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The UAE on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to urgently adopt a draft humanitarian ceasefire resolution as the situation in war-torn Gaza is "close to irreversible".
"We cannot wait. The Council needs to act decisively to demand a humanitarian ceasefire," the UAE said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In response to a letter sent by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the president of the Security Council, invoking Article 99 of the UN Charter, the UAE drafted and submitted a resolution, seen by The National, to the 15 council members calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire".
The text which has the support of Arab countries and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation is set for a vote on Friday, with a briefing from the UN chief expected.
"This is a moral and humanitarian imperative and we urge all countries to support the call of the Secretary General," read the UAE statement.
Article 99 of the UN charter states that “the Secretary General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security”.
Mr Guterres warned that he expects “public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible” in Gaza.
“The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region,” said Mr Guterres.
“Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs.”
Mr Guterres urged the 15 members of the Security Council “to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe” and repeated his appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared.
“This is urgent … there is no effective protection of civilians,” he stressed. “The current conditions are making it impossible for meaningful humanitarian operations to be conducted."
“Nowhere is safe in Gaza.”
It is the first time the UN chief has invoked the article since taking office in 2017, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN criticised Mr Guterres's use of Article 99, saying the UN chief has reached a "new moral low" by sending the letter to the Security Council.
“This is more proof of the Secretary General's moral distortion and his bias against Israel,” Gilad Erdan wrote.
“The Secretary General's call for a ceasefire is actually a call to keep Hamas's reign of terror in Gaza.”
Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters before the release of the UN chief's letter that Arab diplomats were “fine-tuning” a draft Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire.
The draft resolution, which was circulated to council members on Wednesday afternoon, acts "upon the letter dated 6 December 2023 of the Secretary General, under Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, addressed to the President of the Security Council".
It expresses "grave concern over the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population" and demands an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire".
Mr Mansour said Arab ministers and members of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation would be visiting Washington on Thursday to discuss a ceasefire with US officials.
“A ceasefire has to take place and it has to take place immediately,” he told reporters.
In mid-November, after four rejected draft texts, the Security Council called for “extended humanitarian pauses” in the Gaza Strip, in the first time the 15 members broke their silence on the conflict.
Past cases in which matters have been brought by the Secretary General to the Security Council include a letter from 1980 in which the secretary general at the time voiced concern over the conflict between Iran and Iraq, and urged the council to address the issue.
The last time a UN secretary general invoked Article 99 was in 1989 for Lebanon.
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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
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The five pillars of Islam
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
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Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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
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.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
