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Philippine National Police chief Ronald Bato Dela Rosa holds an M60 machine gun during a Gun and Ammunition show at a mall in Mandaluyong city, metro Manila, Philippines

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker embrace before the EU-Ukraine summit in Kiev, Ukraine

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US President Donald Trump (R) and First Lady Melania Trump disembark form Air Force One upon arrival at Paris Orly airport on July 13, 2017, beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I

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Iraqis walk on a damaged street in west Mosul a few days after the government's announcement of the liberation of the embattled city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Iraqi boys wash a vehicle in west Mosul a few days after the government's announcement of the liberation of the embattled city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Afghan policeman pour fuel over jerry cans containing confiscated acetic acid before setting it alight on the outskirts of Herat. Some 15,000 liters of acetic acid, often mixed with heroin, were destroyed by counter narcotics police

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Residents stand amid the debris of their homes which were torn down in the evicted area of the Bukit Duri neighbourhood located on the Ciliwung river banks in Jakarta

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Boys play cricket at a parking lot as it rains in Chandigarh, India

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) in Istanbul

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Police from the anti-terror squad participate in an anti-terror performance among Acehnese dancers during a ceremony to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the Indonesian police corps in Banda Aceh

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New Mongolia's president Khaltmaa Battulga takes an oath during his inauguration ceremony in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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US army 1st Division, US air force, US Navy and US Marines, march down the Champs Elysees, with the Arc de Triomphe in the background, in Paris during a rehearsal of the annual Bastille Day military parade

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Participants run ahead of Puerto de San Lorenzo's fighting bulls during the third bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain. Each day at 8:00 am hundreds of people race with six bulls, charging along a winding, 848.6-metre (more than half a mile) course through narrow streets to the city's bull ring, where the animals are killed in a bullfight or corrida, during this festival, immortalised in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises" and dating back to medieval times and also featuring religious processions, folk dancing, concerts and round-the-clock drinking.

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Iraqi women, who fled the fighting between government forces and Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in the Old City of Mosul, cry as they stand in the city's western industrial district awaiting to be relocated

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US President Donald Trump arrives for another working session during the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany

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People climb up on a roof to get a view during riots in Hamburg, northern Germany, where leaders of the world's top economies gather for a G20 summit

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A military helicopter rescues people trapped on the roof of the Ministry of Finance by an intense fire in San Salvador

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Donald Trump arrives to deliver a speech at Krasinski Square in Warsaw, Poland.

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A firefighter conducts rescue operations in an area damaged by heavy rain in Asakura, Japan.

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Anti-capitalism activists protest in Hamburg, where leaders of the worlds top economies will gather for a G20 summit.

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Crowds gather for the start of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.

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A member of the Iraqi security forces runs with his weapon during a fight between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq.

A U.S. MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile is fired during the combined military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea against North Korea at an undisclosed location in South Korea

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un looks on during the test-fire of inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-14

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony following the talks at the Kremlin

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Belarussian servicemen march during a military parade as part of celebrations marking the Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus

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Ambulance cars and fire engines are seen near the site where a coach burst into flames after colliding with a lorry on a motorway near Muenchberg, Germany

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Protesters demonstrating against the upcoming G20 economic summit ride boats on Inner Alster lake during a protest march in Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg will host the upcoming G20 summit and is expecting heavy protests throughout.

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Protesters carry a large image of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo as they march during the annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. Thousands joined an annual protest march in Hong Kong, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his visit to the city by warning against challenges to Beijing's sovereignty.

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Jockey Andrea Coghe of "Selva" (Forest) parish rides his horse during the first practice for the Palio Horse Race in Siena, Italy June 30, 2017

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A man takes pictures with a phone with a Union Flag casing after Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) inspected troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison as part of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 30, 2017

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A protester against U.S. President Donald Trump's limited travel ban, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, holds a sign next to protesters supporting the ban, in New York City, U.S., June 29, 2017

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Israeli Air Force Efroni T-6 Texan II planes perform at an air show during the graduation of new cadet pilots at Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva

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A woman gestures next to people spraying insecticide on a vehicle during a mosquito-control operation led by Ivory Coast's National Public and Health Institute in Bingerville, near Abidjan where several cases of dengue fever were reported

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An aerial view shows women swimming in the Yenisei River on a hot summer day, with the air temperature at about 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit), outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, June 28, 2017

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A Libyan coast guardsman watches over as illegal immigrants arrive to land in a dinghy during the rescue of 147 people who attempted to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the capital Tripoli, on June 27, 2017. More than 8,000 migrants have been rescued in waters off Libya during the past 48 hours in difficult weather conditions, Italy's coastguard said on June 27, 2017

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Investigators work at the scene of a car bomb explosion which killed Maxim Shapoval, a high-ranking official involved in military intelligence, in Kiev, Ukraine, June 27, 2017

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A man leaves after voting in the Mongolian presidential election at the Erdene Sum Ger (Yurt) polling station in Tuul Valley. Mongolians cast ballots on June 26 to choose between a horse breeder, a judoka and a feng shui master in a presidential election rife with corruption scandals and nationalist rhetoric

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People attend Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a play ground in the suburb of Sale, Morocco

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A plain-clothes police officer kicks a member of a group of LGBT rights activist as Turkish police prevent them from going ahead with a Gay Pride annual parade on 25 June 2017 in Istanbul, a day after it was banned by the city governor's office.

