Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi on Tuesday visited Iran and said relations between the two nations would have to be based on non-interference.
“The two countries are facing economic challenges and our people are dependent on us, and this service will not take place without co-operation between Iraq and Iran,” Mr Al Kadhimi said.
“The people of Iraq want good relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of both countries.
“Iraq is a country that won’t allow any aggression or challenge to Iran from its territory.”
It was his first official trip abroad since taking office and he met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The official website of the office of the Iranian presidency released a photo of Mr Rouhani and Mr Al Kadhimi at a welcome ceremony in Tehran.
Both men were wearing face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
At home, Mr Al Kadhimi faces increasing pressure from Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups.
They depict him as siding with the US, because he has indicated he wants to curb the power of Tehran-backed militias and political groups.
In his first two months in office, Iraqi security forces carried out two raids against militias, but most of those arrested were later released.
The US praised the raids.
After his meeting with Mr Al Kadhimi, Mr Khamenei lauded the Iran-backed militias in Iraq, but said Tehran would not interfere in relations between Baghdad and the US, his official website said.
Mr Al Kadhimi postponed a visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday after King Salman was admitted to hospital for tests, but chose to continue the planned trip to Iran.
After their meeting, Mr Rouhani said the visit was “a turning point in relations between the two countries”.
“We remain ready to stand by the Iraqi nation and apply efforts for stability and security in Iraq and the region,” he said.
Mr Rouhani said Iran and Iraq hoped to increase trade between them to $20 billion (Dh73.45bn) a year.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, met Mr Al Kadhimi in Baghdad on Sunday.
On his arrival, Mr Zarif paid a visit to the site where Iranian general Qassem Suleimani was killed, saying “Iran-Iraq relations will not be shaken” despite the general’s death.
Suleimani led Iran’s Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and was the architect of its regional military activities.
A team of Iraqi ministers travelled without Mr Al Kadhimi to Saudi Arabia, closing investment and education deals between the two nations and agreeing to assist one another in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
His advisers sought new avenues for economic co-operation and enhancing Iraq’s potential to be a regional mediator.
The US and Saudi Arabia accept Iraq playing the role of intermediary, said Hisham Daoud, Mr Al Kadhimi’s adviser.
“The Gulf and the Americans want Iraq to have its sovereignty and to them this means distance from Iran,” Mr Daoud said.
Iran, meanwhile, “wants Iraq to be a messenger, but this will not be acceptable to Iraq and to Al Kadhimi”, he said.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fouad Hussein, emphasised Mr Al Kadhimi’s message of independent sovereignty.
Mr Hussein said he and Mr Zarif “stressed that we want balanced relations with all neighbouring countries, based on Iraqi interests, mutual interests and non-interference in internal affairs”.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A Bad Moms Christmas
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Two stars
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The Sky Is Pink
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Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
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Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
