Day: September 1, 2024

The Russian Defense Ministry announced today, Sunday, that air defense systems destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones over the territories of several Russian regions. The ministry said in a statement that last night, Ukrainian attempts to carry out attacks using drones against targets on Russian territory were thwarted. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Minister of Interior, Chairman of the Supreme Security Committee for Securing Million-Person Visits, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, supervised, from inside the headquarters of the Najaf Police Command, the route of visitors heading to the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him), to commemorate the visit of the anniversary of the death of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The media office of Al-Shammari conveyed his directives with a set of recommendations to make this visit a success and work to unify all efforts to provide the best services to visitors and cooperate with the owners of processions and organizations, stressing the follow-up of the implementation of the components of the security plan for commemorating this immortal occasion. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Manama, StartUp Bahrain, the leading platform for startups in the Kingdom of Bahrain, announces the third edition of StartUp Bahrain Weekend, which will be taking place September 19 - 21. Supported by The Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the annual event is aimed at fostering and supporting emerging local businesses and enhancing Bahrain's thriving startup ecosystem. The event's sponsors include Brinc Batelco, IKEA Bahrain, Tap Payments, Calo, General Assembly Middle East, Reboot Coding Institute, Diwan Hub, Spring Studios, Tenmou, The Collective Hub, Etar Productions and Infinigence Consulting. The electrifying 54 - hour marathon brings together over 200 passionate founders, developers, designers, and marketers to create and launch startups from the ground up in a single weekend. This high - energy event is filled with creativity, collaboration, and innovation, as participants compete for cash prizes awarded to the top three teams. Redefining business norms in the Kingdom, StartUp Bahrain Weekend's keynote speaker will be Ahmed Alrawi, the serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder and CEO of Calo, who brings invaluable insights from his trailblazing journey in the startup ecosystem. Additionally, Nathan Minns, a seasoned trainer and facilitator renowned for his global expertise in guiding startup initiatives, returns for the third time to offer mentorship and guidance to participants. This edition's panel of judges includes Husain Haji, Brinc Regional Head of Corporate Innovation; Moayed Almoayed, Partner at Pinnacle Capital; Fajer AlPachachi, Hope Fund's General Manager; Hamad Alfahad, Executive Director and MP of Tajawoz; Zainab Khamis, Head of HP Spring Studios - Bahrain; and Hasan Haider, Founder and Managing Partner of Plus VC. Moreover, the event will include more than 20 Bahraini leaders in the field of entrepreneurship that will assist the participants under the guidance of Rami Jamal, Emad Al Kooheji, Imran Al Aradi, Ahmed Faraj, Ahmed Haji, Noora AlAskar, Lana AlAttar, Abdullah Alrayes, and many others. Ali Hasan , Executive Director of Program Development and Partnerships at Tamkeen, emphasised Tamkeen's commitment to championing entrepreneurship in Bahrain. He said "We are excited for the upcoming StartUp Bahrain Weekend following the success of previous editions. Being part of this event is aligned with our ongoing efforts to support entrepreneurship which include offering designated support and training for aspiring founders and business leaders. Events like StartUp Bahrain Weekend play a vital role in allowing entrepreneurs to showcase their groundbreaking ideas, turning concepts into successful startups, and boosting our local ecosystem." StartUp Bahrain is thrilled to have IKEA as one of their event sponsors, showing its commitment to fostering the Kingdom's dynamic startup scene. Vincent van Herk, the Market Manager at IKEA Bahrain, said, "We are excited to be a part of an event that champions innovation and empowers entrepreneurs to bring their visions to life, positively impacting society. This partnership reflects IKEA's broader mission to support community - driven initiatives and create spaces where creativity and entrepreneurship can thrive." Khaled AlRayyes, General Manager at Calo, stated his excitement to be part of the upcoming edition. "This event showcases Bahrain's vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and it's inspiring to see so many innovative ideas come to life in such a short amount of time. Calo is proud to collaborate with the organizers, to foster the growth of young, aspiring founders and support them on their journeys." Ahmed AlAradi, Managing Director of Tap Payments - Bahrain, expressed his enthusiasm saying: "Tap Payments is delighted to back StartUp Bahrain's Weekend event, showcasing our dedication to support innovation and growth within Bahrain's startup ecosystem and beyond. As a judge in the pitch competition, I'm eager to explore the dynamic ideas our local entrepreneurs will present. Our commitment is to help new businesses not just launch, but truly excel." Leila Rajab, Senior Market ing Manager of General Assembly Middle East, shared her excitement stating, "General Assembly is thrilled to support this event and witness the next wave of innovative youth entrepreneurship and skill development. The enthusiasm and creativity displayed by young entrepreneurs are truly inspiring, and we can't wait to see what new ideas and ventures emerge from this dynamic event." Ali Dairi, Co-Founder of DesignEase and previous StartUp Bahrain Weekend winner, said, "This was an incredibly uplifting experience, and I find myself encouraging everyone to join. The event inspired me in so many ways, particularly in seeing the remarkable talent that Bahrain has to offer." StartUp Bahrain Weekend has been the startup ecosystem's event of the year and will continue to be so, showcasing innovative ideas, engaging discussions, and interactive networking opportunities. For more details and to secure your spot, visit startupbahrain.com/weekend. Source: Bahrain News Agency

