A UN mission on Sunday arrived in the conflict-hit region of Nagorno-Karabakh, after more than 100,000 people fled to Armenia in what Azerbaijan denies is a case of ethnic cleansing.
The UN inspectors will assess humanitarian needs in the area after gaining access for the first time in about 30 years.
Azerbaijan agreed to let them in but was criticised by France for only allowing the mission after most ethnic-Armenian residents had already fled.
Pope Francis used his Sunday prayer to urge dialogue in the region, expressing hope for a "lasting agreement that will put an end to the humanitarian crisis".
The region's separatist government surrendered last week after a lightning military offensive by Azerbaijan, agreeing to disarm and disband.
As of Sunday morning a total of 100,483 people had arrived in Armenia after being "forcefully displaced", according to authorities there – most of the population.
About 46,000 refugees are living in temporary accommodation, said Nazeli Baghdasaryan, a spokeswoman for the Armenian Prime Minister's office.
The exodus has rewritten the centuries-old ethnic makeup of the region, which is formally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but has been in dispute since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has several times accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing and "depriving people of their motherland" since the separatists lost control of the region on September 20.
Hikmet Hajiyev, a diplomatic adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, insisted there was "no single case of violence or atrocity against civilians".
"We cannot accept accusations of ethnic cleansing or genocide," he told AFP. "Ethnic cleansing is a forceful action, when somebody is using force against civilians."
Mr Hajiyev said Azerbaijan had detained "five to six" people whom it accused of war crimes but added people leaving the country were doing so of their own free will.
"They are free. If somebody puts down his gun, they are free and they have decided on their own choice to go to the republic of Armenia," he said.
"If they accept Azerbaijan citizenship, we will protect and ensure their rights and their security, and we will establish a municipality system so that they can govern their affairs at a local level, and religious and cultural rights will be assured."
Day of prayer
Armenia was on Sunday observing a national day of prayer for the region. Hundreds attended a service led by the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the country's main cathedral.
The nation of 2.8 million people faces a major challenge housing the sudden influx of refugees. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an emergency appeal to raise $22 million to help those fleeing. Armenia has asked the EU for temporary shelters and medical supplies, according to the Italian government.
Protesters have voiced their anger at Mr Pashinyan, who has been blamed by the opposition for failing to defend a region regarded as an ancestral Armenian homeland.
At least 170 people were killed in an explosion at a fuel depot on Monday as refugees scrambled to stock up on petrol, adding to the human toll of the conflict on the mountainous border.
Azerbaijan is holding talks with separatist leaders on the region's "reintegration", while also detaining some senior figures from its former government and military command. Armenia says people are fleeing out of fear of reprisals.
The leaders of the two countries, Mr Aliyev and Mr Pashinyan, are set to meet for western-mediated talks on Thursday after previous EU attempts to broker peace failed to prevent escalation. Previous wars ended in ceasefires in 1994 and 2020.
Thursday's talks will come on the sidelines of a meeting of the European Political Community in Granada, Spain. The EU has urged the two sides to "reiterate publicly their commitment to each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty".
Armenia, traditionally an ally of Russia, has described its current alliances as inadequate after peacekeepers sent by Moscow failed to enforce a truce.
Mr Pashinyan has urged his country's parliament to make Armenia a member of the International Criminal Court, a step which would aggravate Russia given the court's arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
RESULTS
Bantamweight title:
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) bt Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
(KO round 2)
Catchweight 68kg:
Sean Soriano (USA) bt Noad Lahat (ISR)
(TKO round 1)
Middleweight:
Denis Tiuliulin (RUS) bt Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
(TKO round 1)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) bt Joachim Tollefsen (DEN)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 68kg:
Austin Arnett (USA) bt Daniel Vega (MEX)
(TKO round 3)
Lightweight:
Carrington Banks (USA) bt Marcio Andrade (BRA)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 58kg:
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) bt Malin Hermansson (SWE)
(Submission round 2)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (CAN) bt Juares Dea (CMR)
(Split decision)
Middleweight:
Mohamad Osseili (LEB) bt Ivan Slynko (UKR)
(TKO round 1)
Featherweight:
Tarun Grigoryan (ARM) bt Islam Makhamadjanov (UZB)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 54kg:
Mariagiovanna Vai (ITA) bt Daniella Shutov (ISR)
(Submission round 1)
Middleweight:
Joan Arastey (ESP) bt Omran Chaaban (LEB)
(Unanimous decision)
Welterweight:
Bruno Carvalho (POR) bt Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
(TKO)
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The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
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
MATCH INFO
Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)
Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
Ireland v Denmark: The last two years
Denmark 1-1 Ireland
7/06/19, Euro 2020 qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
19/11/2018, Nations League
Ireland 0-0 Denmark
13/10/2018, Nations League
Ireland 1 Denmark 5
14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
11/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
Results
International 4, United States 1
Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods (US) beat Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann (International) 4 and 3.
Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im (International) beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (US) 2 up.
Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An (International) beat Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau (US) 2 and 1.
Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan (International) beat Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed (US) 1 up.
Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen (International) beat Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (US) 4 and 3.
