UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on UN powers not to close the last remaining border checkpoint for aid flows into Syria, calling it "essential to save lives".
He urged the UN Security Council to keep the Bab Al Hawa crossing on the Turkey-Syria border open for another year, saying it was vital for the flow of food, Covid-19 vaccines and other aid.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said he wanted to keep Bab Al Hawa active and to reopen two other aid checkpoints that were closed after objections from veto-wielding Russia.
Moscow, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's government, wants aid convoys in Syria to be run by Damascus and to cross front lines within the country.
"A large-scale cross-border response for an additional 12 months remains essential to save lives," Mr Guterres told a UN General Assembly event marking the 10th anniversary of the Syrian conflict.
“A failure to extend the UN’s mandate would end the UN’s Covid-19 vaccine distribution plans for millions of people in north-west Syria, and greatly diminish essential humanitarian operations.”
About 1,000 aid lorries crossed via Bab Al Hawa each month last year, bringing supplies from Turkey into Idlib province, as a lifeline for some 2.4 million people in the rebel-held north-west, the UN says.
The 15-member Security Council first allowed cross-border aid operations into Syria in 2014 at four points.
But last year, it reduced access to only the Bab Al Hawa crossing, due to opposition from Russia and China over reopening all four.
Russia used its UN veto to close checkpoints on the grounds that they violate the Damascus government's sovereignty. Moscow says aid should transit "cross-line" within Syria from government-held areas.
In a rare rebuke to a powerful UN member, Mr Guterres said the closure of Al Yarubiyah checkpoint on the Iraqi border last year had “worsened” conditions in the north-east, and the closure of Bab Al Hawa would do the same to the north-west.
"Cross-line convoys, even if deployed regularly, could not replicate the size and scope of this operation," Mr Guterres said.
“Despite significant and continuing efforts by the United Nations, we have not yet managed to create the conditions to deploy the first convoy from Damascus to north-west Syria.”
The council is set to vote on cross-border aid operations again in July.
Mr Guterres spoke as donors met at an online event co-hosted by the UN and the EU, aimed at raising more than $10 billion for aid work in Syria.
The UN seeks $4.2 billion to support the more than 13 million people in need inside Syria – a 20 per cent increase on last year – and $5.8 billion to assist refugees in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
Covid-19 has compounded Syria's already dire economic situation.
The local currency has crashed and food prices have soared by 222 per cent from last year, pushing millions of people towards poverty and hunger.
A deal between Russia and Turkey has reduced the levels of fighting in Syria’s north-west, but the country’s humanitarian situation is worsening.
About 24 million Syrians at home and abroad need handouts – more than at any other time in the conflict.
Millions of people have left Syria and millions more have fled their homes since a crackdown by the government on protesters in March 2011 led to a multi-front civil war that has pulled in Russia, Iran, Turkey, the US and others.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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 Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
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What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
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Company%20Profile
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Company%20Profile
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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Read more from Kareem Shaheen
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Movie: Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster 3
Producer: JAR Films
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Sheirgill, Mahie Gill, Chitrangda Singh, Kabir Bedi
Rating: 3 star
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
