Latest news with #Najaf
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Iraq in advanced talks with Saudi's ACWA Power and UAE's Masdar for solar plants
Iraq's Ministry of Electricity announced on Thursday that it is close to finalising agreements with Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power and the UAE's Masdar to build solar power stations across the country. Speaking to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), ministry spokesperson Ahmed Musa said discussions are advancing with ACWA Power for a 1,000-megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Najafm and with Masdar to develop four solar power plants with a combined capacity of 1,000 MW. In March, Iraq started construction of its largest solar power project - the 1,000 MW Basra Sun. Musa said the talks are part of Iraq's broader strategy to diversify its energy sources and reduce dependency on imported gas, adding that the the OPEC member's power sector is currently facing a 4,000 MW deficit due to reduced gas imports from Iran, which resulted in the shutdown of several power generation units. Musa disclosed that 93 percent of the electricity interconnection project with GCCIA has been completed, and connections with Jordan and Turkey are already contributing to Iraq's grid. At the start of May, Iraq's Wasit province issued a tender for 3,000 MW of renewable energy projects. Prior to that, in April, the Iraqi government signed an agreement with US-based UGT Renewables for the development of a 3,000 MW solar power project coupled with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) providing 500 megawatt-hours (MWh). (Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
The National
25-05-2025
- General
- The National
Iraq's water reserves fall by nearly half
A boy untangles a net as he stands fishing in an almost dried-up stream in Mishkhab, in Najaf province, Iraq, where years of drought have depleted the fauna and flora. All photos: AFP
The Sun
12-05-2025
- The Sun
Animal lover, 50, mauled to death & eaten by his own PET LION just days after buying beast to keep in his garden
A MAN was mauled to death by his pet lion in southern Iraq, just days after bringing the animal home in hopes of taming it in his garden. The victim, 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din, was known locally for keeping lions and other wild animals on his property for years, according to police. 3 3 Mufid Tahir, a spokesperson for local police, told Rudaw news outlet, 'Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately. 'The lion had eaten a large portion of the man's body, and because the lion refused to leave the remains, we were forced to shoot and kill it." According to local TV reports, the victim's neighbour intervened before authorities came, shooting the lion seven times with a Kalashnikov rifle and killing it. Al-Din was immediately taken to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital in Najaf but did not survive due to the severity of his injuries. A clip of the lion lying dead in the garden went viral on social media, sparking outrage over the man's ability to keep the animal in his garden and raising concerns about Iraq's lax rules on private ownership of exotic wildlife. Al-Din had bought the lion to raise and tame it at home, local reports claim. Iraq has long struggled with illegal wildlife trafficking, driven by a strong market demand along with years of weak law enforcement. In the absence of effective regulations, hunters and smugglers continue to capture and trade rare species. Falcons from Iraq's southern plains are among the most sought-after animals, especially due to their value in the Gulf's falconry traditions. In the mountainous and remote areas of the Kurdistan Region, smugglers also target a wide range of species including wild birds, foxes and reptiles. Many of these animals are sold in local markets or trafficked across borders to wealthier buyers in neighbouring countries. But rare and exotic species are also smuggled into Iraq and the Kurdistan Region from other parts of the world. These animals - ranging from African primates to Asian big cats - are sold in black markets or displayed in private collections, often with little regard for animal welfare. Despite Iraq's ratification of the Convention on the Protection of Animals in 2014 - which aims to regulate global wildlife trade - illegal trafficking remains widespread across the country. It comes as zoo worker was killed by a kangaroo after he was reportedly "roughhousing" with it. Eric Slate, who was the brother of the petting zoo's owner, was found beaten up at 5-Star Farm near Loris, South Carolina, according to police. The worker's exact cause of death is still unclear, but the local councilman Dennis DiSabato confirmed a kangaroo was directly involved in the killing. Slate's corpse was discovered just after midnight on Saturday, with the kangaroo still in the same enclosure. South Carolina has some of the most lenient laws in the US when it comes to exotic animal ownership. Unlike many other states that require permits, licenses or ban certain species altogether, South Carolina imposes minimal restrictions. Besides South Carolina, there are only two other states in the US where people can purchase a pet kangaroo without a permit: Wisconsin and West Virginia. In the absence of stricter rules, exotic pet incidents, including escapes and attacks, remain a real possibility.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Man is mauled to death and EATEN by pet lion days after buying the beast to keep in his back garden
