Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said he does not want his country to be involved in any escalation of the conflict in the Middle East after Iran used Iraqi airspace to launch its drone and missile attack against Israel.
Speaking on Tuesday during his week-long visit to Washington, Mr Al Sudani also accused Israel of directly striking Palestinian civilians and said details on when US troops might leave Iraq were expected in July.
“Our intention is not to be involved in this escalation that has a great influence on our country and the security and the stability of our country,” Mr Al Sudani said, adding that the “root problem” of current tensions is the unresolved Palestinian issue and Israel's war in Gaza.
“Without a just resolution, there are going to be groups who believe they have a just cause to fight,” he said, accusing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately seeking to widen the conflict in the region.
“Everybody is witnessing the criminality being inflicted against Palestinians, it is a genocide in the true sense.”
A coalition of western and Arab countries shot down hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles bound for Israel on Saturday as Tehran launched a retaliatory strike after Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus this month, killing a senior general and other officers.
Israel is now expected to hit back at Iran, leaving the world on edge as to whether the tit-for-tat strikes will spark a regional war.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, more than 33,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s incursion in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
Mr Al Sudani, who has been serving as Prime Minister since 2022, is on a diplomatic mission as Iraq looks to forge a new relationship with Washington that pivots away from the security-centric focus of the past two decades.
The Iraqi government wants the US military to leave the country. Talks are well under way but have been delayed by the aftermath of October 7. Mr Al Sudani said a commission looking at the issue is expected to announce a schedule in July.
In 2014, thousands of US and international troops travelled to help fight ISIS both in Iraq and Syria. About 2,500 US troops remain in Iraq in an advisory and training capacity to help Iraqi forces.
“ISIS is no longer the same threat in Iraq now as it has been in the past. So it is very natural to revise this coalition that was formed based on an invite by the Iraqi government,” Mr Al Sudani said.
Mr Al Sudani met President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday in a high-profile visit that comes as the US is pushing Iraq to do more to rein in Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.
Iran-backed proxies attacked US troops and assets in Iraq and Syria more than 170 times since October 7 but those strikes abated after three American soldiers were killed in Jordan in January.
When asked about Iraq's reliance on Iranian natural gas, Mr Al Sudani pointed to a “promising project” and said his country would be self-sufficient in terms of gas production within three to five years.
On the detention of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian doctoral student at Princeton University who was conducting research in Baghdad when she was kidnapped last March, Mr Al Sudani said Iraq has stood up a “special security team” to find out what happened to her.
The Israeli government believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed militia operating in Iraq that has also been blamed for a series of attacks on US troops in the region.
Mr Al Sudani has been critical of the Biden administration’s continued political and military support of Israel’s war on Gaza, even as the Palestinian death toll continues to mount, viewing it as emboldening armed groups in carrying out attacks on US troops and complicating his efforts to keep them at bay.
After completing his trip to Washington, Mr Al Sudani is set to host Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 22.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
