To some, Ayad Tarek's business could be seen as a personal form of revenge. A 27-year-old Yazidi, a religious minority persecuted by ISIL during its reign in northern Iraq, he moved to Mosul after the terror group was purged from the city, once their headquarters.
Though his small shop is inconspicuous, among trades such as as car mechanics and spare parts dealers, bottles of whisky are stacked behind Mr Tarek and beer cans are visible in tall fridges with glass doors. Selling alcohol is his plan to make enough money to establish another business in Germany, the country to which he once fled, but he is mindful that what he does would have been unthinkable under ISIL, and even frowned upon years earlier.
"Before 2014, liquor shops would be targeted. My nephew was killed in 2013 because he sold alcohol," he says.
Mr Tarek is not alone in seeing opportunity in activity that ISIL would have killed people for.
In a brightly-lit hall that stretches over the entire top floor of the Al Habda Hotel, Ali Qareshi bellows out numbers over a creaky public address system. His amplified voice echoes from the shiny new cladding that covers the walls and the ceiling as men scour sheets of paper on long rows of tables.
_________________
Families of ISIL terrorism victims in Iraq still need closure
Iraq holding 19,000 on ISIL and terrorism allegations
_________________
The guests snack on kebab and drink beer and raki as they listen intently to Mr Qareshi, a former traffic policeman who lost his job when ISIL stormed Mosul in 2014. The city's traffic directorate has yet to reopen, so Mr Qareshi took a job in what has become the city's beer hall.
ISIL's extremist interpretation of Islam banished gambling, drinking and even smoking.
"They used to behead anyone they caught selling cigarettes," recalls Mr Qareshi.
Iraqi security forces liberated Mosul in July 2017, after three years of ISIL rule. But the city's people had suffered ever since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which saw Mosul become a hotbed for an anti-government insurgency headed by Al-Qaeda and other militants, who also pursued radical conservatism that perpetuated a climate of fear in the population.
A bingo hall selling alcohol would have been a prime target.
"The terrorists would have hung anyone opening such a place from a lamppost," says Mohammed Abu Ali, who was drinking raki with a group of friends. "We used to go to Baghdad or Erbil for this kind of place. Mosul was always a place for terrorism."
ISIL's surprise capture of Iraq's second largest city almost four years ago was not easily overturned.
Finally flushed out in a gruelling nine-month battle to liberate the city, most people with ties to ISIL have been killed or arrested. Their families have been expelled from the city, though sleeper cells remain a threat.
"We are not afraid of extremists in Mosul now," says Ahmed Abu Zahra, one of Mr Ali's friends, who noted numbers on his bingo sheet while sipping his drink.
The Al Hadba Hotel, named after the famous leaning minaret of Mosul's Al Nouri mosque that was blown up by ISIL, reopened in February.
Its main building had to be refurbished after being scorched by the retreating terror group, which used the premises as a base. Bungalows that are clustered around the hotel grounds remain blackened by smoke. Security is tight, but the owners felt sufficiently safe to convert the top floor into the beer hall.
It remains Mosul's only working hotel, says Ata Walid, the manager. It is situated on a strip of amusement parks and restaurants that line the Tigris river next to woodland on the river's east bank.
The strip was heavily damaged in the fighting. But here too, a gradual revival is evident. Newly refurbished restaurants gleam brightly at night next to burned out competitors. Rides are being repaired and Ferris wheels are spinning again. Families are returning to enjoy candyfloss and sweet tea at the waterfront. A zoo has reopened, though the lions, deer and monkeys remain crammed in filthy cages with Iraq's typical but tolerated disregard for animal welfare.
"People are really happy to come here now after being trapped in their houses and not having any entertainment," says Mr Walid.
For Mr Tarek, Mosul is only a stepping stone to his real dream: establishing a shisha bar in Germany, where he was granted asylum in 2014. ISIL killed thousands of his fellow Yazidis.
Mosul is not the only city where alcohol vendors have lived dangerous lives. His employee who was gunned down in his Baghdad shop died at the hands of a member of the Madhi army, a militia led by Shia cleric Muqtadr Al Sadr.
Shiite militias remain a powerful presence in the capital, whereas the Sunni extremists of Mosul appear to have been banished.
Improved security also prompted Harith Yassin to try his hand at something new.
The 31-year-old engineer has been unemployed since ISIL took over Mosul. Having tried and failed to find a job since last summer's liberation of the city, he and a partner opened up the "Book Forum Cafe" on a bustling street near a university. It quickly became a favourite haunt for artists, musicians and students taking a break from classes in the bombed out campus.
Paintings hang from the walls and book shelves are heavy with university course material and Arabic literature, students wearing headscarves revise for exams and old men debate politics. Cigarette smoke hangs heavy in the air. A band comes in daily to rehearse a soulful blend of guitar and violin compositions.
"I was worried about opening up a venue like this. But then I saw liquor shops and casinos opening up, and I became less scared. Those places will be targeted first," said Mr Yassin, on a less optimistic note of trouble that might return.
The cafe's live music, artwork, and air of liberal intellectualism mark a stark contrast to life in ISIL's so-called caliphate. It would have been impossible to embark on this venture even before the city fell to the jihadists.
"The terrorists would have bombed this cafe or shot the owner," said Mr Yassin, who believes the ferocious battle to liberate Mosul left swathes of the city in ruins, and hundreds of thousands displaced, but also removed the suffocating grasp of terror.
"In 2013, you didn't trust anyone you met on the streets. Now I do, because I believe that 99 per cent of the people with ties to Daesh have disappeared."
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
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.
SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
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Elvis
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%0DMain%20Event%0D%3A%20Lightweight%20Title%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAmru%20Magomedov%20def%20Jakhongir%20Jumaev%20-%20Round%201%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-Main%20Event%0D%3A%20Bantamweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERany%20Saadeh%20def%20Genil%20Franciso%20-%20Round%202%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECatchweight%20150%20lbs%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EWalter%20Cogliandro%20def%20Ali%20Al%20Qaisi%20-%20Round%201%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBantamweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERenat%20Khavalov%20def%20Hikaru%20Yoshino%20-%20Round%202%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFlyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EVictor%20Nunes%20def%20Nawras%20Abzakh%20-%20Round%201%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFlyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EYamato%20Fujita%20def%20Sanzhar%20Adilov%20-%20Round%201%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAbdullo%20Khodzhaev%20def%20Petru%20Buzdugen%20-%20Round%201%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECatchweight%20139%20lbs%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERazhabali%20Shaydullaev%20def%20Magomed%20Al-Abdullah%20-%20Round%202%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFlyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ECong%20Wang%20def%20Amena%20Hadaya%20-%20Points%20(unanimous%20decision)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMiddleweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EKhabib%20Nabiev%20def%20Adis%20Taalaybek%20Uulu%20-%20Round%202%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELight%20Heavyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBartosz%20Szewczyk%20def%20Artem%20Zemlyakov%20-%20Round%202%20(TKO)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')
Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)
