An ancient Iraqi sculpture of a winged bull, which was destroyed by ISIL three years ago, has been reconstructed in central London.
The artwork, resembling the mythical Lamassu which stood in Nineveh, near Mosul, since 700 BC, was unveiled on Wednesday on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.
Designed by Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz, the statue is made from 10,500 empty Iraqi date syrup cans and took four months to build.
It will remain in the British capital's central square for two years as a testimony to the destruction of Iraqi culture since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Mr Rakowitz told the London Evening Standard that the replica, entitled The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist, is a tribute to "something good in the human spirit".
He added that he did not want to make an exact copy of the original statue. “I think of the things that I make as being ghosts or apparitions of what the artefacts were,” he said.
The artist, whose family left Iraq in 1946, has been on a mission to recreate thousands of artefacts that were shattered or stolen in war-torn Iraq and Syria.
He began the project eleven years ago and has so far created around 750 pieces, although he says he is unlikely to ever complete his mission.
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called the statue an “act of resistance” against extremism.
Speaking to the AFP news agency, Mr Khan said: "It sends a message loud and clear: we will not be defied, scared or cowed, we will stay united.”
He added: "Your past defines the future. The idea that you can blow up statues and somehow rewrite history I find appalling."
The mayor estimated that around 20 million people will see the statue during its stint on the fourth plinth, which would make it the most visible piece of contemporary art in the world.
The Lamassu originally stood at the gates of Nineveh and was considered a protective deity. It was destroyed when ISIL fanatics rampaged through a museum in Mosul in 2015.
The new monument is 4.5 metres high and weighs 6,000 kilogrammes. The use of recycled Middle Eastern food packaging to recast the statue is intended to symbolise a once thriving industry which has been ruined by years of war.
There are large stone plinths in each corner of Trafalgar Square. Three of them bear permanent statues, while the fourth has been used in recent years to showcase temporary pieces of art.
Mr Rakowitz’s artwork is the 12th to be commissioned to occupy the fourth plinth. Previous works on display included Yinka Shonibare's giant ship in a bottle and Marc Quinn's statue of the English artist Alison Lapper during her pregnancy.
Trafalgar Square is one of the main tourist attractions in the British capital, and is regularly used for official celebrations and ceremonies.
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Ghosts of lost Iraqi artefacts return at the hands of Michael Rakowitz
ISIL continues destruction of Iraq’s cultural heritage
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
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• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
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• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.