Live updates: Follow the latest on Syria
Israeli strikes on Syrian military infrastructure are in breach of the country’s sovereignty, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.
Since the collapse of Bashar Al Assad’s regime this month, Israel has bombed hundreds of weapons sites, airbases and naval assets in Syria and sent troops into a buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Israeli officials have called the incursion a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel’s borders, but have not indicated when the troops will be withdrawn.
“Extensive Israeli air strikes continue. These are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and they must stop,” Mr Guterres said before a UN Security Council meeting led by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
During his annual media briefing on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow’s intervention in the Syrian civil war had been successful.
“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Mr Putin said, answering a question from a US journalist. “I assure you it is not. We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of people protested in central Damascus on Thursday, calling for democracy and women’s rights. “We want a democracy, not a religious state,” chanted protesters in the capital’s Umayyad Square. Some held signs with slogans such as “no free nation without free women”.
In northern Syria, tension continues to rise between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the US, and militias aligned with Turkey, including the Syrian National Army. The SDF on Thursday vowed to fight Turkey and its proxies in the city of Kobani.
Ankara says the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Defence Units (YPG), is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been designated a terrorist group by various countries, including Turkey and the US.
Turkey has denied reports that it had agreed to a ceasefire with the SDF, despite the US having announced the extension of a truce in the city of Manbij.
“It is out of the question for us to have talks with any terrorist organisation. The statement must be a slip of the tongue,” a Turkish official said on Thursday. He added that Ankara sees a threat to its borders from northern Syria.
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m
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In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
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On sale: Now
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Three stars
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
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How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
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4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
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6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
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19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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