Tag Archives: environment
G20 fails to heal rift on Syria at Russia talks
G20 fails to heal rift on Syria at Russia talks (AFP) / 6 September 2013 World leaders at the G20 summit on Friday failed to bridge their bitter divisions over US plans for military action against the Syrian regime, as Washington slammed Moscow for holding the UN Security Council ‘hostage’ over the crisis. Despite not being on the original agenda of the summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin outside Saint Petersburg, the leaders discussed the Syria crisis into the early hours of the morning over dinner amid the splendour of a former imperial palace. US President Barack Obama (L) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg on September 5, 2013.- Reuters Putin has emerged as one of the most implacable critics of military intervention against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad over an alleged chemical weapons attack on August 21, saying any such move without UN blessing would be an aggression. There was no breakthrough at the dinner as leaders, including US President Barack Obama , presented their positions on the Syria crisis which only confirmed the extent of global divisions on the issue, participants said. “The differences of opinions of the leaders were confirmed during the dinner,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. British Prime Minister David Cameron (C) chairs a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria at the G20 summit in St Petersburg on September 6, 2013. – Reuters “Some states were defending the view that rushed measures should be taken, overlooking legitimate international institutions. Other states appealed not to devalue international law and not to forget that only the UN Security Council has the right to decide on using force,” he added. A high-ranking source close to the talks said there was a disappointing lack of ambition at the dinner on the Syria issue, noting that Putin as host was keen not to aggravate tensions further. But a French diplomatic source said the objective of the dinner “was an exchange between the top world leaders and not to come to an agreement”. The dinner went on into the small hours of the morning and even after a late-night opera show, Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron had a meeting to discuss the Syria situation, the Kremlin said. UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday also warned that military strikes could spark further sectarian violence in the country which he said is suffering from a humanitarian crisis “unprecedented” in recent history. “I must warn that ill-considered military action could cause serious and tragic consequences, and with an increased threat of further sectarian violence,” Ban said. The Syria crisis and prospect of military intervention has overshadowed the official agenda of the summit of leaders of the world’s top economies and emerging markets to stimulate growth and battle tax avoidance. It was not immediately clear if the leaders would have another chance to discuss Syria on the summit’s second day or if the main session would focus on purely economic issues. Several Western states share Putin’s opposition to military action and after the British parliament voted against strikes, France is the only power to have vowed it will join American intervention. Obama is seeking backing from Congress for military action, putting back the timetable for strikes which had been anticipated even before the two day-summit got underway on Thursday. The US president held a bilateral meeting on Friday morning with President Xi Jinping of China, who like Russia vehemently opposes military action against Syria. Even as the leaders were setting out their arguments at the dinner, the US ambassador to the United Nations in New York launched a lacerating attack on Russia for holding the Security Council “hostage” over its backing of Assad. “Even in the wake of the flagrant shattering of the international norm against chemical weapons use, Russia continues to hold the council hostage and shirk its international responsibilities,” Samantha Power told reporters. Amid a new low in US-Russia tensions, no bilateral meeting as been scheduled between Putin and Obama although officials have left the door open for some informal contact. According to US intelligence, more than 1,400 people living in rebel-held suburbs of Damascus were killed in the August 21 chemical weapons attack, which involved the use of sarin nerve gas. The US says the Assad regime was responsible, a claim not accepted by Russia. Cameron told BBC TV from the G20 summit that Britain had further evidence of the use of chemical weapons in the attack in samples its experts had tested. With the clock ticking down to strikes, Russia said Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem would travel to Moscow for talks on Monday. The two-and-a-half year conflict between Assad and rebels, which began as a popular uprising, has left more than 100,000 people dead. About a third of Syria’s pre-war 20.8 million population has fled abroad or have been forced from their homes, according to the UN refugee agency. Continue reading
More vroom for used car dealers in Sharjah
More vroom for used car dealers in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 6 September 2013 The Directorate of Public Works (DPW) has completed 53 per cent of the infrastructure works of Al Roq’ah Al Hamra used-cars market project. The whole project is expected to be completed by next year. Shaikh Khaled bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Member of the Sharjah Executive Council, Chairman of DPW, emphasised that the works are going on steadily according to the approved timeline. Artist’s impression of the new market coming up at Al Roq’ah Al Hamra, between Sharjah and Ajman. — Supplied photo He said: “The vision of His Highness Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, aims at providing the best services for locals and expatriates. The current used-car showrooms in the Abu Shagara area, which causes traffic congestion and discomfort for the residents of the area, will soon be shifted to Al Roq’ah Al Hamra area located between Sharjah and Ajman. The new location is strategically located close to the Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sharjah-Al Dhaid road and the Tasjeel Auto Village. “The internal design of the project was implemented after a thorough visibility study to consider the requirements of the current showroom owners,” said Shaikh Khaled. “The new location will provide suitable spaces for showrooms and other facilities according to the highest standards.” The project covers a total area of 420,000sqm, four times that of the current market in Abu Shagara. The project consists of used-car showrooms, auction area, computerised testing area, auto-wash workshops as well as other auto car facilities. “Road projects that connect the market to the main roads have been designed to accommodate future traffic increase. These roads provide three entrances to the market location — the first leads to Sharjah-Al Dhaid road, the second leads to Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, while the third entrance lies adjacent and leads to the Sharjah Shooting Club. The total cost