Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Iran-backed militias in Iraq continued to issue threats to attack the US on Sunday, repeating their insistence that American forces should leave Iraq.
Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada was the latest faction to issue the warning, speaking to Iraq’s Shafaq news agency.
“The presence of American forces in Iraq – which are occupying forces – is categorically rejected,” the group’s spokesman told the news outlet. He said Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada was “working to remove those forces through factional operations.”
The militia joined a coalition of mostly Iran-backed Iraqi groups formed to fight ISIS in 2014, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, which is part of the official Iraqi Security Forces.
Attacks on US forces in Iraq are currently rare, after a wave of nearly 200 attacks following the Israel-Gaza war.
The current pause is due to Iraqi government talks with the US to agree on a timeline for withdrawing forces. If the talks fail to reach an agreement, further attacks are widely expected following several warnings by the militias.
Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada – one of the oldest Iran-backed factions in Iraq, formed in the early 1990s as a militia opposed to the Saddam Hussein regime – has joined a parallel PMF organisation.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq formed after the eruption of the Israel-Gaza war, acting as an umbrella organisation for claiming attacks in support of Hamas.
It includes Kataib Hezbollah, among the most violent and well-armed of Iran’s proxies in Iraq, which fought the US occupation.
The US killed the group’s leader, Jamal Jaafar Al Ibrahim, who went by the pseudonym Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, in a drone strike near Baghdad airport in 2020, alongside senior Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.
Since that strike, which followed a period of rising clashes between the PMF and coalition forces, Iran-backed groups have pressed the Iraqi government to expel US forces, with little success.
Attacks on Israel
Problems encountered include objections from Sunni and Kurdish MPs, and concurrent challenges faced by Iraq, including sharp political factionalism that has paralysed decision making for extended periods.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq and its affiliates have been in the spotlight since late January when they claimed a drone attack on a US outpost in Jordan, killing three soldiers.
The US retaliated with air strikes, hitting militia outposts across the country and killing scores of the fighters. The Jordan attack, which struck the Tower 22 outpost, was an unprecedented escalation by the groups on US forces stationed outside Iraq.
That month, the spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah boasted of possessing an arsenal of long-range missiles and drones, including cruise missiles, which were later used in strikes against Israel.
The threat comes amid long-term, high-level talks between Baghdad and Washington “for a gradual reduction leading to the end of the [coalition’s] mission”, originally to train Iraqi forces in their fight against ISIS, starting in late 2014.
The mission, which involves soldiers from a number of Nato countries, largely depends on the US for the backbone of troops, with about 2,500 still in Iraq.
ISIS can barely muster more than five to 10 attacks across Iraq per month, mostly using light weapons in remote areas, in stark contrast to its peak, when it controlled one third of Iraq and Syria, and carried out hundreds of attacks a week.
But the coalition training mission has been challenged by PMF attacks on US forces, which have surged since the Israel-Gaza war started on October 7.
Hamas is an ally of the PMF and receives arms and funding from Iran. Hundreds of drone and rocket attacks on US forces have disrupted the already slimmed-down counter-ISIS mission.
The militia warning comes amid growing concerns that the Israel-Gaza war will spread, beyond additional fronts in Lebanon and Syria, where almost daily exchanges of fire and air strikes are taking place.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba, another militia within the Islamic Resistance, said it would retaliate if Israeli jets strike its positions in Iraq. Israel has conducted hundreds of air strikes on Iran-linked weapons and arms smuggling in Syria since 2013.
The conflict escalated sharply on April 1 when Israeli jets bombed the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, killing two senior Iranian generals and five other officers. Iran retaliated on April 13, firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel, but causing little damage.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Specs%20
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
