President Bashar Al Assad is consolidating power by promoting his most loyal acolytes. EPA
President Bashar Al Assad is consolidating power by promoting his most loyal acolytes. EPA

Idlib ceasefire breaches show Bashar Al Assad's only allegiance is to himself



It is now two months since Russia and Turkey signed the Memorandum on Stabilisation of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area. This inelegantly titled document brought hope to the three million civilians trapped in the rebel-held Syrian enclave that a catastrophic final assault by the Assad regime might be avoided. The unleashing of an artillery barrage at the weekend forever extinguished that hope for one mother and her child, the latest of a reported 100 or more victims of regular breaches of the ceasefire zone by the Syrian army in the past month.

Notably absent from the ceasefire document signed in Sochi was the hand of any representative of the Syrian regime, which since September has given a fine impression of a hungry wolf, straining at the leash placed around its neck by its Russian master. The indiscriminate shelling of the demilitarised zone suggests President Bashar Al Assad, emboldened by the scent of impending victory, is impatient to shake off all restraint and take back control of this last corner of the country, no matter the cost to its inhabitants. Not for the first time, Assad is demonstrating that he owes allegiance to no one but himself – not to his innocent citizens, cowering in fear before his army, not to the sanctity of international agreements, not even to Russia.

If any hope for an end to this bitter conflict is to be maintained, it is vital that agreements such as that signed by Russia and Turkey and submitted to the United Nations Security Council on September 18 be respected. In that document Moscow vowed to ensure that attacks on Idlib would be avoided. In defying his master’s will, has Mr Al Assad already forgotten that his regime continues to exist, thanks only to Russia’s intercession? The regime seeks to justify this latest infringement of the ceasefire zone as a response to an incursion by terrorists towards army posts set up to protect civilians in the area. The killing of those same civilians in the pursuit of this mission is beyond irony, but the welfare of Syria’s citizens has never been Assad’s priority.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that, since October, hundreds of refugees who have responded to repeated government exhortations to return home from neighbouring countries have been arrested. These events hint darkly at a future defined by the excesses of a triumphant Mr Al Assad, and an intensification of the brutality and human rights abuses that have characterised the past seven years. The state news agency is already proclaiming that "normal life and stability" have returned to most of Syria. For those trapped in Idlib, "normal" is a word loaded with sinister meaning.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

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Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

Champions League last 16, first leg

Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)

England's Ashes squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

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Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000

Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm

Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm

Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X

Price, as tested: Dh84,000

Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: Six-speed auto

Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe


Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba

At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020

Launched: 2008

Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools

Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)

Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13

 

Impact in numbers

335 million people positively impacted by projects

430,000 jobs created

10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water

50 million homes powered by renewable energy

6.5 billion litres of water saved

26 million school children given solar lighting

RESULTS

Main card

Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision

Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision

Lightweight 60kg:  Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3

Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision

Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision

Light heavyweight 81.4kg:  Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round