Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Syrian opposition groups reached a deal with Ankara on Wednesday to open alternative routes into Syria's rebel-held northwest for the first time in years — a bid to speed urgently needed aid to disaster zones following this week's devastating earthquake.
The Bab Al Salameh and Al Rai border crossings have been re-opened in addition to the existing Bab Al Hawa crossing — the only point authorised as an official aid route by the UN, and which remains impassable due to earthquake destruction.
"The opening of these two additional crossings means aid can begin passing through immediately. There's no more excuse for why assistance can't enter northwest Syria," Abdulmajid Barakat, a member of the Syrian Opposition Council's political committee, told The National.
Prior to Wednesday's deal, no emergency assistance had passed into the opposition-held northwest in the three days since the deadly earthquake which has so far claimed over 11,000 lives across Turkey and Syria.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) is a coalition of Syrian opposition groups operating from Istanbul as a Syrian government in exile.
"This morning we began accepting relief teams" into northwest Syria, Mr Barakat told The National, "and they faced no difficulty with arriving today."
The deal will allow for independent groups to provide humanitarian aid independent of the UN's cross-border mechanism, Mr Barakat said.
Wednesday's deal to reopen the two additional crossings came despite UN vetos by Russia and China made in previous years to keep alternate routes open for the delivery of humanitarian aid through other crossings into northwest Syria. The Syrian government has insisted that aid must be distributed with Damascus’s oversight and in co-operation with the Syrian Red Crescent, although the regime does not operate in rebel-held areas.
While the deal was celebrated by opposition groups, it had not removed all the roadblocks to access.
Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC's Near and Middle East regional director, told The National on Tuesday that his organisation had no access to northern Syria, where around four million people are displaced by conflict. His office confirmed after the reports the border crossing deal broke that this had not changed their situation.
It is not immediately clear how long the deal to reopen Bab Al Salameh and Bab Al Rai will remain in place — "until the disastrous situation calms down," said Mr Barakat of the SOC — while aid through Bab Al Hawa remains stunted.
Prior to Wednesday's deal, the Bab El Salameh border crossing in northern Syria had been closed since 2020, when Russia and China vetoed the renewal of UN cross-border aid operations, instead deciding to offer limited periods of aid transfers followed by border shutdowns.
The closures left millions of people in northern Syria with shortages of basic goods and in some cases, drinkable water. In Idlib, as many as one million people remain displaced by Syria's 12-year conflict.
Egyptian team the first to enter northwest Syria
An Egyptian relief team was the first to cross from Turkey into northwest Syria shortly following news of the border openings, the White Helmets Civil Defence and the SOC confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear which border crossing the Egyptian technical team used.
The Egyptian team of around 30 specialists will assist with technical search and rescue operations, while their doctors provide medical aid.
“The team is currently in the town of Jindiris" in the badly-hit Afrin province, said Mounir Al Mustafa, the Deputy Director of the White Helmets Civil Defense.
Mr Al Mustafa appealed to the international community to bring emergency aid to the battered opposition-held region. The White Helmets — the only search and rescue organisation in Syria's northwest — have worked around the clock since Monday, with limited resources and under freezing weather conditions, to free people from the rubble of destroyed buildings.
“There hasn’t been any strong initiative taken by the international community towards northwest Syria. Until now, no heavy machinery has entered the region,” he said.
The White Helmets lack the equipment and resources to conduct adequate rescue missions on such a large scale. In Jindiris, civil defence volunteers in some instances used their bare hands to dig for survivors in the rubble due to the shortage of equipment.
“The delayed assistance of the international community has ensured the death of those who still need rescuing,” Mr Al Mustafa said.
He warned that stocks – including fuel to power heavy machinery – would soon be depleted without the badly-needed emergency assistance.
Mr Barakat of the Syrian Opposition Coalition told The National that a Jordanian volunteer team had crossed into the region following the entry of the team of Egyptian volunteers. He added that the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia had also sent teams, but that the region remained heavily in need of heavy machinery to lift rubble.
Bab Al Hawa: 'Only corpses' passing through
Mazen Alloush, an official of the Bab Al Hawa crossing administration, told The National that three days after Monday’s earthquake no emergency assistance has been able to cross into rebel-held northwest Syria through the crossing, which is the only border entry point authorised by the United Nations Security Council for aid delivery.
“No humanitarian aid, not volunteer teams, not equipment or anything has entered northwest Syria through this crossing yet,” he said.
“Only the corpses of the Syrians who passed away in Turkey and who need to be buried in their villages in Syria” have been able to pass through the crossing, he said.
“But I have to ask… if the roads are so severely damaged how have dozens of cars been able to enter through Bab Al Hawa carrying the bodies of the dead into Syria and yet no aid has been able to make it in?”
United Nations hopeful of border access
The United Nations has said it is unable to send aid through Bab Al Hawa due to the severely damaged state of roads and infrastructure leading to the crossing.
“The road that is leading to the crossing has been damaged, and that's temporarily disrupted our ability to fully use it,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday.
UN-facilitated aid through the Bab Al Hawa crossing could be ready to go into northwest Syria by Thursday, senior UN aid officials said at a UN briefing on Tuesday.
“We are hearing that the roads are opening…. I think we have a glimpse of hope that we can reach the people, the UN agencies, and the NGOs” operating in northwest Syria, said Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis Muhannad Hadi.
He added that numerous organisations stand ready to deploy humanitarian aid and indicated that Turkish authorities were working to clear roads leading to the Bab Al Hawa crossing. Over sixty hours have passed since the disaster struck.
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THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
Baftas 2020 winners
BEST FILM
- 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
- THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae
DIRECTOR
- 1917 - Sam Mendes
- THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
- JOKER - Todd Phillips
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
- SORRY WE MISSED YOU - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
- THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
- THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
- PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur
LEADING ACTRESS
- JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
- SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
- CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
- RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy
LEADING ACTOR
- LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
- ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
- TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
- JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
- AL PACINO - The Irishman
- JOE PESCI - The Irishman
- BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
- FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
- JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
- JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
- LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
- THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
- KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
- MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho
DOCUMENTARY
- AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
- APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
- DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
- MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
- ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
- RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)
ANIMATED FILM
- FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
- KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
- A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
- TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen
CASTING
- JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
- MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
- THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
- THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold
EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
- AWKWAFINA
- JACK LOWDEN
- KAITLYN DEVER
- KELVIN HARRISON JR.
- MICHEAL WARD
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 1917 - Roger Deakins
- THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
- JOKER - Lawrence Sher
- LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
- THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke
EDITING
- THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
- JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
- JOKER - Jeff Groth
- LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin
COSTUME DESIGN
- THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
- JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
- JUDY - Jany Temime
- LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
- THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
- JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
- JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
SOUND
- 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
- JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
- LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
- ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood
ORIGINAL SCORE
- 1917 - Thomas Newman
- JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
- JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
- LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
- AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
- THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
- THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy
MAKE UP & HAIR
- 1917 - Naomi Donne
- BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
- JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
- JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
- ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
BRITISH SHORT FILM
- AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
- GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
- KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
- LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
- THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
- GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
- IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
- THE MAGIC BOAT - Naaman Azh
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Available: Now
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China
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Company%20profile
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