"This charming and important #memoir starts with two mothers in a cold #London playground talking about where to send their young #children to school. One mother says she would like her son to go to a French nursery so he could grow up with two #languages, just like her. But then this playground moment takes a surprising turn.

“Why not send him to a nursery in your #language?” one mother asks.

“I can’t,” #author #SamanthaEllis responds. “My language is dead.”

#Ellis grew up speaking #Judeo-#Iraqi #Arabic. Her #mothertongue isn’t exactly dead, but it is dying, like many #Jewish languages that are not #Hebrew or #Yiddish, and like many of the beautiful Jewish languages spoken by #Jews of the #Arab world."

https://forward.com/culture/books/829874/always-carry-salt-samantha-ellis-judeo-iraqi-arabic/

⚡An #Iraqi 🇮🇶 fan who bought tickets for his national team's World Cup matches in the #US 🇺🇸 was unable to obtain a visa. The #US 🇺🇸 had suspended consular services in #Iraq 🇮🇶 due to "security concerns," and the fan was also denied a visa at the #American 🇺🇸 embassy in Amman despite securing an appointment there. [Al-Quds Al-Arabi]

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"On Monday, a slightly dishevelled #Iraqi man, shackled and dressed in beige prison overalls, was ushered into a #Manhattan #courtroom.

#MohammadBaqerSaadDawoodalSaadi, 32, pleaded not guilty to a series of #terrorism-related offences, then gestured toward the judge and prosecutors. “I’m a #prisoner of #war. I’m not a threat,” he told them. “Children and women are being killed by your rockets.”

Then, #alSaadi, who faces life behind bars, was led away.

The brief hearing was the latest chapter in an extraordinary story that appears far from over. It involves: two powers at war; one of the most high-profile #terrorist campaigns in #Europe and the #UK for many years; a new form of #warfare to which western #securityservices have yet to find an answer; teenage petty #criminals caught up in #geopolitics; #Islamist #militia in #Iraq; and, inevitably for 2026, the disruptive power of #socialmedia.

The man who brought it all together, investigators say, was al-Saadi."

https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jun/07/could-this-one-man-have-been-behind-terrorist-attacks-on-jewish-communities-across-europe

⚡ #Iraqi 🇮🇶 resistance groups have warned #Israel 🇮🇱 that they will attack "Eliat" if #Israel 🇮🇱 attacks Beirut. [AlHaq]

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⚡The #Iraqi 🇮🇶 Ministry of Defense confirmed that a technical accident occurred during a training sortie for students of the Army Aviation College. [نايا - NAYA]

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⚡A citizen was prevented from entering Dohuk Governorate in northern #Iraq 🇮🇶 for displaying pictures of Ali Khamenei and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on his vehicle. This occurred despite pictures of Kurdistan region leaders being freely displayed in #Iraqi 🇮🇶 provinces. [نايا - NAYA]

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⚡Deep frustration and fear of #Iran's 🇮🇷 reaction spread among #Iraqi 🇮🇶 Kurds after details of the plan were leaked, according to an #Israeli 🇮🇱 intelligence source. Kaka does not repent of these shortcomings. [نايا - NAYA]

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