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Iraqi protesters regroup after bloody crackdown

Thousands of defiant Iraqi protesters regrouped on Friday across the country's south, the morning after nearly 45 protesters were killed in one of the bloodiest days of anti-government rallies yet.
Thursday's violence marked a dangerous new turn for the anti-government movement rocking the country for nearly two months, as men dressed in civilian clothes shot at demonstrators and tribal fighters deployed in the streets in their defense.
Nearly 400 people have died and some 15,000 have been wounded since the protests erupted in Iraq's capital and Shiite-majority south on October 1 against a government accused of corruption and inefficiency.
The demonstrations have been the bloodiest grassroots protests in strife-torn Iraq in the decade and the single bloodiest days was Thursday, when 44 were killed and nearly 1,000 wounded, most of them across the south, according to medics and rights groups.
The bulk of the dead, 26, fell in the southern protest hotspot of Nasiriyah, and thousands hit the streets to mourn them on Friday.
Large crowds also gathered in the city's main squares to demand the government step down, and others used burning tires to block highways leading north.
Three protesters were wounded in confrontations outside Nasiryah's main police headquarters, according to medics.
In Baghdad, where two demonstrators died on Thursday, protesters dug into their main camp at Tahrir (Liberation) Square despite skirmishes with security forces.
And in the shrine city of Najaf, a massive funeral procession wound its way through the streets carrying coffins of some of the 16 people who were killed there the previous day.
Many expected Iraq's highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani who lives in Najaf, to address the violence in his weekly sermon on Friday.
The 89-year-old cleric, never seen in public, has backed the protests and repeatedly called for restraint in dealing with them.
The new unrest in Iraq's south was unleashed after protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in Najaf late on Wednesday, accusing the neighboring country of propping up Iraq's government.
Tehran demanded Iraq take decisive action against the protesters, saying it was "disgusted" with developments.
In response, Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi ordered military chiefs to deploy in several provinces to "impose security and restore order" -- but chaos reigned instead.
As the death toll climbed late into the evening, the premier sacked the commander he had dispatched to Nasiriyah and the governor based in the city resigned.
Police officers speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP they had received orders on Thursday to "finish off" the rallies but the disastrous developments in Nasiriyah put a halt to those plans.
The violence was condemned worldwide, with Amnesty International denouncing a "bloodbath" in Nasiriyah.
"The scenes from Nasiriyah this morning (Thursday) more closely resemble a war zone than city streets and bridges," said Lynn Maalouf of the London-based rights group.
Baghdad and the south have been rocked by the most widespread street unrest since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Protesters are seeking an overhaul of the ruling elite, accused of corruption and embezzling state funds in a country scarred by decades of conflict and where infrastructure is failing.
Iraq is OPEC's second-largest crude producer but one in five Iraqis lives in poverty and youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, according to the World Bank.
Demonstrators have also called out Iraq's large eastern neighbor Iran, accusing it of political, economic and military overreach.
The two countries have close but complex ties and Tehran holds significant sway among Iraqi political and military leaders.
Top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani has held several meetings in Baghdad and Najaf to convince political factions to close ranks around Abdel Mahdi.
Those meetings, sources told AFP, brought firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr back into the fold after he called on the embattled premier to resign.
Thursday Sadr said it would "be the beginning of the end for Iraq" if the government did not step down.
source: AFP
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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