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Pakistan army soldiers stands guard while rescue workers examine the site of an oil tanker explosion at a highway near Bahawalpur, Pakistan. An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than one hundred people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel, an official said.

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Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a landslide that occurred in Xinmo Village, Mao County, Sichuan province, China

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Student activists shout anti martial law slogans during a protest in Manila on June 23, 2017

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A diver performs from the Pont Alexandre III bridge into the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017 as Paris transforms into a giant Olympic park to celebrate International Olympic Days with a variety of sporting events for the public across the city during two days as the city bids to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

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Debris and smoke are seen after an OV-10 Bronco aircraft released a bomb, during an airstrike, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who have taken over parts of Marawi city, Philippines June 23, 2017

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) stands under pouring rain during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Nazi German invasion, by the Kremlin walls in Moscow, on June 22, 2017

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Smoke rises following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on June 22, 2017

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Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 22, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group

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Girls stand in monsoon rains beside an open laundry in New Delhi, India

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People take part in the 15th annual Times Square yoga event celebrating the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, during classes in the middle of Times Square in New York. The event marked the international day of yoga.

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Faroe Islanders turn the sea red after slaughtering hundreds of whales as part of annual tradition

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Don't underestimate Iraq's historic victory against Isis though the human cost was great - The Independent

Over the next seven years, Iraq will need Iranian natural gas supplies to feed its power-generation plants, because domestic gas output will not be enough, Iraqs Minister of Electricity, Qasim Al-Fahdawi, has said.

New stations are entering into service soon, hence the countrys need for gas imports, Iraqi News quoted Al-Fahdawi as saying.

Natural gas output from Iraqs southern fields in the Basra province will not be enough to meet the demand for powering electricity generation, according to the minister.

However, Iraqs need for gas imports could lessen in the future, after planned fields for producing non-associated gas come on stream, such as Siba, Mansouriya, and Western Anbar, the Iraqi minister said.

Last month, Iran finally started exporting natural gas to its neighbor Iraq, after a four-year delay due to the challenging security situation in war-torn Iraq. The exports have started at a daily rate of 7 million cu m, according to a deputy oil minister who spoke to IRNA, as quoted byReuters, but should reach 35 million cu m at an unspecified point in the future.

The gas will be supplied under two contractsone for exports to Baghdad power plants, and the other to Basra. Iran already supplies electricity to its energy-hungry neighbor.

Iran, for its part, signed earlier this month its first Iranian Petroleum Contract (IPC) with a Western major since most sanctions on Iran were lifted. Frances energy major Total SA signed a contract to develop phase 11 of the South Pars gas field in Iranthe worlds biggest gas field. Phase 11 of the South Pars (SP11) project will have a production capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day or 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensate. The gas produced from the project will supply the Iranian domestic market starting in 2021, Total said on July 3.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Read the original here:
Iraq Will Need Iranian Gas For Power Generation - OilPrice.com

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Posted July 14, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) To understand the current situation in Iraq the evolving and complex conflicts there, and the fear and resilience of its Christians one has to understand its past, which is often ignored or unknown in the West, said a former papal representative to the country.

History is itself a victory over ignorance, marginalization and intolerance; it is a call for respect and to not repeat the mistakes of the past, said Cardinal Fernando Filoni in his book, The Church in Iraq.

(See a related video.)

The book is also a testimonial to the victims of the Islamic terrorism of ISIS, he told the Christians and non-Christians he met when Pope Francis sent him as his personal representative to encounter and pray with these shaken communities that fled the Islamic State.

That brief visit in 2014 was a homecoming of sorts.

The Italian cardinal, now 71, lived in Iraq during a time of great tension and turmoil. St. John Paul II made him the apostolic nuncio the popes diplomatic representative to Iraq and Jordan in January 2001. Several months later, after 9/11, the United States administration started building pressure against Iraq, pushing for military action.

St. John Paul firmly opposed military intervention and, despite the fact that he sent peace-seeking missions to Washington and Baghdad, the United States attacked.

Not even the stern warning of the saint-pope could deter President George W. Bush from his purpose, the cardinal wrote. He said the day of the invasion, March 19, 2003, became a very sad day for Iraq and for the whole world.

