DAMASCUS // United Nations investigators yesterday reported worsening violence, sectarian bloodletting and rights violations by the Syrian authorities on an "alarming" scale, a day after the president, Bashar Al Assad, declared his country to be at war.
In the morning, the headquarters of a pro-regime television station, Ikhbariya, was attacked by gunmen, killing three journalists and four security guards.
Video footage showed extensive damage to the studios and offices, with one building in the complex, 20 kilometres south of Damascus, destroyed, apparently by explosives. Officials said "terrorist groups" had carried out the assault.
The newly appointed information minister, Umran Zaubie, said the Syrian government held the European Union partly responsible, after economic sanctions were put in place against pro-regime media outlets accused of inciting violence and spreading propaganda.
Mr Zaubie was later quoted by Turkish media as saying Syrian forces may have shot down one of Ankara's reconnaissance jets on Friday after mistaking it for an Israeli aircraft. Already hostile relations between Turkey and Syria sank to a new low after the incident.
Mr Zaubie was reported as saying Damascus did "not want a crisis" between the neighbouring states.
Meanwhile, military operations by regime forces continued across key areas of the country, including Deraa, Idlib, Deir Ezzor, Hama, Homs and suburbs of the capital, Damascus.
Activists reported at least 35 people killed by early evening yesterday, capping what rights monitors say has been the deadliest week since the uprising began last March. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 916 people were killed between June 20 and 26, and that the rate of killing had accelerated during the last month.
Those findings were reflected in a report presented by investigators at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which said abuses were taking place nationwide "on an alarming scale during military operations".
The report said heavy weapons, including tanks, artillery and helicopter gunships had been used in the shelling of "entire neighbourhoods believed to be anti-government" - something that had taken place on two occasions in right in front of UN observers deployed in Syria to monitor an ineffectual ceasefire.
It also noted a "high number" of children being shot by snipers, a widespread use of torture and sexual violence against supporters of the uprising, and use of lethal force by security services against anti-regime demonstrations.
Faisal Al Hamwi, Syria's representative to the HRC called the report politicised, biased and part of a global conspiracy. He walked out of the meeting in protest and said Syria would consider suspending future cooperation with the council.
The UN-appointed investigators said they had been unable to conduct a thorough inquiry into the May 25 massacre at Houla, in Homs province and were, consequently not in a position to conclusively say who was responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people killed there.
However, they said it was "unlikely" to have been committed by anti-regime forces and that the manner of the killings resembled previous atrocities "documented to have been committed by the government" or the feared pro-regime shabbiheh militia.
Rebel forces, increasingly well-armed and well-organised although not able to hold ground against the Syrian military in a direct fight, were also implicated in human rights violations investigators said, including summary executions of pro-government fighters and collaborators, torture of prisoners and kidnapping.
On Tuesday night, after intensive fighting in suburbs of Damascus with the rebel Free Syrian Army attacking areas housing elite military officers and their families, Mr Al Assad had said he considered the country to be "at war" and directed his government ministers to focus the resources of the state at securing victory.
"When we are in a war, all policies and all sides and all sectors need to be directed at winning this war," he said.
Yesterday's UN report said areas of the country had slipped out of government control and that some parts of Syria experiencing civil war-style fighting. It warned the situation had dramatically changed with the growth of an armed insurrection and would worsen further unless the international community took immediate action.
A renewed effort at forging an international consensus and bringing an end to the crisis is due to take place in Geneva on Saturday, Kofi Annan, the UN special envoy to Syria announced yesterday.
He called a meeting involving the five permanent members of the Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - as well as Turkey and representatives of the Arab League. Iran was not invited.
Mr Annan, backed by Russia, had wanted Iran, Syria's key regional ally, to take part in the gathering, arguing it must be included in any search for a lasting political solution but the US had threatened to boycott if Tehran was offered a role.
Saudi Arabia, long an adversary of Iran and another key player in the Syrian crisis - widely held to be clandestinely arming rebels - was also not invited. UN-brokered efforts to halt worsening bloodshed in Syria have floundered, in part because of sharp divisions within the Security Council. Russia - a major arms supplier to Damascus - and China have stood firmly with Mr Al Assad's government, blocking attempts by western powers to pass critical resolutions or enforce an arms embargo.
All have backed Mr Annan's peace plan, but it has not been implemented on the ground.
"This effort cannot be open-ended. Time is running out. Syria is spiralling into deeper and more destructive violence," Jean-Marie Guéhenno, an assistant to Mr Annan, told the UN Human Rights Council meeting.
At the moment, "all sides appear to not believe in the possibility of a political solution", he said.
psands@thenational.ae
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Sweet%20Tooth
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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
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Levante v Getafe (5pm), Sevilla v Real Madrid (7.15pm), Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid (9.30pm), Cadiz v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday Granada v Huesca (5pm), Osasuna v Real Betis (7.15pm), Villarreal v Elche (9.30pm), Alaves v Real Sociedad (midnight)
Monday Eibar v Valencia (midnight)
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
More about Middle East geopolitics
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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.”
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
