Protests against the Iraq's government continued on Monday despite scores of people being killed in clashes with security forces over the weekend and the resignation of four politicians.
The death toll since Friday stood at 74, with 3,654 injured, a member of the Iraqi Commission for Human Rights told The National.
Five protesters were reportedly killed in the Iraqi capital on Monday.
On Monday evening, the country's military said that cars and pedestrians would be banned in Baghdad starting from midnight, raising concerns that security forces would storm protest camps.
But as the curfew came into effect, people were still streaming into Baghdad's Tahrir Square in cars and on foot. It was the fifth consecutive night that the square was occupied.
University students and pupils joined the protests in Baghdad and cities in southern Iraq for a second day to demand that the government quit, defying the Education Ministry’s call to return to class and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's threat of punishment.
“No school, no classes, until the regime collapses” protesters shouted in Diwaniyah, 180 kilometres south of Baghdad.
Diwaniyah's union of universities and schools on Monday declared a 10-day strike "until the regime falls", with thousands of students and even professors flooding the streets.
Authorities announced a curfew from midnight to 6am in Baghdad as protests over poor public services, lack of employment and corruption raged for a fourth day in the capital and southern Iraq.
"I came out to protest against the corrupt government," high school pupil Amir Khadem, 17, told The National.
"It’s been many years with the corrupt government stealing our oil and supplies and I think people have had enough of it."
Four members of Parliament resigned in anger at the government's response and failure to address the public's demands.
Parliament's only two Communist members, Raed Fahmy and Haifa Al Amin, quit "in support of the peaceful, popular movement", they said.
They called on the government to resign and for early elections under a new voting system.
Two other MPs, Taha Al Difai and Muzahem Al Tamimi, resigned on Sunday.
Parliament met on Monday for the first time since the protests began on October 1, and voted to form a committee to amend the constitution and meet the demands of protesters, and to cancel privileges for politicians.
But the decision was met with some scepticism.
"Until this moment the Iraqi government has not been able to create any reforms and that is the reason we want to change this government," Hussein Al Najjar, an activist and member of Iraq's Communist Party, told The National.
"I think if they change the constitution they could make it worse. They don’t want a civil government or freedom of expression."
Protesters have defied bullets, tear gas and other violence that have killed more than 200 since the demonstrations started in early October.
“We have received 64 complaint of human rights abuses,” said Ali Al Bayati, a member of Iraq's human rights commission.
"We will investigate and take the matter further by referring it to the general prosecutor to be sent to the human rights court."
The US called on all sides to “reject the cycle of violence” and expressed concern about the forced closure of media outlets.
“Press freedom is inherent to democratic reform,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
"We support the fundamental right to freedom of expression, constitutionally granted to all media organisations, and the right of journalists to practise their profession in safety.
The UN special representative to Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, expressed concern about the “armed entities seeking to hinder Iraq’s stability and unity”.
“The protection of human life always comes first,'' Ms Hennis-Plasschaert said.
"Armed entities sabotaging the peaceful demonstrations, eroding the government’s credibility and ability to act, cannot be tolerated.
"Iraq has come a long way, and cannot afford to slide back into a new cycle of violence.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.5-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E725hp%20at%207%2C750rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E716Nm%20at%206%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ4%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C650%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
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Honeymoonish
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Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%20turbo%204-cylinder%20%2F%202.0%20turbo%204-cylinder%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20148bhp%20%2F%20328bhp%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20250Nm%20%2F%20420Nm%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20TBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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
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