The nunciature never shut down, not even during the airstrikes and occupation or the ensuing chaos of looting and revenge.

It was during his tenure there in Baghdad, which ended in 2006, that Cardinal Filoni went through the nunciatures archives, which housed a rich history of documentation and letters, detailing the history of the Vaticans diplomatic relations with Iraq and the establishment of an episcopal see in Baghdad in the 16th century.

Naturally, this caught my eye, he said, and the idea for a book emerged there in the wealth of material buried in an archive.

The books chapters take a historical overview of the churchs long presence in Mesopotamia, dating back to the time of St. Thomas the Apostle, and looks at how the expanding early Christian communities there evolved, faced internal divisions and challenges, and still shared their unique gifts.

Looking at the churchs journey in the past also made him realize: This is unknown to us. And so I thought, writing a book that traced, especially for us in the West, the birth, the evolution of this history up to present day could be of service to Christianity in the Middle East, particularly in Mesopotamia, which is suffering because of expulsions, persecution or discrimination.

Published first in Italian in 2015, The Catholic University of America Press is releasing the English edition toward the end of July in the United States and in mid-August in the United Kingdom.

The cardinal spoke to Catholic News Service in Rome during an interview at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, where he has served as prefect since 2011.

The book looks particularly at how minorities and the country as a whole suffered invasions, despots and Western hegemony, and yet tenaciously held on to its cultures and religious identities.

In order to defend their identity within this great sea of Islam, Christians had to withdraw into themselves, keeping their own language, which dates back to the time of Jesus, that is, Aramaic, he said. While, over the centuries, the everyday spoken language developed into different dialects, the liturgy still maintained the original form of ancient Aramaic, he added.

Even though Christians held on to their traditions and culture, they were truly open and didnt ignore the world around them, learning and speaking Arabic, for example, he said.

This kind of everyday contact between Christians and their Muslim neighbors also led to a sharing of ideas, influence and mutual respect on the local level, Cardinal Filoni said.

For example, he recalled when he lived in Baghdad, he visited a church dedicated to Mary in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood.

I was astounded by the fact that the walls of this church were dirty with what looked like handprints smudged everywhere, he said.

When he asked church members, Why dont you clean this? They said No! Because these are the signs of the Muslim women who come to pray to Mary, mother of Jesus, and as a sign of their prayer, they leave an imprint of their hand.'

Since Mary is revered by Muslims, he said many expectant mothers visit this church to pray to her for protection.

This influence, for example of Mary, in peoples daily lives and similar devotions to prayer, fasting and charity, fostered closer relationships, mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Muslims, he said.

A modern Iraq, full of history, of possibility and responsibility not least because of its huge oil resources, which continue to be a source of discord, jealousy, envy, and oppression should be defended, helped, and supported more than ever, the cardinal concludes in his book.

While the primary responsibility for allowing Muslim, Christian and other minorities to return to their country and help build its future belongs to Iraqs three largest communities Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds the rest of the world is also in some way responsible for this crisis, he told CNS.

We all have to assume responsibility to rebuild, which is very difficult, because once people emigrate, they very rarely go back, he said. But if we can still preserve the coexistence of these even small communities (that remain), this will benefit peace, which is essential so that Christians dont keep leaving behind this ancient land so rich in culture, tradition and history.

Read the original post:
Cardinal hopes church's history of survival in Iraq will help its future - CatholicPhilly.com

Alexander was waiting when James White stepped off the bus at Haymarket Park on Thursday completing his long journey home from Iraq.

"I've Waited All My Life to Meet You," read the sign attached to Alexander as he rested in the arms of his mother, Sara White.

Alexander was born April 25 while his father and about 90 other Nebraska National Guard soldiers were in the midst of their nine-month deployment in Iraq playing a hand in the dramatic, and perhaps historic, victory that finally drove Islamic State forces from the battered city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

So, what do you think, James?

Edward, 7, and William, 4, make a family of five.

"Look There is My Father!" shouted Edward's sign.

As the Omaha couple, both 27, hurried to their seats at the ballpark for a welcome home ceremony, James White said he had a single goal in mind.

"I want to go home," he said.

Capt. Steve Preston gets reacquainted with his son Tommy as his wife Amber looks on at a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln on Thursday for about 90 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers, members of the 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post-Operational Detachment, who had met their families for the first time after spending the past nine months deployed in Iraq.

First Lt. Kevin Rose (right) gets help carrying his gear from wife Paula and sons Noah (left) and Caiden (second right) following a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday.

Teagan Quinn, 3, sits between her mother Alisa Quinn and father Sgt. Taylor Quinn, all from Loup City, during a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday, for about 90 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers, members of the 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post-Operational Detachment, who met their families for the first time after spending the last nine months deployed in Iraq.

