Iraqi civil defence workers sanitise the Tweirij district between Hilla and the southern Iraqi shrine city of Karbala against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, on April 16, 2020. AFP
Iraqi civil defence workers sanitise the Tweirij district between Hilla and the southern Iraqi shrine city of Karbala against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, on April 16, 2020. AFP
Iraqi civil defence workers sanitise the Tweirij district between Hilla and the southern Iraqi shrine city of Karbala against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, on April 16, 2020. AFP
Iraqi civil defence workers sanitise the Tweirij district between Hilla and the southern Iraqi shrine city of Karbala against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, on April 16, 2020. AFP

Iraq extends coronavirus curfew until start of Ramadan as cases increase


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraq's nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak is being extended until April 23, the government said on Thursday.

Schools, universities, shopping centres and other large gathering places will remain closed, as will the country's international airports.

The government confirmed 1,415 cases on Wednesday night, with 79 deaths and 766 recoveries.

But there are suspicions that the real numbers are much higher.

According to sources quoted in a Reuters report in early April, the true number ranges from 3,000 to 9,000.

The news agency was suspended from operating in Iraq for three months and fined 25 million Iraqi dinars, or about $20,800, after it reported the claims.

Reuters said it stood by the story, which “was based on multiple, well-placed medical and political sources, and fully represented the position of the Iraqi health ministry”.

It said it regretted the Iraqi authorities’ decision but was “seeking to resolve the matter”.

Iraqi President  Barham Salih said he was working with a  legal team to revoke the decision.

Mr Salih said the story had caused distress in Iraq because it implied a deliberate falsification of records by the government, which he said had not been the case.

"The WHO has also confirmed there has been absolutely no evidence of deliberate falsification of records. You cannot hide the deaths,” Mr Salih said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations urged  Iraq's parliament to approve a law against domestic violence law after an increase in reports of gender-based and domestic violence.

The UN said this was partly due to an “increased household tensions as a result of the confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Iraq's interior ministry has published phone numbers that women can call for help from security forces after reports surfaced of the rape of a woman with special needs, spousal abuse, immolation and self-immolation as well as self-inflicted injuries due to spousal abuse, sexual harassment of minors, and suicide due to domestic abuse among other crimes.

“Such crimes raise the alarm for the urgency to endorse the Anti-Domestic Violence Law in Iraq,” the UN’s office in Iraq said in a statement on Thursday, referring to a draft law awaiting passage by legislators.

“The UN in Iraq calls upon authorities to ensure that the judicial systems continue to prosecute abusers, invest more in hotline and online services, support the role of civil society organisations, keep shelter doors open for women fleeing abuse and punish perpetrators of any gender-based violence,” it said.

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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
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

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

Rating: 4/5

Most F1 world titles

7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)

7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)

5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)

4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)

4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

THE DEALS

Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m

Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m

Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m

Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m

Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m

TOTAL $485m

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In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
  • Drones
  • Animals
  • Fireworks/ flares
  • Radios or power banks
  • Laser pointers
  • Glass
  • Selfie sticks/ umbrellas
  • Sharp objects
  • Political flags or banners
  • Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

MATCH INFO

Sheffield United 3

Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90

Manchester United 3

Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.