An Islamic State fighter keeps guard as people, who according to him are employees of the Islamic State hired to monitor and check the quality of goods in markets, throw confiscated products on the ground in central Raqqa on August 14. Reuters
An Islamic State fighter keeps guard as people, who according to him are employees of the Islamic State hired to monitor and check the quality of goods in markets, throw confiscated products on the ground in central Raqqa on August 14. Reuters
An Islamic State fighter keeps guard as people, who according to him are employees of the Islamic State hired to monitor and check the quality of goods in markets, throw confiscated products on the ground in central Raqqa on August 14. Reuters
An Islamic State fighter keeps guard as people, who according to him are employees of the Islamic State hired to monitor and check the quality of goods in markets, throw confiscated products on the gr

Assad forces target Islamic State


  • English
  • Arabic

The National staff

BEIRUT // The Assad regime increased pressure on the Islamic State on Sunday, pounding the group’s Syrian headquarters and other towns with airstrikes and killing at least 31 fighters.

Raqqa city, the militants base of operations in Syria’s north, and other Islamic State controlled towns were hit by dozen of airstrikes, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

“The regime carried out 13 raids on the city of Raqqa and 11 on the town of Tabqa in Raqqa province, killing at least 31 jihadists and wounding dozens of them,” the Britain-based monitoring group said.

For more than a year, president Bashar Al Assad’s air force rarely targeted territory controlled by the Islamic State in northern Syria, instead focusing on moderate rebel groups.

But regime jets have begun hitting the extremists more regularly since the militants overran much of neighbouring northern and western Iraq in June.

There has been widespread speculation that the Assad regime is choosing to target the militants now in an attempt to portray itself as partner for the West in its fight against terror.

Observatory directory Rami Abdurrahman said six of those raids targeted a military court.

He said the raids were the regime’s “most intensive” against the Islamic State since the militants joined the more than three-year-old conflict in Syria in 2003.

Islamic State militants had on Saturday killed more than 700 tribal members in eastern Syria and were battling to seize a northern rebel bastion, sparking an appeal for an Iraq-style Western intervention.

The Observatory said the Islamic State have carried out the killings over the past two weeks in Deir Ezzor province, which the group mostly controls.

Among the members of the Shaitat tribe killed were 100 fighters, but the rest were civilians.

They were killed in Ghranij, Abu Hamam and Kashkiyeh villages.

Mr Rahman said the fate of 1,800 other members of the Sunni tribe was unknown.

Fighting between the militants and the tribe erupted after a deal between them collapsed, with the Shaitat refusing to bow to Islamic State authority.

The Islamic State has captured most of Deir Ezzor and declared it to be part of its “caliphate”.

The Observatory said the Shaitat had vowed not to oppose the Islamic State, in exchange for the militants not harassing or attacking its members.

But the Islamic State had detained three members of the tribe for “violating” the agreement.

Gains by the extremist group has jeopardised the moderate rebels’ position in Aleppo province, as well as the city of Aleppo itself, where opposition fighters are also under assault by government troops.

With the rebels’ control over half of Aleppo looking increasingly precarious, the main Western-backed opposition group called on Saturday for US airstrikes against the Islamic State to help the mainstream rebels.

The Syrian National Coalition has long appealed for more robust military support from the West to help in its fight to remove Mr Al Assad, and more recently to counter the rise of Islamic extremists.

The group’s latest appeal appeared aimed at capitalising on the recent US aerial intervention in Iraq, where American military aircraft have targeted the Islamic State.

Meanwhile, Kurdish militants from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) have trained hundreds of Yazidi volunteers at several camps inside Syria to fight Islamic State forces in Iraq, a member of an armed Kurdish group said on Sunday.

“The Yazidi civilians want to stay in Syria because it is safer but the volunteers really want to go back to Iraq to fight.”

The Islamic State has forced hundreds of thousands of Yazidis to flee for their lives and threatened Kurds.

In Syria, the Yazidi volunteers train in weapon use and fighting tactics for several days before being sent back to Iraq to fight, said a Kurdish fighter.

“There are several training camps for Yazidi men who have volunteered,” Anas Hani said from eastern Syria. “In the past ten days, hundreds have graduated. And we are training more.”

“On the top of the Singar mountains, in cooperation with locals and the YPG, the Yazidis have established what they call the Singar Resistance Units,” he said.

Thousands of Yazidis are believed to be sheltering on Iraq’s Mount Singar, having fled there after the Islamic State onslaught.

Iraqi Kurdish officials have sought to play down the role of the YPG in Iraq and spotlight the actions of their own peshmerga forces, who are already being supplied weapons by the US.

The YPG are one of the few militant groups that have been able to stem the advance of the Islamic State.

* With reporting by Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Reuters

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

How Filipinos in the UAE invest

A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.

Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).

Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.

Company%20profile
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RESULTS

5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m

Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m

Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer

6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain

6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash

7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

Facebook | Our website | Instagram

 

Sunday's games

Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.

Benefits:  No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press

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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

'Moonshot'

Director: Chris Winterbauer

Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse 

Rating: 3/5

Fixtures

Wednesday

4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)

5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)

6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)

8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
CREW
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19

July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan

Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US

Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK

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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:

Day 1

Toss: South Africa, field first

Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48

South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4