The Nahrein Network has announced a new round of research grants of up to £100,000 ($137,125) for Iraqi-led research projects on the sustainable development of Iraq’s history and cultural heritage.
Prof Eleanor Robson, the director of the University College London-led group, said the focus has always been “what matters locally” and what Iraqi experts believe will make a difference to communities in the country.
The Nahrein Network was established in 2017 and has been funded by the UK government since. But it was announced this year that an anonymous philanthropist had given more than £11m to support its work over the next decade.
“Our whole aim is for us not to have in London a list of priorities. Priorities are set in Iraq by people that come forward,” Prof Robson said.
She said there were layers of Iraq’s history and heritage that have been missed by big international funders, but remain hugely important to the country.
“They matter at a very local level and might not ever have been researched and published in English or German or any of the big international research languages," she said.
“So, what we've been doing all along is prioritising what matters locally and saying to experts on the ground, 'you tell us what you what you think is important. Tell us what would make a difference to your community'.
“The idea is really a very good one – that people closest to the problem are best placed to identify what the problems are and then with the support of the research infrastructures that the UK has, to develop a solution together.”
The Nahrein Network also works to help Iraqi universities and ministries provide better support for researchers.
Prof Robson said the Nahrein Network is involved in post-conflict work that focuses not only on Mosul but also Diyala, Anbar, Samara and Tikrit, as many Iraqis return home after years of displacement and see significant changes in their communities.
“To see people who live in these areas researching and talking to their local communities about those sorts of issues and helping then feed that into local government decisions about social and economic priorities, that's incredibly empowering.
Local history and identity matters, she says. Prof Robson points to Nahrein-backed projects on dialect, such as the disappearing Marsh Arab tongue.
“If you want to develop solutions to Iraq to problems that have any chance of having a lasting impact, they have to be embedded in the way Iraq works and the way Iraq doesn't work," she said. "We have to trust local experts to see that and they have to trust us to give them the intellectual tools and the financial tools to deliver that. So, it's very much a partnership."
Unexpected success has been achieved through video call platforms such as Zoom, the use of which rose sharply during the pandemic, as seminars and panels went from being hosted in major Western cities to taking place virtually.
Prof Robson said those platforms allowed Iraqi voices to be heard internationally. “That's never been done before. We've had a series of webinars on the threats to cultural heritage in Iraq and possible solutions.
"All sorts of people that are in our network, literally and metaphorically, whose voices have never been heard internationally before … we had serious decision-makers joining those calls and listening in,” she said.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
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Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
