BANI WALID // Libyan forces who have launched an assault on the last holdout towns of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi's loyalists were still meeting resistance in one desert town yesterday and said they had edged towards the ousted ruler's birthplace, Sirte.
"We are inside Bani Walid, we control big chunks of the city. There are still pockets of resistance," Sabhil Warfalli, an NTC fighter, said as he drove away from the front line in the town 150 kilometres south-east of Tripoli.
He said pro-Qaddafi forces were now concentrated in the central market area.
A pro-Qaddafi radio station appealed for the city's 100,000 people to fight to the death.
"We urge the people of Bani Walid to defend the city against the rats and armed gangs. Don't back down. Fight to the death. We are waiting for you. You are just a bunch of gangsters. God is on our side," an announcer said.
Libya's National Transitional Council is trying to capture Col Qaddafi's last bastions and find the fugitive leader to assert its grip over the vast North African oil-producer and begin a countdown to elections and a new constitution.
Qaddafi's loyalists also control Sirte, which sits on the main east-west coastal motorway, effectively cutting Libya in two. Advancing NTC troops said the front line was now about 90km east of the city.
Fighters were firing tanks and howitzers amid the sound of heavy machine-gun fire and the roar of Nato warplanes overheard.
"There were clashes this morning and Gaddafi forces were firing Grad rockets, but we managed to advance a little bit and we will enter Sirte very soon," said the fighter Salah Al Shaery.
The pro-Gaddafi towns still holding out, as well as the uncertain loyalties of the vast desert interior, undermine the NTC's efforts to show it is firmly in control of the country.
Bouzaid Dorda, the head of Col Gaddafi's external security organisation, was arrested by anti-Qaddafi fighters, witnesses said yesterday.
The NTC had given the main pro-Gaddafi towns - Sirte, Bani Walid and the remote desert outpost of Sabha - until Saturday to surrender or face attack. Fighting around Sirte and Bani Walid erupted a day before the deadline.
Anti-Gaddafi fighters believe one or two of the ousted leader's sons may be holed up in Bani Walid. Some NTC officials have even suggested Col Qaddafi might be there. Others say he may be hiding deeper in the Sahara.
Several former Gaddafi officials and generals have fled across the vast desert to neighbouring Niger. The toppled leader's wife and three of his children found sanctuary in Algeria last month.
Some civilians managed to flee Bani Walid yesterday.
"We live right in the centre. I'm scared. We are leaving because we want to be on the side of the revolution," said a man in a car with his wife, children and other relatives.
* Reuters
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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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