Followers of Iraq's Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr left Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Tuesday after he called for their withdrawal, ending violence that has left at least 30 people dead and hundreds injured.
Mr Al Sadr, who has millions of followers, gave his supporters 60 minutes to leave the capital otherwise he would "distance" himself from them after deadly clashes that gripped the nation.
“The spilling of Iraqi blood is forbidden,” Mr Al Sadr said in a press conference televised nationally.
The cleric appealed for calm and said he was disappointed and “saddened” by what has happened to the country.
“I was hoping for a peaceful protest but what has happened is not a protest. This is not the way to end corruption,” he said.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi praised Mr Al Sadr's call to end the violence seen across Baghdad and other governorates.
Following Mr Al Sadr's statement, the army immediately announced that a nationwide curfew, which was put in place on Monday at 7pm, had been lifted.
Official government working hours were suspended across Iraq on Tuesday morning following the unrest in Baghdad for a second day after Mr Al Sadr announced he was quitting political life.
His supporters stormed a government palace on Monday and fought with rival groups.
They also surrounded the Basrah refinery, which produces 210,000 barrels of oil per day, reports said.
Iraq's oil exports were unaffected on Tuesday by the turmoil, Reuters reported.
At least 30 people were confirmed dead after being shot in Baghdad's Green Zone, according to the latest death toll from AFP.
Iraqi security forces said on Tuesday that four rockets landed in the fortified zone, damaging residences.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell said the missiles were launched from the Al Habibiya and Al Baladiyat areas east of the capital.
The General Secretariat of the Iraqi Council of Ministers announced late on Monday that it was suspending official public working hours on Tuesday in all provinces because of the security situation, the Iraqi News Agency reported.
Iran closed its land borders with Iraq and halted flights to the country on Tuesday.
Iranian state television said unrest and curfews in Iraqi cities were to blame for the border closures. Tehran urged citizens to avoid any travel to Iraq, while asking Iranian Shiite pilgrims in Iraq to avoid travel between cities.
Iran's closure of its borders to Iraq comes two weeks before the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage, when millions of pilgrims from neighbouring Iran and other countries go to the Iraqi city of Karbala.
Arbaeen is one of the largest Shiite religious gatherings. It marks the end of the 40 days of mourning after the anniversary of the killing of Imam Hussein at the battle of Karbala in 680.
Emirates has cancelled flights to and from Baghdad following reports of civil unrest and curfews in Iraq, the Dubai-based airline said.
“Customers connecting to Baghdad will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin,” Emirates said.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers.”
Flydubai has also cancelled flights to Baghdad on Tuesday and Wednesday following the deadly clashes in the Iraqi capital.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” an airline representative told The National.
The airline is advising passengers who have bought tickets for travel to Baghdad to call the flydubai contact centre in Dubai to rebook or request a refund.
Iraq’s government has been in deadlock since Mr Al Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in parliamentary elections in October last year, but not enough to secure a majority government.
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MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
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Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Price: From Dh117,059
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
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Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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The five pillars of Islam
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