Iraq blocks Telegram messaging app over national security fears

Iraq's telecoms ministry on Sunday said it had blocked the Telegram messaging app over national security concerns and to preserve users' personal data, which it said had been mishandled.

The ministry said it had asked the app to close down "platforms that leak the data of the official state institutions and the personal data of citizens ... but the company did not respond and did not interact with any of these requests".

"The Ministry of Communications affirms its respect for citizens' rights to freedom of expression and communication, without prejudice to the security of the state and its institutions," it said in a statement.

Iraq denies handing over land to Kuwait amid border demarcation talks

Telegram is widely used in Iraq, including by Iran-backed militia groups linked to political groups in parliament.

Some channels contain large amounts of personal data including the names, addresses and family ties of Iraqis.

Experts say the app has been crucial in allowing some paramilitary groups to publicise their attacks, including on military bases hosting coalition troops fighting ISIS remnants.

Nearly two dozen Telegram channels emerged between March 2020 and 2021, of which more than 75 per cent were affiliated with militias, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Telegram channel Sabereen news is affiliated with Iran-backed groups and is a major source of information on militia activity in the country.

It has regularly posted news of militia attacks, including rockets launched at coalition bases and the US embassy following the US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad three years ago.

The encrypted instant messaging app is also widely used by politicians and official government ministries across the region.

Terrorist organisations also use Telegram to broadcast announcements to large groups at once. This week, ISIS confirmed the death of its leader Abu Hussein Al Husseini Al Quraishi via the app.

Last year, an ISIS follower was sentenced to more than eight years in prison by a London court for sharing terrorist propaganda on the app.

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis

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Scoreline:

Everton 4

Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)

Coal Black Mornings

Brett Anderson

Little Brown Book Group

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

How will Gen Alpha invest?

Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.

“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.

Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.

He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.

Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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