Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi on Wednesday hosted a group of children orphaned by war for an iftar meal at his residence in Baghdad.
Decades of war in Iraq orphaned thousands of children and the 2014-2017 war against ISIS deepened the issue.
“On this blessed month, I call on our people to mark it as an occasion for friendship and unity in the viewpoint of our love for Iraq,” Mr Al Kadhimi said on the first day of Ramadan.
“I am confident that the near future will be filled with progress, with work, brotherhood, self-sacrifice, and giving priority to the interests of our Iraq,” he said.
During the holy month, Muslims worldwide abstain from food and drink during daylight hours and break their fast with the iftar evening meal.
According to the Iraqi Children Foundation, the largest charity in the US devoted exclusively to advocacy and support for Iraq's children, more than 800,000 were made orphans as a result of the Iraq War and 1.3 million were displaced after ISIS's occupation of the country.
One in five Iraqi children work to support their families or themselves, and 80 per cent of all Iraqi children experience violence at home or in school, the foundation said.
Iraq is facing another challenge, the coronavirus pandemic. The country last week recorded the highest number of daily cases, more than 8,300 infections.
Official numbers show that 7,972 new coronavirus cases were recorded on Wednesday, raising total nationwide infections to 949,050.
Nearly 14,800 people have died according to official data. A lack of testing means the true number of infections is thought to be much higher.
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
