American ammunition may be the reason behind the mounting number of babies born with birth defects in Iraq, a study revealed.
Accounts of children being born with cancer and birth defects have been highlighted in German newspaper Der Spiegel, where Iraqis who were interviewed were not sure of the explanation behind so many dead and deformed newborn babies in Basra, according to Al Arabia.
“Some had only one eye in the forehead. Or two heads,” Askar Bin Said, an Iraqi graveyard owner, told the newspaper, describing some of the dead newborn babies that are buried in his cemetery. “One had a tail like a skinned lamb. Another one looked like a perfectly normal child, but with a monkey’s face. Legs of one girl had grown together, half fish, half human,” he added.
The report cites a study published in September in the Germany-based Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology saying there was a “sevenfold increase in the number of birth defects in Basra between 1994 and 2003. Of 1,000 live births, 23 had birth defects.”
“War pollution — due to everything from heavy metals from exploded ordnance to radiation left behind by depleted uranium used on US ammunition and tanks — inhaled by Fallujah’s residents, seeped into the ground water, flowing in the nearby Tigris River, choking the air they breathe,” a report from Global Research said on Tuesday.
US depleted uranium hit Iraq newborns horrifically
US depleted uranium hit Iraq newborns horrifically
Restoring Lebanon’s economic growth will require comprehensive reforms, IMF says
- Kozack said the global lender remains engaged in complex discussions with Lebanese authorities
- “The economy has shown resilience despite the impact of conflicts in the region”
WASHINGTON: Lebanon’s economy has shown resilience despite conflicts in the region, with tourism fueling a bit of a rebound, but restoring growth will require comprehensive reforms, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.
IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack said the global lender remains engaged in complex discussions with Lebanese authorities following their request for an IMF-supported program in March 2025.
The IMF sent a staff mission to Beirut earlier this month.
The talks have been focused on two big issues, she said, citing the need for banking sector restructuring and a medium-term fiscal strategy.
“The economy has shown resilience despite the impact of conflicts in the region. It has had a bit of a rebound on the back of tourism from the strong diaspora,” Kozack said.
“But at the same time, really restoring strong and sustainable growth will require a comprehensive set of reforms to tackle some of the structural weaknesses that have really hampered Lebanon’s economic performance for many years,” she said.
Reforms also are needed to attract international support to help Lebanon address its substantial reconstruction needs.
Kozack said Lebanon needs an updated medium-term fiscal framework that includes concrete measures to mobilize additional revenues for much-needed capital spending, as well as a sovereign debt restructuring to restore debt sustainability.
