Syria is to receive two floating power plants from Turkey and Qatar that will supply 800 megawatts – equivalent to half of what is currently generated in the country – an official said on Tuesday.
This came a day after US eased sanctions on Syria, under its transitional government.
“Work is currently under way to secure transmission lines to receive electricity from where the two ships will be docked, and electricity transmission lines will be extended from them to the nearest transformer station to be connected to the electricity grid,” Khaled Abu Dai, director general of the general establishment for electricity transmission and distribution, told Syria's official news agency Sana.
He said the extent of damage to power plants, transformers and power lines under the former regime of Bashar Al Assad was extensive. “We seek to rehabilitate the generation stations and transmission lines so that the network is able to transmit energy,” said the official.
Mr Abu Dai did not say when the two ships would arrive.
President Joe Biden's administration on Monday eased some US sanctions on Syria to allow quicker delivery of humanitarian aid to the new government in Damascus, after the removal of former president Bashar Al Assad's regime last month, following more than 13 years of civil war.
For an initial six months, the move will allow the Treasury Department to issue waivers to aid groups and companies providing essentials including water, electricity and other humanitarian supplies.
“This action underscores the United States’ commitment to ensuring that US sanctions do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance,” the US Treasury said.
The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between Ahmad Al Shara, leader of the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham group, and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf. Ms Leaf led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Mr Al Assad was ousted last month. The US and UN have long designated HTS, which formerly had links to Al Qaeda, as a terrorist organisation.
HTS led a lightning rebel offensive that ousted Mr Al Assad on December 8, ending more than 50 years of his family’s rule over Syria. A popular uprising against Mr Al Assad in 2011 turned into a civil war that has killed an estimated 500,000 people and forced millions to flee abroad.
Much of the world ended diplomatic relations with Mr Al Assad because of his violent crackdown on the protests. Western-led sanctions targeted the former president and his allies Iran and Russia over for the crackdown and subsequent war.
Sanctions were also imposed over the manufacture of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, which was smuggled across the country's porous border and reportedly generated billions of dollars for the Assad regime.
Syria’s new authorities hope that the international community will pour money into the country to rebuild its battered infrastructure and make its economy viable again. Power cuts are severe and about 90 per cent of the population is living in poverty.
The pressure to lift sanctions has mounted in recent years as aid agencies were forced to cut their programmes due to donor fatigue.
A powerful earthquake that rocked southern Turkey and northern Syria in 2023, killed more than 59,000 people. Destroyed infrastructure and homes in Syria could not be repaired due to the overcompliance with the sanctions, despite the US announcing some humanitarian exemptions.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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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
The specs
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Company%20Profile
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Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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