Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his AK Party's meeting of provincial heads in Ankara on November 17, 2017. Adem Altan / AFP
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his AK Party's meeting of provincial heads in Ankara on November 17, 2017. Adem Altan / AFP
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his AK Party's meeting of provincial heads in Ankara on November 17, 2017. Adem Altan / AFP
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his AK Party's meeting of provincial heads in Ankara on November 17, 2017. Adem Altan / AFP

Erdogan threatens action against US-allied Syrian Kurd militia


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Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the Kurdish-held Afrin region in north-west Syria had to be cleared of "terrorists", days ahead of a summit meeting with Russia and Iran on Syria's future.

Mr Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a military operation on Afrin, which is controlled by the Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) considered by Turkey to be a terror group.

But the YPG has been the main ally of the United States in fighting ISIL Syria, a policy that has infuriated Ankara.

"Afrin needs to be cleared of the YPG terror group," Mr Erdogan said in a televised speech to his ruling AK Party, adding that Turkish troops needed to be deployed there as in Syria's Idlib province.

"Otherwise, different terror groups will occupy the area."

Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

Mr Erdogan criticised the United States for supporting the YPG, saying former president Barack Obama had failed to keep his promises while under Donald Trump Washington had continued to cooperate with the same group under the name Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"It was a big disappointment for us that America has not kept its promises, to a large extent, since the start of the Syrian crisis," the Turkish president said.

"We don't want to enter into the same game in Afrin. A problem that we could solve quite easily together as allies is being dragged out by American intransigence."

Turkey has watched from the sidelines as the SDF has recaptured areas including Raqqa city from ISIL.

Mr Erdogan also scoffed at the idea that the United States was fighting against ISIL.

"That's the headline. But what did you do? You paid a lot of dollars to Daesh," he said, reasserting a claim he has raised in the past that has been rubbished by Washington.

Ankara and Moscow announced on Thursday that Mr Erdogan and his Russian and Iranian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani would meet for a summit on Syria on November 22 in Sochi.

The three countries are now calling themselves the "guarantor powers" for Syria, with no mention of the United States.

"Turkey, Russia and Iran have reached the point of having a common stance" on Syria, Mr Erdogan said.

This was not always the case. Russia, along with Iran, is the key backer of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. Turkey, however, has backed the rebels seeking to depose the Assad regime in a conflict that has left more than 330,000 dead.

But Russia and Turkey have been working together since a 2016 reconciliation deal ended a crisis caused by the shooting down of a Russian war plane over Syria.

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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

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Ballon d’Or shortlists

Men

Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)

Women

Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)

 

 

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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Company profile

Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

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Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

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