Overview of Al Rukban camp, between the Jordan and Syria borders. AP
Overview of Al Rukban camp, between the Jordan and Syria borders. AP
Overview of Al Rukban camp, between the Jordan and Syria borders. AP
Overview of Al Rukban camp, between the Jordan and Syria borders. AP

Syrian regime approves UN aid to besieged desert camp


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Syria's government on Wednesday approved a UN aid shipment to be allowed into a desolated area near the Jordanian border that is harbouring thousands of displaced civilians in a besieged camp on the brink of collapse.

Internally displaced Syrians inside Al Rukban camp have been running out of food and water after President Bashar Al Assad's regime closed routes leading to their camp blocking aid deliveries and relief workers from entering more than ten days ago.

"We heard that there will be shipment, but we don't know if the regime is honest this time," a resident inside the camp told The National.

Jordan closed its border with Syria in 2016 following an attack on its army by ISIS, but agreed earlier this year to allow a one-off aid shipment.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said recently that his country, already burdened with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria, could not be made responsible for delivering aid to the camp.

"We still haven't received any medical or food supplies and I'm unsure if we can survive until next week," the resident said.

Al Rukban camp, which hosts around 65,000 civilians, is located on a site that is controlled by tribal militias, US forces and the Free Syrian Army.

It lies within a 55 kilometre so-called de-confliction zone set up by the Pentagon with the aim of blocking Iranian supply routes to the region and preventing pro-regime forces from operating there.

UN officials say they have contacted local staff in the camp to inform them that they have received authorisation from Damascus to send an aid convoy on October 25.

Last week, the the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) urged the international community to "allow and facilitate" humanitarian access to the camp to protect the lives of thousands of children living there.

The agency reported that over two children, a 5-day-old boy and a 4-month-old girl died last week due to lack of medical care.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to the camp from ISIS-held areas in Syria that are being targeted by Russian and US-led coalition air strikes.

__________

Read more:

Displaced Syrians trapped in Al Rukban border camp are facing starvation

A critical moment to ensure more lives are not needlessly lost

Syrian regime militias clash in Aleppo

__________

Final scores

18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)

- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)

-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)

-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)

-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)

-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice. 

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
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The years Ramadan fell in May

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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

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MATCH INFO

Norwich 0

Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')

Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)

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Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania ​​​​​​​
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat