The last time it snowed in Baghdad was in 2008 — now it's happened again, bringing some rare joy to a city still convulsed by unrest and a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
Key points:Locals played with snow in Tahrir Square, the centre of ongoing protestsIt was a rare moment of respite during which residents took selfies and children played in parks, lobbing snowballs before the fluffy flakes disappeared and the white cover dissolved into grey puddles.
Iraq has grappled with months of unrest, beginning with an anti-government protest movement that engulfed the country in October, and the US killing of a top Iranian general in Baghdad in early January, which brought the region close to war amid soaring US-Iran tensions. More than 500 people have died in the protests, with security forces using live rounds and tear gas to disperse crowds in Baghdad and southern Iraq.
The movement is entering a critical phase, after influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who initially threw his weight behind demonstrators, withdrew it.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Hope, frustration and disappointment': PM laments closing gap effortsScott Morrison handed down the 12th Closing the Gap report, and in admitting its failure said it has 'never really been a partnership with Indigenous people'.
Read more »
Should Aboriginal people have a right to live in Australia no matter where they were born? This is why the High Court says yesANALYSIS: Should Aboriginal people have a right to live in Australia no matter where they were born? This is why the High Court says yes
Read more »
'Cash is king': Jeff Bezos' record $6 billion sale of Amazon shares ends years of restraintJeff Bezos' stake in Amazon.com Inc. barely budged over the past decade. That's started to change.
Read more »
Bid to Close The Gap on Indigenous benchmarks has 'failed'More than a decade of efforts to close the gap on Indigenous health and education benchmarks has failed to reach its targets.
Read more »
Bid to Close The Gap on Indigenous benchmarks has 'failed'The annual Closing the Gap report, to be released today, shows a staggering failure to meet targets in improving levels of Indigenous childhood mortality, life expectancy, school attendance and employment.
Read more »
Marriage story: How Australia introduced 'no-fault divorce'For decades, if you wanted a divorce in Australia, you had to prove your spouse was to blame.
Read more »