21 Syrian companies participate in 45th Baghdad International Fair

Twenty-one Syrian companies are participating in the 45th session of Baghdad International Fair which kicked off on Saturday with the participation of 18 countries.

The Syrian pavilion which covers an area of 250 square meters features food, chemical and clothing companies.

Head of the Exporters’ Union Mohammad al-Sawah who is heading the Syrian delegation to the Fair said Syria is keen to take part in all economic events in Iraq which he described as a primary destination for Syrian products.

Al-Sawah pointed to the importance of reopening Nassib crossing which is the main artery for the flow of goods to Iraq, expecting it to facilitate the delivy of the Syrian products to Baghdad at lesser costs.

For his part, Syria’s ambassador to Iraq Sattam Jadaan al-Dandah said in a statement that Syria’s participation carries a message about its ability to defeat terrorism and modernize industry and agriculture.

SANA

Shocking video shows moment Iraqi model Tara Fares shot dead in Baghdad

A video posted online shows the moment Miss Bagdad 2015, Tara Tares, is allegedly killed.

In the images captured by CCTV cameras, an unknown man is seen firing shots through the window of the car Tara Fares is believed to be driving in downtown Baghdad.The gunman then flees the scene on the back of a motorcycle driven by his accomplice as the car continues to roll forward until it hits another car.

The 30-year-old model and Instagram star was killed late last month, taking two bullets in the head and one hitting her in the chest.

The death of the model is the latest in a string of attacks on popular women and activists who dare to speak up for change in Muslim-majority Iraq.

Miss Iraq 2015 flees country after wave of murders targeting female models

In what some are calling the "new normal" in Iraq, a slew of women known for their popularity on social media or for owning beauty salons have been killed. Perhaps no one understands this phenomenon first-hand better than Miss Iraq 2015, Shimaa Qasim Abdulrahman.

The native of Kirkuk recently left the country after the death of fellow Iraqi beauty queen and social media star Tara Fares who was shot dead in her car in Baghdad on September 27. 

Shortly after Abdulrahman won Miss Iraq in 2015 she said that she received a phone call from an ISIS member threatening to kidnap her if she did not join the extremist group.

Fares' murder, however, was the tipping point for Abdulrahman whose mother is Kurdish and father is Arab. She has left for Jordan.

"I was threatened with murder. My life was in danger. The killing of this many people scared me. I wasn’t comfortable living there anymore. That is why I left Iraq and came to Jordan,"