Members of the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on two draft resolutions at their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, US on October 8, 2016, deepening divisions between Moscow and the western powers backing rebel forces in Syria’s five-year war which has killed more than 300,000 people. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Members of the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on two draft resolutions at their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, US on October 8, 2016, deepening divisions between Moscow and the western powers backing rebel forces in Syria’s five-year war which has killed more than 300,000 people. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Members of the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on two draft resolutions at their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, US on October 8, 2016, deepening divisions between Moscow and the western powers backing rebel forces in Syria’s five-year war which has killed more than 300,000 people. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Members of the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on two draft resolutions at their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, US on October 8, 2016, deepening divisions between Moscow a

Syria regime keeps up Aleppo assault after UN fails on truce


  • English
  • Arabic

BEIRUT // Syrian government forces kept up their blistering assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Sunday after a divided UN Security Council failed to agree on a truce to save the besieged city.

Regime forces and their allies were advancing street by street in the eastern sector which has been out of government hands since 2012.

“Clashes on the ground as well as fierce air strikes went on all night and are continuing Sunday, especially in the Sheikh Said district” of eastern Aleppo, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The monitor said regime forces took control of the Jandul crossroads in the north-east of Aleppo.

The latest advances aim to clear the way for “a crucial and decisive land offensive”, said Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper which is close to the government.

Syria’s official Sana news agency said Sunday that rebel shelling killed a baby and wounded two people in the Hamdaniyeh neighbourhood.

At the United Nations on Saturday, Russia vetoed a French-drafted resolution demanding an immediate end to all military flights over Aleppo and to air strikes on the rebel-held east that has 250,000 inhabitants.

Shortly after Russia’s veto, the Security Council rejected a rival draft presented by Moscow that called for a ceasefire but did not mention a halt in air strikes.

The failure of the two resolutions deepened divisions at the UN Security Council between Moscow and the western powers backing rebel forces in Syria’s five-year war which has killed more than 300,000 people.

“What is at stake today is first and foremost the fate of Aleppo and its people,” France’s foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told the council, urging it to take “immediate action in order to save” the city.

It was the fifth time that Russia used its veto to block UN action on the war in Syria.

Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, described Saturday’s failure in New York as “a bad day for Russia, but an even worse day for the people of Aleppo”.

Following the meeting, his Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin insisted that diplomatic efforts on Syria were not dead.

The Syrian army launched its assault on the besieged sector of Aleppo more than two weeks ago with the backing of Russian air strikes.

Russia says its air strikes target extremist militias such as ISIL but critics say it is more occupied with keeping Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in power than killing extremists.

An analysis published Sunday by the US-based IHS Conflict Monitor said that in the first quarter of 2016, just 26 per cent of Russian strikes in Syria targeted ISIL.

That dipped to 22 per cent in the second quarter, and 17 per cent in the third quarter, the report said.

Air strikes and artillery fire by the regime and its Russian ally killed 290 people, mostly civilians and including 57 children, since the September 22 launch of operations in Aleppo, the Observatory said.

The Britain-based monitor, which compiles its information from sources on the ground, said 50 civilians, including nine children, have also died in rebel bombardment of regime-controlled western districts.

* Agence France-Presse and Associated Press

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?

If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.

Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.

Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.

Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).

Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal. 

Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.

By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.

As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.

Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.

He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.” 

This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”

Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.

'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)