A man walks past a damaged mini-van that was used as a make-shift ambulance amidst debris in the garage of a hospital damaged after a reported air strike in Jisr Al Shughur in the northeastern Syrian Idlib province on July 10, 2019. AFP
A man walks past a damaged mini-van that was used as a make-shift ambulance amidst debris in the garage of a hospital damaged after a reported air strike in Jisr Al Shughur in the northeastern Syrian Idlib province on July 10, 2019. AFP
A man walks past a damaged mini-van that was used as a make-shift ambulance amidst debris in the garage of a hospital damaged after a reported air strike in Jisr Al Shughur in the northeastern Syrian Idlib province on July 10, 2019. AFP
A man walks past a damaged mini-van that was used as a make-shift ambulance amidst debris in the garage of a hospital damaged after a reported air strike in Jisr Al Shughur in the northeastern Syrian

UK urges UN states to pass urgent resolution on Syria as airstrikes hit more schools and hospitals


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

The rise in airstrikes on schools and hospitals in Syria has led the UK to present an urgent draft resolution to the UN to tackle the crisis.

On Friday the UK urged member states to pass the resolution without a vote due to the "unjustifiable" human rights situation in Idlib.

It comes as four hospitals were hit during strikes on Wednesday.

Presently, 25 hospitals have been damaged and 49 have closed leaving 3m people with depleted access to health care.

Airstrikes have also seen 45 schools hit despite their coordinates having being shared.

Since April, shelling and air strikes have resulted in 350 deaths and the displacement of over 300,000 people.

The UK presented a draft resolution to the UN on Friday on behalf of a group of states, which also include France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, the Netherlands, Qatar and Turkey.

It said: "The grave human rights situation continues to demand a response by this Council. This draft resolution reflects recent developments on the ground, which must be of concern to us all, including the ongoing crisis as a result of military action in Idlib.

"It is simply unjustifiable that 25 health facilities and 45 schools are reported to have been damaged due to airstrikes. And, in some cases these airstrikes took place despite the facilities sharing their coordinates with the UN deconfliction mechanism.

"As a result of these attacks, 49 health facilities have stopped or suspended all services, leaving the 3 million civilians in Idlib even more vulnerable."

It has raised concerns about the use of landmines by all parties, investigations into the use of chemical weapons and has urged for the need to search for missing people.

It added: "This text should be adopted without a vote being called. As we have said before, this resolution should enjoy the support of all at this Council.

"We urge all member states to put the plight of the Syrian people first, to support the UN-led political process under the auspices of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General, and adopt this text by consensus.

"In the event we must have a vote on this text, we urge all delegations to vote in favour of the text as drafted."

In May the UN's political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that the aerial bombardment is "alarming", including the use of barrel bombs on populated areas.

Medical facilities have special protections under the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, and targeting them can be a war crime.

In May, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said: “Bombing hospitals carrying out their medical functions is a war crime. These attacks have eliminated vital lifelines for civilians in desperate need of medical care.

“This is part of a well-established pattern targeting medical facilities to systematically attack the civilian population and it constitutes crimes against humanity.

“We are urging Security Council members to do everything in their power to end the onslaught against civilians in Idlib and hold the perpetrators of these appalling crimes to account.”

Last September, a deal was struck with the assistance of Russia and Turkey to make Idlib a "de-escalation" zone.

The area is now largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a UN-listed terrorist group that has links to al-Qaida.

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Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Date: Sunday, November 25

Lowest Test scores

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36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932

36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902

36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020

38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019

42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946

42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888

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School counsellors on mental well-being

Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.

Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.

Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.

“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.

“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.

“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.

“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”

Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.

The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.

At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.

“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.

“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.

"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”

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Based: UAE
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  • 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.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

A State of Passion

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Rating: 4/5

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Price, base: Dh359,200

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