At least 14 people, including two children, were killed in Sudan's capital as warring sides battled over control of the Khartoum police headquarters, activists said on Monday.
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said on Sunday it had captured the base of a pro-army elite police force after a fierce two-day battle.
The Sudanese Health Ministry said 217 people were injured, 72 of them critically, in the battle. Other victims, not accounted for, died in an air strike.
A network of activists evacuating the wounded to the few hospitals that were still operating told AFP that two of the victims were children.
The army, which has fought the RSF since mid-April, said on Saturday it had repelled three attempts by the paramilitary force to storm the site in the south-west Khartoum district of Kalaklah, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers.
On Monday, the army acknowledged the capture by the RSF of the headquarters of the police's Central Reserves, a special force primarily tasked with dealing with riots and street protests. It said the capture of the facility was in violation of international law protecting civilian installations.
The RSF posted videos reportedly showing its fighters celebrating inside the site. In one clip, the ground was strewn with dead bodies and smoke was seen rising in the background as RSF fighters took firing positions as gunfire rang out.
Another clip showed rows of intact all-terrain vehicles that belonged to the police, with one RSF fighter shouting “our spoils.” And one showed a badly damaged building, with a blackened gaping hole in one side.
The capture of the special police force's headquarters has underlined the edge the RSF has enjoyed over the army in the battle for Khartoum. It has had thousands of lightly armed and mobile fighters in all-terrain vehicles embedded across much of the city, including in residential neighbourhoods, since the early days of the war.
The army, heavily reliant on artillery and air strikes, has faced difficulties in dislodging them.
News of the capture of the Central Reserves' headquarters broke as the Sudanese capital recorded a surge in fighting, with witnesses reporting clashes, artillery fire and air strikes as the army-RSF war entered its 11th week, displacing 2.5 million people and creating a major humanitarian crisis.
Of the displaced, 600,000 found refuge in neighbouring countries, primarily Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.
Residents in the three cities that make up the wider capital – Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman – said the sharp increase in fighting started on Saturday evening and continued unabated until Sunday.
Fighting in the capital and elsewhere in the vast Afro-Arab nation has intensified since a series of ceasefires mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia failed to halt the violence. Talks on a permanent truce held in Jeddah were adjourned last week, with Washington and Riyadh reportedly looking to change the negotiating formula.
However, the warring sides led by army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his one-time ally and deputy RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo appear determined to gain the upper hand in Khartoum, where the continuing urban warfare is unlikely to produce a victor.
“Since the early morning in north Omdurman we've had air strikes and artillery bombardment and RSF anti-aircraft fire,” 47-year-old resident Mohamed Al Samani said. “Where are the Jeddah talks, why did the world leave us to die alone in Burhan and Hemedti's war?” he said, using Gen Dagalo's nickname.
Predictably, the fighting in Khartoum has spilt over into other parts of Sudan, mostly in the western region of Darfur where a genocidal war raged in the 2000s, killing 300,000 and displacing 2.5 million.
In Nyala, witnesses reported a marked deterioration in the security situation over the past few days, with violent clashes in residential neighbourhoods. There was also fighting between the army and the RSF last week around El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which the UN says is inaccessible to humanitarian workers.
In El Geneina, attacks by the RSF and allied Arab militias have sent tens of thousands fleeing to Chad.
On Saturday, UN Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani called for safe passage for people fleeing El Geneina and access for aid workers following reports of summary executions between the city and the Chad border and “persistent hate speech,” including calls to kill the Masalit or expel them.
The RSF's forerunner is the Janjaweed militia, which fought on the government's side during the Darfur war. It was legitimised and made part of the armed forces by dictator Omar Al Bashir, who was removed from power in 2019 by his generals amid a popular uprising.
Al Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court more than a decade ago for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. The Janjaweed is widely blamed for large-scale atrocities against civilians in Darfur during that conflict.
Gen Dagalo said last week he regretted the violence in Al Geneina but never offered an apology for the crimes committed by his men.
Agencies contributed to this report
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
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Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
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Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Lexus LX700h specs
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
