Syria withdrew controversial property law – UN aid expert

A UN humanitarian aid expert has said, citing Russian officials, that Syria’s government has withdrawn a controversial law that allowed for authorities to seize property left behind by civilians who fled fighting in the country's civil war. Jan Egeland also said on Thursday that President Bashar Assad’s government has agreed to allow convoys of aid to the Rukban area along the Syrian-Jordanian border that UN aid teams and partners have not accessed since January, AP reports. Egeland of the office of UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura also confirmed he will leave his post in November. He spoke a day after de Mistura told the UN Security Council that he is leaving for “personal” reasons.