Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr climb the fence outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20 as firefighters try to extinguish a blaze there. AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr climb the fence outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20 as firefighters try to extinguish a blaze there. AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr climb the fence outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20 as firefighters try to extinguish a blaze there. AFP
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr climb the fence outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20 as firefighters try to extinguish a blaze there. AFP

MENA

Iraq

Iraq jails 18 police officers over Sweden embassy fire

Some of those involved in the case were permanently disbarred from the force

The National

September 12, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Eighteen police officers were given prison sentences of up to three years by an Iraqi court on Tuesday for failing to stop protesters storming and torching Sweden's embassy in Baghdad, security officials said.

The Swedish embassy in Baghdad was set alight by supporters of the powerful Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Al Sadr on the night of July 20, after an Iraqi refugee desecrated the Quran in Stockholm.

A copy of the verdict seen by AFP said the internal security forces court in Baghdad on Tuesday found 18 police officers guilty of failing to carry out their duties by allowing the protesters to attack the embassy.

Eight police received three-year jail terms, seven were given two years and three months, and three were sentenced to 18 months in prison, an Interior Ministry official confirmed.

Some of the police involved in the case were permanently disbarred from the force, according to the verdict.

The officers, who included members of the diplomatic protection forces, can appeal against the ruling.

Protests in region against desecration of Quran in Sweden - in pictures

  • Demonstrators gather outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran to protest against an insult to the Quran in Stockholm. Reuters
    Demonstrators gather outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran to protest against an insult to the Quran in Stockholm. Reuters
  • A demonstrator holds up the Quran and a portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a protest against Sweden in front of the Swedish embassy in Tehran. AP
    A demonstrator holds up the Quran and a portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a protest against Sweden in front of the Swedish embassy in Tehran. AP
  • An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP
    An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP
  • In Tehran, Iranian students gather during a demonstration denouncing the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP
    In Tehran, Iranian students gather during a demonstration denouncing the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP
  • An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP
    An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP
  • Iranian students outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran denounce the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP
    Iranian students outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran denounce the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP
  • Protesters carrying Iraqi flags and images of Shiite cleric and political leader Moqtada Al Sadr gather in Baghdad's Tahrir Square to protest against the burning of a Quran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. AP
    Protesters carrying Iraqi flags and images of Shiite cleric and political leader Moqtada Al Sadr gather in Baghdad's Tahrir Square to protest against the burning of a Quran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. AP
  • Protesters chant slogans against Sweden in front of the embassy in Tehran, Iran. The Farsi placard on the left reads: "Our red lines are the supreme leader and the Quran". AP
    Protesters chant slogans against Sweden in front of the embassy in Tehran, Iran. The Farsi placard on the left reads: "Our red lines are the supreme leader and the Quran". AP
  • A Lebanese man takes part in a demonstration in Beirut called by Hezbollah to condemn the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. Reuters
    A Lebanese man takes part in a demonstration in Beirut called by Hezbollah to condemn the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. Reuters
  • People march in Beirut after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called for protests outside mosques following Friday prayers. EPA
    People march in Beirut after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called for protests outside mosques following Friday prayers. EPA
  • The scene in Beirut as thousands of people took to the streets in Muslim-majority countries to protest. EPA
    The scene in Beirut as thousands of people took to the streets in Muslim-majority countries to protest. EPA
  • A woman holds the Quran in Kufa, Iraq, in protest after an activist desecrated a copy of the holy book for a second time in Sweden. AFP
    A woman holds the Quran in Kufa, Iraq, in protest after an activist desecrated a copy of the holy book for a second time in Sweden. AFP
  • A demonstrator holds up a portrait of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, in Kufa. AFP
    A demonstrator holds up a portrait of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, in Kufa. AFP
  • Shiite clerics attend a protest in Baghdad, after Iraq called for an Islamic summit to discuss the desecration of the Quran. EPA
    Shiite clerics attend a protest in Baghdad, after Iraq called for an Islamic summit to discuss the desecration of the Quran. EPA
  • Protesters burn posters of the Swedish flag and rainbow Pride flags in Sadr City, Baghdad. AFP
    Protesters burn posters of the Swedish flag and rainbow Pride flags in Sadr City, Baghdad. AFP
  • Iranian worshippers hold up the Quran in Tehran. The country's goverment condemned the desecration in Sweden. AP
    Iranian worshippers hold up the Quran in Tehran. The country's goverment condemned the desecration in Sweden. AP
  • Demonstrators in the Iranian capital Tehran chanted: 'Down with the United States, Britain, Israel and Sweden'. Reuters
    Demonstrators in the Iranian capital Tehran chanted: 'Down with the United States, Britain, Israel and Sweden'. Reuters
  • Demonstrators in Tehran march with signs denouncing the US and Israel as they condemn the burning of the Quran. AFP
    Demonstrators in Tehran march with signs denouncing the US and Israel as they condemn the burning of the Quran. AFP

The desecration of the Quran, which happened repeatedly in Sweden and Denmark this summer, sparked tension between the Scandinavian countries and Muslim nations.

Iraq retaliated against Stockholm for allowing protests in which the Quran was desecrated by announcing the expulsion of the Sweden's ambassador.

Swedish authorities had allowed the demonstrations on free-speech grounds, but said giving their permission did not mean any approval of the action taken in the protests.

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

Profile

Company name: Jaib

Started: January 2018

Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour

Based: Jordan

Sector: FinTech

Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018

Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

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

Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

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

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

RESULT

Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)

The biog

Name: Mohammed Imtiaz

From: Gujranwala, Pakistan

Arrived in the UAE: 1976

Favourite clothes to make: Suit

Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550

 

UAE currency
Look north

BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.

Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier

Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August

 

Group A

Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar

 

Group B

UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

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Tank warfare

Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks. 

“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.

“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”

if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

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Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

Updated: September 12, 2023, 9:45 PM
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