Campaign posters for Iraqi Sunni political blocks line a street in the predominately Sunni neighborhood of Azamiya, in north Baghdad, Iraq. Hadi Mizban / AP
Campaign posters for Iraqi Sunni political blocks line a street in the predominately Sunni neighborhood of Azamiya, in north Baghdad, Iraq. Hadi Mizban / AP
Campaign posters for Iraqi Sunni political blocks line a street in the predominately Sunni neighborhood of Azamiya, in north Baghdad, Iraq. Hadi Mizban / AP
Campaign posters for Iraqi Sunni political blocks line a street in the predominately Sunni neighborhood of Azamiya, in north Baghdad, Iraq. Hadi Mizban / AP

Iraq Elections 2018: many of the country's voters face security threats and uncertainty


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Security threats are a key concern in Iraq's Sunni areas, where ISIS continues to carry out sporadic attacks on civilians and members of the security forces.

Recent attacks by the insurgents include the killing of an Iraqi parliamentary candidate in early May and two policemen guarding an oilfield facility, among others - violent attempts at further destabilising the country ahead of Saturday's parliamentary elections.

Last month in an audio message the group's spokesman Abu Al Hassan Al Muhajer threatened to target polling stations.

"We warn you, Sunnis of Iraq, of these people [Shiites] taking power. Polling stations are a target for us, so stay away from them," he said.

__________

Read more:

Iraq elections 2018: country readies for first polls since end of ISIS war

Iraq vice president says elections alone will not solve the country’s problems

Comment: We have not yet seen the full impact of ISIS sleeper cells coming back to life

Displaced Iraqis return to destruction and death ahead of elections

__________

Despite the hollow warning, Iraq's Sunnis are likely to continue bearing the heaviest brunt of all, even as the four-year battle against ISIS is seemingly coming to its end.

A fraught relationship with Baghdad's Shia-majority government could perpetuate the Sunni community's widespread sense of hopelessness.

But Iraq's security forces have vowed to protect the country's polling stations, confident in their ability to provide the utmost security, including a nation-wide strategy, with particular focus on the more vulnerable Sunni-majority areas.

Brigadier Gen Abdul Karim Al Khafaji, a spokesman for the Iraqi military in Diyala province, told The National that a curfew will be set in place in the eastern governorate and the roads that lead into urban areas will be closed. In addition, motorcycles will not be allowed to transit and only cars with security clearance will be able to move inside the city.

The polling stations, he said, will be heavily manned by members of the military and the police.

“We have finished all logistical preparation for the election day,” said Brig Gen Al Khafaji, confident that ISIS will not jeopardise the voting. “We have everything under control, we had a great victory against the terrorists, and they cannot do anything in the future beside empty threats, which is a cry out of desperation.”

__________

Read more:

Iraq still fighting ISIL, Abadi admits 

Iraq elections 2018: Will Haider Al Abadi be re-elected?

Iraq elections 2018: military and diaspora begin casting their votes

Four killed in ISIL suicide attack on Iraq party HQ

__________

Last month the spokesman for the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced that the committee had finalised the voting process for displaced Iraqis in the provinces of Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salahuddin and Anbar.

According to Karim Tamini, polling stations will open close to displaced people's camps and individuals who have been unable to access their voting cards will be able to vote by providing personal ID, state food stamps, passport or any other form of identification.

Despite government reassurance, Sunni civilians remain wary of Baghdad and don't trust that elections will change much for them.

Abu Omar, a 40-year-old displaced man, appeared disenchanted with the political elite.

“The candidates started to knock on our doors for the past month for our votes, but for the coming four years it will be our turn to knock on their doors, which their bodyguards will never allow us to get close to," said the father-of-five.

“Let’s say I voted ... who will guarantee that we’ll not face any consequence if I go back to my village," he said. "At the end of the day the Sunnis are the ones who will pay the price."

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
  • Parasite – 4
  • 1917– 3
  • Ford v Ferrari – 2
  • Joker – 2
  • Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
  • American Factory – 1
  • Bombshell – 1
  • Hair Love – 1
  • Jojo Rabbit – 1
  • Judy – 1
  • Little Women – 1
  • Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
  • Marriage Story – 1
  • Rocketman – 1
  • The Neighbors' Window – 1
  • Toy Story 4 – 1
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 

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia on October 10

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

The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final:

First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2

Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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The bio

Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions

School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira

Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk

Dream City: San Francisco

Hometown: Dubai

City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

Wallabies

Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.

Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

RESULT

Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen:
 Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')

The specs

Price: From Dh529,000

Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5