On March 5, Pope Francis will make history once again. He will be the first Catholic Pope to visit Iraq, at a time when the country and its people are in need of hope and external engagement. The Pope has had an affinity with Iraq for some time. He named the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans a cardinal in 2018. In January 2020, he received the country's President, Barham Salih, in the Vatican – and it was during that meeting that the wheels for this trip started turning. In February, he prayed for the country as he addressed a general audience in St Peter's Square. He spoke to Iraqis directly in his address, saying: "I say to you, citizens of Iraq, I am very close to you. Your country is a battlefield with wars on each side. I pray for you and pray for peace in your country."
"A battlefield with wars on each side" is an apt way of framing the troubles haunting Iraq. In every part of the country that Pope Francis will visit there are scars – scars of war, of loss, of trauma. Today Iraq is a battlefield fighting terrorism, corruption, Covid-19, militias and foreign intervention seeking to weaken the country at every level. Despite these wars, or perhaps in spite of them, the Pope has decided to embark on a four-day journey that will have him crisscross the country and reinforce the historic and natural place of Christians in Iraq and the Arab world.
Read More from Mina Al-Oraibi
The apostolic visit brings hope and optimism to regular Iraqis in that it comes as a fightback against terrorism, political dysfunction and the coronavirus pandemic. Despite security fears from terrorist attacks, despite political dysfunction in a country that rarely received senior foreign dignitaries, and despite the very real threat from the virus, the Pope is going to Iraq. It is the story of hope that we all need. The fact that he will hold mass and have in-person meetings, despite Covid-19, is also a sign of hope against the despair brought about by the pandemic. On Monday, 3,864 cases were recorded in Iraq, with 23 deaths in one day. Human connection at such a difficult time, and seeing the Pope around Iraq, will provide a sign of hope for life despite the difficulties.
Unlike most officials who turn up in unannounced trips and remain within the confines of the Green Zone or military bases, the Pope will be visiting four provinces and will meet with a whole host of people. The Vatican released the agenda of the trip weeks in advance, which includes a public mass, in addition to meeting with bishops and priests at Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad. That very church was targeted by six suicide bombers in October 2010, in an attack that shook all of Iraq and was intended to end the presence of Christians in the heart of its capital. The presence of Pope Francis at that church is an apt recognition of the 58 worshippers who were killed on that fateful night. It is also a victory for those who fought terrorism and an endorsement for all those who remained in the country despite efforts to expel them from their homeland. More than one million Christians have left Iraq over the past two decades. Hopefully, after this visit, more will be convinced to stay and some may feel the possibility of returning home.
Equally significant in defeating extremism will be the Papal visit to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, in Qaraqosh, where the ancient Assyrian cities of Nimrud and Nineveh were once the centres of global civilisation. It was in Nineveh that ISIS wanted to eliminate the presence of Christians, attacking them and destroying Assyrian artefacts. Once again, the Pope's presence in Mosul will represent a further nail in the coffin for ISIS and for all those who sought to annihilate Mosul's cosmopolitan make-up.
It is a moment that all Iraqis, except the most bigoted, will laud
Pope Francis will visit Ur, the birthplace of Prophet Abraham, the patriarch of the Abrahamic religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. In a region where religion continues to hold much sway, bringing a religious focus to what unites people rather than divides them is hugely significant. This visit builds on the historic visit of Pope Francis to the UAE in 2019, the first by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula, where he signed the Human Fraternity Document with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb. It is hoped that when Pope Francis goes to Najaf and meets with Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, there will be a similar signing of the document. The visit to Najaf will hold great symbolism, especially as it continues to be the holiest of cities for Shiite Muslims, despite Iranian attempts to move that authority to Qom.
It would be remiss to assume that Pope Francis visiting Iraq is an occasion of importance only to Iraq’s Christians. Undoubtedly it holds a special significance for Catholics, but it is a moment that all Iraqis, except the most bigoted, will laud. The carefully planned stops in Baghdad, Mosul, Nasiriya, Najaf and Erbil reflect the depth of influence this trip holds.
After years of war and instability, Iraq remains largely closed off to the world. Despite having some of the most important historical sites in the region and the world, much of ancient Mesopotamia remains undiscovered. The Pope’s visit will remind the world of Iraq’s riches in history, cultural diversity and potential.
Mina Al-Oraibi is editor-in-chief of The National
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021:Â 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
T20 World Cup Qualifier
Final:Â Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets
Qualified teams
1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman
T20 World Cup 2020, Australia
Group A:Â Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B:Â Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1:Â QuinoaÂ
2. BathuaÂ
3. AmaranthÂ
4. Pearl and finger milletÂ
5. Sorghum
Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad:Â Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
