A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.
A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.
A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.
A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.

Protests against Turkish offensive in Iraq begin in Baghdad


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraqi security forces blocked roads leading to the Turkish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday after demonstrations broke out near the diplomatic building, local media reported.

Dozens of demonstrators protested against Turkey's military offensive in northern Iraq, which was launched against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the northern Gara Mountain region this month.

Ankara considers the PKK a terrorist group.

Pictures and videos circulated on social media of protesters holding banners calling for Turkey to leave the country.

“We reject Turkey’s assault on Iraqi land. Turkey out, out,” it said.

The embassy is in Baghdad's Al Waziriya district, which lies outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, where foreign diplomats reside.

Turkey's military operation in the Gara region concluded on Sunday and was carried out to rescue 13 citizens kidnapped by Kurdish separatist forces, all of whom were found dead.

The operation was part of efforts to secure Turkey's borders and find the missing citizens, said the Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.

The four-day military operation began with air strikes and artillery shelling before commandos and ground troops moved in. Turkey said it killed 48 PKK fighters and captured two, while three Turkish soldiers were killed and three were wounded.

The coffins of three Turkish military members killed in Iraq are carried during funeral prayers at Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque in Ankara on February 12, 2021. AFP
The coffins of three Turkish military members killed in Iraq are carried during funeral prayers at Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque in Ankara on February 12, 2021. AFP

Turkey has been fighting the Kurdish militant group along its borders with Syria and Iraq for several decades.

In the past year, Turkish forces conducted several cross-border operations into northern Iraq despite protests from Baghdad.

Last June, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Tiger in the mountainous terrain of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

It has used warplanes, drones and special forces. Authorities said hundreds of PKK targets were hit, but gave few details.

Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mezmar, Adam McLean (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).

3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: AF Ajwad, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Gold Silver, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.

4pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m; Winner: Atrash, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez.

4.30pm: Gulf Cup Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Momtaz, Saif Al Balushi, Musabah Al Muhairi.

5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Al Mushtashar, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

 

 

'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

Hydrogen: Market potential

Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.

"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.

Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.

The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.

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THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

About Okadoc

Date started: Okadoc, 2018

Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Healthcare

Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth

Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February

Investors: Undisclosed

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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.

Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

Ferrari
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Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.