Iranian people carry pictures of the late Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis during the forty days memorial in Najaf. Reuters
Iranian people carry pictures of the late Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis during the forty days memorial in Najaf. Reuters
Iranian people carry pictures of the late Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis during the forty days memorial in Najaf. Reuters
Iranian people carry pictures of the late Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis during the forty days memorial in Najaf. Reuters

Iraqi officials mourn death of Muhandis and Suleimani


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraqi officials held a memorial service on Tuesday to mark 40 days since the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Suleimani and senior militia chief Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis.

The two were killed in a US strike outside Baghdad's International Airport on January 3, which Iraq said was in breach of its sovereignty.

Al Muhandis was the founder of Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iraqi militia, and deputy head of the Hashed Al Shaabi, a group of paramilitary forces.

Faleh Al Fayyadh, Iraq's National Security Adviser, attended the traditional Middle East service, as did the country's military chief of staff and interior minister.

"The great crime committed near Baghdad airport against the commanders of victory was a crime against humanity, against Iraq, against our sovereignty and against the defence of our children," Mr Fayyadh told those gathered.

"The blood of these martyrs, in my opinion, will re-establish this Hashed. May we be a thorn in the eye of anyone wishing to deprive Iraq of its sovereignty."

US-Iranian tensions increased after the killing of the two officials.

Suleimani commanded the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran's Islamic Republican Guard Corps, and Tehran's point man in Iraq.

Al Muhandis was a close ally of Tehran, working with Suleimani to broker deals among Iraq's fragmented political class.

Suleimani’s death will not solve any of Iraq’s security issues, said Sarkwat Al Shams, an Iraqi Member of Parliament.

"I was against his intervention but targeting him on Iraqi soil risked our unity as a country and revived sectarian politics," Mr Al Shams told The National.

“I believe we need to be serious that his death will have an impact on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but for Iraq we should think about preventing any such incidents from recurring,” Mr Shams said.

US President Donald Trump authorised the strike on the two-car convoy outside Baghdad airport, calling the two leaders an "imminent threat" to the US.

Iraqi officials have repeatedly said they do not want to be caught in the middle of tensions between Iran and the US.

Iraq's Parliament voted last month to call for the withdrawal of US and foreign forces from the country.

There are more than 5,000 US troops stationed in Iraq, whose main missions are to battle ISIS and train the Iraqi military.

What has happened in the past 40 days in Iraq?

Iran retaliated on January 8 by launching more than a dozen missiles at two Iraqi military bases that housed US troops.

American officials said the attack caused traumatic brain injuries to nearly 109 US troops, despite originally stating none had been hurt.

Washington blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for the attacks but there has never been a claim of responsibility.

Several rockets struck in the heavily fortified Green Zone in late January.

On January 20, three Katyusha rockets hit the Green Zone, which houses government buildings, foreign embassies and US service members.

Profile of Tamatem

Date started: March 2013

Founder: Hussam Hammo

Based: Amman, Jordan

Employees: 55

Funding: $6m

Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media

Day 3 stumps

New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)

Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces

 

  • Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
  • Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
  • Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
  • Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
  • Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Hurricanes

Runners up: Bahrain

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Bahrain

Runners up: UAE Premiership

 

UAE Premiership

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

 

UAE Division One

Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

 

UAE Division Two

Winners: Barrelhouse

Runners up: RAK Rugby

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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

RESULTS

Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)

Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)

Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)

Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)

Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)

Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)

Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)

Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)

Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)

Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
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Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for SMEs to cope
  • Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
  • Make sure you have an online presence
  • Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
  • Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
    Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.