العراق يغلي.. وواشنطن تلوح بالقوة لحماية مصالحها

الصدر يرفض ضغوط إيران.. وانسحاب «بدر» يحبط انتخاب بديل للجبوري

عراقيون يتظاهرون في ساحة التحرير ببغداد أمس ضد مظاهر الفساد (أ.ف.ب)
عراقيون يتظاهرون في ساحة التحرير ببغداد أمس ضد مظاهر الفساد (أ.ف.ب)
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العراق يغلي.. وواشنطن تلوح بالقوة لحماية مصالحها

عراقيون يتظاهرون في ساحة التحرير ببغداد أمس ضد مظاهر الفساد (أ.ف.ب)
عراقيون يتظاهرون في ساحة التحرير ببغداد أمس ضد مظاهر الفساد (أ.ف.ب)

بدأت الأزمة العراقية تغلي بعد الاعتصام الذي قاده عدد من النواب للإطاحة برئيس البرلمان سليم الجبوري، الأمر الذي دفع واشنطن لتهدد بأنها ستستخدم القوة لحماية مصالحها والتي من أهمها الرئاسات الثلاث في العراق.
ووفق مصدر لـ«الشرق الأوسط» نقل قائد القيادة الوسطى الأميركية جوزيف فوتيل رسالة مهمة أمس إلى القيادات السياسية العراقية، بأن القوات الأميركية المرابطة بالقرب من العراق ستتولى حماية خطوطها الحمراء في العراق ومن بينها الرئاسات الثلاث.
وأكد المصدر أن الموقف الأميركي كان واضحا منذ زيارة جون كيري وزير الخارجية الذي أكد الثوابت الأميركية السياسية والاستراتيجية، ومن ثم جاء المبعوث الرئاسي بريت ماكفورك لنفس الغرض، ومن ثم إعلانه ذلك بوضوح في لقائه مع القادة العراقيين لا سيما الرئيس العراقي فؤاد معصوم ورئيس ائتلاف «متحدون» أسامة النجيفي. إلى ذلك أدى انسحاب منظمة بدر التي يقودها هادي العامري من المعتصمين داخل قبة البرلمان إلى الإخلال بالنصاب القانوني الذي يسمح بعقد جلسة رسمية يتم من خلالها انتخاب هيئة رئاسة جديدة للبرلمان بدلا من رئيس البرلمان سليم الجبوري.
ومن بيروت قال عزت الشابندر في مكالمة هاتفية لـ«الشرق الأوسط» إن إيران تبذل جهودا كبيرة للضغط على مقتدى الصدر، زعيم التيار الصدري، من أجل الانصياع لأوامرها أو تنفيذ رغباتها، إلا أن الصدر رفض تلك الضغوط، لتستعين طهران بحسن نصر الله زعيم ما يسمى «حزب الله» الإرهابي للتدخل والتباحث مع الصدر من أجل ما يسميه الإيرانيون الحفاظ على وحدة البيت الشيعي، إلا أن الصدر أصر على موقفه من التدخل الإيراني في الشأن العراقي.
....المزيد



Defiant Sabalenka Motivated by US Open Defeat

 Aryna Sabalenka is interviewed after being defeated by Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their Women's Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
Aryna Sabalenka is interviewed after being defeated by Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their Women's Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Defiant Sabalenka Motivated by US Open Defeat

 Aryna Sabalenka is interviewed after being defeated by Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their Women's Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
Aryna Sabalenka is interviewed after being defeated by Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their Women's Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

Aryna Sabalenka, denied a third consecutive US Open title and toppled from the world number one spot she had held for 99 weeks, vowed to come back stronger after a season of disappointment.

"I think overall I should be happy with the level I played, and there's lots of things to take from this tournament," said the 28-year-old Belarusian, who had looked more than capable of salvaging her Grand Slam season before she ran into the buzzsaw of Elena Rybakina.

Rybakina, already assured of ascending to number one before they took the court for Saturday's final, triumphed 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in a dominant display.

It was a massive comedown for Sabalenka, who had looked at her powerful peak when she blew past world number four Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.

But for the first time since 2022, she will end the year without a Grand Slam title.

Rybakina beat her in the Australian Open final, and she fell in the quarter-finals of the French Open before a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon.

In fact, it has all been a slog for Sabalenka since she won the prestigious Indian Wells-Miami double in March.

