Violent clashes continue to rock Damascus, activists say


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BEIRUT // Regime forces shelled the Damascus neighbourhood of Tadamon today, hours after the most violent battles in the capital since the outbreak of the Syrian revolt, activist said.

"Mortar shelling resumed in the early morning," said the Local Coordination Committees, a grassroots network of activists.

The LCC added that regime troops and rebel fighters of the Free Syrian Army also clashed in the Damascus district of Kfar Sousa.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "dawn battles on the road south of Kfar Sousa, between rebel fighters and soldiers who were in a convoy passing through the area".

"I did not sleep all night," a resident of nearby Jaramana said. "It was a real war zone."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said he heard "rockets and shooting until the early hours of the morning," and that he saw four armoured vehicles heading towards the embattled areas.

One Tadamon resident said he did not leave the neighbourhood despite Sunday's violence.

According to the Observatory, unprecedentedly violent clashes broke out in Damascus on Sunday between rebels and regime troops. Amid army shelling, the bloodiest battles took place in the south of the capital.

Activists reported "tanks entering Tadamon and ensuing clashes."

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said: "The most violent clashes took place in Tadamon, Kfar Sousa, Nahr Aisha and Sidi Qadad. The security forces are trying to reclaim these neighbourhoods but they have failed so far."

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Individual E. Pederson (-14), S. Kyriacou (-12), A van Dam (-12), L. Galmes (-12), C. Hull (-9), E. Givens (-8),

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The Flights

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THE BIO

Favourite author - Paulo Coelho 

Favourite holiday destination - Cuba 

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Role model - My Grandfather 

Dream interviewee - Che Guevara

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Dir: Eleanor Coppola
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2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda

2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund

2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach

2015 DheepanJacques Audiard

2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan

2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux

2012 Amour, Michael Haneke

2011 The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick

2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul

2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke

2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet

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heading

Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.

A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.

The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.

Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.

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UK
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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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Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

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China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand

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Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam

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North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan

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Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)

The lowdown

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