Page 10 - Al-Rashed Newsletter Nov19

IRAQ MUSINGS
IRAQ NEWS

Iraq protests: Security forces open fire on protesters
Iraqi security forces have opened fire on protesters in southern Iraq, killing at least
five people, amid ongoing anti-government demonstrations. At least two people died
and some 50 others were injured near the Gulf port city of Basra on Sunday.Late on
Saturday, at least three protesters were killed and more than 40 others injured in
Nasiriya.Since the violence began in October, more than 300 people have died and
thousands more have been injured.

Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port reopens for trade after security forces disperse
protesters
Iraq’s primary sea freight gateway, Umm Qasr Port near Basra, has been reopened
after security forces in the country dispersed protesters who had blockaded the
harbour, reports Reuters.Security forces reopened the entrance to Iraq’s main port,
Umm Qasr, which protesters had blocked since Monday, port sources said. Normal
operations had not yet resumed.At least 330 people have been killed since the start
of mass unrest in Baghdad and southern Iraq in early October, the largest
demonstrations since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.Protesters are demanding
structural reforms to the country’s economy, which they see as corrupt and
unequal.Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port shutdown over the weekend by protesters. They had
previously blocked Umm Qasr from Oct. 29-Nov. 9, apart from a brief resumption of
operations for three days. It receives imports of grain, vegetable oils and sugar
shipments that feed a country largely dependent on imported food.

Iraqi Children Born Near U.S. Military Base Show Elevated Rates Of “Serious
Congenital Deformities,” Study Finds
MORE THAN A decade and a half after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, a new
study found that babies are being born today with gruesome birth defects
connected to the ongoing American military presence there. The report, issued by a
team of independent medical researchers and published in the journal
"IF OPPORTUNITY
Environmental Pollution, examined congenital anomalies recorded in Iraqi babies
DOESN'T KNOCK, born near Tallil Air Base, a base operated by the U.S.-led foreign military coalition.
BUILD A DOOR." According to the study, babies showing severe birth defects — including
neurological problems, congenital heart disease, and paralyzed or missing limbs —
-MILTON BERLE also had corresponding elevated levels of a radioactive compound known as
thorium in their bodies.

Source: Logistics Middle East, The Intercept, BBC