of the project is Dh268 million, with Dh168 million being used for infrastructure works and the remaining Dh100 million for civil works. The project which began at the end of 2012 is expected to be completed by the first half of next year,” Shaikh Khaled added. Infrastructure works of the project will provide all facilities of high standards including a 6.5km internal road and 15,000 car parks, in addition to external and internal car parks with various spaces for car showrooms. The internal roads of the project will provide drainage network system, as well as a firefighting system. Shaikh Khaled added that rainwater and drainage networks will be competed in the next couple of months. He stressed that the DPW is keen on implementing the project according to the approved timeline and in a way that satisfies end-users, without any disturbance to the residents living near the project. DPW welcomes any suggestions or complaints via any of DPW’s contact channels, he added. Shaikh Khaled said that Al Roq’ah Al Hamra has already begun attracting several large auto car traders as they are assured of the benefits of modern infrastructure and facilities they will get in the new market. The project will add value to Sharjah’s prestigious position as the second biggest car market in the Middle East, he said. “The new used cars market in Al Roq’ah Al Hamra is aimed at solving the problems faced by the residents of Abu Shagara who have lodged several complaints on the traffic and parking woes they face daily,” he said. Residents of Abu Shagara have often expressed their dissatisfaction at the existing used car market. “The area is not good for living. Already, a large number of people have moved to other areas. It’s now very polluted, noisy, crowded and unsafe for families but after the moving of the show rooms, the situation will be changed,” said Suzan Salah, a resident of the area. Wafi Khalifa another resident said the new facility at Al Roq’ah Al Hamra definitely is great news as it would solve the suffering of the residents in the area. “We are fed up of the used cars companies insisting on occupying almost all parking spaces in the area,” said Khalifa. The owners of used cars show rooms have also welcomed the new project and have urged the authorities concerned to execute the project as quickly as possible, as it has already been delayed for two years. Mohammed Amjad, owner of Al Hikmah Used Cars showroom said the completion of the new used market is the only solution to protect his business. “This is a residential area where more than 500 used cars showrooms are doing business. The residents are suffering a lot and the owners of the showrooms are losing money. The municipality tows away cars and fines me Dh500 and Dh300 as recovery fee. I end up paying a lot of money. The cars were parked on the road since the space given to me by the municipality was not enough for display,” he said. Siddiqi Rahman, owner of Al Taqwa showroom, said: “We hope to shift as soon as possible . It’s very difficult for us to keep the business running in this situation, because the little profit we make goes in the payment of fines to the municipality which tows our cars away daily. – afkarali@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Syria refugees see no end to their exile as strikes loom
Syria refugees see no end to their exile as strikes loom (AFP) / 6 September 2013 Eyes glued to a television news report on Syria in a Jordan refugee camp, Said Salem has lost hope of returning home, where the 30-month war has forced two million to flee abroad. “The conflict has lasted too long, there is only death and destruction and the world is watching on as a spectator. It must end,” says Salem. Syrian refugees arrive at the Turkish Cilvegozu gate border. – AP file Salem is originally from the southern Syrian province of Daraa like most of the refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari camp which stretches into the desert as far as the eye can see. “We spend most of our time watching the news. It breaks our hearts to see Syria ruined and sinking into a civil war while the world sits still,” says the father of 11. As talk of possible US strikes on targets in Syria grows louder, Salem, who lost his right hand in an army raid a year ago, says that he wants an end to the suffering. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel,” he laments. US President Barack Obama says he is confident he will win congressional approval, as early as next week, for strikes on Syria in response to alleged chemical attacks by the regime on August 21. “The question that always comes up as I talk with my husband is: are we going to return to our country?” asks Hanan, a mother of four daughters. “Our children do not go to school, we no longer have a source of income and nobody is helping us,” the 38-year-old complains. Some refugees managed to flee Syria with money, while others subside on handouts from relatives who work abroad. But many are totally destitute. Opened one year ago to house Syrians fleeing the war, the Zaatari camp today has some 130,000 residents, living in extremely tough conditions. Over the months it has become Jordan’s fifth-biggest city in terms of population. Most of its residents originally come from Daraa, the town in southern Syria where protests against President Bashar Al Assad broke out in March 2011, before morphing into a bloody civil war that has killed more than 110,000 people. On Tuesday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said the number of Syria refugees had already topped two million. “There are no words to express… this tragedy,” Guterres told reporters in Geneva, adding that the exodus showed no sign of abating and risked destabilising the region. In addition to refugees who have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and Egypt, the fighting has also displaced more than six million people, over one quarter of Syria’s population of 22 million. “What is the world waiting for to act?” asks Ali Salman, 38, taking a drag on his cigarette. His five children, who seem weakened, are playing nearby. “We are eating very badly, we are drinking dirty water and there is no care when we get ill. “Why is the world watching the massacres without taking action? Why are they not doing anything for us and our children? More than 100,000 people have died, is that not enough for the world to intervene.” Hassan Nashwa was able to open a store to support the needs of his large family, but says that he cannot see any future for his children, who do not have any education. “The only solution is to return to Syria, because this camp is nothing but a huge prison”. “My main hope is to find my house, my school and my friends again,” adds Mahmud Jamal, 12, who does odd jobs to help the eight members of his family in the camp, including his sick father and a brother wounded by shrapnel. The Jordanian government puts the number of refugees currently in the kingdom at 550,000. But their numbers could rise again as the violence in Syria rages, stretching Jordan’s limited water resources and threatening its fragile social makeup. “Life is difficult in the camp,” says Mohammed Al Darawi. “We are in the middle of a desert… without work of money and our problems are only growing.” Continue reading
