As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant surged into Iraq in the summer of 2014, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to volunteer to protect their country. From this initiative emerged the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were largely organized by pro-Iran and Iranian-supported militias. On 01 July 2019 Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree that further integrated the Popular Mobilization Forces, which have proven a decisive force in Baghdad's counter-terrorism operations, into the country's armed forces. These changes did not change how these groups operate ...

With tourists confined at home and Stockholmers avoiding crowds, a guide is trying to boost business with tours of the city's previous pandemics, from the black death to cholera outbreaks. On a sunny Saturday, Mike Anderson led a group of history buffs on a 'Plague Walk' through Stockholm's Old Town, pausing by churches and in the shadows of narrow orange and yellow houses that line the streets to point out how the city was marked by pandemics past, according to AFP. "I think it's quite interesting when you take things ...

Lebanese TV presenter Carla Haddad had recently announced her seperation from husband anchor Tony Abou Jaoude. Check out her best looks she shared with her almost 1 million followers on Instagram.

In a country where millions depend on bread as a staple food to survive, both want the wheat grown in the country's northeastern breadbasket region. After successive droughts and eight years of civil war, both the local Kurdish authorities and the Damascus regime are desperate to buy up produce to feed their people and maintain the peace. Kurdish female volunteer guards a wheat field, against threats by jihadists to burn the crops, during harvest season in the countryside east of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province. The regime is offering ...

Mostacita.com clown prepares before taking to the streets to beg for money to survive the crisis caused by the new coronavirus in Villa Nueva, 20 km south Guatemala City, on June 10, 2020. Moreover, city clowns have been unable to work normally amid government coronavirus restrictions. Guatemala has reported 252 deaths and about 7,000 cases of COVID-19 as of June 8, 2020.

The Konyak tribe is an old Indian tribe living in Nagaland, they are believed to older than 80, known for brandishing spears, sporting nose plugs, and wearing necklaces made from dead animals. The tribe is famous because members are used to hack skulls off bodies of rival tribes and proudly display them in the villages to celebrate the killer's achievement, with the number of hunted heads indicating a warrior's power. However, in the 1960s the Konyak tribe converted to Christianity - meaning that as this generation dies, so too will ...

The health sector in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz region is on the verge of collapse due to the siege imposed by the Iran-backed Houthi militias and the shortage of medical staff and medicine, revealed local sources. They told Asharq Al-Awsat that the situation had gotten so dire that some doctors have chosen to leave the province and hospitals are refusing to receive patients amid the outbreak of diseases, including the novel coronavirus. The Taiz health department is suffering from a shortage of medicine and medical supplies at operating public hospitals, especially ...

Palestinians mourned ex-leader of Islamic Jihad group, Ramadan Shalah, who died in hospital, Saturday, 6th June, 2020 after a long illness. Shalah was born in the Gaza Strip in 1958, then he went to Egypt to pursue his study in the field of economics. He created Islamic Jihad group with Palestinian activist Fathi Shqaqi during his study in Egypt. Members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group organized a military parade as a condolence ceremony for the movement's former leader in Gaza city.

Tourism was one of the most affected industries from COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that was forced on most parts of the world. Airports, hotels, resorts and the world’s top touristic cities closed down during the pandemic’s peak, but recently several governments around the world- particularly in Europe- decided to lift the lockdown and open up borders in time not to miss the touristic summer season. Here are 10 European countries that decided to start welcoming tourists despite the fact that COVID-19 risk is still looming.

The clay has dried up, the oven is turned off and the employees no longer turn up for work. Moroccan Artisans have been starved of income for almost three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they are struggling to survive because lifestyles have changed. Foreign tourists have vanished, the lockdown has paralyzed economic life and local customers "have other priorities". The business has been two hundred percent affected by the virus, and it would take at least two or three years to return to normal. The 30 women who ...

Egyptian actor and singer Mohamed Ramadan made his point clear that he is #1 with billions of YouTube views for his music videos, and millions of followers on social media. Check out his most unusual fashion picks.