Iraq only producing one third of its
electricity needs
Azzaman reports (August 28th):
Iraq’s national grid churns about one third the country’s needs for electricity
estimated at nearly 15000 megawatts, the Ministry of Electricity said in a
statement.
The ministry said Iraq’s current power
output was estimated at 5852 megawatts but output was not steady due to
unexpected interruptions.
The current level of production,
despite investments of billions of dollars, still hovers at rates that were
available to Iraqis prior to the 2003-U.S. invasion, and despite the fact that
the country then was reeling under punitive U.N. trade sanctions.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/?p=295
Still no clear policy to tackle
displacement
IRIN reports (September 4th):
A dusty settlement on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Al-Rustumiya
is more a collection of rags, rubble and garbage than a neighbourhood - and yet
its residents wish for no more than to be able to stay here.
Squatting illegally on government
land, they are under constant threat of eviction, but say they cannot return to
their places of origin.
"You can't just leave us in this
instability," Abu Ahmed, a representative of the settlement, told a
delegation from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which visited the settlement in
July. "We don't want anything from you - just stability." The most
important thing, he said, was permanent housing - "anywhere".
Iraq forces raid Baghdad nightclubs
AFP report (September 5th):
Owners and employees at Baghdad nightclubs and bars voiced frustration after
their establishments were raided by troops who allegedly beat customers and
staff.
The raids, the first of their kind in
several months, come as the Iraqi capital takes tentative steps to emerge from
years of conflict and violence, with a limited nightlife having slowly
returned.
Army special forces carried out raids
of venues serving alcohol at around 8:00 pm "at dozens of nightclubs in Karrada and
Arasat, and beat up customers with the butts of their guns and batons,"
said an interior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Young Iraqis face religious fashion
crackdown
AP report (September 3rd):
For much of Iraq’s youth, sporting blingy makeup, slicked-up hair and skintight
jeans is just part of living the teenage dream. But for their elders, it’s a
nightmare.
A new culture rift is emerging in
Iraq, as young women replace shapeless cover-ups with ankle-baring skirts and
tight blouses, while men strut around in revealing slacks and spiky haircuts.
The relatively skimpy styles have prompted Islamic clerics in at least two Iraqi
cities to mobilize the “fashion police” in the name of protecting religious
values.
Some women have been handed tissues
at Kazimiyah checkpoints and told to wipe off their makeup before entering the
market, said resident Hakima Mahdi, 59.
Iraq reports looting of 37000
artifacts from southern province
Azzaman reports (September 5th):
The southern Iraqi Province of Dhiqar, Iraq’s richest in Mesopotamian
artifacts, has reported the looting of nearly 37000 archaeological pieces from
ancient sites within its demonstrative borders, according to the Antiquities Department.
No comments:
Post a Comment