Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said he had agreed to a "comprehensive ceasefire" with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces commander on all fronts in northeastern Syria during a meeting in Damascus on Tuesday afternoon.
The ceasefire, immediately effective according to the ministry, came after a night of intense clashes in Aleppo, the first major urban warfare between the two sides since the new government came to power.
“A ceasefire was reached in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods,” the official Syrian News Agency had said earlier in the day. The two Kurdish-majority districts of Aleppo, the country’s commercial capital and its second-largest city, are under SDF control.
Tension has been brewing for days in Aleppo, which is home to tens of thousands of Kurds and had a population of more than two million in 2010, before the civil war broke out in 2011. A US-brokered arrangement for the Kurdish forces to withdraw from the neighbourhoods has repeatedly failed. The militia had initially said it was there for defence purposes.
The latest ceasefire comes amid renewed US efforts to revive a March 10 deal between President Ahmad Al Shara and Mazloum Abdi, head of the SDF – which has maintained its control of large parts of northern and eastern Syria despite regime change.
Mr Al Shara met US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and the head of the US military's Central Command, Adm Brad Cooper, in Damascus on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments and mechanisms needed to implement the March 10 agreement, according to Syria's state news agency.
At least one member of Syria's domestic security forces and a civilian were killed in the Aleppo clashes, Syrian state television reported.
An overnight curfew has been lifted, residents told The National. The sound of gunfire and artillery hitting the Kurdish areas echoed in the city, while Asayish, the Kurdish administration's internal security forces, hit back with heavy machine guns, they said.
“They were firing artillery at Sheikh Maqsoud from right next to my home,” said a woman who lives near the Aleppo National Museum and did not want to be identified.
A UN worker in Aleppo said management ordered staff to work from home. All government departments and schools in the city were closed.
Government forces “are not seeking military escalation”, Aleppo governor Azzam Al Ghareeb said. The violence came hours after the announcement of the results of a parliamentary vote that brought only loyalists of Mr Al Shara to the legislature.
Mr Al Shara led Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an Al Qaeda splinter group that ousted the former regime in December, but has failed to reach an accommodation with many of the country’s religious and ethnic minorities. Among them are the Kurds, who comprise 10 per cent of Syria’s population, which stood at 22 million in 2010.
The Druze in southern Syria have also resisted the new order, as well Alawite coastal areas where authorities crushed what they described as an insurgency there in March. But the SDF holds control of areas where most of Syria's energy, electricity and commodities are produced.
Mr Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, met Mr Abdi in eastern Syria on Monday. He has good ties with Mr Al Shara and has sought to bring the two sides together.
A meeting that Mr Barrack had arranged in July failed to take place. The main point of contention is the refusal of the SDF to disband, an ultimate goal of Mr Al Shara. He is allied with Turkey, which views the SDF as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
More on Quran memorisation:
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
Pathaan
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
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
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
