Italian United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. AFP
Italian United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. AFP
Italian United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. AFP
Italian United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. AFP

UN chief in plea for more international help to ease suffering in Syria


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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called for additional humanitarian assistance in Syria, especially for displaced people returning to their homes.

Filippo Grandi said those returning needed schools, hospitals and infrastructure.

“Families spoke of years of suffering and they are exhausted,” Mr Grandi said during a two-day visit to Syria.

A camp for internally displaced people in the town of Maarrat Misrin in Syria. AFP
A camp for internally displaced people in the town of Maarrat Misrin in Syria. AFP

Returning people needed to make a living, he said. “This is a humanitarian imperative."

As part of its work to help find solutions to displacement, the UN agency aims to increase the self-reliance of refugees and displaced people to reduce their dependency on assistance.

“Periods that follow conflicts are always extremely complex,” Mr Grandi said during a visit to Homs governorate, an area of fierce battles and a three-year siege between opposition fighters and government forces between 2011 and 2015.

Homs, Syria’s third-largest city before the conflict, was an early centre of the popular uprising against President Bashar Al Assad in 2011 that led to the civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. The Syrian government restored full control on the city on 2017.

More than 13 million Syrians have been displaced in the past 10 years.

Around 6.7 million are displaced inside the country and 5.5 million are hosted in five neighbouring countries, UNHCR said.

Economic crises in the region, compounded by the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a sharp devaluation of local currencies and rising prices have created difficult challenges for those displaced and stretched their ability to cope to the limit.

During his visit, Mr Grandi met Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and Minister of Local Administration and Environment Hussein Makhlouf to discuss issues related to return, including how to address refugees’ concerns, the UNHCR said.

“These are Syrian nationals and it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure their security,” the High Commissioner said.

“We are engaging with the government to highlight refugees’ concerns such as their safety, property rights and livelihoods. We also need the international community to help as well."

Brief scoreline:

Wolves 3

Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2

Arsenal 1

Papastathopoulos 80'

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Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

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Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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MATCH INFO

South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8) 

Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
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  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
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Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

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Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)

Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no

Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)

Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22

Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets

SPECS
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Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.

Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.

Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.

Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.

Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.

Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.

Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”

Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI. 

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
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  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Updated: October 19, 2021, 11:19 AM