The Syrian opposition called on Tuesday for direct talks with president Bashar Al Assad's government in Geneva, as the latest round of UN-brokered negotiations kicked off in the Swiss city without regime representatives present.
Earlier, the United Nations said the Syrian government had given assurances that it planned to arrive in Geneva on Wednesday to take part in the talks.
‘The Assad regime continues to inflict brutal suffering on the people while procrastinating and making excuses about the diplomacy in Geneva," said Yahya Aridi, the spokesman for the unified opposition delegation, officially called the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC).
"It no longer has the pretext that the opposition is fragmented. We are one. We are ready to negotiate directly with the other side," he added, speaking after a series of meetings between the opposition and UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura.
The talks are seen as a chance for the United Nations to end the six-year war — which has killed more than 340,000 people and left Syria in ruins — and mark the first time that Syrian opposition groups have sent a unified delegation to represent them.
A UN spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday that the government's delegation had not yet arrived in Geneva, but said Mr de Mistura had received assurances that representatives would be arriving the following day, Reuters reported. The opposition delegation — which is being led by Nasr Al Hariri — told The National that it was also expecting government representatives to arrive on Wednesday.
Mr Al Hariri confirmed on Monday that the opposition was "united and ready for real talks with the government".
“While we wait for the regime’s delegation that is prepared for serious negotiations, the regime continues to stall and hinder any progress for a political solution,” he said during a press conference in Geneva.
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Mr Al Hariri, who also heads the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, the main Syrian opposition grouping, on Monday called on the international community to be held accountable for not putting pressure on Syrian president Bashar Al Assad’s regime to enter real negotiations for a political transition in line with a UN road map to end the war.
The opposition leader held talks with the British minister responsible for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, on Monday night before meeting with US acting assistant secretary of state for near east affairs David Satterfield on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Mr de Mistura called for “real” diplomacy as he spoke to a UN Security Council meeting in New York via video link from Geneva.
Ahead of the eighth round of UN-brokered talks peace talks in Switzerland, Mr de Mistura told the Security Council that the Syrian government and a united opposition should engage in negotiations in Geneva without any preconditions and that all other initiatives should support the UN mediation process.
As mandated by Security Council resolution 2254, the talks are scheduled to focus on governance, drafting a new constitution and future elections as the basis for a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned process to end the conflict.
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
Avatar%20(2009)
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
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Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
How to avoid crypto fraud
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
