The US Air Force has filed charges against an airman in connection with an April attack at a base in eastern Syria that wounded four American troops.
Tech Sgt David Dezwaan Jr is facing charges including dereliction of duty, destruction of military property, reckless endangerment, unauthorised access of a government computer, obtaining classified information and aggravated assault, the Air Force said in a press release.
The US military initially said the April 7 attack in Green Village was the result of indirect fire, possibly a rocket strike. An investigation later found that at least one person had deliberately placed explosives near US troops.
The Air Force last month said it had arrested a servicemember on suspicion of being connected to the attack.
Central Command determined the explosives had been placed at an ammunition depot near a shower block.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for August 23 at Hill Air Force Base in the US state of Utah, the Air Force said.
The blast struck two buildings and four troops were evaluated for minor injuries.
Displaced Syrian families — in pictures
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A Syrian child, displaced with their family from Deir Ezzor, plays with her doll inside the damaged building where she is living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. All photos: AFP -

Syrian girls, displaced with their family from Deir Ezzor, look at the camera inside the damaged building where they are living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

A view of a damaged building housing internally displaced Syrians from Deir Ezzor in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

A Syrian girl, displaced with her family from Deir Ezzor, looks at the camera inside the damaged building where she is living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

A Syrian boy, displaced with his family from Deir Ezzor, watches inside the damaged building where he is living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

A Syrian mother, displaced with her family from Deir Ezzor, rocks a baby to sleep inside the damaged building where she is living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

Syrian children, displaced with their family from Deir Ezzor, stand on the balcony of a damaged building where they are living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

Syrian children, displaced with their family from Deir Ezzor, play in a damaged building where they now live in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

A Syrian boy, displaced with his family from Deir Ezzor, looks at the camera inside the damaged building where he is living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa. -

A Syrian mother, displaced with her family from Deir Ezzor, rocks a baby to sleep inside the damaged building where she is living in Syria's northern city of Raqqa.
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The UAE's journey to space
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.”
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

