The UN refugee agency told Lebanese officials it was unable to encourage refugees in the country to return to Syria given the “complex situation on the ground” after caretaker foreign minister refused to approve new work permits for staff, citing the body’s approach to the matter.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi met with Lebanon’s caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Friday in Geneva in a bid to defuse tensions.
“The UNHCR’s position [is] that voluntary repatriation is always the best solution to any refugee crisis and also the preferred choice of refugees when conditions allow,” a statement quoted Mr Grandi as telling Mr Bassil.
He also said that the UNHCR was attempting to create the conditions on the ground to allow the safe and dignified voluntary return of refugees. However, Mr Grandi added that he did not “oppose the return of those who wish to repatriate now and will continue to provide objective and factual information to refugees and to help them be aware of the required documents before leavening”.
Mr Bassil has accused UNHCR of seeking to dissuade refugees from returning to Syria saying that they were using scare tactics, such as raising the possibility of military conscription and continued clashes in many areas of the country to change refugees’ minds. UNHCR has denied the claims but said they have an obligation to ensure refugees are informed of the reality and are undertaking the return voluntarily.
The caretaker minister ordered a freeze on new UNHCR work permits for international staff and threatened unspecified escalating sanctions on the international body if they did not “reverse their position”. After Friday’s meeting, Mr Bassil said he was willing to lift the sanctions if the agency reversed its position.
While in Geneva, the Lebanese official also met with UN special envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and called on him to speed up a political settlement to the war to allow refugees to return.
There are just under one million Syrian refugees registered with the UNHCR in Lebanon although the government ordered the body to halt registrations from January 2015. Therefore, officials estimate the real number of refugees to be closer to 1.5 million.
Last week, Mr Bassil travelled to the town of Arsal on the northeastern border to meet some of the 3,000 refugees in the border town who had signed up to return to Syria.
During the visit, the caretaker minister met with a local MP and municipality members to hear the needs of local officials as well as groups of refugees to hear about the barriers preventing them from returning. He reportedly encouraged them to look at means to return to Syria rather than looking for resettlement in a third country.
Mr Bassil's move has caused tensions in the caretaker government with sources close to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri hitting out at the foreign minister in media interviews. Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper reported on Friday that an adviser to Mr Hariri said the dispute has been an embarrassment to the Lebanese state and the prime minister-designate The source added that Mr Bassil was overstepping his mandate by taking unilateral action without the full support of the entire government.
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Read more
Lebanon's Hariri talks refugees, trade with Putin on eve of World Cup
UNHCR hopes Lebanon's Bassil will unfreeze work permits
Lebanese foreign minister battles UNHCR over refugee policy on return
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Separately, President Michel Aoun met with a delegation from the International Support Group for Lebanon who raised the issue of refugees in Lebanon. After the session, acting UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Pernille Kardel said that they had discussed the issue of refugee returns and that the support group had reiterated that the “presence of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon is temporary”.
The support group, formed in 2013, brings together UN bodies, the Arab League, EU, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, UK, US and China to co-ordinate international support for Lebanon in handling the Syrian crisis.
Ms Kardel also hinted at the dispute between Mr Bassil and UNHCR, saying: “We agreed on the need to push forward the partnership between Lebanon and its international partners in a constructive and fruitful manner to address this issue.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
