The Iraqi parliament hosted Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani on Wednesday in a closed session to discuss the government's measures amid growing concern over the escalating situation in the region, particularly in neighbouring Syria.
Last week, the extremist rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and its allies launched a lightning offensive against government troops, taking over Aleppo province in north-western Syria. They are now advancing on the central city of Hama in the most significant challenge to the regime's survival in years. Hundreds have been killed on both sides while about 50,000 people have been displaced amid intense fighting.
The parliament hosted Mr Al Sudani on his request to “discuss the government policies and measures taken to address the ongoing challenges and regional developments,” the government said.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Deputy PM and Planning Minister Mohammed Tamim and the Minister of Interior Abdul Amir Al Shammari also attended the session, the Prime Minister's office confirmed.
"They presented a briefing on foreign policies and government measures to confront all challenges and the progress in implementing the government program," it said.
After the session, lawmaker Yousif Al Kilaby said the parliament "authorises the Prime Minister, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to take all decisions that preserve Iraqi national security, particularly on the issue of Syria".
"In the time of crisis, the Iraqi people are one, Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds as well as all the spectrums of the Iraqi people," Mr Al Kilaby said without elaborating.
The escalation in Syria came against the backdrop of the continuing war in Gaza, which was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year that killed about 1,200 people. More than 44,500 Palestinians in Israel's offensive since then. About 100 Israeli captives are still being held in Gaza, one third of whom are believed to be dead. The events in Syria also followed the announcement of the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
Since then, Iraq has raised the alarm among its security troops and increased security measures by sending more troops to the borders with Syria. Iraq has increased efforts in recent years to secure its borders after ISIS took over about a third of Syria and 40 per cent of Iraq in 2014. The country, whose border with Syria is more than 600km long, has built a wall and dug a trench in some areas. That has been fortified with an integrated monitoring system, which includes fences, a concrete wall and 24-hour thermal surveillance cameras.
On Tuesday, Mr Al Sudani voiced concern over the unfolding events in Syria in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the call, he informed Mr Erdogan that Iraq “will not remain a spectator to the grave consequences in Syria, particularly the ethnic cleansing of various communities and sects”, according to the official readout.
“Iraq has previously suffered from terrorism and the repercussions of extremist groups controlling areas in Syria and will not allow such events to be repeated,” it said. Mr Al Sudani underscored the importance of respecting Syria’s sovereignty and unity, pledging Iraq’s efforts to ensure the security of both nations.
He underlined that Islamic countries should “avoid internal divisions, and what is happening in Syria today benefits the Zionist entity which has deliberately hit Syrian army positions, paving the way for terrorist groups to seize additional areas in Syria”, he said, referring to recent Israeli strikes inside Syria.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Sweet%20Tooth
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Results
%3Cp%3EStage%204%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Juan%20Sebastian%20Molano%20(COL)%20Team%20UAE%20Emirates%20%E2%80%93%203hrs%2050min%2001sec%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Olav%20Kooij%20(NED)%20Jumbo-Visma%20%E2%80%93%20ST%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sam%20Welsford%20(AUS)%20Team%20DSM)%20%E2%80%93%20ST%0D%3Cbr%3EGeneral%20Classification%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders%20%E2%80%93%207%E2%80%B3%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20%E2%80%93%2011%E2%80%B3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
