When Staffan de Mistura departs his post as the United Nation’s envoy to the Syrian crisis in November, he will leave behind a conflict that appears closer to resolution but one in which the world governing body has been sidelined and exposed as powerless in the face of one of most brutal wars in modern history.
The septuagenarian Italian-Swedish diplomat was appointed to the post in July 2014, a moment of great fragmentation in an uprising that had morphed into a protracted civil war and drawn in regional powers and militias arrayed on either side.
A political solution had eluded skilled diplomats, two of whom – the former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and the veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi – left in frustration at the intractability of the fighting and the failure to herd combatants on both sides who were not interested in compromise and thought they could win militarily.
Militias with extremist sympathies had grown in strength on the side of the opposition, and Al Qaeda’s wing in Syria, Jabhat Al Nusra, was in the ascendancy. So was ISIS, which had surged into the Iraqi city of Mosul and proclaimed a caliphate across Syria and Iraq.
Mr de Mistura set to work attempting to revive the Geneva peace process, which had yielded little in the form of concrete gains or delivered an actual end to the fighting, despite initial agreements endorsed by the UN for a political transition.
He expanded it into a multi-track effort that included women and civil society members who were enlisted, among other reasons, to discuss issues like the elements of a new Syrian constitution, but were ultimately sidelined as great power politics took center stage.
Though Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime seemed close to collapse early in Mr de Mistura’s tenure, it now looks on the verge of military victory. Moscow intervened in late 2015 in support of the Syrian leader, protecting his regime from defeat and backing a series of brutal military offensives that have reclaimed much of the country.
Now, only the northwestern province of Idlib and other parts of the north are controlled by the opposition, some mere proxies of neighboring Turkey, and parts of the east are under the tutelage of Kurdish militias backed by the US who want to reconcile with the regime.
But when Mr de Mistura leaves, his reign’s most significant legacy will be the sidelining of the UN as an arbiter with the leverage and power to end the conflict, and the failure of its institutions to halt the worst excesses of the war.
The UN envoy’s final task before his departure next month is to secure an agreement on the composition of a constitutional committee, a body meant to draft a charter for post-war Syria that composes appointees from the regime, the opposition and the UN. Plans to convene the committee have been stalled since a highly-publicised conference in Sochi in February, and still faces obstruction by a resurgent Assad regime convinced that it does not need to compromise while on the verge of military victory.
The UN-led Geneva process has also been effectively sidelined by rival coalitions involving countries with interests in Syria. The Astana process, led by Russia, Turkey and Iran, has emerged as the premier forum for peace talks, one that is touted by the tripartite powers leading it as merely complementary to the UN process, but in reality being more influential. But even that process has failed to secure permanent ceasefire deals.
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Displaced Syrians trapped in Al Rukban border camp are facing starvation
Syria's porous borders
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When Russian and Syrian government forces threatened to launch a devastating military campaign in Idlib last month, shuttle diplomacy involving the three powers and instigated by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, secured a temporary deal, not efforts by the UN.
Moreover, the last two years of Mr de Mistura’s posting have highlighted the UN’s impotence to force combatants to adhere to even the most basic norms of war, and the erosion of international institutions that have failed to hold the Assad regime and its allies to international agreements.
The Syrian government, backed by Moscow and Tehran, launched brutal campaigns to reclaim eastern Aleppo and the eastern Ghouta suburbs near Damascus, in offensives that saw the wholesale destruction of hospitals, the targeting of rescue workers and the use of chemical weapons, all leading to extremely high civilian casualties.
Security Council resolutions demanding a halt to the fighting and the delivery of humanitarian aid did little to quell the violence, which continued in a pattern of sieges and relentless violence followed by forced displacement of remaining fighters and civilians. Assad’s chemical arsenal, which was thought to have been dismantled, was put to use again in devastating attacks on the towns of Khan Sheikhoun and Douma, with little consequence.
All the while, the UN has been criticised for caving to the demands of the Assad regime, being forced to ask for the permission of the government to deliver aid to besieged areas and accused of collaborating with groups linked to the government in humanitarian projects in the country.
For now, Mr de Mistura will continue pursuing a deal on the constitutional committee until he departs a post that was once dubbed, and remains, “mission impossible”. The diplomat was never likely to succeed, with so many vested interests in a conflict that destroyed faith in the international community and its values.
But as he leaves, the UN has been rendered irrelevant in the most devastating conflict of the century.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The five pillars of Islam
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
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Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
