ISIL fighters celebrate on vehicles taken from Iraqi security forces on a main street in Fallujah, a city neighbouring Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Reuters / March 30, 2014
ISIL fighters celebrate on vehicles taken from Iraqi security forces on a main street in Fallujah, a city neighbouring Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Reuters / March 30, 2014

ISIL launches major attack to seize control of Ramadi



BAGHDAD // Militants from extremist group ISIL on Friday launched a major attack on the Iraqi city of Ramadi, attempting to seize one of the last urban pockets under government control in Anbar province.

Parts of Ramadi, the provincial capital, and all of Fallujah to its east, fell to anti-government forces in January.

In June, ISIL-led militants began overrunning more of Anbar and have gained further ground in recent weeks, raising fears that the province, which stretches from Iraq’s borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the western approach to Baghdad, could fall completely.

A police officer in Ramadi said ISIL “launched a surprise attack from four directions – north, west, east and south” of the city.

“A series of mortar attacks have targeted areas inside the city, including provincial council buildings and a police post,” the officer said.

Police captain Qusay Al Dulaimi said “the mortar fire has been continuous since midnight”.

Unlike in the past, mosque loudspeakers called on people to fight ISIL rather than resist government forces.

Soldiers, police and tribal fighters were able to retake one area the militants had seized and hold off attacks on others, the deputy provincial council chief Faleh Al Essawi and tribal leader Sheikh Rafa Abdulkarim said.

But the sound of gunfire could still be heard in the city on Friday evening.

The attacks killed at least six people, including a police colonel.

Mr Al Essawi said 12 militants died in the fighting.

A fresh spate of attacks in recent weeks has seen the militants extend their grip over the province, where only a handful of pockets remain under the control of Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militias and Sunni tribal fighters.

But there is still little threat of a direct assault on Baghdad, as militants would have to gain much more ground for one to be viable.

Meanwhile, in the northern town of Zab, ISIL gunmen publicly executed two young men on Friday for allegedly cooperating with security forces.

The killings are just the latest in a long series of atrocities, including hundreds of executions, carried out by ISIL in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Iraqi security forces performed poorly when faced with the initial ISIL-led onslaught in June, with several divisions collapsing in the north.

But with support from a US-led campaign of airstrikes and foreign military advisers, they have retaken some areas. Even so, three key cities and large chunks of other territory remain in militant hands.

The US military central command announced that coalition forces carried out 30 airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria from Tuesday to Thursday, 23 of them in Iraq.

ISIL has attracted thousands of foreign fighters from various western nations, raising fears that they may return home to carry out attacks.

A Dutch 19-year-old who converted to Islam, travelled to Syria and married an ISIL fighter before being rescued by her mother was on Friday ordered to be detained pending possible terrorism charges in the Netherlands.

The Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu meanwhile travelled to Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, whose forces have played a major role in the fight against ISIL, for talks with its leadership.

The visit came a day after he was in Baghdad for security talks with Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi, and offered military assistance.

Since the beginning of the year, violence in Iraq has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, and they now face a harsh winter in makeshift shelters or camps.

The United Nations said on Friday it had begun airlifting tent insulation kits into Iraq to help some of the roughly two million displaced people deal with the winter cold.

* Agence France-Presse

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
MATCH INFO

Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)

Charles 57, Amla 47

Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)

Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9

Bangla Tiger win by five wickets

Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs

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Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

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The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

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