are vital. It will allow the displaced to finally return home, reconstruction efforts to be accelerated, and public service provision to be improved.

The United Nations will continue to promote accountability for ISIL crimes against the Yazidis to reinstate justice for all who have suffered from these heinous crimes. Freedom and justice go hand in hand with peace and development.

We salute the Yazidis resilience in preserving their culture and heritage despite ISIL attempts to erase them, and in spite of the countless challenges the community continues to face. We shall not forget those who were killed, injured or traumatized, nor those who remain missing: the search for them must continue until this painful chapter is closed.

As we commemorate this traumatic page of Iraqi history, we renew our commitment to peace and stability for the Yazidis and the people of Sinjar.

For more information, please contact: Mr. Samir Ghattas, Director of Public Information/SpokespersonUnited Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: ghattass@un.orgor the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org

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UN Iraq on commemoration of 2014 atrocities against Yazidis in Sinjar: peace, development, and accountability key for the community to flourish...