Syria chemical weapons: Last of sarin gas destroyed August 14, 2014 All of Syria's precursor materials for the production of sarin gas have been destroyed, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The international watchdog announced yesterday that 580 tonnes of chemicals had been removed from Syria and destroyed aboard an American ship called the MV Cape Ray. The vessel, [...]
GlaxoSmithKline to investigate fresh bribery claims in Syria August 12, 2014 GlaxoSmithKline is facing new bribery allegations in Syria, the latest in a string of accusations flung at the drugmaker from countries across the world. The FTSE 100-quoted company is accused of bribing Syrian doctors and officials to boost sales of its medicines, by offering cash, trips and free medical samples. The latest claims emerged after [...]
UN calls on European nations to accept more Syrian refugees July 11, 2014 The UN refugee agency United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has asked European nations to accept more Syrian refugees, saying that they have welcomed a “minuscule” number of them so far, while the countries neighbouring Syria have reached "saturation point". The number of refugees who have fled Syria is set to exceed 3m [...]
British Muslims urged not to fight in Syria or Iraq July 4, 2014 Islamic prayer leaders from across Sunni and Shi'ite groups in the UK have signed a joint letter urging British Muslims not to go and fight in Syria or Iraq. In the letter, they say: “We urge the British Muslim communities to continue the generous and tireless efforts to support all of those affected by the [...]
Obama requests $500m to arm Syrian rebels June 27, 2014 Obama has asked congress for $500m to arm and train “moderate” Syrian rebels, in an attempt to bolster defence against Bashar al-Assad's forces, the White House has said. If approved, they hope that the aid will also help to counter militant groups such as Isis, which has captured much of the northern part of Iraq, [...]
Banking regulations are causing problems for the humanitarian chain to Syria December 11, 2013 WHENEVER anyone dips a hand into their pocket for a worthy cause on the other side of the world, it’s only human to focus on the striking images of a starving child or a bereaved family. Thoughts of the world’s banking and regulatory systems will hardly loom large, so those who give could be forgiven [...]
Unworkable Syrian chemicals plan saves Obama but exposes unrealistic US policy September 16, 2013 IT IS painfully evident that the agreement reached over Syria’s chemical weapons by Washington and Moscow in Geneva is so much less than meets the eye. The accord imposes unbelievably quick deadlines for Bashar al-Assad’s regime to meet. By the end of this week, Syria is to submit a full list of its chemical facilities. [...]
Crisis in Syria: The US has no room for error in a new world of many powers September 11, 2013 TWO NOTABLE failures – US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia – have dramatically transformed the Syria crisis in recent days. Kerry, who could not beat George W Bush despite the Iraq War, may have committed one of the more beneficial rhetorical stumbles of all time. Living up to his reputation for intellectual overconfidence [...]
London Report: BG slump and concerns over Syria hit FTSE September 9, 2013 BRITAIN’S top share index fell from three-week highs yesterday, with a warning of lower output from energy major BG and simmering concerns about Syria outweighing strong Chinese data. BG dropped 5.1 per cent – its biggest one-day fall in nearly a year – after saying delays at projects in Egypt and Norway would reduce its [...]