This week’s convictions for the plundering of an account in Iraq's finance ministry may be more symbolic than significant. Far bigger sums allegedly remain unaccounted for, according to former Iraqi government officials who spoke to The National off record, due to the sensitivity of the case, one of the biggest documented thefts of public funds in history.
The alleged mastermind of Iraq's so-called heist of the century, Noor Zuhair Jassim, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in jail by a Baghdad court on Monday. Haitham Al Jubouri, a former MP widely described as a political chameleon, was also sentenced.
But former government officials told The National that placing Mr Jassim at the centre of the accusations, which revolve around the theft of $2.5 billion from a General Commission for Taxes account, is partly symbolic and a political move.
Ten suspects were sentenced in total, but the case is widely believed to involve dozens if not scores of politically connected people. It is seen as emblematic of the corruption that has gripped Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion. Some experts say Iraq has lost as much as $320 billion to corruption, if not more, since 2003.
Judge Raid Juhi, a former director of the office of former prime minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, who famously presided over the trial of Saddam Hussein, was also sentenced, along with a director general at the tax commission and his deputy. The sentences follow calls for a nationally televised trial. Several former senior officials at the defrauded state organisations – the tax authority and Rafidain bank – have not been charged.
One former high level official at the finance ministry told The National that the IMF and World Bank had warned Iraq that the state-run Rafidain bank was “like a ticking time bomb" with weak controls to stop the plunder.
Fury had been growing in parliament and within the coalition of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani over central members of Mr Al Kadhimi's government escaping justice - or so they alleged. Iran-backed allies of Mr Al Sudani have accused the former prime minister’s staff of the theft, which was uncovered in August 2022 during the last months of his time in office.
They also blame former minister of finance Ali Allawi, who alongside Mr Al Kadhimi, has had arrest warrants issued against him. The long list of suspects reveals the complicity of multiple political factions, experts say. Mr Allawi previously told The National that the details of the charges against him were never mentioned.
The National spoke to several people who served in Mr Al Kadhimi’s government, including staff critical of the former leader, whom experts say lacked the backing of powerful political blocs, Iran-backed or otherwise. But despite their critiques, they point out that a top appointment at the tax office who enabled the heist was made by a powerful Iran-backed rival of the prime minister. That appointment was five months before he took office.
One former adviser to Mr Al Kadhimi said he had caved in to demands from Iran-backed groups to place staff in vital positions to enable the fraud, even as he attempted his own crackdown on corruption, which led to allegations that his anti-corruption unit tortured suspects.
Mr Allawi, who was also finance minister in the Iraqi transitional government between 2005 and 2006, has complained on record that it was "next to impossible" to make important appointments in the finance ministry due to political interference. His official report on the heist says two staff members he wanted to head the tax department – one named as Ahmed Dakhil – turned down the offer after being advised not to take the role. Mr Dakhil said he had concerns for his family, which weren't specified.
Two former officials spoken to by The National revealed that the powerful Iran-backed Badr Organisation had a heavy influence on appointments at the tax office, a political organisation linked to violent militias and deadly crackdowns on government critics. There was a culture of intimidation - one finance ministry official spoke of a state-owned bank employee "in tears" after raising the issue of suspicious transactions. She is now living abroad.
Mr Allawi accused these rival officials in the tax authority of a massive purge - typical of the operations of the organisation after 2003 - reassigning more than 2,800 staff.
The fallout has moved on from attacks on Mr Al Kadhimi, extending to arrests of several of his staff and calls for Interpol Red Notices against others. In the past year it has become a bitter row within the current elite. Every source interviewed by The National for this article spoke off record.
“People are paranoid. Everyone thinks their phone is tapped,” said one former member of the integrity commission. The unease, the former official said, is because of an eavesdropping scandal in which Mr Al Sudani stands accused of wiretapping apparently untrustworthy political allies, with the effort led by Abu Ali Al Basri, Iraq’s spymaster-in-chief and National Security Service head. The scandal represents another sharp divide in government.
“These political groups are like big mafias with growing interests,” said another former staff member in Mr Al Kadhimi’s office. “Some of these interests are conflicted with each other. That can cause a lot of problems between them, and no matter how Iran is controlling them, the clash must come.”
How the heist unfolded
At the most basic level, the theft involved the signing of 247 cheques by the General Commission for Taxes in the Ministry of Finance for payment to five fake companies that purportedly represented international oil companies seeking tax refunds. In Iraq, corporations deposit a percentage of expected taxes in a government account and can reclaim it within five years.
The National spoke to a Western risk consultant working closely with the oil companies who said one major oil firm was not aware they had lost any funds in the fraud, suggesting the falsely reclaimed money was from other sources and that this was a matter for the Iraqi government.
The cheques to the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle firms, three of which were established by Mr Jassim and all five of which were set up within months of the first cheques being cashed in mid-2021, were paid into the state-owned Rafidain bank starting in September 2021. The money was then allegedly smuggled out of Iraq on private jets, or spent on property within the country.
