This month marks the tenth anniversary of the takeover of the Syrian town of Palmyra by ISIS, where fighters destroyed and looted parts of Syria’s ancient heritage site. Staff from The Halo Trust, the landmine clearance charity I run, have just conducted reconnaissance work there, with a view to clearing the site of mines and explosives so it can be protected and one day welcome tourists again.
In similar vein, Halo has made safe Afghanistan’s historic Bala Hissar fort in Kabul and the 15th-century Musalla Minarets in Herat. We also removed hundreds of mines laid in 1967 around the baptism site of Jesus on the River Jordan, allowing the return of pilgrims and tourists. This work removing explosives not only saves lives but protects precious heritage, allowing people to rebuild their countries and develop their economies.
And it has never been in greater demand. From Myanmar to Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Sahel, the Middle East and Ukraine, war stalks the earth.
Analysis by the Peace Research Institute Oslo suggests that the number, intensity and length of conflicts worldwide is at its highest level since before the end of the Cold War. The study found that there were 55 active conflicts. In all, around two billion people live in areas affected by conflict.
At the same time, multilateral peace processes have stalled. Local actors are more powerful, and geopolitics more divided. And nothing drives people into poverty, danger and displacement more than endless cycles of armed violence.
In this insecure world, budgets for humanitarian aid are being slashed or repurposed for defence. This has happened first in the US and UK, with other western donor governments expected to follow suit.
As a former soldier and now chief executive of Halo, I am the only ex-general running a UK NGO. I do not come from a traditional humanitarian background, and I do not necessarily subscribe to humanitarian orthodoxies. My view of the world is necessarily rooted in my experience as a soldier. I certainly believe that Europe does need to defend itself. I therefore believe in rearmament as a means to protect democracy and sovereignty.
Organisations like Halo need to make the case that defence and aid are two sides of the same coin – both make donor nations safer, while alleviating suffering
Last month, I addressed the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development conference and called on the aid community to develop innovative thinking rather than simply bemoan reductions in foreign aid. Halo, like other organisations, needs to adjust to the new reality and set out a role for humanitarian organisations in a multipolar world.
Innovative thinking on aid must include the premise that defence spending and humanitarian intervention are linked. Defence is the projection of hard power. Aid is often portrayed as soft power. The mine-clearing and bomb disposal work of the Halo Trust sits somewhere between the two – helping clean up after the use of hard power. But both aid and defence help to make for a safer and more stable world.
It helps to think of the three elements of foreign affairs: defence, diplomacy and development. These might be defined as the coercive, the persuasive and the altruistic means by which governments can achieve their foreign policy objectives.
The theory of change that previously justified the money spent on overseas aid was that, in acting altruistically, donor countries could help address evident wrongs in beneficiary countries – reducing poverty and infant mortality, improving the lives of women, giving children access to education and a host of other outcomes with evident moral value enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals.
But with the consensus on aid fracturing, the question therefore arises whether donor countries should move altruistic aid expenditure closer to the coercive and persuasive branches of government. In essence, would aid money be better utilised if better integrated with defence and diplomacy, helping to stabilise the many countries of the world now subject to conflict?
Organisations like Halo need to make the case that defence and aid are two sides of the same coin – both make donor nations safer, while alleviating suffering. Halo’s work clearing mines and managing weapons stops them falling into the wrong hands, fuelling endless cycles of violence and instability.
We also need to think more creatively about the sources of funding for humanitarian action. One of the reasons I was in Dubai is because the reduction in funding from western donors is an opportunity for new players, with their own strategic priorities to wield more influence on the direction and delivery of aid.
The Gulf is increasingly the crossroads for partnerships and action in tackling the issues of our time. We can’t do more with less, but we can do things differently through innovation, new alliances and smart, compassionate action to help those in need while also fostering stability and prosperity.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Rebel%20Moon%20-%20Part%20One%3A%20A%20Child%20of%20Fire
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZack%20Snyder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESofia%20Boutella%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%2C%20Ed%20Skrein%2C%20Michiel%20Huisman%2C%20Charlie%20Hunnam%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
