| | | | | | | Hello. After nearly 100 people were killed in a horrific fire at a wedding in Iraq, Ethar Shalaby hears the powerful accounts of some of the people affected by the tragedy. Sam Cabral in Washington has a handy guide to the second Republican debate, which was about to kick off a few hours after I sent this email, and film critic Nicholas Barber reviews a Hollywood rarity: a wholly original sci-fi epic. | | | |
| | | | | AT THE SCENE |  Qaraqosh, Iraq | | 'It was like Hell's doors opened' |  | | "I know families that lost almost everyone," eyewitness Ghaly Nassim said. Credit: Reuters | | A fire that broke out at a wedding celebration in Qaraqosh in northern Iraq killed nearly 100 people, and injured more than 100 others. Those who tried to help witnessed hellish scenes, while survivors desperately search for their loves ones. |  | | Ethar Shalaby, BBC Arabic | | | Nineteen-year-old Ghaly Nassim was only a few metres away from the al-Haitham banquet hall when the fire broke out. He rushed to help five of his friends who were trapped inside. "One door was blocked, so we opened it by force. Massive flames came out of the hall. It was like Hell's doors opened," he said. "I could not do anything but run away from the fire," Mr Nassim added, sounding exhausted over the phone. "After the firefighters arrived, I rushed inside to look for my friends. I saw 26 dead bodies in the bathroom," he said.
About 50 bodies were laid to rest on Wednesday. The remaining bodies are expected to be buried the following day. But many people are still searching for family members. Ghazwan was separated from his 33-year-old wife, four-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter when the fire erupted. His other daughter, who is 10 years old, came out of the hall "suffering burns in almost 98% of her body", Ghazwan's sister Eisan said. She added that her brother was going around hospitals searching for his family. | | | | | | | | |
| | Questions Answered | | The Republican debate, Part II |  | | Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley enjoyed a poll bounce after the first debate. Credit: Getty Images | | | Seven candidates are fighting to improve their odds of winning the Republican party’s nomination for the 2024 US presidential election. Front-runner Donald Trump - who was judged to have committed fraud in a New York ruling yesterday - won’t be on the stage tonight, but his presence is still likely to loom large over the event. | | | | When and where is the debate? | | The showdown takes place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, about 45 miles (72km) north-west of Los Angeles. The two-hour event begins at 21:00 EDT (01:00 GMT). The Fox Business Network and the Spanish-language TV channel Univision are hosting. It will also be live-streamed on the Rumble video platform. | | Why is Mr Trump skipping the debate? | | Mr Trump has suggested that sharing a stage with low-polling rivals could only hurt his commanding position, while also expressing dissatisfaction with the debate venue and moderators. | | Which candidates are under the spotlight? | | Nikki Haley, who served in the Trump administration as US ambassador to the UN until the end of 2018, and multimillionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both recorded strong performances in the first debate that boosted their standings in the polls. Not as impressive was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose support has been on a downward trend. If Mr DeSantis is to regain his mojo, and big donors' contributions, he needs to stand out from the pack and make a more aggressive play for Mr Trump's supporters. | | | | | | | | |
| | The big picture | | 'My dream was to wear what I wanted' |  | | Ribell moved from Iran to Turkey, where she now works as a tattoo artist. Credit: Supplied | | | For many of the approximately one billion Muslim women around the world, it is their choice to wear the hijab, or headscarf. But for those who wish to take off their veil, it can take years to overcome the pressure and make that decision. | | | | | | |
| | | | For your downtime | | 'Relentlessly tense' | | Critic Nicholas Barber on a sci-fi epic echoing Blade Runner and Star Wars. | | | | | |
| | | | And finally... in Australia | | There’s having an affair and then there’s faking your own kidnapping to spend New Year’s Eve with your lover. A man in Australia is paying the price of that lie - A$16,218 (£8,506; $10,334), to be exact - as more than 200 hours of police work went into investigating the false claims. | | |
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