Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The smell of paint lingers in the air, a wall still tacky from its application. In the Palestinian neighbourhood of Yarmouk near Syria's capital Damascus, a graffiti mural shows a man wearing a keffiyeh around his neck, holding a decapitated, blood-covered child in his arms.
The caption reads: "The Massacre of Rafah", in reference to a deadly Israeli attack in May that killed dozens in the Rafah camp, where many of Gaza’s displaced population have sought refuge - a powerful reminder of the compassion of Palestinian refugees in Syria for Gazans’ suffering.
The graffiti was finished just before the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced on Wednesday, Mohamed Khaled, 30, a butcher of Palestinian origin whose shop is next to the mural, said. The truce, which is expected to take effect on January 19, is set to end 15 months of a devastating war in which more than 46,700 Palestinians have died in Israeli bombings in response to an attack by the militant group Hamas on southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage.
“The ceasefire has stopped the blood from flowing. When you see children dying, tens of thousands of people dying, it’s impossible not to be emotionally impacted,” Mr Khaled said.
Like most refugees in the camp, he is a descendant of Palestinians who fled during the Nakba (the "catastrophe" in Arabic), which refers to the forced displacement of Palestinians after the creation of Israel in 1948. Mr Khaled has never been to Palestine, but it remains part of his identity. “I’m optimistic for both my countries, Syria and Palestine,” he said.
Both the end of Bashar Al Assad’s brutal rule after a stunning offensive led by rebel groups in December, and the Gaza ceasefire, have brought unprecedented hope for Palestinians in Syria. “Now, I am happy,” Rabih Abou Hmeideh, 45, another resident of Yarmouk said. “We’re still unemployed and lack everything but at least now it’s with joy,” he added with a smile.
Many in the camps still have family in Palestine. Several posters of fighters from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who were killed in Gaza have been plastered on the walls by their relatives.
But celebration after the announcement remains subdued in the camp, once the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the Middle East and home to over 150,000 Palestinians, but now mostly deserted after years of sieges and heavy bombing as control of the area changed hands in brutal fashion. Demonstrations of joy were limited to some celebratory gunfire.
Residents explain that this is because the multiple and opposing Palestinian factions in Syria, which usually lead big events, have been muted by Syria’s new leadership, led by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS). Relations between Palestinian factions in Syria and the regime have historically been complicated.
Hamas mended its ties with Mr Al Assad in recent years, after initially siding with the Syrian opposition’s revolution, while other Palestinian factions supported the regime. “Palestinian factions have been disorganised since the fall of the regime, because we don’t know how HTS will treat them,” said Mr Khaled.
While Palestinian refugees in Syria rejoiced at the Gaza ceasefire, Israel has ramped up its assaults on Syria since the downfall of the regime, seizing large areas of southern Syria, bombing weapon depots, and, on Wednesday, killing three people in a drone attack on a military convoy belonging to the new Syrian authorities.
Besieged enclaves
In the devastated Yarmouk camp, residents say their empathy for the suffering of Gazans is deepened by their own experiences of war. Yarmouk, like Gaza, was turned into a prison after the camp fell to rebel forces in 2012, with no escape, no food and no hope.
The merciless siege imposed by the Syrian government trapped thousands of civilians and caused widespread starvation, which Amnesty International said at the time was used by Syrian forces “as a weapon of war”. Reports said that besieged civilians had no choice but to eat cats and dogs.
“There’s no difference between the suffering in Gaza and Syria. I suffered just like the people there. But at least in Gaza, the people knew who their enemies were,” said Taufiq Youssef Falah, 60, a Palestinian refugee who stayed through the sieges.
To him, Bashar Al Assad's vocal support for the Palestinian cause was deceptive, as evidenced by the suffering of Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk. “Bashar Al Assad claimed they were part of the resistance axis, but that was never the case.”
The so-called Axis of Resistance is a coalition led by Iran, which included Syria's former regime, along with other groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon, to oppose Israel and the United-States. Mr Falah said he was arrested by the government forces because he looked like a fighter. “I wasn’t with anyone”. Two of his brothers died of starvation.
In 2015, ISIS fighters took control of the camp, which was then recaptured by the Syrian forces in 2018. More than six years later, it feels as if the fighting only stopped yesterday. Bomb-shattered buildings and mostly empty streets offer scenes of desolation.
Some of the camp’s former residents have returned for the first time in years, after 13 years of civil war ended with Mr Al Assad's fall. The entrance, tightly controlled under the regime, is now easily accessible. Years have passed, but trauma lingers.
“I lived through the siege, I lived through the siege,” a woman repeated, with obvious emotion. She said she wanted to speak under the pseudonym Laila, as she remains afraid to talk about what happened.
“The whole street was filled with snipers. It was full of snipers. We wouldn’t dare go outside. It lasted for years with no food; I remember now,” she said.
Throughout the years, the siege was sometimes interrupted to allow the delivery of food and aid. Laila remembered harrowing scenes. “We walked, pressed close to each other, searching for those aid boxes”. Her voice and demeanour grew increasingly agitated as the memories resurfaced.
“Listen to me. Once, a woman dropped her box, and the snipers fired at her. She died. People ran to grab the food; the box was covered in her blood. We called it the box of death,” she said. “Now I remember: death, death, death. We called it the street of death, not the street of Yarmouk. And the boxes we received were the boxes of death”.
Laila said she was on her way to check for aid distribution, but that she did not find any: years later, she is still relying on aid boxes. “We came out of the siege dead inside. I feel I’m 100 years old, we're exhausted,” she said.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
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
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
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European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
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