Under the unforgiving sun, volunteers spray water from hoses to scrub clean Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.
Young artists touch up the murals, portraits and graffiti painted on an underpass near the square at the height of the pro-reform protests that broke out in Iraq last October.
As the first anniversary of the rallies approaches, they also add new artistic expressions of their frustration at the government.
Activists plan to use October 1 to reignite the protest movement, which died down in recent months because of the coronavirus pandemic and the killings, kidnappings and intimidation of demonstrators.
In addition to their original demands for better living conditions and political change, they say they will press for those behind protesters’ killings to be brought to justice.
“October is the date for the revolutionaries,” reads one of many posters put up around Baghdad to encourage people on to the streets again.
“We will be back,” reads another message scrawled on a wall in the southern city of Nasiriyah, another protest centre. “The storm of October is coming.”
Unlike other protests since the 2003 US-led invasion which toppled long-time dictator Saddam Hussein, these demonstrations started spontaneously.
Angry young people took to the streets in Baghdad before protest fever spread to other cities in central and southern Iraq.
The demonstrators demanded jobs, better services, an end to endemic corruption and an overhaul to the sectarian political party system in place since 2003.
They want early elections under a new law that gives independent candidates a better chance to win seats in Parliament.
Government security forces responded with live rounds, tear gas and stun grenades, setting off clashes with the demonstrators.
At least 560 people, mostly protesters, have been killed, the government said. Thousands were wounded.
The government resigned weeks after the start of the protests
A new government which took office in May has mooted June 2021 as a possible date for elections, although discussions on changing the electoral law have not been concluded.
"None of our demands are met yet," activist Haider Al Hilfi told The National while sitting inside a tent in Tahrir Square.
“We will rise up again on October 1 in a new revolution.”
For months, Baghdad’s Tahrir Square was a bustling centre for thousands of protesters who turned it into a vibrant village of tents filled with young men and women from all walks of life.
But things started to change early this year. Activists were attacked when outside the square, reportedly by Iran-backed militias.
Informants mingled with the protesters, forcing many of them to abandon the camp.
Days into the protests, the demonstrators took over the abandoned 14-storey Turkish Restaurant building from the security forces who oversee the Green Zone, where key government offices and western embassies are based.
The building became a landmark for the protest movement and was renamed Jabal Uhud, a reference to a mountain in Saudi Arabia where a historic battle took place.
Now the square is almost deserted, with many tents empty and torn.
“People lost trust in the square when it was infiltrated by the political parties,” says activist Mustafa Abid, who arrived on a motorcycle to check on anniversary preparations.
“But we managed to unify our ranks. We are now working in our areas and on social media to regain trust and muster people to come to the square to commemorate the anniversary.”
When he took office in May, Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi promised investigations into the killings of the protesters, and compensation for the dead and wounded.
The government’s investigation has yet to begin. It says it will start soon after a list of the victims has been finalised.
No payment has been made and no charge filed so far.
Younis Khalifa, 23, bursts into tears as he sits next to a section of the square where pictures of the dead are hung or placed on the ground, surrounded by their bloodstained belongings, plastic flowers and copies of the Quran.
“The people let down the protests,” Mr Khalifa says, expressing disdain for Iraqis who failed to back the movement when the killing began.
“What hurts most is that we have achieved nothing, despite the blood that has been shed.”
In the southern city of Basra, activist Sameer Rahim does not rule out confrontations with security troops when resuming protests, but said there will be a response from the protesters.
“We expect heavy-handed response this time as well, but not the same one that we saw last year,” Mr Rahim says.
“The government and political parties will think twice before firing a bullet because the protesters today are different, they will retaliate immediately the same way.”
He expects the Basra protests will be bigger because they will be fuelled by an “alteration” of borders by neighbouring Kuwait, and a delay in building a major port on the Gulf.
Back in Tahrir Square, Mr Khalifa pledges to return on October 1.
“To those [who died] I say: ‘We will not forget you and we will carry on’,” even at risk of death.
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Bella Fever, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Mike de Kock (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Woven, Harry Bentley, David Simcock.
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Fore Left, William Buick, Doug O’Neill.
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Rusumaat, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Benbatl, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Beyond Reason, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WallyGPT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaeid%20and%20Sami%20Hejazi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%247.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%20round%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
