The main Syrian opposition body said on Thursday that Russian-sponsored Syrian peace talks later this month undermine the UN-led diplomacy and attempt to reinstate President Bashar Al Assad's government.
"We, in the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), insist on rejecting discussion of Syria's future outside the legal, UN framework," the HNC said.
Russia hopes that all Syrian opposition groups will attend the conference in Sochi on November 18 despite some objections by opposition, Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday.
The leading Syrian opposition group is calling on the United Nations to retake charge of the peace process, saying Russia is imposing its own rules for Syria, where more than 400,000 people have been killed in a six-year-long civil war.
Asked if Moscow still hoped to see opposition groups like the High Negotiations Committee, which has refused to come, attending, Mr Bogdanov was hopeful.
"We hope that everyone who believes that the fate of the country, its unity, its territorial integrity and its sovereignty are important will participate." he said.
Moscow has also invited the Kurdish authorities in the north of Syria to the Syrian Congress on National Dialogue, which would mark the first time Syria’s main Kurdish group would meet in peace talks.
More than 30 Syrian groups and political parties are expected to attend the talks held on November 18, exactly 10 days before the UN convenes its own talks between the government and opposition in Geneva.
The event was first mentioned by President Vladimir Putin last month who said he believed that militants in Syria would soon be defeated.
Russia again avoided UN involvement in Syria when they dismissed a report by a UN-led panel that blamed the Syrian regime for a sarin gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun as "superficial and unprofessional".
"We believe that the report turned out to be superficial, unprofessional and amateurish," said the foreign ministry's security and disarmament department head, Mikhail Ulyanov. "The mission did their research from a distance, that in itself is a scandal."
In their 14th report since 2011, UN investigators said they had in all documented 33 chemical weapons attacks to date.
Twenty-seven were by the government of President Bashar Al Assad, whom Moscow supports.
Russian forces are fighting alongside Syrian government troops against armed rebels and other opponents. Moscow says it's fighting a war on terrorism.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
