Iraq’s parliament on Thursday elected senior Sunni politician Mahmoud Al Mashhadani as its new Speaker, nearly one year after the dismissal of Mohammed Al Halbousi.
After the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Mr Al Mashhadani, 76, a former physician, emerged as one of the most prominent Sunni politicians. In 2004, he was a founding member of the National Dialogue Council, an umbrella group for Sunni parties.
The Islamist legislator took part in drafting Iraq’s constitution. He served as the country’s first speaker after the adoption of the constitution in 2005, starting from 2006 until his resignation in December 2008 amid widespread complaints about perceived erratic behaviour.
Mr Al Halbousi’s removal in November last year created an impasse and divisions among Sunni political factions over the choice of candidates for the post, as well as between the Shiite political factions as they sought to support candidates who would be close to them.
Then, the parliament terminated the membership of Mr Al Halbousi after a ruling by the country’s top court. He was accused by another Sunni politician of forging his signature and date on a resignation letter, prompting a rule by the Federal Supreme Court to remove him.
Under the country's power-sharing system, set up in 2003 to avoid more sectarian conflict after Saddam's regime was toppled in 2003, the post of speaker is held by a Sunni Arab, the President is Kurdish and the Prime Minister a Shiite Arab. But disputes between ethnic blocs often delay appointments to these posts.
Thursday's session was the third attempt to elect a new speaker after two failed sessions in January and May. In the first round of voting, none of the four candidates won the needed 166 votes, while in the second round, Mr Al Mashhadani received 182 votes, winning over Salem Al Issawi, acting speaker Muhsin Al Mandalawi announced.
Mr Al Mashhadani was supported by Mr Al Halbousi and the Shiite political factions, while Mr Al Issawi was backed by some Sunni political parties.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani congratulated Mr Al Mashhadani on his role and the Council of Representatives “for finalising this important constitutional milestone”.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to delivering its service-orientated and developmental programme with the legislation and oversight of the Council of Representatives, Mr Al Sudani said.
He said the government renews its legal and constitutional commitment to supporting the oversight role of the Council of Representatives, which complements the government’s work and reinforces its priorities in battling corruption and implementing reforms.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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Results:
First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15
Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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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
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
