Operation Desert Storm, the mission by coalition forces to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991. Getty
Operation Desert Storm, the mission by coalition forces to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991. Getty
Operation Desert Storm, the mission by coalition forces to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991. Getty
Operation Desert Storm, the mission by coalition forces to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991. Getty

US scientists link mystery Gulf War illness to chemical weapons exposure


Robert Tollast
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Scientists at the University of Texas have linked “Gulf War syndrome”, a debilitating illness suffered by tens of thousands of British and American soldiers who served in the First Gulf War in Iraq, to exposure to chemical weapons.

Operation Desert Storm liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991 and involved a US-led force of about 650,000 troops, including British, French, Saudi Arabian and Egyptian forces, in one of the largest military confrontations since the Second World War.

  • American airforce F-15 C fighters flying over a Kuwaiti oilfield which had been torched by retreating Iraqi troops during the Gulf War. Getty Images
    American airforce F-15 C fighters flying over a Kuwaiti oilfield which had been torched by retreating Iraqi troops during the Gulf War. Getty Images
  • US Air Force ground crew loading 500-pound bombs onto an aircraft during operation Desert Storm - the mission to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, January to February 1991. Mark Peters / Department Of Defence
    US Air Force ground crew loading 500-pound bombs onto an aircraft during operation Desert Storm - the mission to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, January to February 1991. Mark Peters / Department Of Defence
  • Gen Norman Schwarzkopf, commander-in-chief, US Central Command, presents the Legion of Merit to Maj Gen Muhammed Al Badi, chief of staff of the UAE Armed Forces, for his role in liberating Kuwait from occupying Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. April 2, 1991. Corbis via Getty Images
    Gen Norman Schwarzkopf, commander-in-chief, US Central Command, presents the Legion of Merit to Maj Gen Muhammed Al Badi, chief of staff of the UAE Armed Forces, for his role in liberating Kuwait from occupying Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. April 2, 1991. Corbis via Getty Images
  • British engineers from the 7th armoured brigade in action on January 7 1991 in the Saudi Arabian desert. Patrick Baz / AFP
    British engineers from the 7th armoured brigade in action on January 7 1991 in the Saudi Arabian desert. Patrick Baz / AFP
  • An Egyptian soldier holding a bayonet takes shelter in a hole to protect himself from Iraqi artillery fire on February 25, 1991 while Allied troops launch a ground offensive to free Kuwait from Iraqi invasion. Pascal Guyot / AFP
    An Egyptian soldier holding a bayonet takes shelter in a hole to protect himself from Iraqi artillery fire on February 25, 1991 while Allied troops launch a ground offensive to free Kuwait from Iraqi invasion. Pascal Guyot / AFP
  • Egyptian army fire missiles on February 25, 1991 on the second day of the massive ground assault of the Allied Forces into Kuwait and Iraq. Pascal Guyot / AFP
    Egyptian army fire missiles on February 25, 1991 on the second day of the massive ground assault of the Allied Forces into Kuwait and Iraq. Pascal Guyot / AFP
  • An Iraqi Kurdish refugee child cries on April 11, 1991, in Isikveren refugee camp situated on the Turkish border with Iraq. Nabil Ismail / AFP
    An Iraqi Kurdish refugee child cries on April 11, 1991, in Isikveren refugee camp situated on the Turkish border with Iraq. Nabil Ismail / AFP
  • A Kuwaiti airfield worker waves to a departing of a Kuwaiti Air Force A-4 US-made Skyhawk jet fighter pilot 24 January 1991 leaving the Al Hasra air base for a bombing mission over Iraq. Chris Wilkins / AFP
    A Kuwaiti airfield worker waves to a departing of a Kuwaiti Air Force A-4 US-made Skyhawk jet fighter pilot 24 January 1991 leaving the Al Hasra air base for a bombing mission over Iraq. Chris Wilkins / AFP
  • Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (L) is seen sitting in a tent in Najaf (Irak) in 1991 during the Gulf War. AFP
    Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (L) is seen sitting in a tent in Najaf (Irak) in 1991 during the Gulf War. AFP
  • French special forces capture Iraqi soldiers on February 26, 1991 somewhere in Iraqi desert. Mike Nelson /AFP
    French special forces capture Iraqi soldiers on February 26, 1991 somewhere in Iraqi desert. Mike Nelson /AFP
  • The wreckage of a British Airways Boeing 747-136 at Kuwait City airport, after BA Flight 149 was detained in Kuwait during the Gulf War, 1991. Colin Davey / Getty Images
    The wreckage of a British Airways Boeing 747-136 at Kuwait City airport, after BA Flight 149 was detained in Kuwait during the Gulf War, 1991. Colin Davey / Getty Images

After the conflict, many veterans said they developed chronic muscle pain, problems with speech and memory loss and gastrointestinal problems, among other mysterious and undiagnosed symptoms.

A report by the US Institute of Medicine in 2013 said that as many as 30 per cent of Gulf War veterans had experienced symptoms.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre said their research examining 1,000 US veterans of the conflict was “the most definitive” to date.

Researchers said the illnesses were likely caused by small amounts of sarin, the nerve gas released into the atmosphere within Iraq when coalition forces bombed chemical weapons facilities.

Lead report author Dr Robert Haley said that even small amounts of the nerve agent released into the atmosphere could cause illness, but some people were genetically more susceptible to becoming ill, suffering a defective gene called PON1 which when fully functional helps the body to process harmful chemicals.

The level soldiers might have been exposed to “was enough to make people ill if they were genetically predisposed to illness from it”, Dr Haley told the BBC.

Previously, some experts had suggested the illness may have been caused by exposure to depleted uranium ammunition, which uses the extremely dense but highly toxic radioactive metal to penetrate tank armour. When stored, the metal is harmless but it creates a toxic dust when used against armoured targets.

A US Jeep and a Saudi Arabian tank take part in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991. AFP
A US Jeep and a Saudi Arabian tank take part in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991. AFP

Coalition aircraft and tanks used about 300 tonnes of depleted uranium during the war and in some cases soldiers came into contact with Iraqi tanks that had been destroyed by the weapons.

But a study last year by the UT Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, found that soldiers exposed to depleted uranium dust did not have high enough concentrations of the metal in their body to cause serious illness.

Instead, a more serious health risk may have arisen during the war, as soldiers advanced towards Iraqi military bases that had been heavily bombed. Some of these sites were identified by UN inspectors in the months after the war as having stored chemical weapons.

While UN authorised operations to liberate Kuwait after Saddam’s invasion in August 1990, coalition forces made an incursion into Iraq to envelop Iraq-occupied Kuwait and cut off enemy forces.

US, French and British forces advanced as far as the southern Iraqi towns of Samawah and Nasiriyah – possibly putting them close to sites that may have stored chemicals, including a military depot in Al Qurnah, north of Basra, were a small number of degraded chemical weapons munitions were discovered by Danish forces in early 2004.

The extent to which Iraqi civilians and soldiers may have suffered these symptoms has not been well documented but a 1996 report by the Canadian Institute for International Studies said there had been an “increased incidence of similar illnesses” in Iraq.

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Company%20profile
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WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Neil Thomson – THE BIO

Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.

Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.

Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.

Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.

Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.

Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.

How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.

 

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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if you go

The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

 

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

 

The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

TOURNAMENT INFO

Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri

MATCH INFO

Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)

Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10

Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)

Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15

Gladiators win by six wickets

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

Australia tour of Pakistan

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi  

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi 

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

Updated: May 11, 2022, 12:43 PM