The international community must rethink the way aid reaches Syria after political disagreements over humanitarian corridors and access slowed efforts to get assistance to north-west Syria after the devastating earthquake on February 6, humanitarian groups have said.
The UN has said at least 4,525 people in Syria died in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks, but the true scale of the disaster is thought to be much higher.
Syrian rescue teams have had limited assistance and lack the heavy machinery required to dig through the rubble of thousands of buildings levelled by the disaster.
It took about a week for the first UN aid shipments to cross into rebel-held areas of Syria, raising concerns that some lives were lost because of the delay.
Peoplem in Syria are still calling for help.
“Upcoming international discussions – including the March 16 donors conference convened by the EU – should be leveraged to generate momentum for aggressive and co-ordinated leadership and engagement. Including the perspective of Syrians directly affected by the disaster is important,” a joint statement from the Munich Security Conference, the European Institute of Peace and the Rockefeller Foundation said.
Syria's north-western Idlib province, which was badly hit, hosts about a million displaced people but is controlled by militant groups, some of which have ties to Al Qaeda.
After disputes over aid corridors, the UN's humanitarian agencies can only use the crossing from Turkey at Bab al Hawa.
Damascus has said it must co-ordinate delivery to regime-held areas and rebel-held territory.
After the disaster, the US lifted sanctions temporarily for those assisting with the quake response but repeated that its previous measures did not affect aid deliveries.
Participants at the Munich conference said the earthquake and its effects were a wake-up call to how the global community responded to natural disasters.
“They [the international community] must catalyse a more coherent international response, both with regards to north-west Syria’s immediate needs and, over time, for unblocking the political challenges that have condemned the civilian population to insecurity and destitution,” the joint statement said.
The groups said the immediate focus must be on aid crossing borders. They called for all access points to be opened and to remain in use without time limits.
“In terms of crossings, the private sector and NGOs are not under the same constraints as the UN. The role of local actors and NGOs present on the ground must therefore be supported as a matter of urgency,” they said.
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, who is visiting Ankara to prepare for an international donor’s conference, scheduled for March in Brussels, said the damage caused by the earthquake required a reconstruction operation at a scale “never seen before”.
The conference aims to raise funds from the international community to support Turkey and Syria.
The latest appeal comes as the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that it was taking advantage of a pause in sanctions to move health supplies and equipment into Syria.
"We have already started ordering equipment and supplies, and we are working with UN partners on a collective approach to take advantage of the pause," said Rick Brennan, regional emergency director of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The agency has re-established its distribution channels within Syria and has moved more than 139 tonnes of medical supplies including antibiotics and surgical supplies to affected areas, said Catherine Smallwood, the WHO's senior emergency officer for Europe.
WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called all on sides to use the earthquake as a reason to end the conflict in Syria.
"Warring parties now should use this earthquake as an opportunity to talk to each other and bring a political solution," he said.
"The Syrians actually believe that the earthquake is a lesser evil. It's another evil but a lesser evil compared to the 12 years of conflict, but not only that — the displacement, the economic meltdown.
"Anybody can see through what kind of hell the Syrian people are passing."
He said seven hospitals and 145 health centres in Syria were damaged in the quake, many of them in the north-west.
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
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A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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."
Result:
1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds
2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds
4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds
6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Points classification after Stage 4
1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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
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