A man was mauled to death and eaten by his pet lion just days after buying the beast to keep in his back garden. A resident of Najaf, southern Iraq, was horrifically attacked by the predator before it consumed most of his body on Thursday. 'Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately,' Mufid Tahir, spokesperson for the Najaf Police, told local news site Rudaw. 'The lion had eaten a large portion of the man's body, and because the lion refused to leave the remains, we were forced to shoot and kill it,' he added. The victim, 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din, had reportedly been keeping lions and other wild animals in his garden for several years, according to Tahir. But on Thursday, the predator launched a surprise attack on its trainer before ferociously mauling him to death and devouring him. One of the victim's neighbours reportedly intervened and shot the lion with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing it with seven bullets, as per local TV reports. But by the time the lion was killed, it was too late for al-Din. He was immediately transferred to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital in Najaf but did not survive due to the extent of his injuries. Grisly images showed the man covered in blood as he laid on a hospital bed and an official investigation has also reportedly been opened into the circumstances of the incident. A clip of the dead lion in the garden is also making rounds on social media, raising concerns about how al-Din was able to keep the wild animal on his property. According to local reports, the victim had purchased the lion just days before the tragedy, with the intention of raising and taming it at home. Iraq continues to grapple with rampant illegal wildlife trafficking, a problem exacerbated by years of conflict, weak enforcement, and high demand for rare species. Poachers and smugglers routinely exploit the country's lack of regulation, targeting falcons from the southern plains and birds and foxes from the remote mountains of the Kurdistan Region. Despite signing the Convention on the Protection of Animals in 2014, which aims to curb the global trade in wildlife, Iraq remains a hotspot for both the export of native species and the smuggling in of exotic animals for sale on the black market.
Shafaq News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's National Line Movement sits out upcoming elections
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iraq's National Line Movement announced it will not participate in the upcoming November parliamentary elections, citing what it described as 'a deeply flawed political system resistant to reform.' Speaking at a press conference, Secretary-General Aziz al-Rubaie attributed the boycott to extensive internal consultations and growing concerns that entrenched power structures remain firmly in place two decades after the 2003 political overhaul. 'This is not a retreat from politics. It is a strategic choice to lay the groundwork for a genuine national alternative—one that reflects the public's demands for sovereignty, reform, and accountable governance,' al-Rubaie asserted. He outlined several key reasons behind the decision, pointing to structural barriers that, in the movement's view, continue to erode the integrity of the electoral process: 1- Many political parties still operate with armed wings, distorting democratic competition and turning elections into contests of power rather than ideas. 2- The current legal framework favors established forces, blocking new and independent actors from meaningful participation. 3- Government officials routinely exploit public resources for electoral gain, undermining any sense of fairness. 4- The Independent High Electoral Commission lacks the independence and capacity to guarantee credible elections, and international monitoring remains insufficient and non-binding. 5- Elections have become mechanisms for recycling the same political elites in a closed loop that resists real change. 6- The widespread use of illicit political financing to buy influence continues unchecked, with authorities largely silent. Founded in 2024, the National Line Movement brands itself as a 'civic, reform-oriented force' outside Iraq's traditional Shiite political framework. Though it holds no seats in parliament, the movement seeks to reshape Iraq's political equation through grassroots engagement. It also emphasizes alignment with the principles of the Najaf religious authority, referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as a 'true safeguard of the national civil model.'
