Category: Unami

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections in Iraq, the United Nations has hired a sign language interpreter to help the country’s electoral authorities reach out to deaf voters, the international organization announced on Tuesday.

At the request of the Iraqi government and under UN Security Council Resolution 2576, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is supporting and advising the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

“Iraq’s election will be more credible if it involves as many Iraqi voters as possible,” the organization tweeted on Tuesday. “And that includes the deaf community.”

The sign language interpreter will, therefore, help the IHEC “broaden its reach”.

#Iraq‘s election will be more credible if it involves as many Iraqi voters as possible. And that includes the deaf community. That’s why UNAMI recruited a sign language interpreter to help @IHECOfficial broaden its reach. All Iraqis should have information they need to #Vote4Iraq pic.twitter.com/EzjqZ9pDTo

— UNAMI (@UNIraq) September 14, 2021

The parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on October 10, where more than 3,000 candidates are vying for the 329 seats in Iraq’s legislative house.

UNAMI will also send 130 international experts to observe the electoral process “in advance” and “on election day,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the United Nations Special Representative for Iraq, recently said.

Read More: UNAMI monitors hate speech against female candidates in Iraq’s elections

The team will advise the local electoral authorities on all the operational aspects and phases of the process, including voter registration, candidate nomination, procurement and logistics.

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Baghdad And Riyadh Discuss Security Cooperation; UNAMI Outlines Measures To Prevent Electoral Fraud; CENTCOM And Kadhimi Discuss Ending U.S. Combat Presence – On September 4, the Saudi Interior Minister met with PM Kadhimi in Baghdad to discuss security cooperation, especially in counter terrorism, border security, and exchanging expertise. On September 6, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, met with PM Kadhimi in Baghdad and expressed the EU’s commitment to support Baghdad’s reform efforts and the upcoming elections. Borrell later visited Erbil for meetings with Iraqi Kurdish leaders. On September 6, Kataib Hezbollah accused the Peshmerga forces of facilitating the movement and operations of ISIS militants in Kirkuk and Ninewa. On September 7, a Ninewa court sentenced former governor Atheel al-Nujaifi to seven years in prison. On September 7, UNAMI chief, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the UN continues to provide advice and technical assistance to IHEC in a range of areas, including paper ballot printing and security planning. She highlighted measures to prevent fraud, such as plans to destroy unclaimed voter cards, and banning cell phones and cameras at voting centers. On September 8, IHEC said it has destroyed 4,670,000 temporary voter cards that were not claimed by their owners since 2013. On September 9, dozens of engineering graduates demanding jobs in Maysan province were injured in clashes with security forces. On September 9, CENTCOM chief, General Kenneth McKenzie met with PM Kadhimi in Baghdad and agreed to hold another meeting of the U.S. and Iraqi technical military committees to finalize plans to end U.S. combat presence by the end of the year. more…

ISIS Launches A String Of Deadly Complex Attacks In Kirkuk And Diyala; Turkey And Iran Bomb Sinjar And Border Villages – Between September 5 – 7, ISIS militants launched three complex…

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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) –The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and civil society groups have received reports of politically motivated gender-based violence and hate speech against women running in Iraq’s elections, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNAMI said on Tuesday.

In a press conference held in Baghdad, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert outlined steps UNAMI will take to ensure that the upcoming Iraqi elections, scheduled to take place on October 10, are free and fair. 

Female candidates face increasing levels of hate speech, violence, and blackmail intended to force them to withdraw their candidacy. 

“We are working with civil society organizations to monitor and report political gender-based violence and hate speech against female candidates,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.

Read More: New study claims rise in male victims of domestic violence in Iraq

UNAMI is also providing small grants to local non-governmental organizations to provide voter education to first-time voters. 

The organization will also send 130 international experts to observe the electoral process “in advance” and “on election day.”

“The UN is deploying a much bigger team to support the elections,” Hennis-Plasschaert said. “In effect, this is one of the UN’s largest electro-technical assistances worldwide with five times as many UN personnel as in 2018.”

Despite some political parties boycotting the elections, UNAMI “believes that they have the potential to be different from elections in 2018.”

In October, over 3,000 candidates will vie for 329 parliamentary seats.

The UN diplomat also highlighted a few new electoral measures that Iraqi election authorities had put in place. As part of these new measures, a citizens’ electronic voter card will be confiscated and disabled for 72 hours after they cast their vote to prevent any “misuse”, Hennis-Plasschaert explained.

“Mobile phones and cameras, will this time not be allowed inside voting booths,” she added. 

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MILFORD TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Four deaths have been reported so far in the Philadelphia suburbs after severe weather hit the region on Wednesday.

