The UN Security Council has extended its sanctions against South Sudan despite objections from African nations, Russia and China that the measure will not help to promote peace.
The resolution sponsored by the US received 10 "yes" votes, one more than the minimum required to be passed. Russia, China, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea abstained.
A fragile peace deal to end a five-year civil war that killed almost 400,000 people was signed last September.
But the committee overseeing its implementation says important elements have yet to be put in place.
South Sudan faced a May 12 deadline for opposition leader Riek Machar to return to the country and again become President Salva Kiir's deputy.
It is the crucial next step in implementing the peace deal, but the government and opposition requested a six-month extension, which regional ministers approved this month.
Acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen expressed disappointment at the lack of African support for renewing the sanctions.
"If there is to be any chance for lasting peace in South Sudan we must stop the flow of weapons used to fuel conflict and terrorise civilians," Mr Cohen said.
He said the Trump administration wanted to support African groups taking leading roles in resolving disputes and conflicts on the continent.
"Support for this expanded role is difficult to envision if countries in the region are unwilling to support measures that incentivise warring parties to choose peace over war," Mr Cohen said.
South Africa's UN ambassador, Jerry Matjila, told the council that the regional Intergovernmental Authority for Development, which has been leading peace efforts in South Sudan with the African Union, "continues to assert that sanctions are not useful to the political process".
Progress towards peace has been slow but Mr Matjila said there had been a reduction in "political violence" and efforts were under way to implement the September agreement.
"When there is a volatile political process on the table, it should be safeguarded and exempt from external pressure that can aggravate the situation," he said.
Equatorial Guinea's UN ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba said sanctions "are not the right ingredient to motivate those involved to further their efforts to achieve peace".
Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, told the council: "We do not share the view that this progress in the South Sudanese settlement was helped by the strengthening last July of sanctions pressure and the introduction of an arms embargo."
Mr Polyansky said regional mediators were to thank for the peace deal and progress so far.
But Germany's ambassador, Christoph Heusgen, asked "why should we send additional arms" if key steps in implementing the peace agreement have not been met.
Mr Heusgen said the human rights situation in South Sudan was still dire.
"Germany thinks the money saved on weapons would be much better spent on improving the justice system so that perpetrators who commit sexual crimes would be brought to justice," he said.
Last year a study published by the Conflict Armament Research revealed that thousands of weapons had reached the country despite the embargo.
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
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Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BMW M5 specs
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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The users of Reddit
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A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
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Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
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Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
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Key facilities
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
