A boy works at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin, in an area under the control of Turkish-backed factions in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A boy works at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin, in an area under the control of Turkish-backed factions in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A man works at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin. Many amateur refineries have sprung up in Syria since civil war broke out in 2011. AFP
A man works at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin. Many amateur refineries have sprung up in Syria since civil war broke out in 2011. AFP
Smoke belches from a tanker at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. Pollution from amateur refineries is causing huge health and environmental problems. AFP
Smoke belches from a tanker at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. Pollution from amateur refineries is causing huge health and environmental problems. AFP
A man walks near installations at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. Amateur refineries appeared following a drastic decline in production at professional refineries in the war-torn country. AFP
A man walks near installations at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. Amateur refineries appeared following a drastic decline in production at professional refineries in the war-torn country. AFP
A boy shovels coal at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. Many children work at these sites, under appalling conditions. AFP
A boy shovels coal at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. Many children work at these sites, under appalling conditions. AFP
A boy is pictured at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A boy is pictured at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A boy works at an amateur oil refinery near Tarhin, Aleppo, in Syria. Many people working in these refineries, often those displaced by the fighting, suffer health issues caused by pollution. AFP
A boy works at an amateur oil refinery near Tarhin, Aleppo, in Syria. Many people working in these refineries, often those displaced by the fighting, suffer health issues caused by pollution. AFP
A man works at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, Aleppo, Syria. Ordinary Syrians are refining crude oil into benzene, kerosene and diesel at these places. AFP
A man works at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, Aleppo, Syria. Ordinary Syrians are refining crude oil into benzene, kerosene and diesel at these places. AFP
A worker fills a barrel with fuel produced at an amateur oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A worker fills a barrel with fuel produced at an amateur oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A young child working at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A young child working at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A worker takes a break among palls of pollution at a makeshift oil refinery, near the village of Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. Health risks faced by workers include exploding oil drums, burns and exposure to poisonous fumes and chemicals. AFP
A worker takes a break among palls of pollution at a makeshift oil refinery, near the village of Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. Health risks faced by workers include exploding oil drums, burns and exposure to poisonous fumes and chemicals. AFP
A man labours at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria, while pollution billows from chimneys in the background. AFP
A man labours at a makeshift oil refinery near the village of Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria, while pollution billows from chimneys in the background. AFP
A boy holds up a bottle of oil at a makeshift refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
A boy holds up a bottle of oil at a makeshift refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. AFP
Men work at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria, as black smoke billows behind them. Areas surrounding such refineries are left with contaminated groundwater and agricultural land. AFP
Men work at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria, as black smoke billows behind them. Areas surrounding such refineries are left with contaminated groundwater and agricultural land. AFP
Men covered in grime work at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. Many workers are covered by a layer of black polluting residue. AFP
Men covered in grime work at a makeshift oil refinery near Tarhin, in Aleppo, Syria. Many workers are covered by a layer of black polluting residue. AFP
An aerial view of a makeshift oil refinery near the Syrian village of Tarhin, in Aleppo, shows the extent of the operation. AFP
An aerial view of a makeshift oil refinery near the Syrian village of Tarhin, in Aleppo, shows the extent of the operation. AFP
Young boys covered in black polluting residue haul a heavy sack near the Syrian village of Tarhin, in Aleppo. NGOs have sought to highlight the plight of child workers at these amateur refineries. AFP
Young boys covered in black polluting residue haul a heavy sack near the Syrian village of Tarhin, in Aleppo. NGOs have sought to highlight the plight of child workers at these amateur refineries. AFP
A man works at an amateur oil refinery near the Syrian village of Tarhin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo. AFP
A man works at an amateur oil refinery near the Syrian village of Tarhin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo. AFP

MENA

Workers toil at a makeshift oil refinery in Syria - in pictures

Many amateur refineries have sprung up in the country since civil war broke out in 2011

The National

April 01, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National:

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Duminy's Test career in numbers

Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47

While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Tomorrow 2021
Saudi National Day
RESULTS

Welterweight

Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)

(Unanimous points decision)

Catchweight 75kg

Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)

(Second round knockout)

Flyweight (female)

Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)

(RSC in third round)

Featherweight

Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki

(Disqualification)

Lightweight

Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)

(Unanimous points)

Featherweight

Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)

(TKO first round)

Catchweight 69kg

Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)

(First round submission by foot-lock)

Catchweight 71kg

Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)

(TKO round 1).

Featherweight title (5 rounds)

Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)

(TKO round 1).

Lightweight title (5 rounds)

Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)

(RSC round 2).

While you're here
Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Syria