DAMASCUS // Syrian forces shelled rebel zones in Aleppo killing 19 people, a watchdog reported, as peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi described the death toll in Syria as "staggering" and destruction "catastrophic".
Fighting began before dawn and left 10 civilians dead in Aleppo's southern neighbourhood of Bustan Al Qasr while a total of nine bodies, including those of children, were found in the Marjeh and Hanano neighbourhoods, the Britain-based watchdog said.
Activists have reported relentless bombardments and food shortages in rebel-held districts of the country's commercial capital, while an AFP reporter who was in the city yesterday said life in the loyalist-controlled central area was relatively normal.
Rebels meanwhile, launched an attack today on a military airport in the town of Albu Kamal in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor near the Iraqi border, the Observatory said.
"Fighting has been going on for hours inside Hamdan airport between soldiers and rebels, who have taken over large sections of the site," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said, adding that at least six rebels died in the assault.
Having failed to persuade the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Syria, the rebel Free Syrian Army has increasingly targeted airports used by Syria's regime as launchpads for attack helicopters and fighter jets.
The Observatory also reported that several areas in Damascus province including Yalda village just south of the capital were bombarded by regime forces, while the southern district of Tadamun in Damascus itself was shelled.
Local activists reported plumes of smoke hanging over the neighbourhood after Tadamun came under artillery and mortar fire, with helicopters also overhead.
The Observatory, in its daily toll of deaths countrywide, said at least 119 people were killed across Syria yesterday — 79 civilians, 28 soldiers and 12 rebels.
In a preliminary toll for today, it said 21 civilians and six rebels had died, including the 19 people killed in Aleppo.
The ever-rising death toll was highlighted by Brahimi when he made his first address to the United Nations General Assembly since replacing Kofi Annan as UN-Arab League special envoy on Saturday.
"The death toll is staggering, the destruction is reaching catastrophic proportions and the suffering of the people is immense," he said in a speech on Tuesday to the 193-member assembly in New York, during which he announced he would travel to Damascus in a few days.
Mr Brahimi warned that the civil war was "deteriorating steadily" and said a coordinated international approach on Syria was "indispensable and very urgent."
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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