Smoke billowing in the town of Chiladze following a Turkish offensive targeting rebels in the north's autonomous Kurdistan region in April 2022. AFP
Smoke billowing in the town of Chiladze following a Turkish offensive targeting rebels in the north's autonomous Kurdistan region in April 2022. AFP
Smoke billowing in the town of Chiladze following a Turkish offensive targeting rebels in the north's autonomous Kurdistan region in April 2022. AFP
Smoke billowing in the town of Chiladze following a Turkish offensive targeting rebels in the north's autonomous Kurdistan region in April 2022. AFP

Iraq requests Turkish clarification on closure of Suleimaniyah airspace


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Iraq has requested clarification from Turkey regarding the closure of airspace with Suleimaniyah, a key city in the northern Kurdish region, officials told The National on Thursday.

Ankara on Wednesday halted flights to and from the northern Iraqi city, citing increased activity by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey, the US and the EU have designated the group a terrorist organisation.

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said it is seeking clarification from its Turkish counterpart on the move.

“We have no indications of any security risks for flights to and from Suleimaniyah,” a spokesman for the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, Jihad Kadhim, told The National.

“We have asked them to explain the reason behind their decision,” Mr Kadhim added.

“The rest of the airspace is open and operating normally.”

An official in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) declined to comment on the closure of the airspace but told The National that the move will not affect ties with Ankara.

Flights have not been disrupted and the airport's activity is running as usual, the official said.

The PKK rebel group has bases in northern Iraq from which it has launched attacks against Turkey in a decades-long push to gain greater autonomy for the Kurdish people.

The conflict between the Turkish army and the PKK in Iraq escalated in the 1990s, when Turkey launched a number of ground operations in northern Iraq following the 1991 Gulf War.

Since then, Ankara has launched several military operations in Iraq against the group.

Last month, two helicopters crashed in the northern city of Duhok, killing at least nine people.

The helicopters allegedly carried PKK militants and members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the Iraqi Kurdish-run counterterrorism agency and KRG officials.

The crash had killed Sharfan Kobani, one of the SDF's senior military officers and commander of anti-terrorism forces.

Reasons for the crash remain unclear.

“The group of anti-terrorism unite headed to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as part of the activities and efforts to fight Daesh cells and exchange security and military expertise,” said a statement by the SDF.

The SDF has spearheaded the fight against ISIS in Syria and drove the group from its last stronghold in the country in 2019.

Shortly after the crash, KRG Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, told a meeting of foreign diplomats that a group linked to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which is one of the ruling political parties and is based in Suleimaniyah, bought the two helicopters.

“How and why these helicopters reached the Syria Democratic Forces is what we don't know. Why they were there, that needs more investigations,” Mr Barzani said.

Mr Barzani belongs to the ruling political party the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) that dominates the capital Erbil.

The party has had its differences with the PUK over the years.

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Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.

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Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.

Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.

“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”

For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.

“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”

 

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Develop an innovative business concept

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Date of birth: April 18, 1998

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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.

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Updated: April 06, 2023, 12:48 PM`