On Monday, the inhabitants of Eastern Ghouta, who have been punished with endless bombing raids over the past half decade for daring to defy the tyranny of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, were subjected to yet another chemical attack. At least 13 people were injured when rockets loaded with chlorine gas landed on the rebel-held enclave. Miraculously, there were no fatalities on this occasion. But that this latest attack took place at all is an indictment of the international community. Lest we forget, it was in Eastern Ghouta that Mr Al Assad's forces released the deadly nerve agent sarin in August 2013, killing some 1,400 men, women and children.
Chemical weapons constituted, in the words of the then US president Barack Obama, a "red line"—and veering over it, he warned, would invite punitive action from Washington. The horrific consequences of Mr Obama's subsequent inaction for ordinary Syrians are there for the world to witness. But the implications of the spectacular collapse of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the 1997 arms control treaty that prohibits the use of chemical agents, triggered by Mr Al Assad go beyond Syria. The abject failure of institutions, including the UN and powers such as the US and the EU, to enforce rules or bring prosecutions is resulting in the slow demise of deterrence. If Mr Al Assad can evade international action and thrive despite deploying chemical weapons, why, others cut from the same despotic cloth are bound to ask, can't they? And it won't just be states that will then rush to include chemical weapons in their arsenals but non-state actors, too.
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Read more
Russia “bears responsibility” for Syrian chemical weapons strikes, says Tillerson
Sochi talks to form 'unified Syrian army and government'
Syria chemical attacks: World powers meet to pressure Damascus
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Proliferation will thrive when disregarding the non-proliferation regime carries no consequence: there have been hundreds of chemical attacks since 2012 and at least 14,000 people have been killed in them. While others look away, French president Emmanuel Macron has decided that it's time for action. The International Partnership against Impunity for Use of Chemical Weapons, launched on Tuesday in Paris, has already drawn 30 countries in a joint effort to inhibit the use and spread of chemical weapons. It will not replace but support and reinforce, through intergovernmental intelligence sharing and collective sanctions, the existing mechanisms to bring to account regimes and individuals complicit in the use of chemical weapons. A website launched on Tuesday names and shames individuals known to traffic in chemical weapons, and Mr Macron has sanctioned 25 companies and people.
None of this, it goes without saying, will end the Syrian nightmare: this week, Mr Al Assad's minions will attend yet another UN-organised round of "peace talks" in Vienna even as he continues to spill the blood of Syrians at home; next week, they will materialise in Sochi as representatives of Syria's "legitimate" government. But Mr Macron's initiative will rejuvenate the faltering anti-proliferation regime and send an urgent signal that the law will, sooner or later, catch up with criminals.
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COMPANY PROFILE
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
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