The victims include a man who drowned after his car went into a creek, while a woman was killed when a tree fell on her home.

POLICE ID MAN KILLED IN BUCKS COUNTY

A 65-year-old man is dead after he drowned inside his vehicle after it went into the Unami Creek in Milford Twp., Bucks County.

The victim was identified as Donald Allen Bauer of Perkiomenville.

Troopers and firefighters arrived to try and retrieve the vehicle but, police say, conditions were too severe and the search was postponed at 11:30 p.m.

A passenger in the car, a 54-year-old woman also of Perkiomenville, was able to get out of the vehicle.

At about 6 a.m. Thursday, police, firefighters and a water team returned to the scene and found Bauer’s body inside the vehicle.

The Bucks County coroner determined the cause of death to be drowning.

3 DEATHS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Three people were killed in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania after severe storms from Ida hit the region on Wednesday.

“I am extremely sad to report there are currently three storm-related fatalities being investigated by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office,” Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh said in a press briefing Thursday morning.

Action News has confirmed that a woman was killed in Upper Dublin Township after a tree came down onto a home. The woman has not been identified.

Investigators from the National Weather Service said an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 130 mph was confirmed in the area.

Its track was from the Ft. Washington area to Horsham, Pa.

No further details have been released about the other victims.

“We will have further details on those once they become available. I want to extend my deepest…

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Two people have died as of Thursday afternoon as a result of Wednesday night’s storm in the Philadelphia region, reports say. That number is expected to rise.

Authorities told 6abc a woman was killed after a tree came down on a home in Upper Dublin Township (Montgomery County). Her identity was not released.

Donald Allen Bauer, 65, of Perkiomenville, died after driving his 2013 Mazda CX-9 into the flood waters of Unami Creek in Milford Township (Bucks County), PA State Police said.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is also reportedly investigating three storm-related deaths, Chair of Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Dr. Val Arkoosh told CBS3. 

The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes in southeastern Pennsylvania Thursday afternoon. There was one in Fort Washington/Upper Dublin to Horsham Township (Montgomery County) and the other in Oxford (Chester County).

Record amounts of rainfall caused torrential flooding, leaving many roads, homes, and businesses left to recover.

Widespread rainfall totals of 3-5″ occurred along and north/west of I-95 with a stripe of 6-8″ or locally higher from Chester County northeastward toward NYC, the NWS says.

Perkiomen Fire Company volunteers rescued dozens of individuals from cars in floodwaters and seven individuals from rooftops, officials said.

One family including a child was rescued from a home completely surrounded by water on Wartman Road.

Silver Lake Road in Middletown Township (Bucks County) is expected to be closed for approximately a week as crews repair extensive damage.

Coatesville is just completely underwater. A friend of mine said it took him three hours to get from West Chester to Coatesville. Now I just need to hope my dad can get home from Downingtown when he’s done work in a few hours. pic.twitter.com/RfpzkHS5zF

— Candice Monhollan-Henry (@Candice_Henry10) September 2, 2021

Picture from a friend in…

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MILFORD TWP., Pa. – A 65-year-old man died after he drove his vehicle into flood waters in Bucks County Wednesday as the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought heavy rains to the region.

Donald Allen Bauer, of Perkiomenville, was found dead in the vehicle around 6 a.m. Thursday, according to a state police news release.

Troopers were dispatched to the 1900 block of Trumbauersville Road in Milford Township around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday for the report of a missing person from a vehicle that had driven into the flood waters of Unami Creek, state police said.

Arriving troopers and fire department personnel tried to retrieve the vehicle. However, the conditions were too severe, and crews postponed the search efforts at 11:30 pm. Wednesday, state police said.

A 54-year-old woman, also of Perkiomenville, was able to get out of the vehicle and was transported to St. Luke’s Upper Bucks campus, state police said.

Troopers and fire department personnel returned to the scene Thursday around 6 a.m. and found Bauer dead inside the vehicle, according to state police.

Bauer was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bucks County Coroner’s Office shortly after 10 a.m. The cause of death was ruled as drowning, and the manner of death was ruled accidental.

The Associated Press says more than two dozen people’s deaths in the Northeast have been linked to flooding.

Three storm-related deaths were reported in Montgomery County. A tree fell into a woman’s house in Upper Dublin Township, killing her. Two other people drowned, one in a home and the other in a car in the county.

Emergency workers in the area completed more than 450 water rescues and rescue efforts were continuing in the morning.

Seven storm-related deaths were reported in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

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Severe flash flooding along the Unami Creek triggered by the remnants of Hurricane Ida claimed a man’s life in upper Bucks County Wednesday, Pennsylvania State Police at Dublin said.

