A man rides on a motorbike near a truck loaded with belongings in Deraa countryside, Syria June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir
A man rides on a motorbike near a truck loaded with belongings in Deraa countryside, Syria June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir
A man rides on a motorbike near a truck loaded with belongings in Deraa countryside, Syria June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir
A man rides on a motorbike near a truck loaded with belongings in Deraa countryside, Syria June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir

Thousands flee as Syrian regime drops napalm and phosphorus on rebel-held south


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The Syrian government has stepped up its offensive to recapture areas of the country's south over the weekend with an aerial offensive involving barrel bombs, missiles and outlawed munitions, forcing as many as 20,000 civilians to flee.
President Bashar Al Assad has vowed to press an offensive against rebel-held areas of southern Syria despite an internationally backed "de-escalation" deal was reached between the US, Russia and Jordan last year.
Government forces dropped napalm – which is banned internationally – and phosphorus, opposition officials claimed.
"For the first time, the regime has dropped 12 barrel bombs since the de-escalation agreement on villages northeastern Daraa. Four were dropped this morning [Saturday] on Busr al-Harir," said Col Saber Sifer, the political representative of a south Syrian FSA group called the Hamza division.

"We remain committed to the de-escalation agreement, but the regime has intensified artillery shells and missile strikes. It has also used napalm on the town of Masaifra against civilians in the countryside of Daraa." The use of napalm against civilians is banned under international law but has taken place on dozens of occasions during the seven-year Syrian civil war.

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Syrian regime drops barrel bombs in Daraa

Thousands of Syrian flee as regime steps up bombardment in the south

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Government forces also attacked Busr Al Harir and Musaifra with phosphorus, according to Bashar Zoubi, a political representative with a rebel umbrella group in southern Syria. The attack caused a number of injuries and forced more people to flee to safer areas in the south, he said.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that 12,500 have fled their neighbourhoods in the past few days. But as fighting intensified, a civil defence operation room in Daraa estimated that 20,000 had left by Saturday morning.  Rebels said the numbers were increasing and families are struggling to find shelter and complained of a shortage of tents, flour and milk.

Internally displaced woman from Deraa walks outside a tent near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in Quneitra, Syria June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir
Internally displaced woman from Deraa walks outside a tent near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in Quneitra, Syria June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir

"So far 20,000  people have fled their areas since the attacks started, mostly from the eastern parts of Daraa to areas near the Jordanian borders. And the numbers are increasing by the day," said Mr Zoubi, who is based in Turkey.

“The regime has intensified its offensive while, unfortunately, we have not seen any action by the guarantors. The US has issued warnings, but the Assad regime continued its offensive. We will not give up. We are still looking for an international intervention to end the fighting and to reach a political solution.”

Mr Al Assad's military offensive has caused anxiety in Jordan, one of the guarantors of the de-escalation agreement which has largely held for almost a year. The collapse of the ceasefire agreement signed in July 2017 risks regional instability, could undermine Jordan and may deepen the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Jordan is host to 1.3 million Syrians - 650,000 of whom are registered by the UNHCR. It fears an influx of refugees on its borders.

Some of the areas that citizens fled to are a few kilometres from the Jordanian border.

King Abdullah of Jordan arrived in Washington on Friday and is expected to discuss the situation with US officials.

Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian foreign minister, said in a tweet that Jordan was intensifying its contacts with its partners in the de-escalation deal to safeguard the ceasefire agreement.

"We are closely monitoring the developments and stress the need to respect the agreement. We are working to prevent the explosion of violence. Our borders and interests are protected," he said.

In a report issued on Thursday, the International Crisis Group warned that in the absence of a negotiated deal, the alternative is a full-scale Syrian military offensive in the south-west that would come at a terrible cost to civilians, to Jordan, to Israel as well as Syria and its Iranian and Russian allies.

However, it said there is still room for a negotiated alternative, but only if all sides recognise the opportunity and seize it.

“There’s still a window for a negotiated alternative, but not for long,” said Sam Heller, senior analyst at International Crisis Group. “The de-escalation deal can be preserved, and built on. But all sides will have to commit to negotiations, especially the Americans.”

A big offensive risks a wider escalation, as the US has warned Damascus it will respond to breaches of a de-escalation brokered by Washington and Russia last year to contain the war in the south-west.

UN chief Antonio Guterres attends a press conference after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, on June 21, 2018. Yuri / Kochetkov
UN chief Antonio Guterres attends a press conference after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, on June 21, 2018. Yuri / Kochetkov

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday demanded an immediate end to military escalation in southwestern Syria, saying he was "concerned at the significant risks these offensives pose to regional security," a spokesman for the UN chief said.

Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the United Nations, said on Friday that the Syrian military escalation "unambiguously violates" the de-escalation arrangement and that more than 11,000 people had been displaced.

"Russia will ultimately bear responsibility for any further escalations in Syria," Ms Haley said.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

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What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

F1 line ups in 2018

Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EImelda%20Staunton%2C%20Jonathan%20Pryce%2C%20Lesley%20Manville%2C%20Jonny%20Lee%20Miller%2C%20Dominic%20West%2C%20Elizabeth%20Debicki%2C%20Salim%20Daw%20and%20Khalid%20Abdalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWritten%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeter%20Morgan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%20stars%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

The Birkin bag is made by Hermès. 
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.

Pakistan World Cup squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain      

Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali

Cricket World Cup League Two

Teams

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

 

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs

UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets

 

Fixtures

Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5