The UN has named and shamed more than 50 nations for failing to repatriate almost 10,000 people, mostly women and children, associated with ISIS who are being held in "sub-human" conditions in camps in north-east Syria.
Britain, the US, France and Sweden are among the nations being criticised by UN rights experts who are urging them to take "immediate" action.
There are 9,462 women and children among the 64,600 people being held in "squalid" conditions at the Al Hol and Roj camps, which are run by Syrian Kurdish authorities. Most of the residents are Iraqis and Syrians.
The UN has listed the 57 nations who have failed to act on what has been dubbed a "list of shame" by Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the UN special rapporteur on protecting human rights.
"The matter is one of extreme urgency," she said.
"The camps hold over 64,000 people, mostly women and children. Many of them are highly vulnerable. Many of them are experiencing a range of human rights concerns that require states to act expediently."
She criticised a rise in "nationality stripping", saying it was unlawful to leave someone stateless.
"These women and children are living in what can only be described as horrific and sub-human conditions," Ms Ni Aolain said.
"The conditions in these camps may reach the threshold of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law."
Some women had been "groomed online" to marry ISIS fighters, while children "had no say in what brought them there", she said.
The UN said last month it had received reports of 12 Syrian and Iraqi nationals being murdered in the first half of January at Al Hol, which holds internal refugees and families of ISIS fighters.
Canada, Finland and Kazakhstan have repatriated some nationals, Ms Ni Aolain said, welcoming a "trickle of returns".
But others, such as the UK, have only repatriated children.
In November, Sweden repatriated four women and nine children, but last week it was revealed one of the women has been charged with war crimes and her children have been taken into care.
The UK has only repatriated a handful of unaccompanied children and orphans from the camps.
It is estimated around 60 British youngsters are in the camps living with their mothers, whom the British government refuses to repatriate.
The Home Office has said there are “legitimate security concerns” about the return of orphans from Syria.
“Returnees, even children, are a security risk,” it previously said. “Our view is that repatriations can only be looked at on a case-by-case basis.”
Last year, former UK schoolgirl and ISIS recruit Shamima Begum challenged the UK's decision to strip her of her British citizenship.
in July, the Court of Appeal unanimously agreed that Begum, now 21, could only appeal fairly and effectively if she was allowed back into Britain.
But the Home Office took the case to the Supreme Court to challenge that decision on the grounds that she still poses a threat to national security and is awaiting the result.
Ms Ni Aolain has compared the "illegal detention" of the Syrian camp detainees to that of security suspects held at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay for years without charge.
"These women and children are a convenient battering ram on all the fears of state and the public," Ms Ni Aolain said. "They are made objects of hate, ridicule and shame."
She said she had conveyed her demands in detailed letters to each country concerned, including Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States.
"It is the first time that these 57 states have been named together," said Ms Ni Aolain.
"This isn't a club you want to belong to."
Some 48 per cent of the 64,000 people in the camp are Iraqis, 37 per cent are Syrians and 15 per cent are third-country nationals.
The are the families of ISIS fighters, which seized swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The Iraqi and Syrian residents of the camp largely fled subsequent fighting between ISIS and Kurdish forces.
Last month, the UN's counterterrorism chief, Vladimir Voronkov, told an informal meeting of the UN Security Council that "the horrific situation of the children in Al Hol [camp] is one of the most pressing issues in the world today."
He urged countries to repatriate the 27,000 children stranded in the camp and said they “remain stranded, abandoned to their fate,” vulnerable to being preyed on by ISIS enforcers, “and at risk of radicalisation within the camp".
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Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
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