In a news release, troopers said 65-year-old Donald Allen Bauer of Perkiomenville, Montgomery County, drowned after his vehicle became submerged in flood waters.

A 54-year-old female passenger who was also in the vehicle was able to escape from it and survived, police said, adding that she was taken to St. Luke’s Upper Bucks Campus for treatment.

According to the news release, state police were first dispatched to the 1900 block of Trumbauersville Road around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday for a report of “a missing person from a vehicle that had driven into the flood waters of Unami Creek.”

Pennsylvania State Police at Dublin said 65-year-old Donald Allen Bauer of Perkiomenville, Montgomery County, drowned Wednesday when his vehicle became trapped in flood waters along the Unami Creek, which burst its banks after the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped upwards of 7 inches of rain on the area. (Credit: Google Street View)

After locating the vehicle–which was described as a 2013 Mazda CX9–and attempting a rescue, troopers said they and fire department personnel determined that “conditions were too severe” and postponed the rescue effort at 11:30 p.m.

At approximately 6 a.m. Thursday, along with fire department personnel and members of a water rescue team, troopers said they again attempted to retrieve the vehicle and subsequently found Bauer deceased inside it.

The news release indicated that the Bucks County Coroner’s Office pronounced Bauer dead at the scene at 10:10 a.m. determined that his cause of death was drowning.

The manner of Bauer’s death was determined to be…

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Briefing Council members in person for the first time in over a year, Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert, who is also the head of the Mission, also called claims that UNAMI is advocating for a postponement of the elections “frankly absurd”.

She urged everyone to “stick to the facts”, focus on their own roles and refrain from using the United Nations as a scapegoat.

“Truth, discipline and, yes, courage, are required at this critical juncture”, said the UN official

Misinformation ‘risky business’

If misinformation overtakes reality, “it is not only an enormous energy-drain for those working hard for the greater good of Iraq,” she cautioned.  “It is also risky business.” 

The UNAMI chief urged media outlets to provide accurate, reliable and timely information, instead of fuelling “false perceptions to suit their backers”.

Stressing that Iraq “leads and owns” the 10 October elections, she reminded that their credibility would prove essential for its future.

Elections at hand 

Detailing joint efforts, Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert said that the Independent High Electoral Commission has reached “several complex milestones” while noting that UNAMI has provided technical assistance wherever it can. 

She outlined that candidate lists have been finalized; a ballot lottery conducted for all 83 constituencies; ballot printing is ongoing; and all ballot papers expected in country by mid-September. 

Meanwhile, polling and results management systems are being reviewed by an independent audit firm.

In parallel, she said preparations for UN monitoring are moving rapidly, with most members of the preparatory team being deployed to Baghdad “as we speak” and regional teams due on the ground in early September.

The Special Representative emphasized that the October elections have “the potential to be different” from those in 2018, and noted that that five times as many UN personnel are currently engaged as were three years earlier.

To calls for…

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NEW YORK — With just 46 days until Iraq goes to the polls, the UN Assistance Mission for the country (UNAMI) is stepping up its communications to inform voters about their conduct, Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council on Wednesday, stressing that it is up to the political parties themselves to refrain from attempts to distort the results.

Briefing Council members for the first time in over a year, Hennis-Plasschaert, who is also the head of the Mission, also called claims that UNAMI is advocating for a postponement of the elections “frankly absurd”.

She urged everyone to “stick to the facts”, focus on their own roles and refrain from using the United Nations as a scapegoat. “Truth, discipline and, yes, courage, are required at this critical juncture,” said the UN official

Misinformation ‘risky business’

If misinformation overtakes reality, “it is not only an enormous energy-drain for those working hard for the greater good of Iraq,” she cautioned. “It is also risky business.”

The UNAMI chief urged media outlets to provide accurate, reliable and timely information, instead of fueling “false perceptions to suit their backers”.

Stressing that Iraq “leads and owns” the Oct. 10 elections, she reminded that their credibility would prove essential for its future.

Elections at hand

Detailing joint efforts, Hennis-Plasschaert said that the Independent High Electoral Commission has reached “several complex milestones” while noting that UNAMI has provided technical assistance wherever it can.

She outlined that candidate lists have been finalized; a ballot lottery conducted for all 83 constituencies; ballot printing is ongoing; and all ballot papers expected in country by mid-September.

Meanwhile, polling and results management systems are being reviewed by an independent audit firm.

In parallel, she said preparations for UN monitoring are moving rapidly, with most members of the preparatory team being deployed to Baghdad “as we speak” and regional teams due on…

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