Iraqi cellist and conductor Karim Wasfi has played a concert for "peace and co-existence" amid the ruins of Mosul, almost a year after Iraqi forces ousted the extremist group ISIS from the capital of its self-declared "caliphate".
Dozens of people attended on Friday as Wasfi, in full concert dress, played on a makeshift stage among the most famous religious monuments of Iraq's second city.
The venue lay between the Catholic church of Our Lady of the Hour with its famed clock tower and the remains of the Hadba leaning minaret next to the Al Nuri Mosque, destroyed during the battle for the city.
Wasfi was joined by the violinist, guitar and oud players of local band Awtar Nerkal.
"This music is a message from Mosul to the whole world, of the concepts of security, peace and coexistence," said Wasfi.
The dual Iraqi-US national is former conductor of Iraq's National Symphony Orchestra and has been nicknamed "Iraq's Rostropovich" after the Russian maestro cellist.
The music was "a call for companies, investors and organisations to come and take part in the reconstruction of the city, especially its destroyed Old Town", the bearded and bespectacled artist said.
The impromptu concert came in the same week that Iraqi authorities finally launched clean-up operations in the city that the extremist militants held for three years until July 2017.
Several times over the past three years, Wasfi, who was born in Cairo, has taken his cello on to the streets of Baghdad to play at bomb sites shortly after attacks.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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