YANGON// Myanmar vowed on Wednesday to protect UN and humanitarian aid workers seeking to return to the strife-torn state of Rakhine after rampaging Buddhist mobs attacked the workers’ homes and offices.
State-run media also said on Wednesday the government would expose those who orchestrated and joined last month’s rioting.
Myanmar has come under mounting international pressure to restore life-saving aid in the state, which is home to around 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims, who the UN considers one of the most persecuted religious minorities in the world.
More than 140,000 are living in crowded camps and are dependent on food, water and medical care provided by international relief organisations after their neighbourhoods were destroyed by Buddhist extremists.
Some aid workers have tried to return in recent days but have been denied necessary permits.
The government released a statement saying it would cooperate with the aid groups and provide them with “full security.”
It also pointed to the failings by Rakhine state authorities to act promptly when the violence in the state capital, Sittwe, started.
Over days, the mobs moved from home to home, office to office, throwing rocks and in some cases entering the premises.
The government said 14 offices, 16 homes and 15 warehouses were targeted, together with 14 vehicles, two boats, 29 motorcycles and office equipment valued at $430,000.
Aid groups said privately they were eager to return to Rakhine but that resuming their aid activities would be difficult in the current climate, where any assistance given to Rohingya is viewed by Buddhist extremists as a political act.
The aid groups’ distribution network has, for the most part, been dismantled.
Water and food shortages in some camps have reached critical levels and food rations are expected to run out in the next week, aid workers say. Most emergency medical services have stopped.
The biggest provider of humanitarian assistance, Doctors Without Borders, was kicked out of the state in February, a month before the rioting, in part because it hired Rohingya. There were no indications Wednesday it would be allowed to return like the others.
* Associated Press
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
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Last 10 NBA champions
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2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
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The Breadwinner
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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The specs
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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
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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.
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Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
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The first female investigator in Hatta.
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She believes that there is a solution to every problem
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Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
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How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
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November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
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Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
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Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
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First ODI, October 22
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Second ODI, October 25
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Third ODI, October 29
Venue TBC
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5