Ceremonies were held across Iraq on Saturday to mark 10 years since ISIS began its campaign of genocide against the Yazidi community.
On August 3, 2014, ISIS extremists arrived in Sinjar, northern Iraq, and began trying to eliminate the Yazidis, a predominantly Kurdish-speaking ethno-religious group that ISIS considered heretical.
ISIS killed men and boys, and sold women into slavery or forced them to convert and marry militants. Many others fled.
Ten years on, some Yazidis have returned to Sinjar. But despite their homeland’s deep emotional and religious significance, many see no future there.
They say there is no money to rebuild homes and infrastructure in a landscape still haunted by horrific memories, where armed groups are still present.
“I believe the world should not forget about the Yazidis because our community has not fully recovered,” Murad Ismael, president and co-founder of Sinjar Academy, co-founder and former executive director of Yazda, a US-based non profit group, told The National.
“Most of our people remain internally displaced, with around 25 per cent having fled Iraq since 2014. Our homeland, Sinjar, faces ongoing security, administrative, and economic challenges, and there have been only nine international trials for the crimes committed against us,” he said.
“As conflicts continue in other regions, our suffering is often forgotten. Justice is important,” said Yazidi survivor Nasrin Hassan Rasho, who was enslaved for two years before she escaped her captors.
“We urge attention on the International Criminal Court and the establishment of a mixed court to hold ISIS members accountable, regardless of their nationality,” she told The National.
A ceremony was held at the Yazidi Genocide Memorial in Sinjar on Saturday, in which hundreds gathered in remembrance of the victims.
“Ten years ago today, my life and the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yazidis were upended and shattered,” said Nadia Murad, a Nobel-peace prize human rights campaigner.
“Our community – especially the survivors – remains resilient, tirelessly fighting for justice, rebuilding their lives, and restoring their community,” she said on social media network X.
Ms Murad called on the international community to support thousands of families to return home, to hold ISIS accountable, rescue the women and children who are still missing, rebuild Sinjar, and support survivors.
Iraq has designated August 3 as a national day to honour victims of terrorism and stand in solidarity with Yazidi survivors.
Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani said in a statement that his cabinet is working to “guarantee all rights” of those who have suffered from terrorism.
“My cabinet has been diligently following up on the implementation of laws and legislation to provide justice to the victims, and to continue the reconstruction of their areas for the return of all displaced people,” Mr Al Sudani said.
Iraqi forces are still pursuing the remnants of terrorism, he said, in reference to ISIS sleeper cells across the country.
The presence of an estimated 50,000 ISIS fighters and their families across the border in Syria in detention centres and camps stokes fears among the Yazidi of history repeating itself.
ISIS killed an estimated 5,000 Yazidis and abducted an estimated 6,800 Yazidis, predominantly women and children. Around 2,600 women and girls are still held in captivity in Iraq, Syria, and other countries almost 10 years later, with no proper institutionalised mechanism to rescue them.
The destruction of Yazidi religious and cultural sites, farms, and homes has forced the displacement of an estimated 400,000 Yazidis from Sinjar district.
More than 200,000 are displaced living in camps in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region only hours away from their homeland.
ISIS also hunted and killed members of other minority groups in the area, including the Shabak, Turkmen and Christians.
The Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani said the genocide is a “turning point” in the history of Iraq and Kurdistan.
“We assure all Yazidi brothers and sisters that the work of the office to rescue the kidnapped Yazidis will continue until all are rescued,” he said during a ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region.
He called on the Iraqi government to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure the implementation of the Sinjar agreement and that the welfare of the Yazidis should be their priority.
Mr Barzani said justice has to be served for the victims and called for a swift reconstruction of the areas destroyed by ISIS to allow the safe return of Yazidis.
Yazidi leader Mir Hazim Tahsin demanded during the event in Erbil that the Yazidis be involved in the political process. He called on the Iraqi government to allocate a budget for the reconstruction of Sinjar.
Mr Tahsin urged the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to co-ordinate to provide the victims a chance of returning to normal lives.
With additional reporting by Aveen Karim.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
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Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
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What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
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