A Zain billboard in Baghdad. The provider has had its contract extension overturned. Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images
A Zain billboard in Baghdad. The provider has had its contract extension overturned. Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images
A Zain billboard in Baghdad. The provider has had its contract extension overturned. Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images
A Zain billboard in Baghdad. The provider has had its contract extension overturned. Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images

Iraqi court rules against renewing telecom companies’ licences


Sinan Mahmoud
  • English
  • Arabic

A Baghdad court has revoked a government decision to renew the licences of three telecom companies that are set to expire by August 2022.

In 2007, Iraq’s three main mobile firms – Zain Iraq, Asiacell and Korek – were awarded 15-year licences.

In July, the Iraqi Cabinet approved a recommendation submitted by the Communication and Media Commission, an independent body which answers to parliament, to renew the licences for eight more years.

The Cabinet said the companies – Zain Iraq, Asiacell and Korek – should be given a five-year extension plus three years to compensate for losses incurred when ISIS controlled swathes of the nation, from 2014 to 2017, and the ongoing impact of coronavirus.

“Telecom companies in Iraq have become monopolistic companies,” lawmaker Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who initiated the lawsuit, told a local TV channel after Sunday's verdict.

“The telecommunication sector in Iraq needs nationalisation,” Mr Al Sudani added.

Mr Al Sudani alleges the licence renewals given to these companies and their work could have been swayed by corruption.

“First, they were awarded their licences without any competition and second, they offer the worst services ever and there is no single measure from concerned authorities against them despite complaints from citizens,” he said.

For instance, he continued, there is no clear number for their debts to the government.

“Whenever we ask, we get no clear answer. I challenge anyone who can offer a number for the taxes they paid.”

He said the court ruling would open the door for fair competition among international companies, along with the potential to establish a national telecommunications company.

Phone calls seeking comment from the three companies, the CMC and the government went unanswered.

With 15.7 million subscribers, Zain Iraq, owned by the Kuwaiti company Zain, is the country’s largest mobile operator followed by Ooredoo unit Asiacell with 14 million and then Korek.

Sunday’s decision can be appealed within 30 days.

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith

The specs

BMW M8 Competition Coupe

Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8

Power 625hp at 6,000rpm

Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm

Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto

Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec

Top speed 305kph

Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km

Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)

On sale Jan/Feb 2020
 

Rooney's club record

At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.

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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Super Bowl LIII schedule

What Super Bowl LIII

Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams

Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States

When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)

 

The Little Things

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto

Four stars

Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA

Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600

Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Everton%20Fixtures
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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Honeymoonish
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Breast cancer in men: the facts

1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.

2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash. 

3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible. 

4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key. 

5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor

 

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

Top financial tips for graduates

Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:

1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.

2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.

3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.

4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills