A decade ago, the Syrian city of Deraa became known to the outside world as the birthplace of the uprising demanding greater opportunity, equality and freedoms. That revolt was a pivotal moment in sparking the civil war that has since resulted in approximately half a million deaths.
Although Deraa province, of which the city is part, was handed back to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad as part of a truce deal in 2018, some of its areas have remained hubs for rebel fighters. The two sides have escalated clashes since July, leading to the intensification of Russian efforts to mediate a ceasefire. The Syrian regime, with the help of Iran-sponsored militias, undertook a major assault at the start of the week on an opposition enclave in Deraa city. By Tuesday night, with Russian help, both sides reached a deal that saw a ceasefire and the transfer of opposition fighters by bus to rebel-held territory in the north, where an explosion occurred at an opposition base earlier in the day.
The stop-start nature of efforts to bring Syria’s war to a close results in constant uncertainty about the country’s political future. The UN’s Syria envoy, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Tuesday that some of the gains made in the past year and a half, a period of relative calm in the country, risk being lost by recent clashes in Deraa and elsewhere in Syria.
“The conflict in Syria is far from over,” Mr Pedersen reminded the UN.
At the same time, the amount of global attention the war has received has only decreased. Much of this is the result of the momentum picked up by the regime in recent years. Moscow has also used its veto power at the Security Council to prevent any co-ordinated action against Damascus by the international community.
International support for rebel groups has faded; most of their military support now comes from Turkey, and the most powerful groups left have their roots in extremist militancy. Rebel-held territories have been reduced to isolated pockets, mainly near the Turkish border, and the tide is unlikely to turn. Their fighters are growing fatigued, and so is the news cycle that previously rallied so many to their cause.
Even as Mr Pedersen addressed the Security Council on Tuesday, the world’s camera lenses were trained firmly on the dramatic events unfolding in Afghanistan. Mr Pedersen lamented before the Council that his job was “not easy”, especially considering the “lack of trust and of political will” between the Syrian government, opposition groups and regional powers.
The Syrian regime and its allies undoubtedly have the advantage – they hold most of the country and have superior capabilities in the air and on the ground. Prolonged political stalemates are exactly the kind of situation they have exploited to get to where they are now. While the new ceasefire in Deraa is a positive step, it ultimately reconcentrates the fight back to the north, where the regime believes it is only a matter of time before it succeeds. With the world’s gaze shifted elsewhere, they have even less incentive to think otherwise, and Mr Pedersen’s job will only become harder.
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
India Test squad
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Scores:
Day 4
England 290 & 346
Sri Lanka 336 & 226-7 (target 301)
Sri Lanka require another 75 runs with three wickets remaining
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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