The detachments of Baghdad Joint Operations Command arrested 13 accused according to various legal articles in Baghdad. The command stated in a statement: "Our detachments were able to arrest 13 accused, one of whom was caught with (foreign passports) in his possession that he was not authorized to carry, and another impersonating a "journalist", indicating the seizure of two pistols, one rifle, a number of vehicles and motorcycles violating traffic controls, a quantity of narcotic substances and drug use devices, in addition to expired medicines on both sides of Karkh and Rusafa. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Dubai, Dubai Fashion Week (DFW), the city's official fashion week co-founded by Dubai Design District (d3) and the Arab Fashion Council, launches its Spring-Summer 2025 edition on September 2. Kicking off a week-long celebration of season-defining trends and exclusive launches, DFW will reinforce the city's status as a global fashion capital with a spotlight on established and emerging designers from around the world. According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the first three days of the region's definitive fashion showcase will focus on haute couture collections, starting with the designer duo to the stars Rizman Ruzaini on the opening day, followed by exclusive presentations from renowned Spanish designer Adolfo Dominguez on September 2 and homegrown and d3-based fashion icon Keepa on September 3. Masterminded by French Egyptian designer Mariam Yeya, known for her avant-garde approach to fashion and innovative storytelling, Keepa will present the brand's Spring-Summer 2025 collection, Need Therapy, wi th an exclusive short film. Premiering in collaboration with VOX Cinemas, the film highlights the often-ignored realities we face in everyday life, reminding the audience that they are not alone. The haute couture segment of DFW will offer high fashion and personalised shopping experiences curated in partnership with leading retailers. The spotlight will then shift to ready-to-wear collections by over 30 brands from France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Palestine, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, including DFW members and new international and regional names. On September 6, world-famous Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli will close the Spring-Summer 2025 (SS 2025) runway sessions with a luxury collection exclusively edited for DFW. The final day will focus on private appointments and a buyers' market, providing an intimate setting for industry professionals to connect and collaborate. DFW marks a significant milestone with the debut of "La Moda Ital iana: Dubai Edition." Presented in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency, this inaugural event will feature a three-day exhibition from September 1-3, offering buyers and attendees a rare opportunity to explore fine Italian craftsmanship and fashion in a nod to the growing cultural and economic ties between Italy and the UAE. The exhibition will cover a range of fashion categories, with 25 carefully curated Italian brands showcasing clothing, footwear, leather goods, and eyewear. Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Ministry of Education announced the opening of 9 schools as an initial batch out of 61 within the Chinese loan in Diwaniyah Governorate. The Ministry of Education stated in a statement that "the signs of the Iraqi-Chinese agreement began to appear after the opening of nine schools that meet the comprehensive quality standards in Diwaniyah as a first batch out of (61) whose construction will be completed before the end of this year." The statement explained that "this project targets densely populated areas in an initiative to end the crisis of overcrowding in classrooms while providing an ideal environment with the start of the new school year." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Ministry of Planning announced today, Sunday, the launch of the numbering and enumeration phase for the population census, which will last for two months. The ministry stated in a statement, "This phase includes a comprehensive numbering and enumeration of housing, buildings and facilities in all governorates of Iraq, with the participation of more than 30,000 trained and qualified researchers, distributed throughout the country to implement this vital task." The statement added, "During this phase, all housing, buildings and facilities will be visited to number and enumerate them and determine their occupancy, specifications and characteristics in order to prepare the framework for the census phase, which will be implemented on 11-20-2024." It pointed out that "the most prominent features of this stage are: packaging shops and villages and dividing them into small blocks, through which each researcher can number and list all homes, buildings and facilities within the scope of his work responsibility. N umbering buildings: Numbering all residential and non-residential buildings and facilities in a systematic manner that facilitates the process of determining locations and providing various services. Population census: Data will be collected on the number of families and their members, and workers in facilities according to gender, nationality and work sectors. The ministry called on "honorable families and all citizens to cooperate with researchers and provide the required information with complete transparency, because it will benefit everyone and represent a qualitative shift in the census process, to provide accurate data that will contribute to building a better future for Iraq." According to the statement, the General Authority for Statistics and Geographic Information Systems called on "all media outlets to contribute to educating citizens about the importance of the census, and encouraging them to participate effectively in this national project." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Yaoundé, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, met with Tawhid Hossain, the newly appointed Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, on the sidelines of the 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Cameroon. The meeting reviewed Bahraini-Cameroonian relations and discussed means to enhance them. They also addressed regional and international issues of mutual interest. Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Baghdad Crime Control Directorate detachments arrested two suspects wanted under the provisions of Articles (443, 446) for committing thefts in various areas of Baghdad. The directorate stated in a statement: "The arrest took place after forming a joint task force from the detachments of Habibiya Office and Adhamiya Office for Combating Crime, and after the detachments received information about the whereabouts of the accused. It added: "After besieging and raiding the house, they opened fire on the detachments with a rifle and a pistol and threw hand grenades, and they responded in kind, took control of the alley, arrested the accused, seized the rifle and pistol, and legal measures were taken against them to bring them to justice to receive their just punishment. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Manama, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa sent a cable of congratulations to His Excellency Dr. Tô L Sm, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on his country's National Day. Source: Bahrain News Agency