Boris Johnson wins 'most offensive Erdogan poem' competition
The competition was launched by the UK's right-wing Spectator magazine, of which Johnson was formely editor, in response to the Turkish leader's repeated attacks on free speech.
The monarch in Morocco is the head of the state, but, most importantly, he is “the Commander of the Faithful;” amir al-mu’minin, a religious office that gives him a quasi-sacrosanct status. Ordinary people would often criticize his political acts, his worldly decisions in running the affairs of the country, but, hardly, his religious clout or actions. Interestingly enough, his religious status is, even, recognized in many countries in West Africa, who acknowledge his religious title of “Commander of the Faithful,” especially among the Tidjane communities in the Western parts of the continent.
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Baghdad takes Rutba from ISIL: Jordan-Iraq commercial route to reopen
The road from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad has been an economic lifeline for both countries for decades. During the heavy US/UN sanctions of the 1990s, Jordanian truckers and smugglers helped Iraq sidestep the economic boycott. Jordan’s own economy, with few profit centers, benefits from trade with Iraq.
One of the casualties of the rise of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in 2014 in western and northern Iraq was precisely this commerce between Jordan and Iraq. Jordan, overwhelmed with Syrian refugees and struggling economically, is desperate to see the road to Baghdad reopened.
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