According to a second source in former prime minister Mr Kadhimi’s office who spoke to The National, the massive outflow of funds created a property bubble in upscale parts of Baghdad and some parts of southern Iraq.
“I personally think a lot has remained in Iraq,” he said. “Think about it, you can’t move billions of dollars through airports undetected. Where could they take it, North Korea? And what would they do with it there? No legitimate airport is going to let that slip past.”
Mr Jassim, who was arrested in October 2023 shortly after Mr Al Sudani took office, was released on bail by Supreme Court chief Faiq Zaidan and Baghdad integrity court judge Dhia Jafaar, to travel the region and liquidate assets to repatriate funds to Iraq. Mr Jassim insists he has done nothing wrong and that he was a legitimate agent authorised to reclaim tax funds on behalf of the oil companies.
But his failure to attend trial sparked a furious row within the elite. Integrity court judge Mr Jafar – an ally of former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki – was accused by integrity commission head Haidar Hanoun of protecting Mr Jassim. Mr Jafar has accused Mr Hanoun, who was a member of the Badr Organisation, of corruption in the property sector. Both officials have previously pointed the finger of blame at Mr Kadhimi’s government for the heist.
Mr Zaidan at the Supreme Court has stood by Mr Jafar as an upstanding public servant, and now Mr Hanoun faces his own charges for corruption, resigning in October. Like Mr Hanoun at the integrity commission, Mr Zaidan has been accused by critics of being an agent for Iran-backed parties, making a series of Supreme Court rulings in their favour that effectively nullified the election gains of the largest political bloc following a 2021 national vote.
This ushered in the term of Mr Al Sudani, making his rift with the Badr-aligned Mr Hanoun all the more intriguing.
“Sudani has made finding justice for the heist a top priority, he’s aware this can erode his popularity. He says, ‘I need to put more light on this heist, I need to bring people to justice,'” said a political consultant who recently advised Mr Al Sudani.
Enabling the heist involved what was described to The National as a “vast” network of people, at Rafidain bank, the Finance Ministry’s tax office, the Central Bank of Iraq, the Ministry of Transport and the Integrity Commission, including senior officials in those organisations, all of whom had to authorise the transfer of funds, move them and turn a blind eye to the pilfering, or falsify official reports.
At the tax office, a former finance ministry source said the account balance did not change to reflect the massive withdrawals, even when it had been emptied of funds, implying an intentional communication blackout on the movement of the money. The official said in a functioning bank, such rapid withdrawals would sound alarms "like a nuclear attack."
In his defence, former finance minister Mr Allawi, in a report prepared after the announcement of the theft, said that “normally” he would not have been required to authorise such transactions – meaning they were not brought to his attention.
Anything suspicious should have been reported to him by the Rafidain director general, he said. He accused Rafidain of a critical failure in anti-money laundering practices in not carrying out basic checks on the fake companies.
“Whether the directors general of Rafidain bank were indeed aware, or overlooked the matter, or were ignorant of it or unconcerned, the fact remains that they failed to inform the Minister of Finance of these alarming developments,” he wrote in late 2022.
The detail of Mr Allawi’s report, which runs to 200 pages, “is never heard of before in the history of Iraq corruption allegations”, said a former staff member of Mr Al Kadhimi. “There was a lot of debate on whether we should even make the report public. Powerful figures involved could make this disappear and that might have been easier for us.”
An Iraqi-American political researcher who has closely followed the case told The National he was convinced that one of Mr Al Kadhimi's advisers was guilty and had influenced key appointments at Rafidain. Mr Allawi has said on record that his advisers had no such authority, and among the accused advisor's tasks was fixing the aftermath of a previous scandal at Rafidain.
That corruption case, reported by The Economist, involved a banker recently linked to multiple US-sanctioned banks.
False investigations?
Mr Allawi says he had various meetings with the directors general of the tax authority and Rafidain after learning of the scheme to move funds to false companies, where he was assured by the directors general that cheques had been cancelled when the first attempt at the heist was discovered in August 2021. Later, when it emerged the same scheme was attempted again, he claims he was informed that the false companies were in fact legitimate.
Two later probes by the integrity commission under its former head Ala Jawad Al Saadi found no wrongdoing, a remarkable outcome given the number of sentences and arrests in the case so far. At the time, the commission's head of the investigations directorate was allegedly a close loyalist of Mr Al Maliki, the former integrity commission staff member told The National.
The former director general of the tax authority, Osama Jawdat, was arrested in January 2023, after an operation by Mr Al Sudani’s Supreme Committee for Combatting Corruption, an organisation led by Mr Al Basri, the Iran-linked spymaster.
Mr Allawi said on November 4, 2021 that he blocked all payments from the tax authority without his written permission, but later found that the withdrawals continued.
