Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and the UAE mission to the UN on Wednesday pushed for facial recognition software and other technologies to be used to prosecute former ISIS members and other perpetrators of atrocities.
Ms Clooney, a lawyer for ISIS victims from Iraq’s Yazidi religious minority, said the militant group had left behind a trove of digital evidence of atrocities that should be used to put many more abusers behind bars.
She spoke at informal UN Security Council talks involving the US, British, Iraqi, Dutch and Emirati missions to the UN as well as Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi woman who was enslaved and raped by ISIS and who later received a Nobel Peace Prize
“ISIS committed this crime in plain sight,” Ms Clooney said.
“Instead of covering their tracks, they brandished their weapons and left a trail of evidence. Instead of denying responsibility, they boasted online of their ambition to destroy Yazidis. They made videos of their beheadings and they established a bureaucracy to administer the sale of women's bodies between fighters.”
A UN investigation into ISIS crimes in Iraq used innovative technologies to gather evidence against the group and recently determined its fighters clearly committed genocide against Yazidis when they swept through western Iraq in 2014.
The investigation unit, known as Unitad, gathered thousands of administrative documents from former ISIS strongholds and offices, and seized militants' laptops and mobile phone records to build prosecution case files.
Analysts used artificial intelligence systems and facial recognition software to pore over multimedia files for relevant faces, locations and objects that could be used as evidence against former ISIS fighters.
The team also devised a mobile app for victims to submit evidence of ISIS crimes once they had fled overseas, flew 4K drones to spot mass graves and used 3D laser scanners to record crime scenes that could be played back later in courtrooms.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE ambassador to the UN, said Abu Dhabi had backed Unitad with $500,000 to tackle ISIS atrocities against women and children and urged other countries to also fund its crime-fighting efforts.
"Technology is undoubtedly playing a key role in helping to achieve accountability," said Ms Nusseibeh said.
“We really hope to see further co-operation between the unit and tech companies to enhance the team's capacity in collecting and analysing digital evidence.”
Addressing the Security Council this week, Unitad head Karim Khan said the team had so far identified 1,444 possible offenders who should be brought before courts in Iraq and beyond.
"There is clear and convincing evidence that the crimes against the Yazidi people clearly constituted genocide," said Mr Khan, who will next month become top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Iraqi forces largely melted away as ISIS swept across the country in 2014, slaughtering thousands of members of the Yazidi religious community in Sinjar and forcing more than 7,000 women and girls into sexual slavery.
A US-led military coalition pushed the militants back and Iraq declared victory over the group in December 2017. Iraqi officials have since prosecuted tens of thousands of detained former fighters, but Yazidi activists say trials are often flawed.
Mr Murad and Ms Clooney lobbied the Security Council to investigate atrocities and Unitad was created in 2017. They also pushed for ISIS criminals to face trials at the ICC or another war crimes tribunal.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE%20SWIMMERS
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Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Hot%20Seat
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Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The five pillars of Islam
