The UN and the Syrian government were responsible for delays in getting emergency aid to Syrians after last month's earthquake, a UN-appointed commission of inquiry said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, the commission's chairman Paulo Pinheiro called for an independent investigation into what he described as “the wholesale failure by the [Syrian] government and the international community, including the United Nations, to rapidly direct urgent life-saving support to Syrians in the most dire need.”
“Many days were lost without any aid to the survivors of the earthquake”, said Mr Pinheiro.
The commission's three members did not specify which body should conduct the investigation, but said that while they did not doubt that the UN could conduct its own internal investigation, it would be best for the global body to be excluded.
“The good practice is that it should be independent of the parties involved in the failures, and in that sense of course the UN is in midst of that”, said Commissioner Hanny Megally.
The allegations add to a growing chorus of criticism of the UN for its role in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and its aftershocks that killed about 6,000 people in Syria, mostly in the rebel-held north-west area near the Turkish border. At least 44,000 people died in Turkey.
“We were appalled, watching day by day, no aid coming into the north-west,” said Mr Megally, who described the UN and the international community as “paralysed”.
“People [were] saying: we need heavy equipment, we need search teams with dogs, people are still alive under the rubble, where is the UN, the international community, to help us, and they could see, not far away … lots of international assistance being provided on the Turkish side of the border”, added Mr Megally.
“We're actually quite shocked that this happened and went on for days and days and over a week before there was an agreement reached with Damascus”, he continued. “Shocking that Damascus would not have agreed immediately for it to come, but also shocking that the UN and the international community did not act more quickly.”
'Dysfunctional' Security Council
When it finally arrived, UN humanitarian aid was actually aid that was supposed to be sent to the region before the earthquake and was not intended for earthquake victims, Mr Megally said.
A UN humanitarian office (OCHA) representative told Reuters that 720 lorries loaded with aid has so far arrived in north-west Syria, using three border crossings. He confirmed that no heavy equipment was sent in, as this was the type of aid that only national authorities can provide.
Syria's government says humanitarian aid should go via territory under its control, although supplies to the north-west are allowed across the border from neighbouring Turkey under a UN Security Council agreement.
Mr Megally seemed to dismiss the need for the international community to go through the Security Council after a disaster of the magnitude of the earthquake.
“Legal scholars will argue that in exceptional circumstances, you can act, even if it means crossing boundaries or trampling on state sovereignty”, he said.
Commissioner Lynn Welchman criticised “dysfunction” at the UN Security Council. “It's become impossible to avoid political brinkmanship in the Security Council on this issue at the expense of civilian lives and welfare”, she said.
The parties involved also failed to agree on a pause in hostilities following the earthquake. The commission is following up on a number of incidents, including strikes allegedly conducted by Israel last week on Aleppo airport, which is an important entry point for humanitarian aid into northern Syria.
“We were hoping that at least common sense would prevail, but sadly it did not”, said Mr Megally.
The commission's criticism overshadowed the presentation of its bi-annual report on human rights violations in Syria, which was prepared before the earthquake.
Based on 467 first-hand interviews, and documents showing satellite imagery and other information, the report found that in the past six months, the conflict has intensified across several front lines, and conditions for refugees' safe return are still not in place.
More than 15.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance this year compared to 14.6 million in 2022. This is the highest number of people in need since the beginning of the crisis.
Persecuted civilians
The report found that civilians continue to be the target of arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, torture and killings at the hands of government and non-state groups across the country.
Civilians living in areas affected by the earthquake in north-west Syria were subject to indiscriminate cluster bombs launched by the Syrian government, said the report. On November 6, at least seven civilians living in a displacement camp were killed, including one woman and four children.
One of the most important Islamist groups in the area, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which also reportedly held up quake relief, has executed detainees — including women — by firing squad, the report found.
The report also called for the release or repatriation of 56,000 detainees, mostly women and children, held for the past four years for alleged ties to ISIS by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Al Hawl and Rawj camps in north-east Syria.
Asked whether one of the most high-profile detainees, Shamima Begum, who recently lost an appeal against the decision to revoke her British citizenship, should return to the UK, Ms Welchmann answered: “Yes, I certainly think so.”
Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan were the countries that repatriated the most women and children from the camps, according to the report. A long list of countries including Austria, Iran and Romania have not repatriated any.
“Most countries have established legal systems to tackle these problems”, said Mr Megally, so “why call on a non-state actor to take on that role?”
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
MO
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Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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.
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
SUZUME
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Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
