Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on Thursday sent more troops to a besieged opposition enclave in southern Syria, a focal point of international currents shaping the civil war in the country.
Loyalist troops and pro-Iranian Shiite militia have been surrounding Daraa Al Balad since the end of July, marking the collapse of a three-year Russian de-escalation arrangement that was meant to allow the region to make peace with Damascus.
Another Russian-supervised deal this week partly broke the impasse and 60 people left the district, in the city of Daraa near the Jordan border.
The semi-official Al Watan newspaper on Thursday said “the army has brought in reinforcements to end terrorist control” over Daraa Al Balad.
Any military advance to retake the enclave is widely seen as needing a green light from Russia. Moscow sent military police this week into Daraa Al Balad to try to administer a new settlement with locals.
The deal came a day after Jordan’s King Abdullah met Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday and reportedly raised the issue of Daraa.
Jordan has been concerned about the spread of Hezbollah-linked Shiite militias near its border.
Those fears rose after Russia, Israel and the US in 2018 tacitly agreed on the return of Mr Al Assad's regime to Daraa and the rest of southern Syria.
The kingdom, diplomats in the region say, has been also trying to thwart an increase in drug smuggling, linked to Hezbollah and the regime.
The smuggling is from southern Syria into Jordan and on to the Gulf.
The new Russian settlement in Daraa has faltered, although witnesses said there was a lull in regime shelling on Daraa Al Balad on Thursday.
That was to allow at least 45 people to leave by regime buses to areas of Turkish influence in northern Syria, under the Russian supervised deal.
It was not clear how many of the 45 were fighters the regime said must leave Daraa Al Balad for the north.
The regime's official news agency described them as "terrorists and some of their family members", saying their expulsion "paves the way for ending terrorist control over the district
Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen television station said a regime deadline for 100 opposition fighters “to surrender themselves” expired on Thursday.
“The regime is playing with names, saying you gave us this man but not that,” said Raed, a citizen journalist in Daraa Al Balad, who gave only his first name.
“Food and water are running low and the regime is counting on exhausting us,” he said.
Ten fighters were transferred out of Daraa on Tuesday.
But the transfers stopped the next day after the two rebel commanders refused to leave and regime shelling resumed, killing one man in Daraa Al Balad.
Unlike many areas in Syria where Russia intervened militarily to restore the regime, forced population transfers in the south have been limited.
Opposition figures and international aid workers in Jordan say Russia did not let the regime exercise its iron fist on the area.
Regime presence in many parts of the south has been mostly limited to police stations and government departments, as opposed to the military and secret police, they say.
They fear that the restrictions Moscow imposed on the regime in the area in the past three years could be coming to an end.
A source in Daraa said at least 4,000 people fearful of regime reprisals in Daraa Al Balad could choose to leave to go to northern Syria or be forced to do so in the next few weeks.
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
