Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and his Jordanian counterpart laid the cornerstone on Thursday for an electricity grid interconnection project aimed at tackling Iraq's chronic power shortage.
The project is part of a larger plan to establish a pan-Arab power market by connecting the Gulf Co-operation Council, comprising Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
Mr Al Kadhimi said the project on the Iraq-Jordan border in western Anbar province was a reflection of "the policy of openness and co-operation" adopted by his government, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.
Mr Al Kadhimi and Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh also discussed "ways to develop bilateral relations and regional co-operation", it added.
The two countries signed the deal in 2020 to supply electricity to the cities of Haditah and Al Qaim in Anbar, as well as to Baghdad.
Iraq has commissioned US multinational General Electric and an Iraqi company to build the power facilities that include an electricity transmission station and power cables in the border town of Al Qaim.
Late last month, the mayor of Rutba, another town in Anbar, said the first phase was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023 and would supply Iraq with 400 megawatts.
Iraq is also in talks with the GCC to buy electricity through its Interconnection Authority.
Speaking exclusively to The National in New York during the UN General Assembly last month, Mr Al Kadhimi said there were parties in Iraq "who are working to obstruct the government’s openness to our brothers in Arab countries; some are calling Gulf investments in Iraq Gulf imperialism”.
The wider Iraq-GCC energy link, he said, would see "Iraq becoming a transit point for Gulf energy supplies to Europe, within the next two years”.
Despite billions of dollars spent on infrastructure since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, many Iraqi cities and town still experienced severe power cuts and rolling blackouts.
The chronic power crisis has fuelled protests, mainly during the summer when temperatures exceed 50°C.
Iraq has spent at least $60bn on the electricity sector since 2003, Mr Al Kadhimi said in late 2020. Aside from money lost to corruption, much has been misallocated.
Despite being Opec’s second-biggest producer, Iraq depends on Iran for approximately one third of its electricity needs.
Baghdad has been under pressure from Washington to wean itself off Iranian energy imports, which have been subject to US sanctions since 2018.
Since then, Washington has repeatedly extended a waiver to Baghdad for periods of between 45 to 120 days.
Iraq has taken some steps to develop its natural gas resources and electricity sector in recent years.
It has signed multibillion-dollar agreements with multinational energy services companies such as the US's GE and Germany's Siemens to improve its power infrastructure — damaged by decades of war, sanctions and corruption — and to start clean energy projects.
It also signed a deal with France’s Total to develop oil fields, produce gas, build large energy infrastructure and generate solar energy. A handful of contracts were also signed with other companies to develop solar energy projects.
Jordan has excess electricity production but has struggled to find export markets despite talks over the past year with Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon.
In January, the kingdom signed a deal, supported by the US, to export 250 megawatts to Lebanon through regime-held areas of Syria. The electricity was supposed to flowing by April, but there have been none because Lebanon did not secure World Bank funds to pay for the electricity.
Results
5pm: Al Falah – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bshara, Richard Mullen (jockey), Salem Al Ketbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Al Dhafra – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Mualami, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Al Khaleej Al Arabi – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Hawafez, Adrie de Vries, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Mafraq – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
7.30pm: Al Samha – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Patrick Cosgrave, Ismail Mohammed
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
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Ferrari
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
SPECS
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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
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
