More than four years after the Syrian government retook the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo city, the area remains in ruins, largely deserted and lacking in state services.
The neglect, say those who still live there, is a form of collective punishment by the state in what was once the rebels’ most powerful stronghold.
Opposition forces seized the eastern half of Syria’s commercial hub in 2012, a year into the uprising against Bashar Al Assad. They left only in December 2016, after a prolonged siege and months of brutal bombardment by Syrian and allied Russian forces.
Along with the fighters and their families, thousands of ordinary civilians were evacuated, under a deal that allowed them to travel in safety to opposition-held territory in northern Syria.
"You can barely see people in most of this part of the city. Why would they come back?” said Abo-Ali, 36, a resident of Al Mashhad district who supports his family by working at a small coffee shop.
“Electricity comes a maximum of an hour per day, food is expensive and our income hardly covers our needs," he said.
"If it were not for my brother outside Syria who is sending me money, I would have probably become homeless with my family."
The final months of the government offensive took a heavy toll on infrastructure and residents in eastern Aleppo.
Hospitals, bakeries and schools were systematically targeted, with people displaced from their homes as residential areas were bombed or became front lines in the battle.
While the government-held western half of Aleppo also suffered damage in the fighting, there is a marked difference in the quality of services there now, said Ahmad, 41, an electrician who gave only his first name.
He moved to the Hamdaniya area of eastern Aleppo in 2012 after his home in the Al Sha'ar district was destroyed.
If piped water is available once a week in the west, it is available only once a month in the east, leaving people dependent on wells, Ahmad said.
The only rebuilding in the east is limited to the historical sites like mosques and ancient markets
Ahmad, east Aleppo resident
"There is a sheer inequality of services and reconstruction. The only rebuilding in the east is limited to the historical sites such as mosques and ancient markets; restoring services is utterly neglected," he said.
"The government only provided cleaning trucks for certain areas following the fall of east Aleppo, for media consumption. This was to show how the rebuilding had begun, and Aleppo would be better under its control, yet nothing so far has proved such claims.”
In both east and west Aleppo, as in much of Syria, queuing for hours has become the norm to obtain essentials such as cooking gas, petrol and subsidised bread.
"Waiting in long queues for bread, fuel, cooking gas and other essentials is a full-time job for everyone in the city, or at least one family member," Ahmad said.
Backed by the Russian military and Iranian proxy militias such as Hezbollah, Mr Al Assad's forces went on to reclaim most other rebel enclaves apart from the north-west province of Idlib.
However, the government is struggling to restore the war-battered economy in the face of international isolation and a steep depreciation of the Syrian currency. Potential donors are reluctant to fund reconstruction efforts in the absence of a political solution to the conflict.
Ali, a 39-year-old carpenter who gave only one name, returned to the city in January 2017 to find his home in Salah Al Deen neighbourhood, once on the front lines, destroyed.
Ali said rebuilding it would cost him millions of pounds.
"Even if I did fix it and moved back, this place is unliveable. The government has undertaken no programmes for rebuilding schools or services. Not just my neighbourhood – all but 5 per cent of the affected areas remain untouched.
"It’s like what happened in Hama in the aftermath of the 80s uprising [against Bashar Al Assad’s father, Hafez]; deliberately neglecting the city and providing the worst services and development projects,” Ali said.
“The east's future appears to be the same. We'll continue to pay the price of being held under the rebels' control."
Like other residents who spoke to The National, he asked for his real name to be withheld for fear of government reprisals.
Fear is also a factor in the reluctance of many former residents to return to east Aleppo despite amnesties announced for those who deserted the army or dodged conscription, or took part in anti-government actions.
Khaled Haj Abod, 37, who now lives in Idlib, said that even though he did not take part in any anti-government activities, he was scared to return to his home town.
"There is a high chance that Assad's intelligence could arrest me because I lived under opposition control. Once you disappear in the prisons, you are dead," he told The National.
"I would rather live free in displacement than go back to my home in Aleppo and live in terror of being arrested," he said.
"Whether inside regime areas or in northern Syria, the vast majority of us want to leave and go somewhere else to have a better life. Unfortunately, there is no future in this country."
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar
5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
