Libyan rebel fighters celebrate near a golf buggy belonging to Muammar Qaddafi at the entrance of Bab al Aziziya compound in Tripoli on Tuesday.
Libyan rebel fighters celebrate near a golf buggy belonging to Muammar Qaddafi at the entrance of Bab al Aziziya compound in Tripoli on Tuesday.

Tripoli a city in limbo, ruled by fear



TRIPOLI // The road to Tripoli has become more winding than anyone expected - figuratively speaking, at least.

Libya:

Battle for Tripoli

On Sunday, it all seemed straightforward. Until then, the 50-kilometre stretch of highway from Zawiyah to the Libyan capital was a corridor of mayhem, where rebels aboard any vehicle with four functioning wheels fought running battles with forces loyal to Muammar Qaddafi. No reporter following the rebels from their mountain redoubts in western Libya dared run the gauntlet.

Within hours, it all changed, the transformation signalled by the horns and celebratory gunfire of insurgents and ordinary Libyans packed in pickups and sedans and speeding towards Tripoli, their fingers thrust into the air in a "V" for victory sign and their voices joined in a chorus of patriotic songs bellowing from overtaxed speakers.

The rebels from western Libya had a right to celebrate: they had survived a five-month siege by Mr Qaddafi's forces, then broken his supply lines to Algeria and to Tunisia and taken Zawiya. The 32nd Brigade, an elite unit commanded by Khamis Qaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader, had melted away from its base at kilometre 27. It was clear: They were going to win the race to Tripoli and by doing so, win bragging rights and a future claim to political power over their fellow insurgents from the east. After months of covering the conflict, I was on their heels.

My first sight of Tripoli came at around 11pm, when I drove into Janzour, a town over whose rooftops the capital's clutch of skyscrapers could be seen on the horizon. The small boxy buildings along Janzour's poorly lit streets made the edges of Mr Qaddafi's mighty fiefdom look just as any other place in Libya: dusty and rundown.

For its residents, however, the evening was anything but humdrum. They swarmed the streets, celebrating with gunfire and chanting anti-Qaddafi slogans. "We are freedom," one man shouted in English, his grammar shaky but his exuberance all the more profound for it.

A few kilometres on, in the neighbourhood of Gharghish, a cavalcade of noisy vehicles created a gridlock. "We will take all of Tripoli tomorrow," shouted a rebel above the din. "Maybe," murmured another, his caution more prescient than might have imagined at the time.

The next morning, I discovered how prescient. Joining a rebel convoy driving back into Tripoli from Zawiyah, I expected to find a capital in the throes of revelry, giddy with a new-found sense of freedom. Instead, I found a city divided, fearful and tense.

In the posh neighbourhood of Andalus, near a row of shuttered boutiques and expensive restaurants, a 200-metre-long trail of fresh blood ended with a corpse of a Qaddafi fighter abandoned in an side alley. Someone, out of piety or simple respect, put a blanket over him.

At a roundabout two kilometres from Green Square, the heart of Mr Qaddafi's realm, the insurgents stopped every few metres, redirecting their eyes and ears to the sound of a possible snipers or ambush ahead. We tried several times to enter the square, where less than two days earlier scores of insurgents and hundreds, if not thousands, of their supporters had danced, cheered and waved flags to celebrate their liberation.

Now it was no longer clear who controlled the key swath of territory. The streets leading to it were deserted. Snipers lurked in alleys, on rooftops and in the fortress from which the Libyan leader had addressed thousands of his supporters only six weeks ago, the rebels said.

Sure enough, a nearby military academy, where rebels hoped to set up their new headquarters, soon became a target for Mr Qaddafi's soldiers. Along with a handful of other reporters, I fled, occasionally ducking behind parked cars to avoid becoming an easy target.

A few minutes after we left, a car rented by a correspondent for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera went up in flames after automatic weapons fire ignited the extra fuel cans in its trunk. The correspondent looked on helplessly as the car - and all of his equipment - were incinerated. He was lucky. Five men were killed and seven others wounded in the attack.

Yesterday, the road to Tripoli was as daunting as it seemed three days earlier - a reflection of the limbo in which the capital hovered.

In Zawiyah, it was almost impossible to find fuel for cars. At one petrol station, the last 20-litre-tank went for US$100. The Libyans who had been working for us refused to drive into the capital or even to its outskirts, as horrifying tales of violent street fighting poured in from friends and family inside the confines of the capital and swirled like wildfire.

Tripoli is a city ruled not by the rebels or by Mr Qaddafi's forces but by fear. At a clinic on the western outskirts where wounded rebels were being treated, doctors were scared, asking me not to identify them or their location. They feared the Qaddafi forces will target the clinic, said a young nurse, sporting a T-shirt bearing the slogan, "Welcome to Libya."

foreign.desk@thenational.ae

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
 

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

Scorebox

Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22

Hurricanes

Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote

Cons: Tredray 2, Powell

Eagles

Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives

Cons: Carey 2

Pens: Carey

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km

On sale: now

Price: Dh149,000

 

MATCH STATS

Wolves 0

Aston Villa 1 (El Ghazi 90 4' pen)

Red cards: Joao Moutinho (Wolves); Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)

Man of the match: Emi Martinez (Aston Villa)

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Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

Results:

First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15

Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24

Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15

FIGHT CARD

Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)

Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)

Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)

Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)

Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)

Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)

Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)

Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)

Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)

Scotland's team:

15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell

Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris

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The biog

Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."

Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell 

Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Abu Dhabi card

5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m

6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m

6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m

7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

The National selections:

5pm: Valcartier

5.30pm: AF Taraha

6pm: Dhafra

6.30pm: Maqam

7pm: AF Mekhbat

7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi  

RESULTS

Bantamweight title:
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) bt Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
(KO round 2)
Catchweight 68kg:
Sean Soriano (USA) bt Noad Lahat (ISR)
(TKO round 1)
Middleweight:
Denis Tiuliulin (RUS) bt Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
(TKO round 1)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) bt Joachim Tollefsen (DEN)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 68kg:
Austin Arnett (USA) bt Daniel Vega (MEX)
(TKO round 3)
Lightweight:
Carrington Banks (USA) bt Marcio Andrade (BRA)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 58kg:
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) bt Malin Hermansson (SWE)
(Submission round 2)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (CAN) bt Juares Dea (CMR)
(Split decision)
Middleweight:
Mohamad Osseili (LEB) bt Ivan Slynko (UKR)
(TKO round 1)
Featherweight:
Tarun Grigoryan (ARM) bt Islam Makhamadjanov (UZB)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 54kg:
Mariagiovanna Vai (ITA) bt Daniella Shutov (ISR)
(Submission round 1)
Middleweight:
Joan Arastey (ESP) bt Omran Chaaban (LEB)
(Unanimous decision)
Welterweight:
Bruno Carvalho (POR) bt Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
(TKO)

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m

5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m

6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m

6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m

7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m

7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m

 

The National selections

5pm: RB Hot Spot

5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie

6pm: Taamol

6.30pm: Rmmas

7pm: RB Seqondtonone

7.30pm: AF Mouthirah

The Saudi Cup race card

1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000

2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000

3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000

4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000

5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000

6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000

7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000

8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000

Match info

Uefa Nations League A Group 4

England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')

Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)

Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari

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.
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