Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra. AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra. AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra. AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr during a demonstration in Iraq's southern city of Basra. AFP

Iraqi optimism falters even as smoke from Basra protests clears


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Calm returned to Baghdad on Wednesday after 24 hours of heavy fighting in the capital, after clashes between militias loyal to Moqtada Al Sadr, the popular nationalist cleric, and Iran-backed groups.

Violence flared up after the cleric called for new waves of protesters to occupy the Green Zone ― the seat of government in Iraq, after he said he was resigning from politics in protest at actions by a rival political coalition, the Co-ordination Framework. The rival coalition includes Iran-linked parties and Mr Al Sadr’s arch foe, former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki.

But clashes also occurred throughout the country’s volatile south, with rival Shiite groups burning political party offices. Basra, Iraq’s second largest city ― and by some accounts its poorest ― has historically been a flashpoint between the rival Shiite groups.

A day after the clashes, tyres set alight earlier in the week still send smoke skywards. Because a public holiday was announced by the central government, no municipal workers are on the streets to clean up the protest sites.

Protesters are now left to ponder what’s next for their movements and Iraq. Basra native Majed Ali, 41, said Mr Al Sadr’s call to withdraw was the right thing to stop the bloodshed, but “it is not withdrawal of losers, no, it is like a victory against Iraq’s enemies [referring to Iran-backed militias]”.

Mr Ali said he wished to continue the protest to “clean the country [of] corrupted politicians, but we all respect the Sadr decision to save Iraq”.

Mr Al Sadr said he would resign from politics last week after 10 months of failed negotiations to form a government. Many dismissed the move as a ploy to gain greater leverage, and his supporters stormed the Green Zone, breaching the gates of the government palace, rushing into its lavish salons and marbled halls.

At least 30 people were killed in the clashes, AFP reported, after which Mr Al Sadr gave his supporters 60 minutes to leave the capital.

“I feel so sad for killing many protesters, regardless of their affiliations, they are Iraqis. I wish Sadr would go back to politics as he played a vital role to keep Iraq away from external pressure, mainly from Iran,” Mr Ali said.

“Sadr is a safety valve to Iraq, and I hope the governments and other neutral parties decide to dissolve the parliaments and go forward a very quick election.”

Iraq's oil exports have not been affected by the turmoil in the country, three sources told Reuters on Tuesday, despite Mr Al Sadr’s supporters surrounding Basra’s Majnoon oil field and 210,000-barrel-per-day Basrah refinery.

Iraq’s people are yet to see any real development off the back of oil revenues, as the government formation process stagnates.

Amal Khairi, 48, said she had lost hope of any bright future for her family amid the squabbling by politicians. She said she does not back any militias or political factions, but praised Mr Al Sadr’s decision to withdraw his supporters.

“My son, Mohammed, is a baccalaureate student in his last year of secondary school. He could not go for exams as the Ministry of Education suspended them until further notice.

I am so afraid for my son’s future,” she said.

“I am hopeless that Iraq will be stable or be clear from militias as long as there is a government whose politicians take care of themselves, not the people's favour, she said.

Life in the city began to return to normal on Tuesday afternoon, as businesses and shops gradually opened.

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March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi  

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi 

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule

12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)

2pm Formula One final practice 

5pm Formula One qualifying

6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.

Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.

For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae

 

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Florida: The critical Sunshine State

Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991. 

Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.

In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Barings Bank

 Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
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Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson. 

Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.  

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:

Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Game is on BeIN Sports

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ovasave%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Majd%20Abu%20Zant%20and%20Torkia%20Mahloul%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Healthtech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Three%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24400%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt

2019 Asian Cup final

Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Gender pay parity on track in the UAE

The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.

"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."

Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.

"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.

As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS

Argentina 4 Haiti 0

Peru 2 Scotland 0

Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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While you're here
The BIO:

He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal

He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side

By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam

Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border

He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push

His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
UNSC Elections 2022-23

Seats open:

  • Two for Africa Group
  • One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
  • One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
  • One for Eastern Europe Group

Countries so far running: 

  • UAE
  • Albania 
  • Brazil 
Updated: August 31, 2022, 9:02 AM`