The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has declared the defeat of the “sedition” in the country, referring to a wave of anti-government protests. Maj Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari made the announcement as tens of thousands of people attended pro-government rallies called to counter the unrest. It began last Thursday in the city of Mashhad and has seen 21 people killed.
Meanwhile, Iraqi President Fuad Masum has asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to amend the 2018 draft budget bill as it contains a number of constitutional violations including an attempt to derecognize the Kurdistan Regional Government, according to an official letter. Masum demanded that only “the Kurdistan Region… as mentioned in the constitution” be used and all other wordings be deleted from the bill. The letter also explains that the Iraqi government must allocate a “just share” of the budget to the KRG in such a way that reflects the Region’s “resources, needs, and its population.”
Lastly, whether you love her or hate her Cardi B had a killer 2017 but it looks like 2018 is shaping up to be even better for her. Not only have her two new hits (‘Bartier Cardi’, ‘La Modelo’) had strong debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 (14, 52) but she’s also just broken a huge record in the US. She is the first rapper to have her first three Hot 100 hits be in the US Top 10 at the same time.
