The US issued its highest level travel alert for Iraq on Tuesday, urging citizens not to travel to the war-scarred country because of mounting security risks and Covid-19.
“Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, Covid-19,” the US State Department said on its website, adding that its diplomatic mission to Iraq has a limited capacity to provide support to US citizens.
It said US citizens are at risk of violence and kidnapping due to attacks by militant groups against Iraqi security forces and almost daily attacks by Iran-backed Shiite militias against US assets in the country.
The statement said sporadic protests “can develop quickly without prior notification, often interrupting traffic, transportation, and other services; such events have the potential to turn violent.”
It also cited the Level 4 Travel Health Notice issued by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which advises Americans to avoid travelling to Iraq, saying “even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk” of contracting the virus.
Although coronavirus infections have dropped significantly in recent weeks to less than 1,000 a day, health authorities have warned a fourth wave of the pandemic is imminent.
On Monday, the country registered 829 new cases and 21 deaths, taking the total number of confirmed infections to 2,075,248 and known fatalities to 23,686, although the real figures are thought by experts to be much higher.
The decision has taken Iraqis by surprise as Covid-19 restrictions have eased. Foreign tourists, businessmen and archaeologists have been returning.
Amir Abdul-Razaq Al Zubaidi, general director of the provincial antiquities department in the southern Thi Qar province, described the decision as “hasty.”
“We are surprised because Iraq has significantly recovered from coronavirus and the number of tourists from all the world, mainly from the US, is increasing,” Mr Al Zubaidi told The National.
He said American tourists and others are already travelling freely in his province and other parts of southern Iraq without any problem.
“We don't want cross-cultural communication to be affected and so we hope that the US administration will reconsider such a decision,” he added.
Last month, Iraq held early national elections to choose a new parliament, the fifth since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Early elections were one of numerous demands of the pro-reform, youth-led protest movement that engulfed the country in October 2019.
Initial results show that a political group sponsored by the Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, known as the Sadrist bloc, was the clear winner in the elections, securing 73 seats in the 329-member parliament.
The Iran-backed Fatah Alliance, made up mainly of pro-Tehran Shiite militias, won only 14 seats, significantly fewer than the 48 seats it secured in 2018 elections.
Shiite political parties, mainly the Fatah Alliance, have rejected the results as manipulated and demanded recounts of all ballot boxes.
Their supporters have been protesting outside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, the home of key government offices, the Independent High Electoral Commission and foreign embassies.
Earlier this month the protests turned violent, leaving two militiamen killed and more than 100 protesters and security personnel wounded.
Days later, the country’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi survived an exploding drone assassination attempt.
Although investigations are continuing, Iran-backed Shiite militias stand accused of launching the attack on Mr Al Kadhimi’s residence.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
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The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
