Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and his Jordanian counterpart laid the cornerstone on Thursday for an electricity grid interconnection project aimed at tackling Iraq's chronic power shortage.
The project is part of a larger plan to establish a pan-Arab power market by connecting the Gulf Co-operation Council, comprising Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
Mr Al Kadhimi said the project on the Iraq-Jordan border in western Anbar province was a reflection of "the policy of openness and co-operation" adopted by his government, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.
Mr Al Kadhimi and Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh also discussed "ways to develop bilateral relations and regional co-operation", it added.
The two countries signed the deal in 2020 to supply electricity to the cities of Haditah and Al Qaim in Anbar, as well as to Baghdad.
Iraq has commissioned US multinational General Electric and an Iraqi company to build the power facilities that include an electricity transmission station and power cables in the border town of Al Qaim.
Late last month, the mayor of Rutba, another town in Anbar, said the first phase was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023 and would supply Iraq with 400 megawatts.
Iraq is also in talks with the GCC to buy electricity through its Interconnection Authority.
Speaking exclusively to The National in New York during the UN General Assembly last month, Mr Al Kadhimi said there were parties in Iraq "who are working to obstruct the government’s openness to our brothers in Arab countries; some are calling Gulf investments in Iraq Gulf imperialism”.
The wider Iraq-GCC energy link, he said, would see "Iraq becoming a transit point for Gulf energy supplies to Europe, within the next two years”.
Despite billions of dollars spent on infrastructure since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, many Iraqi cities and town still experienced severe power cuts and rolling blackouts.
The chronic power crisis has fuelled protests, mainly during the summer when temperatures exceed 50°C.
Iraq has spent at least $60bn on the electricity sector since 2003, Mr Al Kadhimi said in late 2020. Aside from money lost to corruption, much has been misallocated.
Despite being Opec’s second-biggest producer, Iraq depends on Iran for approximately one third of its electricity needs.
Baghdad has been under pressure from Washington to wean itself off Iranian energy imports, which have been subject to US sanctions since 2018.
Since then, Washington has repeatedly extended a waiver to Baghdad for periods of between 45 to 120 days.
Iraq has taken some steps to develop its natural gas resources and electricity sector in recent years.
It has signed multibillion-dollar agreements with multinational energy services companies such as the US's GE and Germany's Siemens to improve its power infrastructure — damaged by decades of war, sanctions and corruption — and to start clean energy projects.
It also signed a deal with France’s Total to develop oil fields, produce gas, build large energy infrastructure and generate solar energy. A handful of contracts were also signed with other companies to develop solar energy projects.
Jordan has excess electricity production but has struggled to find export markets despite talks over the past year with Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon.
In January, the kingdom signed a deal, supported by the US, to export 250 megawatts to Lebanon through regime-held areas of Syria. The electricity was supposed to flowing by April, but there have been none because Lebanon did not secure World Bank funds to pay for the electricity.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
