Qassem Soleimani flew to Iraq on Wednesday. AP Photo
Qassem Soleimani flew to Iraq on Wednesday. AP Photo
Qassem Soleimani flew to Iraq on Wednesday. AP Photo
Qassem Soleimani flew to Iraq on Wednesday. AP Photo

Iranian general met Iraqi security officials as Baghdad and Kerbala continue to rage


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Iran’s top general swept into Iraq after the protests began, meeting security officials in the place of the country's prime minister.

The day after anti-government protests erupted on October 1 Iranian General Qassem Soleimani flew into Baghdad late at night and took a helicopter to the heavily fortified Green Zone, where he surprised a group of top security officials by chairing a meeting in place of the prime minister.

“We in Iran know how to deal with protests,” Gen. Soleimani told the Iraqi officials, according to two senior officials familiar with the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret gathering. “This happened in Iran and we got it under control.”

Protesters in the cities of Baghdad and Karbala, as well as most of southern Iraq are calling for an end to corruption, more employment opportunities and access to basic services like water and electricity.

Since protests spontaneously began on October 1, young people are showing increasing anger towards outside influence in the country - chants of “Iran, out out!” rang out around the protests this week.

Protesters reported seeing men in black clothing and masks stood in front of Iraqi soldiers, facing off with protesters and firing tear gas. Residents said they did not know who they were, with some speculating they were Iranians.

“Iran is afraid of these demonstrations because it has made the most gains in the government and parliament through parties close to it” since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, said Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi security analyst. “Iran does not want to lose these gains. So it has tried to work through its parties to contain the protests in a very Iranian way.”

The Iranians aren’t the only outsiders visiting the country, though. Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert, visited the main protest site Tahrir Square on Wednesday and was met by an angry group of protesters. Security officials escorted her along the square and shielded her from the demonstrators.

The EU has also called for an end to the “instances of excessive use of violence”.

"Despite the many calls for restraint, the last days have seen further deplorable loss of many lives and a great number of injured protestors, as well as the destruction of public and private property," Maja Kocijancic, EU spokesperson for foreign policy, told a news conference Wednesday.

Iraq’s semi-official human rights commission said 100 people have been killed and over 5,000 injured since Friday. The deaths bring to the overall number of people killed this month to almost 250 as security forces crackdown on the growing protest movement.

News of Gen Soleimani’s visit came as an Iraqi soldier was killed in a rocket strike on the Green Zone and a protester killed by a tear canister striking his chest on Thursday morning.

The government met for a fourth consecutive day on Thursday to try and find a way to sate the protesters.

President Barham Saleh held closed-door talks to decide the Prime Minister Mr Abdul Mahdi's ouster with Iraq's main political figures, a source in the president's office said.

"Things are heading towards a resolution," another senior Iraqi official told AFP.

Hadi Al Amiri, who leads a parliamentary alliance of Iran-backed Shiite militia and cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, who leads the parliament's largest bloc, asked Mr Abdul Mahdi to step down. However, the move is not thought to be a popular one with protesters.

"We want a total change of government, we don't want one or two officials fired and replaced with other corrupt ones. We want to completely uproot the government," said protester Hussein, who did not give a last name, in Tahrir Square.

"They think we will protest for one or two days then go home. No, we are staying here until the government is uprooted."

Jaber Al Jaberi, an MP representing Anbar in parliament so “no one believed that the situation would get to this level. It has gotten out of hand”.

“The government and its backers are insisting on carrying out their crackdown on demonstrators”

“Everything is out of control,” he said.

Iran had stayed largely silent on the protests until Wednesday, when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the US and its regional allies of fomenting unrest in both Iraq and Lebanon.

Mr Khamenei, speaking at Iran’s Air Defense Academy, was quoted as saying that US and Western intelligence services “are making chaos” in the region. He urged Iraq and Lebanon to prioritise national security and respect for the law while also saying the protesters’ demands are “right.”

Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi offered Tehran’s “deep regret” about the scores of protesters killed in Iraq.

“We are sure that the Iraqi government, nation and clerics can overcome these problems,” he said.

Company info

Company name: Entrupy 

Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist

Based: New York, New York

Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.  

Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius. 

Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place. 

MATCH INFO

What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

LIVING IN...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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TCL INFO

Teams:
Punjabi Legends 
Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals

Company%20Profile
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The Specs

Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic

Power: 169bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Price: Dh54,500

On sale: now

The specs: 2018 Renault Megane

Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200

Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder

Transmission Continuously variable transmission

Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Company%20profile
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

Plan to boost public schools

A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.

It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.

Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.

Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.