UAE diplomat Mohamed Abushahab has called on the UN and its member states to stop using "Islamic State" when referring to the terrorist group ISIS.
Speaking during a joint briefing on Tuesday about the continuing threat posed by ISIS and its affiliates to international security, Mr Abushahab, the UAE's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said extremists have been using Islam to justify their campaigns of violence.
"We take this opportunity to focus on the exploitation of Islam by terrorist groups to justify their acts of violence and hate to self-proclaimed Islamic appellations," he told the UN Security Council meeting.
"We must not permit Daesh (another name for ISIS) and other groups to hijack a religion of tolerance and give credence to their pretences.
"I want to reiterate, there is nothing Islamic about terrorism.
"Therefore, we call on member states and the UN system to put an end to the use of Islamic State in their reference to Daesh and to apply the same principles to prevent the exploitation of religion by other terrorist groups."
'Global and evolving'
Vladimir Voronkov, the UN's counter-terrorism chief — delivering Secretary General Antonio Guterres's 15th report on the threat posed by ISIS to international peace and security — said the threat posed by the group and its affiliates remains “global and evolving”.
He said tens of thousands of people — including more than 27,000 children — from Iraq and 60 other countries remain deprived of basic rights and are at risk of radicalisation and recruitment.
If we are to rid ourselves of this scourge, we must also address the vulnerabilities, societal grievances and inequality exploited by the group
Vladimir Voronkov,
UN counter-terrorism chief
"Daesh and its affiliates continue to exploit conflict dynamics, governance fragilities and inequality to incite, plan and organise terrorist attacks," he said.
"They continue to exploit pandemic-related restrictions and misuse digital spaces to intensify efforts to recruit sympathisers and attract resources.
"The group has also significantly increased the use of unmanned aerial systems in the past year.”
Mr Voronkov said the border between Iraq and Syria remains highly vulnerable, with an estimated 10,000 fighters operating in the area.
In Afghanistan, although the number of attacks claimed or attributed to ISIS has decreased since the Taliban took power, its presence has expanded into the north-east and east of the country.
Mr Voronkov reiterated Mr Guterres's call for member states to work for the safe repatriation of all those who remain stuck in camps and other centres.
"If we are to rid ourselves of this scourge, we must also address the vulnerabilities, societal grievances and inequality exploited by the group in the first place, as well as promoting and protecting human rights and the rule of law,” he said.
Mr Voronkov said while "the Daesh leadership still manages between $25 million and $50m in assets, this amount is significantly less than the estimates of three years ago".
Overlapping risks
Weixiong Chen, acting executive director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate said the exploitation of conflict-related fragility remains at the heart of the ISIS strategy, particularly in Iraq, Syria and across Africa.
He said the global food crisis could drive the spread of terrorism and violent extremism.
"Terrorism does not exist in a vacuum. We face a range of overlapping global challenges that risk complicating our counter-terrorism responses and exacerbating the threat posed by Daesh and other terrorist groups.
"Enhanced multilateralism, international co-operation and global solidarity is the only way to counter a global terrorist threat like Daesh."
Martin Ewi, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said Africa, where ISIS has expanded across the central, southern and western reaches of the continent, is not only a hub for its activity but could also be the future of a so-called caliphate.
He said at least 20 African countries have directly experienced ISIS activity, and more than 20 others are being used for logistics, and for mobilising funds and other resources.
Mr Ewi said studies have shown evidence that many young people joined ISIS and other terrorist groups because of poverty and unemployment.
The solution lies at the community level, he said, calling on the Security Council to work more closely with the African Union, regional economic communities and civil society.
In May, the global coalition against ISIS gathered in Morocco to co-ordinate efforts to prevent the extremists from staging a revival in the Middle East and North Africa.
Coalition members "reaffirmed their shared determination to continue the fight against ISIS through both military and civilian-led efforts, contributing to the enduring defeat of the terrorist group", a joint statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita read.
The coalition was formed in 2014 after the militants seized huge parts of Iraq and Syria. It now includes 84 states and international organisations.
In January, ISIS fighters launched their biggest assault in years — a prison break in the north-east, Kurdish-controlled Syrian city of Hassakeh, sparking a week of intense fighting that left hundreds dead.
Iraqi police sent to protect farmers from ISIS - in pictures
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Mountain%20Boy
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
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 specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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.
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
