Hello everyone. Never thought I’d have to post something like this. But please take time out of your day to read the screen shot below. My cousin Aaron who lives in Texas is missing since Monday. We need all the help we can get. He is an Iraq Veteran. Please pray for my family.
KHOU11 reports that the search has been suspended until the police have some leads to go on.
In Iraq, the protests continue.
Popular protests renewed in Baghdad and the southern governorates of Iraq today (16/2-2020 ), and hundreds of youths and university students gathered at Tahrir Square, in the center of the capital, in response to the burning of tents of protesters by the militias.
A new government has yet to be formed. PRENSA LATINA reports:
Iraq's appointed Prime Minister Mohammad
Allawi reportedly promised this Sunday that he will present in a few
days a government made up of independent political party figures.
Allawi will
submit that cabinet to Parliament for consideration in record time,
while the Constitution gives it up to 30 days to form a government
alignment and that term expires on March 2.
Allawi has been a controversial choice -- adored by some politicians but largely frowned upon by the Iraqi people themselves. Nazli Tarzi (ARAB WEEKLY) explains:
An independent cabinet as promised by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Allawi will test the limits of a political order, surviving by the skin of its teeth.
The constitutional deadline of March 2 grants Allawi a limited window to build consensus among rival parties and gain the trust of a population that flatly rejected him.
Railing against the old guard would transcend modes of appointment that guided previous administrations. Those it has kept comfortably seated in power are unlikely to agree with methods that upset the existing hierarchy.
Cabinet overhaul can succeed if endorsed by parliament but chances of Allawi siding with those who approved his nomination are greater than waging a one-man revolt against the sectarian apportionment system.
Allawi’s proposed independent cabinet may mark a new political showdown, between jostling Shia factions.
Another choice for prime minister has emerged.
- Alaa al-Rikaby, the candidate of the Iraqis as PM https://www.middleeasttribune.com/alaa-al-rikaby-the-candidate-of-the-iraqis-as-pm/ …
Irak: Dans la ville sainte chiite de Kerbala, au sud de Bagdad, des dizaines d'étudiants tenaient à bout de bras des photos d'Alaa al-Rikaby, un pharmacien devenu une figure de la contestation à Nassiriya, fer de lance de la révolte dans le sud du pays.
Groups now support Alaa al-Rikaby, a pharmacist who has emerged as a prominent activist in the protest hotspot of Nasiriyah.
AFP notes:
Hundreds of Iraqis rallied Sunday to support a protest leader they want as prime minister instead of current premier-designate Mohammad Allawi, who they see as too close to the ruling class.
[. . .]
In the shrine city of Karbala, dozens of students took to the streets carrying photos of Alaa al-Rikaby, a pharmacist who has emerged as a prominent activist in the protest hotspot of Nasiriyah, further south. “We're here to show our support for Alaa al-Rikaby, the candidate of the people!" said Seif al-Hasnawy, a 20-year-old student.
Rikaby, who has a round face and closely-trimmed beard, began demonstrating in early October alongside others fed up with rampant corruption, lack of jobs and poor public services.
He has since risen to local fame with a series of videos posted on Twitter to his tens of thousands of followers, discussing politics and a path forward for the otherwise leaderless anti-government movement.
The following sites updated:
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