Follow the latest on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
The Syrian government has approved the delivery of humanitarian aid across the front lines of the country's civil war, state media said on Friday.
An earthquake has killed at least 22,000 people across site of the epicentre in Turkey and Syria. Most of the hardest-hit areas in Syria are out of government control and are yet to receive any meaningful international aid, days after Monday's quake.
“The Syrian cabinet has approved the delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the country, including through the front lines from inside the areas controlled by the state to areas that are out of the state control,” Sana news agency reported.
Aid would be distributed with the help of the UN, Syrian Red Crescent and International Red Cross to guarantee delivery to those who in need.
State media reported that the government had declared Lattakia, Hama, Aleppo and Idlib ― the areas worst-affected ― as disaster zones and would set up a fund to rehabilitate those regions.
Syrian opposition groups have not yet said whether aid would be accepted in this manner.
Fabrizio Carboni, Near and Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross, who is in Syria, told The National: “Any initiative that contributes to alleviating the suffering is welcome.”
The cabinet has approved creating a national fund to rehabilitate affected areas and enable the entry of all donations and relief to the affected areas.
It also delegated ministers to handle aid through the supreme commission of relief.
The Swiss ambassador to the UN, Pascale Baeriswyl, told reporters in New York on Friday that Switzerland and Brazil have requested a Security Council meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria.
This meeting is expected to take place early next week so that Security Council members can hear directly from UN aid chief Martin Griffiths on the “the humanitarian needs of the affected population”.
Mr Griffiths is currently in Turkey and is set to travel over the weekend to Syria.
The first UN convoy since the earthquake passed from Turkey into north-west Syria through the Bab Al Hawa border crossing on Thursday, said the UN.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the UN could use more than one border crossing to deliver aid to Syria.
A UN diplomat told The National that Security Council members had discussed expanding access and including one or more additional border crossings.
The UN diplomat suggested the best way to address “humanitarian needs, doesn't necessarily require a UN Security Council resolution”.
Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch, told The National that Security Council approval is not a legal prerequisite to conduct cross-border aid operations into Syria.
Mr Charbonneau said if the Security Council is deadlocked and the UN determines it’s feasible and safe, then the “UN should push ahead to address the crisis and help victims”.
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
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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.
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
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6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
