A year after Iraq protests, what has changed?


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In October 2019, protesters demanded the fall of Iraq’s ruling class. One year on, with a new government in place and almost 600 protesters killed, little has changed.

The nationwide demonstrations which started on October 1 grew into a decentralised movement slamming unemployment, poor public services, endemic corruption and a political class more loyal to Iran or the US than to Iraqi citizens.

It led to the shock December 1 resignation of prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, succeeded after months of political deadlock by Mustafa Al Kadhimi, who pledged to integrate protesters’ demands into his transitional government’s plans.

But little has been achieved.

Mr Al Kadhimi has set a parliamentary vote for June 6, 2021, nearly a year ahead of schedule.

“Protesters wanted early elections and a new electoral law. We’re doing that,” Abdelhussein Hindawi, Mr Al Kadhimi’s adviser on elections, told AFP.

But while parliament approved a new voting law in December, essential points including the size of electoral districts and whether candidates would run independently or on lists have yet to be agreed by politicians.

And despite claims he has no political ambitions and would serve as a transitional leader, Mr Al Kadhimi appears to be preparing for an electoral fight.

Several MPs and members of rival parties told AFP the prime minister’s advisers are scouting candidates for the 2021 elections, hoping he could secure a new term in office.

“He’s stuck because he has to make a decision about where he wants to be,” said Renad Mansour, a researcher at the UK-based Chatham House think tank.

“Does he want to be PM for another four years and play politics, or does he want to change something right now?”

When he came to power, Mr Al Kadhimi pledged to guide Iraq through a dire fiscal crisis, saying state coffers were nearly empty after years of waste and an oil price slump.

The World Bank said Iraq’s poverty rate could double to 40 per cent this year and that youth unemployment, already at 36 per cent, could rise further.

Mr Al Kadhimi’s Cabinet vowed to reduce the public payroll and audit stipends to millions of Iraqis, but dropped the policy following public criticism.

It changed course again in August, hiring hundreds at the defence ministry – but not enough to stop sit-ins outside other government offices where demonstrators demanded jobs.

Finance Minister Ali Allawi missed a late August deadline to submit a white paper for economic reforms that is still being finalised, Iraqi officials said.

Mr Al Kadhimi also said he would prioritise Iraq’s fight against the coronavirus, which had by May killed 100 people.

Now, the death toll stands at close to 9,100, with the health ministry saying hospitals could lose control if the virus spread is not contained.

The prime minister has few allies in parliament, where pro-Iran MPs have bristled at his references to protesters’ demands.

“He’s had one foot in the elite camp and one foot in the anti-establishment camp. At the end of the day, he ends up not satisfying either,” Mr Mansour said.

The prime minister has also struggled to make good on his promise to bring those responsible for the deaths of almost 600 demonstrators and activists since last October to justice.

In September, his government announced that families of victims could apply for compensation from the state, but no funds have been disbursed yet.

A few weeks later, Mr Al Kadhimi said a statue would be erected in Tahrir Square, the centre of Baghdad’s rallies, as well as in the protest hot spot of Nasiriyah further south.

“I don’t recall a statue being among our demands last year,” wrote Ali, a protester from east Baghdad.

Meanwhile, the intimidation continued, including the abduction of a German and the murder of scholar and government adviser Husham Al Hashemi in July.

“We know who and where the killers are, but we cannot arrest them or announce that. It’s too sensitive,” one Iraqi official told AFP.

Rocket attacks on diplomatic missions and military convoys have increased, with hardline groups becoming more brazen in their threats against Mr Al Kadhimi.

On Monday evening, a rocket attack against Baghdad airport hit a nearby home, killing six civilians.

Many factions fall under the state-sponsored Hashed Al Shaabi paramilitary network, and his inability to exert full control over them has made Mr Al Kadhimi look weak, Mr Mansour said.

“The challenge in Iraq is no one man can fix it – but certainly not a man who believes in incremental slow change at a time that you have such a violent context,” he said.

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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
UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

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

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

Infobox

Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August

Results

UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets

Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets

Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets

Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs

Monday fixtures

UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain

'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

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PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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 

MIDWAY

Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5