The International Committee of the Red Cross is seeking access to Idlib in north-western Syria shortly before the EU starts a pledging conference for survivors of the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.
Calls for funding will be made to the international community at the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday as Syria struggles to recover from a decade of war and the quake on February 7.
The disaster and subsequent aftershocks killed more than 8,000 people and injured another 12,000 in Syria. Of the 8.8 million Syrians affected, 3.7 million were children and pregnant women. About 50,000 people in southern Turkey lost their lives.
“We are negotiating but the fact is we don’t have access,” Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, told The National.
In 2011, Syria underwent a nationwide uprising that has resulted in a brutal civil war between President Bashar Al Assad's regime and armed rebel groups. It has lasted for 12 years and ushered in foreign interference, complicating the conflict.
“In north-west Syria we are still struggling for cross-line access, we’ve done remote activities which were critical for the population in the area of Idlib but it’s far from enough,” Mr Carboni said.
Syria’s north-western province of Idlib was among the areas worst hit by the earthquake. Idlib is the country’s last rebel-held enclave, which remains outside of the government’s control, with millions of refugees resettling in the area.
“We call on all actors who have a say or capacity to make our humanitarian presence possible,” he said.
The ICRC official said "humanitarian actors cannot compensate for the fact that Syria is not bouncing back to some form of normality".
A negotiated, political solution is the only way out of the conflict, he said. Syria’s various stakeholders are the ones who can give the ICRC access to Idlib, he added.
Humanitarian needs in Syria have reached an all-time high. Out of a population of 22 million, 15 million are in need of assistance to meet their basic survival needs.
Brussels conference
Heads of states, civil society and non-government groups will attend the two-day conference in the Belgian capital that is aimed at supporting the future of Syria and the region.
"It’s important to remember that while we have many other crises in the world, for the people in Syria the situation is not improving," Mr Carboni said.
The conference will be a reminder to the international community that "Syria remains one of the largest protracted crises and we had the earthquake a couple of months ago and it really tested the resilience of people".
Mr Carboni was referring to the material aspect as many Syrians lost their homes.
"I was really struck when I got there to see how people were emotionally weakened by 12 years of conflict and the earthquake made it very different from the psychosocial point of view," he said.
The combined death toll for the quake, in Turkey and Syria, is estimated to be more than 50,000 people. Many of those displaced are stranded and have nowhere to go.
Years of war have hit Syria's economy, pushing 90 per cent of the population below the poverty line, and unemployment as high as 50 per cent. It has weakened an already ailing health sector, as nearly 50 per cent of the country’s hospitals and clinics have been destroyed by the war.
People in the region have little access to medical care and essential supplies, creating life-threatening situations that have already led to preventable deaths.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Price: From Dh650,000
The five pillars of Islam
More coverage from the Future Forum
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
