Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is briefed by an officer on the military's offensive against the Syrian Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin, at the army's command centre in Hatay province bordering on January 25, 2018. via AP
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is briefed by an officer on the military's offensive against the Syrian Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin, at the army's command centre in Hatay province bordering oShow more

US warns Turkey against deepening Syria offensive



The United States on Thursday delivered its strongest warning yet that Turkey should abandon its offensive in northern Syria, saying Ankara's actions could be deepening the country's civil war.

As Turkish forces conducted heavy operations in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, US president Donald Trump also intervened, while casualties mounted.

He expressed his concerns about the Afrin operation during a phone call with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

But with Turkey attacking the YPG for a sixth day, a Syrian Kurdish militia allied with the US against ISIL, other American security officials were more explicit.

Turkey "ought to be mindful of the potential for escalation as they move into Syria and Afrin," said Tom Bossert, assistant to Mr Trump for homeland security and counterterrorism, urging its troops to leave and focus on "longer-term strategic goals".

While the offensive so far has centred on territory near the city of Afrin, Turkish officials have threatened to expand the operation to other parts of northern Syria, including areas where US troops are present.

Mr Bossert said it would be a "terrible outcome" if Turkish troops clashed with "the proxy forces that we have all been relying on to defeat ISIL, especially if there are US advisers in the region".

"There could be grave consequences to any miscalculation and escalation," Mr Bossert added.

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Both the US and Turkey are members of Nato, and Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim accused the US of betraying an ally.

"It is astounding and unacceptable ... that a country which is supposed to protect Nato's borders is giving open support to armed entities that target our borders," Mr Yildirim said.

The Syrian government has also been critical of the Turkish incursion, threatening last week to shoot down planes that enter its airspace. So far, however, it has declined to interfere militarily.

“The Turkish invasion is an open violation against the sovereignty of Syria,” Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad told the BBC. "We shall act accordingly. I will not specify any action, but Syria has the right to defend itself."

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant Kurdish separatist group that has fought Ankara's government since the 1980s.

Residents of Afrin told The National they are preparing for a siege as Turkish artillery and aircraft continue to bombard the area. All roads out have been cut.

Thousands have been displaced and are moving further away from destroyed villages on the edge of the Kurdish-controlled area and toward the city of Afrin, witnesses said.

Afrin is surrounded on all sides by hostile forces – either Turkey itself, territory controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups, or the government in Damascus. Turkish bombing near a dam north of the city on Tuesday stoked residents’ fears that Ankara's military was seeking to cut off vital supplies, including water.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, reported on Thursday that at least 32 civilians have been killed so far in the fighting, along with at least 42 YPG fighters and 48 members of Turkish-backed Syrian Arab militias who are leading the ground assault.

Earlier this week, Turkey’s foreign minister also raised the possibility of opening a new front against Kurdish militants – this time against PKK fighters in northern Iraq.

"One of the issues we have discussed with Iraq is a joint operation against the PKK's presence in Sinjar province. They told us 'PKK is no different from Daesh, let's cooperate against this threat,'" foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Turkish daily Hurriyet after he met with Iraqi foreign minister Salim Al Jabouri on January 21 in Baghdad.

Turkey has launched operations in Iraq against the PPK in the past. And though it has largely been limited to airstrikes, thousands of its troops did briefly invade northern Iraq in 2008.

Prior to ISIL's takeover of large parts of Iraq in 2014, the PKK were largely confined to bases in the mountainous region of Qandil, which Iraq, Iran and Turkey all border.

When ISIL threatened Iraq's Kurdish-controlled provinces, including the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil, PKK fighters left their mountain redoubt to provide support for the Kurdish Regional Government's forces. That support was critical to stopping ISIL's advance, but also provided the group a larger area of operations than it has enjoyed at any time in its history, straddling the borders between northern Syria and Iraq.

The Turkish foreign ministry and Iraqi foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday on the possibility of such an operation.

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS

England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)

Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)

The biog

Age: 19 

Profession: medical student at UAE university 

Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)

Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE DETAILS

Deadpool 2

Dir: David Leitch

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz

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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
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Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
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Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

FIXTURES

Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney

Note: d/n = day/night

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.
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Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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