Iraq said on Tuesday that it is close to finding evidence that will hold the murderers of anti-government protesters in Basra to account.
Frustration against the government flared up in the southern oil city last week after gunmen shot dead protest leader Reham Yacoub in her car. It was the third such attack against campaigners in Basra in a week.
“We are close to obtaining vital evidence related to the perpetrators who carried out the recent assassinations in Basra,” military spokesman Yahya Rasool said.
“There is an intelligence follow-up and the perpetrators will be found and referred to the judiciary to hold them to account,” he said.
“We are capable of carrying out an accurate intelligence operation,” he confirmed.
Following the killings, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi sacked the Basra police and national security chiefs and launched an investigation into the violence.
Mr Rasool said that a decision would be made soon regarding security changes in the city.
Basra, which produces a massive share of Iraq's oil, has been rocked by large-scale anti-government protests over corruption since October.
On Sunday the Interior Ministry said it had launched a military operation to track militias blamed for the assassinations.
Activists around the city said they will not stop until their demands are met. They are protesting against poor public services, unemployment and corruption.
"If they [militias] think that the assassination of activists will send us home, they are wrong. Thousands of Iraqis here in the square and the new generation are ready to lose their lives for their rights," Bassam Raad, 24 year-old activist, told The National.
The state must bring security reforms to Basra and justice must be served, Mohammed Salah, a 25-year-old activist said.
"The militias are working to enforce injustice, chaos, and killing Basra protesters, we must fight to kick them out of the city," Mr Salah told The National.
“The killers have official IDs meaning they can easily cross checkpoints and are authorized to carry weapons. The governor is responsible for what has happened in the city so he needs to change the system,” he said.
Mr Salah urged the authorities to reveal the identity of the killers and to work seriously in completing a new electoral law under an independent Electoral Commission and UN supervision.
Protesters are in fear after the recent events, he said.
Last Friday demonstrators burnt the outer gate of the building housing the Iraqi Parliament's local offices for Basra province, the area that produces the largest share of Iraq’s oil.
Demonstrators in Basra have blamed Iran-backed Iraqi militias for the attacks.
The killing of the Basra activists came after Husham Al Hashemi, a security analyst and government adviser, was murdered outside his Baghdad home in July by men on a motorbike.
Mr Al Kadhimi talked tough after Al Hashemi’s killing, pledging to hunt down his assailants and keep armed groups in check.
There have been few developments since then.
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
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
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
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