UN-brokered peace talks aimed at resolving the Syrian war resumed in Geneva on Tuesday — but without regime representatives in attendance.
The Syrian government delegation left the talks in Geneva on Saturday, without clarifying if or when they would return. Representatives cited the opposition's demand that Mr Al Assad should play no role in an interim government as the reason for their exit.
The resumption of talks on Tuesday came just hours after Syrian state media claimed its government’s air defences had shot down three missiles fired by Israeli warplanes, while other reports suggested that at least some of the missiles had successfully struck targets on the eastern outskirts of Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors Syria’s six-year-old war, said the likely target was the Jamraya military research facility, which has been targeted in the past by Israel.
The Syrian government also blamed Israel for attacks inside the country early on Sunday, and said its air defence systems were also fired successfully during that attack. Moscow, which has lent substantial military support to Syrian president Bashar Al Assad's government, began deploying advanced air defence systems in the country more than two years ago.
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Read more:
Syria peace talks will continue until December 15, UN envoy says
Syrian and Russian jets bomb residential areas in eastern Ghouta
Editorial: The UN's 12-point Syrian charter is a glimmer of hope after regime snub
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Israel rarely takes public credit for such strikes though it is believed to have carried out about 20 of them since 2013. In the past it has admitted to attacking arms shipments in Syria allegedly bound for Hizbollah, which is fighting alongside Mr Al Assad’s forces.
Russia’s backing for the Syrian government and Israel’s strikes underscore the nature of a conflict that has long been not just a civil war, but a fight involving international actors.
At the international level, there have also been peace talks, though they have accomplished little.
Those currently taking place in Geneva 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.
But with representatives of Mr Al Assad's government absent on Tuesday, the unified opposition delegation met with UN officials, including chief mediator Staffan de Mistura, alone.
The opposition called on the United Nations and allies of Mr Al Assad to halt a bombing campaign that has escalated in recent weeks against Eastern Ghouta, a besieged rebel-held suburb of eastern Damascus.
Before meeting with UN officials, Yahya Aridi, the opposition delegation’s spokesperson, said children in Eastern Ghouta were dying and had no access to medical care amid an intense bombing campaign that began last month.
“Every day that passes without progress for achieving peace for Syria and its people is a day that means more blood, destruction, sieges, and children dying,” he said.
“We are serious about bringing peace to our people because they deserve peace. We call on the [UN] Security Council, on those who are helping the regime, to stop this tragedy."
On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory reported that government planes had killed at least 27 people in Eastern Ghouta, the highest toll in a single day since fighting there escalated three weeks ago. The rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus have endured a years-long siege that has intensified in recent months, creating food shortages and deaths related to malnutrition. The blockade has also prompted rebel efforts to break it that have only increased the violence.
“The nightmare in Eastern Ghouta shows the urgent necessity for a political solution to relieve the suffering of our people,” the opposition delegation's head, Nasr Al Hariri, said after meeting with UN officials on Tuesday.
“While we are here [in Geneva] for negotiations, the regime are conducting atrocities and massacres."
Eastern Ghouta is the collective name for a number of suburban Damascus neighbourhoods where nearly 400,000 people have endured a years-long siege. Shipments of international aid are often prevented from entering the area for weeks or months at a time, and even the aid that does enter the area is insufficient.
“This is normal during the peace talks — the regime escalates,” said Humam Husari, a filmmaker living in the Zamalka neighbourhood of Eastern Ghouta. “In the past two months, Eastern Ghouta has been through the most difficult time since the war started.”
Mr Husari said government planes had also dropped cluster bombs on the area in the last three weeks, maiming dozens of people, including children.
But he said this wasn’t as bad as the shortages of food brought on by the blockade.
“Starvation is worse than being afraid of bombs,” Mr Husari. “When you don’t know how to feed your children, you will consider doing anything.”
While it is becoming conventional wisdom that Mr Al Assad’s government has taken the upper hand in Syria’s war, violence remains widespread. On Tuesday, Syrian state media reported an explosion on a bus in the government-held city of Homs that killed at least eight people.
ISIL claimed responsibility for that attack. The group has been driven out of its last urban strongholds in eastern Syria in recent months, but maintains cells throughout the country, as well as a presence in the Yarmouk neighbourhood of Damascus.
Other groups, including Al Qaeda-linked rebel faction Tahrir Al Sham, have carried out similar bombings in government-controlled areas.
The fate of Mr Al Assad has remained a sticking point during years of attempts by the UN to get the government and opposition to agree on a road map for Syria's future.
And the latest round of talks, which began on Tuesday last week, have so far brought no concrete progress.
The regime's chief negotiator, Bashar Al Jaafari, declared on Friday that "this round of talks is finished for us", saying his team would fly back home and that "Damascus will decide" whether it would return to the UN-backed talks.
He referred to a statement released by the opposition last month that said Mr Al Assad should step down before any peace deal can be reached.
"The language was provocative, irresponsible politically speaking," he said, warning that if the opposition delegation sticks to such language "there will be no progress".
In response, the opposition delegation’s spokesperson, Yahya Aridi, said, “I don’t think that those who support the regime are happy with such a position being taken by the regime. This is an embarrassment to Russia”.
“We understand the Russian position now. They are … in a hurry to find a solution,” he added.
Charles Lister, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute said the regime's "intransigence" showed that Russia had insufficient leverage with the Syrian government.
“Moscow is in a rush to ‘solve’ Syria, but Bashar Al Assad is not," he added.
* Additional reporting by Reuters
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
3%20Body%20Problem
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Company%20profile
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Muguruza's singles career in stats
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)
Wins / losses 293 / 149
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Manchester United v Young Boys, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