"As experience shows, I only come back stronger, and all of these lessons this season definitely already made me stronger, but definitely going to motivate me for the next year to do (a) better job."

Sabalenka was grateful for the support she received from the crowd on the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium court, who were willing her on as she clawed back a set against Rybakina and encouraging her even as the third set was slipping away.

"It felt amazing," Sabalenka said. "Actually, at some point I felt like, 'Oh, my God, I feel American.'

"I just wish I could, you know, win it and feel the support even more."

Despite the defeat, and her fall from number one, Sabalenka said she doesn't think much will change in how her opponents consider her.

"I think anyway when you go out there, you have target on your back. Doesn't matter if you are No. 1, No. 2, 3, 4, whatever it is.

"I'll just keep working hard and keep improving my tennis, my level. Hopefully I will win some more tournaments," she said.

And she'll take pride in a reign at number one, a place she has held for a total of 107 weeks -- including the stretch of 99 straight weeks that will end on Monday.

"Ninety-nine? Well, that's amazing," she said. "Let's see if Elena can beat me in that."


Paris Cheers the Power of Celine Dion

Canadian singer Celine Dion reacts as she performs during her first concert of a series at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Canadian singer Celine Dion reacts as she performs during her first concert of a series at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Paris Cheers the Power of Celine Dion

Canadian singer Celine Dion reacts as she performs during her first concert of a series at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Canadian singer Celine Dion reacts as she performs during her first concert of a series at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris on September 12, 2026. (AFP)

Celine Dion made an emotional return to the stage after a six-year absence on Saturday, overcoming high-profile health woes to thrill fans in the first of a series of concerts in Paris.

“I’m standing on stage in this city I love so much thanks to your support and your love,” she told the crowd. “The path was rocky, the road was longer than planned but I held on.”

The star announced in 2022 she had been diagnosed with ‌stiff person syndrome, ‌a rare neurological condition which causes muscle ‌spasms ⁠and left her ⁠unable to perform.

Dion seemed overwhelmed at times and broke down in tears during her opening number, holding out a microphone to the audience to help her through the bridge.

“I promised I wouldn’t cry - but they’re tears of joy,” she said, speaking mostly French throughout.

The staging was ⁠muted and Dion mainly wore a series ‌of black gowns, leaving little ‌to distract from her obvious emotion at being back in front ‌of a crowd.

“She didn’t shy away from what ‌she suffered and she shared it with her audience,” British fan Catherine Rushforth said as she left the arena in Nanterre on the outskirts of Paris.

Dion strutted confidently through her familiar ‌on-stage theatrics, pulling faces and playing air guitar, and belting out ballads including “My Heart Will ⁠Go On” ⁠and “All By Myself” which made her one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.

But she opened with one of her biggest French-language hits “On Ne Change Pas” (“We Don’t Change”) - an apparent reference to her extended absence.

Her 16-concert residency, with a further 10 dates in 2027, has caused a frenzy in the French capital where crowds gather outside her swanky hotel until the early hours hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

“Her fight is an example for all of us, it’s wonderful,” said fan Julien Faruch, a chef.


1,400 Flee Yemen Fighting to Djibouti, Says Minister

Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
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1,400 Flee Yemen Fighting to Djibouti, Says Minister

Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

About 1,400 people have fled Yemen for Djibouti due to fighting between government forces and Iran-allied Houthis, Djibouti's minister of economy and finance said Saturday.

Houthi fighters control a large part of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and Hodeida in the west. They have advanced along the coast in just days and on Thursday seized the port city of Mokha.

The Houthis have since taken control of the coastline and islands in the Red Sea, and on Friday tightened their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is vital to global shipping through the Suez Canal.

"1400 #refugees arrived in #Djibouti from #Yemen in just 24 hours," Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh wrote on X.

Located opposite Yemen on the Horn of Africa, tiny Djibouti borders the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden.

Safiya Ibrahim, humanitarian response coordinator for the International Organization for Migration, told AFP that "vulnerable groups such as women and children have reached the shores of Obock, with more expected in the coming days".

According to the United Nations, at least 76,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since July, with the number quadrupling in the last week after the latest fighting.

Last week, Houthi fighters launched a new offensive against Saudi-backed government forces, targeting zones bordering the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The waterway has taken on new importance, particularly for Saudi oil exports, since the Strait of Hormuz was blocked by Iran.

Hundreds have been killed in the fighting on both sides.