Gov. Pete Ricketts greets Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers as they get off a bus to a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday.

Captain Steve Preston is greeted by his daughter Emily as he holds his son Tommy at a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday for about 90 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers, members of the 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post-Operational Detachment, who had met their families for the first time after spending the last nine months deployed in Iraq.

Bella Preister of Omaha hugs her father, Major Jeremy Preister, as he steps off a bus for a welcoming ceremony at Haymarket Park on Thursday.

Capt. Steve Preston gets reacquainted with his son Tommy as his wife Amber looks on at a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln on Thursday for about 90 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers, members of the 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post-Operational Detachment, who had met their families for the first time after spending the past nine months deployed in Iraq.

First Lt. Kevin Rose (right) gets help carrying his gear from wife Paula and sons Noah (left) and Caiden (second right) following a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday.

Teagan Quinn, 3, sits between her mother Alisa Quinn and father Sgt. Taylor Quinn, all from Loup City, during a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday, for about 90 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers, members of the 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post-Operational Detachment, who met their families for the first time after spending the last nine months deployed in Iraq.

Gov. Pete Ricketts greets Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers as they get off a bus to a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday.

Captain Steve Preston is greeted by his daughter Emily as he holds his son Tommy at a welcoming ceremony in Lincoln Thursday for about 90 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers, members of the 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post-Operational Detachment, who had met their families for the first time after spending the last nine months deployed in Iraq.

Bella Preister of Omaha hugs her father, Major Jeremy Preister, as he steps off a bus for a welcoming ceremony at Haymarket Park on Thursday.

Life goes on while soldiers are gone, but it isn't all joyous.

Samuel Crane, 22, of Lincoln returned to a changed family dynamic, too.

"We lost his father in the middle of it," his mother, Susan Crane, said. "It was sudden, unexpected."

Samuel returned briefly for the funeral.

His mom and sister Anna, 13, and brother Zachary, 16, were at the ballpark to greet him for this homecoming.

"It felt like it was not as exciting in the house while he was gone," Anna said.

"I'm very, very proud of him," his mother said. "I feel like they really accomplished something."

The Crane family said Samuel already had signaled the first thing he wanted when he got home.

"He said he wanted to take a nap," Anna said.

The return of the Lincoln-based Army National Guard headquarters detachment reduces current Nebraska deployment numbers to about 50 Guard personnel at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and "a handful" of Air National Guard airmen, according to Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska's adjutant general.

The troops who returned Thursday "helped manage the fight" in Mosul, Bohac said.

The 1st Infantry Division Main Command Post Operational Detachment includes specialists in such fields as intelligence, infantry, artillery, aviation, signal, engineering, logistics and chemical, as well as legal affairs, military police, administration and public affairs.

The unit was formed in the spring of 2016 and participated in several major training exercises with active Army counterparts at Fort Riley, Kansas, before being mobilized last August.

The soldiers arrived on buses at Haymarket Park, traveling beneath a huge U.S. flag hoisted atop the ladders of two fire engines and preceded by a motorcycle police escort.

"We're glad to have you back in Nebraska," Gov. Pete Ricketts said in leading the welcoming ceremonies from the field at the ballpark on a cloudy, breezy July day.

"Thank you for the courage to stand up for your country," he said, and for your "willingness to put yourself in a position of danger to fight our enemies."

And speaker after speaker thanked the families, too.

Read the rest here:
'I've Waited All My Life' as Guard members return from Iraq - Lincoln Journal Star

Abu Moussa al-Muhajer, not pictured, has reportedly been killed (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

A British Isis fighter known as the sniper of the caliphate has reportedly been killed in Iraq.

Abu Moussa al-Muhajer is said to have died while patrolling a motorway near the town of Tal Afar, after being shot by unknown gunmen.

Tal Afar is around 50 miles away from Mosul, the former de-facto capital of Isis in Iraq before it was officially liberated earlier this week.

Government forces have now surrounded Tal Afar which remains one of the last areas of Isis control in Iraq.

An anonymous source speaking to Al Sumeira said that Muhajer was attacked alongside an Australian militant, who was wounded.

Abu Moussa al-Muhajer gained his fame from his sharp remote sniping skills, which earned him the sniper of the caliphate title, the source said.

They added that there were around 20 to 30 British nationals fighting for Isis in Tal Afar, some of whom occupy senior positions within the group.

Lt Gen Stephen Townsend, commander of US forces in Iraq, told Military.com that once Mosul is fully secure Tal Afar would be the coalitions next target.

They will then take on Isis in Hawija, in the Kirkuk province north of Baghdad, and in areas of the western Anbar province.

How long it takes, I wouldnt guess, he said. Well be at it til its done.

Original post:
British Isis fighter nicknamed 'sniper of the caliphate' has been 'killed in Iraq' - Metro