Quds Force head Maj Gen Esmail Qaani AP
Quds Force head Maj Gen Esmail Qaani AP
Quds Force head Maj Gen Esmail Qaani AP
Quds Force head Maj Gen Esmail Qaani AP

Latest Syria strikes kill six militiamen as new Quds force head visits battlefield


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Air strikes against positions belonging to regime forces and Iran-backed militias in east Syria on Saturday killed six fighters as the new head of Tehran's elite Quds force reportedly visited the battlefield.

Four Syrian nationals were among those killed in the raids on Al Abbas village near the border with Iraq, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It was not immediately clear if they were soldiers with the Syrian army.

The war monitor did not confirm who was behind the attack but said Israel was "likely responsible".

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011.

It has hit government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from Hezbollah.

Israel rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria, but says Iran's presence in support of President Bashar Al Assad is a threat and that it will continue its strikes.

Last week, Israeli strikes in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor and the southern province of Suweida killed seven fighters, including two Syrian soldiers.

The latest strikes came as an Iranian news agency made a rare albeit brief announcement that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force head Gen Esmail Qaani visited the Syria front.

Gen Qaani replaced Qasem Suleimani, the country’s notorious shadowy militia commander who directed a network of allied fighting groups in conflicts across the Middle East, after he was killed in a US air strike near Baghdad airport in January.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Gen Qaani had visited Albukamal, a Syrian town on the border with Iraq, in the past few days. It later deleted the report without explanation. Other Iranian news media made no mention of the visit.

Tasnim quoted Gen Qaani as describing ISIS fighters as agents of Israel and the US, a common accusation by Iran.

The Quds Force under Suleimani was instrumental in directing militia that fought on behalf of the Syrian president throughout the nine-year Syrian war.

On Saturday, Iranian media said the bodies of two IRGC members killed in Syria four year ago were repatriated after being recently found and identified.

The war in Syria since 2011 has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced more than half of the country's pre-war population.

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Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

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  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

SUZUME
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Itcan profile

Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani

Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India

Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce

Size: 70 employees 

Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch

Funding: Self-funded to date

 

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

OPENING FIXTURES

Saturday September 12

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Fulham v Arsenal

Liverpool v Leeds United

Tottenham v Everton

West Brom v Leicester

West Ham  v Newcastle

Monday  September 14

Brighton v Chelsea

Sheffield United v Wolves

To be rescheduled

Burnley v Manchester United

Manchester City v Aston Villa

Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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