Newly elected Iraqi President Kurdish Barham Saleh greets the crowd during the handing over ceremony in Baghdad. AFP/Sabah Arar
Newly elected Iraqi President Kurdish Barham Saleh greets the crowd during the handing over ceremony in Baghdad. AFP/Sabah Arar

Hope may finally be on the horizon for Iraq



At last, after five months of tense negotiations and amid popular unrest, a government is taking shape in Iraq. Developments in the nation's parliament on Tuesday unfolded with a pace rarely seen in a country often crippled by a weak parliamentary system installed in 2003. Less than two hours after Barham Salih – a moderate Kurdish politician – was elected to the presidency, he selected Adel Abdul Mahdi as his prime minister designate.

Mr Abdul Mahdi will now set about nominating a cabinet for parliamentary approval within 30 days – a significant feat of its own. This is a powerful moment, one that the Iraqi people and the watching world hope will not be squandered.

Mr Salih’s emphatic victory over his Kurdish rival, Fuad Hussein, indicates overwhelming parliamentary support for the former’s trademark unity politics. There are hopes, therefore, that sectarian divisions, which have bedevilled Iraqi politics since the fall of Saddam Hussein, might be starting to disintegrate – and pragmatic coalitions emerging. Mr Salih has been active in both Kurdish and national politics, suggesting he could bridge the gap between Baghdad and Erbil.

Meanwhile, Mr Abdul Mahdi will be the first Iraqi premier since 2005 not to hail from the Shiite Islamist Dawa party. The two men face an uphill battle to balance relations with Iran and the US, while Tehran’s pursuit of influence over Iraq’s next government exacerbated the post-election stalemate.

But the challenges do not end there. Today, Iraq faces many problems, from a variety of armed groups to a looming economic crisis. Following a deadly and destructive war with ISIS, large areas of the country require rebuilding. Meanwhile, inadequate service provision has sparked violent protests, most notably in oil-rich Basra. Iraqis are in grave need of a functioning government that puts them first and protects the nation’s sovereignty against the incursions of foreign powers.

There is hope that Mr Adbul Mahdi's eventual cabinet will do just that. But as ever, a healthy dose of scepticism is required.

With no clear winner in the tussle for influence between Tehran and Washington, jockeying will continue in the next month. The fact that pro-Iran Shiite military commander Hadi Al Amiri backed Mr Abdul Mahdi's nomination because, as one analyst told The National, he did not view the new prime minister as a threat to Iranian influence, is hardly encouraging. In addition, while he will certainly speak for the Kurds, Mr Salih's election, which sidelined the rival Kurdish Democratic Party – sent ripples through Kurdish dynastic politics.

On a deeper level, both Mr Salih and Mr Abdul Mahdi are political veterans, enmeshed in Iraqi politics since 2003, when the former was part of the US-backed interim government. But the people of Iraq need quick solutions to the country’s many problems. Onlookers should be pragmatic, despite the clear significance of this moment, because in Iraqi politics, destroying alliances takes far less time than forging them.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Credits

Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
'Nope'
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Name: Fareed Lafta

Age: 40

From: Baghdad, Iraq

Mission: Promote world peace

Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi

Role models: His parents 

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The National photo project

Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).

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FIGHT%20CARD
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Company%20Profile
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Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.

Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 402bhp

Torque: 760Nm

Price: From Dh280,000

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

Dubai World Cup draw

1. Gunnevera

2. Capezzano

3. North America

4. Audible

5. Seeking The Soul

6. Pavel

7. Gronkowski

8. Axelrod

9. New Trails

10. Yoshida

11. K T Brave

12. Thunder Snow

13. Dolkong 

Company%20Profile
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PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

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Company%20Profile
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