Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said he does not want his country to be involved in any escalation of the conflict in the Middle East after Iran used Iraqi airspace to launch its drone and missile attack against Israel.
Speaking on Tuesday during his week-long visit to Washington, Mr Al Sudani also accused Israel of directly striking Palestinian civilians and said details on when US troops might leave Iraq were expected in July.
“Our intention is not to be involved in this escalation that has a great influence on our country and the security and the stability of our country,” Mr Al Sudani said, adding that the “root problem” of current tensions is the unresolved Palestinian issue and Israel's war in Gaza.
“Without a just resolution, there are going to be groups who believe they have a just cause to fight,” he said, accusing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately seeking to widen the conflict in the region.
“Everybody is witnessing the criminality being inflicted against Palestinians, it is a genocide in the true sense.”
A coalition of western and Arab countries shot down hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles bound for Israel on Saturday as Tehran launched a retaliatory strike after Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus this month, killing a senior general and other officers.
Israel is now expected to hit back at Iran, leaving the world on edge as to whether the tit-for-tat strikes will spark a regional war.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, more than 33,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s incursion in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
Mr Al Sudani, who has been serving as Prime Minister since 2022, is on a diplomatic mission as Iraq looks to forge a new relationship with Washington that pivots away from the security-centric focus of the past two decades.
The Iraqi government wants the US military to leave the country. Talks are well under way but have been delayed by the aftermath of October 7. Mr Al Sudani said a commission looking at the issue is expected to announce a schedule in July.
In 2014, thousands of US and international troops travelled to help fight ISIS both in Iraq and Syria. About 2,500 US troops remain in Iraq in an advisory and training capacity to help Iraqi forces.
“ISIS is no longer the same threat in Iraq now as it has been in the past. So it is very natural to revise this coalition that was formed based on an invite by the Iraqi government,” Mr Al Sudani said.
Mr Al Sudani met President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday in a high-profile visit that comes as the US is pushing Iraq to do more to rein in Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.
Iran-backed proxies attacked US troops and assets in Iraq and Syria more than 170 times since October 7 but those strikes abated after three American soldiers were killed in Jordan in January.
When asked about Iraq's reliance on Iranian natural gas, Mr Al Sudani pointed to a “promising project” and said his country would be self-sufficient in terms of gas production within three to five years.
On the detention of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian doctoral student at Princeton University who was conducting research in Baghdad when she was kidnapped last March, Mr Al Sudani said Iraq has stood up a “special security team” to find out what happened to her.
The Israeli government believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed militia operating in Iraq that has also been blamed for a series of attacks on US troops in the region.
Mr Al Sudani has been critical of the Biden administration’s continued political and military support of Israel’s war on Gaza, even as the Palestinian death toll continues to mount, viewing it as emboldening armed groups in carrying out attacks on US troops and complicating his efforts to keep them at bay.
After completing his trip to Washington, Mr Al Sudani is set to host Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 22.
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
More on animal trafficking
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Malin Cilic (CRO) v Benoit Paire (FRA) [8]
Not before 4pm:
Dan Evans (GBR) v Fabio Fogini (ITA) [4]
Not before 7pm:
Pablo Carreno Busta (SPA) v Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [2]
Roberto Bautista Agut (SPA) [5] v Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Court One
Starting at 2pm
Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) v Dennis Novak (AUT)
Joao Sousa (POR) v Filip Krajinovic (SRB)
Not before 5pm:
Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (GBR) [1] v Marin Cilic v Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Nikoloz Basilashvili v Ricardas Berankis (LTU)
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Sweet%20Tooth
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
