QARUH ISLAND // The first time Col Abdullah Dashti, 49, raised a flag on a tiny island in Kuwait's southern waters, it was more than just an expression of patriotism; it signified the beginning of the end of an occupation that shook the entire region.
When he again planted a flagpole in Qaruh Island's sand on Tuesday, he began Kuwait's celebrations marking 20 years since Saddam Hussein's armies withered away in the face of an onslaught from a superior force.
"I'm very honoured and very proud to raise the flag once more," Col Dashti said. When he and two Kuwaiti sailors hung the flag from a tower on the island after it was recaptured by coalition forces, on January 25, 1991, "it was exactly like this", with scattered clouds hanging over the blue water lapping at the shores of the coral island, he said.
"The island was attacked by US marines and then they asked us to raise our flag. We started to look, but couldn't find one," he said. A US navy commando gave them their chance to make history when he gave them his own Kuwaiti flag.
The commemoration on Tuesday included a "re-enactment" of the Kuwaiti military storming the beach. Troops fired blanks and set off flares before charging from the beachhead, and navy frogmen emerged from the sea with a picture of the emir.
"This means a lot," said Brig Jassim al Ansari, 55, who was the commanding officer of one of the Kuwaiti ships involved in the operation. "This was the first piece of land liberated, and it boosted the morale of the whole of Kuwait: people inside and abroad."
About 20 boats, including Kuwaiti navy ships that took part in the battle 20 years ago, dhows and pleasure craft, circled the island, which is 40 kilometres from the Kuwaiti mainland. Approximately 300 military personnel and 100 civilians watched the ceremony, the first event to take place leading up to Liberation Day, which is observed on February 26.
Members of Kuwait's navy, which was composed of a handful of ships and headquartered in Bahrain during the Iraqi occupation, landed after US forces bombed the occupiers and cleared channels through the mined waters.
Brig al Ansari said: "There was no fight, they didn't even resist."
Col Dashti said the Kuwaiti navy was active throughout the occupation in search-and-rescue operations looking for American pilots who had ditched into the Gulf. He said the allies reclaimed the island - which is usually unoccupied save for a few coast guard personnel - as part of a 45-day operation to capture Iraqi scouts occupying nearby oil rigs and liberate Kuwait's offshore territories. Despite the fighting and a missile attack on one of the ships, no Kuwaiti military personnel died during hostilities.
Many Kuwaitis on the island for the commemorations were too young to remember the occupation. "It's like we can see it again, what happened," said Faisal al Zuwaied, 23, an engineering student representing the Kuwait Volunteer Work Centre at the ceremony. "They should keep doing this so that generations to come can remember the liberation."
Others at the re-enactment were among the hundreds of thousands of citizens who left the country or were unable to return while abroad. "We were expecting the liberation, the news kept saying 'soon, soon, soon', but it took seven months," said Fadel Jerman, 50, an adviser for Redo, a non-profit organisation in the renewable energy sector.
Mr Jerman was studying in Jordan when the Iraqi armies moved south, and was among the first citizens to return home - in early march of 1991 - where he began working as a translator and guide for the US Army Corps of Engineers.
"It wasn't just the liberation of our country; it was also the liberation of our families. We know what it's like to be homeless ... it was a tough experience," he said.
Since liberation, Kuwait's relationship with Iraq has been strained by debt and reparations, missing citizens and stolen artefacts. But recent diplomatic moves, such as the arrival of an Iraqi ambassador in Kuwait last year and the visit of Kuwait's prime minister to Baghdad this month, are paving the way for better ties.
"It won't happen again because the world has changed," said Ahmad Hussein, 43, a member of an international organisation of religious teachers, the Ulama of Islam. "That crazy thing that Saddam [did]: nobody would repeat it."
Mr Hussein was in jail with hundreds of others in Basra "for being Kuwaiti" when the coalition forces advanced on the city. He said the prisoners realised the liberation was under way when Iraqi troops started pouring into the city. Two weeks later, they were free.
"All the days we are free we must thank God for the liberation," the Shiite religious teacher said.
jcalderwood@thenational.ae
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
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4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
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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
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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The specs
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia