Zebari: We Started Consultations with Iraqi Political Parties to Form New Governmenthttps://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3243246/zebari-we-started-consultations-iraqi-political-parties-form-new-government
Zebari: We Started Consultations with Iraqi Political Parties to Form New Government
A woman scans her finger to verify her identity before voting at a polling station during the parliamentary election, in Kerbala, Iraq, October 10, 2021. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-deen
Zebari: We Started Consultations with Iraqi Political Parties to Form New Government
A woman scans her finger to verify her identity before voting at a polling station during the parliamentary election, in Kerbala, Iraq, October 10, 2021. REUTERS/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-deen
While the initial results of the early Iraqi elections produced different scenarios for the upcoming political alliances, observers and political analysts expect the Kurdish forces to have a key role in forming the next government if they unite under one bloc in Baghdad.
The most foreseeable scenario, however, is the alliance of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with the Sadr Movement and the Progress Coalition led by Mohammad al-Halbousi.
Sources close to the Sadrist movement noted that the Democratic Party was the closest to be an ally, while a representative of the KDP stressed that there were no red lines in future coalitions.
Hoshyar Zebari, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, announced that the party has begun its consultations with the Iraqi political forces to form the next government.
In a news conference on Tuesday, he said that the KDP started deliberations with most of the Iraqi political parties that made gains in the elections, adding that he would soon dispatch a delegation to Baghdad to discuss naming the top three positions and forming the new federal government.
“In parallel, the KDP will review with the Kurdish parties the possibility of working as one team in Baghdad,” he said.
Writer and Political Analyst Hiwa Othman told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kurdish forces may once again create the necessary balance “if the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the New Generation Movement and the Progress Coalition agree to work as one team in Baghdad in the negotiations to form the next government.”
Writer and academic Haval Zakhoyi said he believed that the alliance between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Sadr bloc was the closest to reality.
“The post-election period is the stage of searching for alliances and parliamentary blocs to form the next government,” he remarked. “I believe that the Kurdish political parties and forces must negotiate urgently and seriously to reach a formula that unites them in order to form an alliance with Shiite and Sunni blocs, with whom they share converging visions.”
For his part, the winning candidate for the KPD, Majid Shamkali, told Asharq Al-Awsat that his party did not have vetos on any figure or political bloc.
“Our alliances will be based on a consensus of visions and programs that take into consideration constitutional and legal benefits,” he stated.
Israeli Strike on Funeral Kills 7 and Wounds 22 in Gaza, Local Hospital Sayshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5297157-israeli-strike-funeral-kills-7-and-wounds-22-gaza-local-hospital-says
Palestinian residents save their belongings from destroyed buildings following an Israeli airstrike last night, at al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Strike on Funeral Kills 7 and Wounds 22 in Gaza, Local Hospital Says
Palestinian residents save their belongings from destroyed buildings following an Israeli airstrike last night, at al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP)
An Israeli strike on a funeral in the Gaza Strip on Friday killed at least seven people and wounded another 22, according to a local hospital.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp confirmed the number of casualties, saying people were struck at the funeral for a Palestinian killed in a strike earlier on Friday.
Israel and the Hamas group agreed to a ceasefire deal in October aimed at halting a two-year-long war.
The heaviest fighting has subsided but at least 1,123 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
The ministry, which has been part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and fighters but says women and children make up most of the dead.
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
Houthis Link Educational Support to Loyalty and Affiliationhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5297113-houthis-link-educational-support-loyalty-and-affiliation
Houthis Link Educational Support to Loyalty and Affiliation
School supplies distributed to the children of Houthi fighters killed in combat, excluding other poor families, in Sanaa. (X)
The education system in areas under Houthi control is facing a fresh wave of criticism as the group launched the new academic year during the summer. The Houthis are accused of limiting the distribution of school supplies and cash assistance to their supporters and to the families of fighters killed or missing on the front lines, while also requiring private schools to grant tuition exemptions to the same groups.
The developments come as debate continues over the secondary school examination results announced by the Houthi authorities, with education experts questioning the unusually high pass rates and raising concerns about the impact of these policies on educational equity and the future of education in Yemen.
The controversy unfolds as millions of Yemeni families continue to face worsening economic conditions, leaving many unable to afford even the most basic educational expenses, including tuition fees, school bags, textbooks, and uniforms, amid declining purchasing power and widening poverty caused by the war and the economic crisis.
According to education sources, the Houthi-run so-called Zakat Authority oversaw the distribution of school bags and cash assistance through supervisors affiliated with the group. The sources said the mechanism prioritized the families of Houthi fighters and supporters, while excluding thousands of impoverished families unable to provide basic school supplies for their children.
The distribution process sparked widespread frustration among parents and education advocates, who argued that educational assistance should be allocated according to humanitarian need rather than political considerations or organizational affiliation.
