The UN envoy to Iraq on Tuesday chastised the country's political elite over the failure to form a new government in more than seven months since national elections were held.
Dutch diplomat Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert also warned that the continuing political impasse could spark civil unrest in the country that is still suffering from consequences of decades of war, rampant corruption, fragile security and environmental challenges.
"The streets are about to boil over in Iraq," she told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council, adding that Iraq and the region cannot afford to go back to October 2019, when deadly street protests rocked the country.
The formation of a new government in Iraq is a protracted process. The various political factions are usually mired in negotiations and horse-trading for months.
The "notorious aspects of Iraqi political life are repeating themselves in a seemingly incessant loop of zero-sum politics," Ms Hennis-Plasschaert said in her briefing.
Iraq's political elite have yet to solve a long list of domestic challenges, ranging from post-war reconstruction, climate change and security, to disagreements over how to manage the country's natural resources.
With the country's politicians "content with stale power battles," Ms Hennis-Plasschaert said Iraqis "are waiting for a political class that will roll up its sleeves to make headway on Iraq’s long list of outstanding domestic priorities".
But more than seven months after the country held early elections, "multiple deadlines for the formation of a government have been missed", she said. Ms Hennis-Plasschaert added that political leaders agree to hold negotiations and dialogues, "but the necessary willingness to compromise? It is painfully absent".
"Visit any market and Iraqis will tell you: the national interest is, yet again, taking a back seat to short-sighted considerations of control over resources and power play," she said.
Iraqis, she said, also want “an end to pervasive corruption; factionalism and the pillaging of state institutions; a diversification of the economy; an end to impunity; the reining in of armed groups; and “predictable governance instead of constant crisis management".
Enmity between Shiite populist cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, whose Sadrist Bloc emerged as the clear winner with 73 seats in the 329-seat parliament, and some of his Iran-backed Shiite rivals is the main obstacle to forming the new government.
Mr Al Sadr wants to form a majority government only with the winners among Sunni and Kurdish political parties. This has irritated his rivals from the Iran-backed Co-ordination Framework, who have been delayed forming the government to force Mr Al Sadr to give them a voice.
Ms Hennis-Plasschaert was also sharply critical of the missile and rocket attacks by Turkey and Iran, describing them as “disturbing, disruptive and dangerous”.
She also drew attention to armed groups operating beyond the control of the government, who have been recklessly firing rockets, including at an oil refinery in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, two weeks ago.
"Significant domestic vulnerabilities are being compounded by the ongoing effects of the pandemic and global geopolitical tensions," she said.
"A sincere, collective and urgent will to resolve political differences must now prevail for the country to move forward and to meet the needs of its citizens."
More than seven months after legislative elections, Iraqi institutions are at a standstill over lawmakers' inability to elect a president. It is the president's job to select the largest block in parliament to form a government.
In the interim, the outgoing president, Barham Salih, who had run for re-election, and Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi have been taking care of the day-to-running of the country.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
The years Ramadan fell in May
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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THREE
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Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
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