Most accounts of the heist begin around the summer of 2021, when Haitham Al Jubouri, head of the parliamentary finance committee, sent a letter to finance minister Mr Allawi requesting the termination of the Board of Supreme Audit’s role in the tax authority. The board is Iraq's oldest public auditing organisation.
Mr Jubouri, then an ally of former prime minister Mr Al Maliki who previously led an effort to remove ministers from positions in former leader Haider Al Abadi’s government for alleged corruption.
He has insisted the audit termination was done simply to cut bureaucracy that was slowing down return of tax funds. But the termination of the Board of Supreme Audit’s role - backed by the tax office's former director general and his deputy - is widely credited with allowing the theft to unfold at speed. Mr Jubouri was among those sentenced on Monday.
Friends in high places
A critical moment came four months before Mr Al Kadimi took office, in January 2020, when the caretaker government of prime minister Adil Abdul Mahdi allowed the Badr Organisation to appoint the director general of the tax authority. The move was compared by one expert to allowing a wolf to guard a henhouse, a man linked to a previous effort to defraud the tax authority in 2017.
The individual in question was “the heart of it, of the whole thing, and is strongly connected to the Badr Organisation”, says a US-based analyst who has investigated the case for a forthcoming public report. An Iraqi official in the finance ministry described this director general as the “mastermind” behind the heist.
The official in question went on to act as director general of Iraq's Re-insurance Company but resigned over the summer with no reason given.
Another official in Mr Kadhimi’s office – who was critical of the former prime minister and the finance minister for failing to spot the heist – told The National that the Badr Organisation was a key player. “You can guess the rest,” he said.
Despite the alleged connection to the Badr Organisation, the former finance ministry official said that he believed some of the accused linked to Mr Al Kadhimi may have been involved.
This leaves the question of why Mr Allawi signed off on ending the board's audit of the tax authority, by his own account, on August 26, 2021. “He simply couldn’t understand that something so obscene as the heist was possible,” the US researcher said.
“He’s very old school, Harvard-educated and I would argue still detached from how rotten things have become in Iraq. It just didn’t occur to him that something so brazen, so outrageous would happen.”
The sentencing of Mr Al Jubouri, a former adviser to Mr Al Kadhimi, could lead some to point fingers at the former prime minister. But two people in Mr Al Kadhimi’s office described Mr Al Jubouri as a political opportunist who had been forced on the prime minister, one of thousands of appointments that happened amid the horse trading of Baghdad’s political intrigue.
They highlighted the fact that he allegedly worked closely with the former Badr Organisation-linked director general of the tax authority when Mr Jubouri headed the finance committee in parliament. Mr Al Jubouri was also closely aligned to Mr Al Maliki, who was bitterly opposed to Mr Al Kadhimi.
In Iraq, where ministries are divided up among rival political parties in the “muhasasa” system, which extends to sub-ministerial appointments, the prime minister’s office is not spared.
“They have two circles of advisers, a close circle and an outside cycle. So those who gain positions through parties mostly are in the outside circle. So they are given the title, and that's it. The privilege and the title. Well, usually prime ministers don't listen to advisers, and if they listen, they listen only to those who are very close to them,” one of Mr Al Kadhimi’s former advisers said.
Another former staff member of Mr Al Kadhimi – who was less critical of the former prime minister – said “look, one of Sudani’s aides told me he has people on his staff that he’s never met. Jubouri attended two general meetings, nothing important. And the main corruption charges against him aren’t even related to the heist.
“In the big picture, the heist is the tip of the iceberg. Before that you had attempts to steal $6 billion from the pension fund. Nobody was caught during the actual stealing. They caught them while they were fighting over the money.”
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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.
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
UAE Rugby finals day
Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai
2pm, UAE Conference final
Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers
4pm, UAE Premiership final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7%E2%80%9D%20LPTO%20Amoled%2C%202412%20x%201080%2C%20394ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20Corning%20Gorilla%20Glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%2B%20Gen%202%2C%20octa-core%3B%20Adreno%20730%20GPU%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2013%2C%20Nothing%20OS%202%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2050MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F1.9%20%2B%2050MP%20ultrawide%2C%20f%2F2.2%3B%20OIS%2C%20auto-focus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2030%2F60fps%2C%201080p%20%40%2030%2F60fps%3B%20live%20HDR%2C%20OIS%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F2.5%2C%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Full-HD%20%40%2030fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204700mAh%3B%20full%20charge%20in%2055m%20w%2F%2045w%20charger%3B%20Qi%20wireless%2C%20dual%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Google%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fingerprint%2C%20face%20unlock%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP54%2C%20limited%20protection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual-nano%20SIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dark%20grey%2C%20white%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nothing%20Phone%20(2)%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%20(UAE)%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh2%2C499%20(12GB%2F256GB)%20%2F%20Dh2%2C799%20(12GB%2F512GB)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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