Inequality
"Ibrahim," a parent in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital, Sanaa, told Asharq Al-Awsat that none of his three children received any educational support despite being registered on lists of families in need, while he witnessed school bags and uniforms being distributed to families linked to the group.
He said his family was living under severe financial hardship, yet their needs had been ignored. He argued that if charitable initiatives had supervised the distribution of the aid themselves, some of it would have reached his children.
Other parents in rural areas around Sanaa voiced similar complaints, saying the cost of preparing their children for the new school year had exceeded their financial means, while assistance remained limited to specific groups, deepening their sense of inequality.
Meanwhile, humanitarian sources said Houthi authorities responsible for aid operations and the Zakat Authority had recently confiscated quantities of school bags, notebooks, pens, uniforms, and cash that charitable initiatives had allocated to support poor students at the start of the academic year.
Education sources also said the Houthis had required private schools to waive tuition fees this year for the children of their supporters, as well as the families of fighters killed or captured on the front lines, without providing any compensation to the schools.
The principal of a private school on the outskirts of Sanaa, who requested anonymity, said the administration had no choice but to comply with the directives for fear of punitive measures. She noted that the exemptions did not extend to other students from the poorest families, despite their urgent need for assistance.
Education experts warned that imposing additional financial burdens on private schools without compensation threatens their financial stability and undermines their ability to continue providing educational services under the country's difficult economic conditions.
School supplies allocated by the Houthis for the children of their members. (Facebook)
Secondary School Results Raise Questions
Alongside the controversy over aid distribution, the secondary school examination results announced by the Houthi authorities have prompted widespread debate within education circles after reporting high pass rates and scores exceeding 99 percent for a number of students, despite years of decline in the education sector during the war.
The Education Ministry in the unrecognized Houthi administration announced an overall pass rate of 88.12 percent among more than 210,000 students who sat the examinations. Education specialists said the figure raises questions given the reality facing schools, which continue to suffer from teacher shortages, unpaid salaries, limited resources, and a decline in educational standards.
Education experts believe the conditions facing the education sector make it difficult to explain such a sharp increase in pass rates without releasing data detailing the grading and assessment process in a way that would strengthen confidence in the results and dispel the doubts surrounding them.
Several teachers also expressed surprise at the high scores, saying the level of academic achievement they observed throughout the school year did not correspond with the announced results, particularly in light of repeated student absences and disruptions to the education process.
Cheating Allegations
Yemeni education sources say the high pass rates recorded in Houthi-controlled areas do not reflect an improvement in educational standards. Instead, they attribute the results to widespread cases of organized cheating at some examination centers, along with the circulation of answer keys before and during the exams, which they consider a primary factor behind the higher scores.
Education activists also accused the Houthis of failing around 25,000 male secondary school students this year, claiming the move was part of a policy aimed at pressuring students and encouraging them to join the group's ranks in exchange for better chances of passing. The Houthi authorities have not commented on the allegations.
Several teachers said they had documented irregularities at some examination centers, including weak oversight and allowing certain students to receive assistance while taking the exams. They said such practices undermine the credibility of the examination process and compromise the fairness of student assessment.
In one case, a student from Sanaa said he was surprised to receive a score of 72 percent despite missing most of the school year because he had to work to help support his family. He said he attended only the final examinations, prompting him to question how the results had been calculated.
Meanwhile, a number of high-achieving students expressed dissatisfaction with the announced results, calling for greater transparency in grading procedures and the publication of detailed marks to safeguard students' rights and strengthen confidence in the secondary school certificate.
Deadly Algeria Orphanage Fire Caused by Air Conditioner, Police Sayhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5297092-deadly-algeria-orphanage-fire-caused-air-conditioner-police-say
Rescuers and police officers work at the site of a fire at an orphanage near Algiers, Algeria, July 16, 2026. Algerian Civil Protection/Handout via REUTERS
Deadly Algeria Orphanage Fire Caused by Air Conditioner, Police Say
Rescuers and police officers work at the site of a fire at an orphanage near Algiers, Algeria, July 16, 2026. Algerian Civil Protection/Handout via REUTERS
Algerian police on Friday said a fire that killed 11 people at an orphanage in the capital was caused by an electrical spark from an air conditioning unit.
The blaze broke out before dawn on Thursday at the childcare facility in the Mohammadia suburb of Algiers.
A 52-year-old caregiver was among the dead, police said Friday, but it remains unclear how many children were killed.
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune posted online Thursday that "several children" had died.
Nineteen others were injured during the fire, according to Algeria's civil defense.
Forensic experts determined that the blaze originated from an air conditioner that had been running continuously as Algeria endures a heatwave.
The civil defense has said nearly a thousand fires have broken out across the country's north during the past week, with the majority contained.
A municipal worker earlier died battling a fire in the northern province of Setif, according to a local mayor.
Every summer, northern Algeria is struck by forest fires, a phenomenon exacerbated by drought and climate change.
The fires have killed dozens of people in recent years and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest or farmland, along with numerous homes.
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