Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
February 08, 2023
The world’s screens have been filled this week with images of homes, schools and business in Turkey and Syria being reduced to rubble. Earthquakes may be beyond our control but Monday’s disaster shines a new light on the continuing, man-made suffering of Syria’s people.
Over the past 12 years of war, large parts of the country have been left in much the same kind of ruin that was caused by this week’s 7.8-magnitude tremor. Lost lives, devastated cities, fractured families and smashed infrastructure came to characterise one of the Arab world’s oldest and most beautiful countries.
Those in north-west Syria left homeless by the earthquake now join the thousands of people internally displaced by the civil war and the estimated 5.6 million refugees – including more than 2.6 million children – scattered across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
Most of these refugees are now measuring their time in exile not in months, but in years – a reflection of the stagnant political process surrounding the Syrian conflict. No consensus exists on how to end the country’s divisions or reach a settlement its people can accept.
This deadlock and lack of international co-operation can be seen in the difficulties of getting aid to the estimated 4.1 million civilians living in north-west Syria – at least half of whom have been displaced at least once since the start of the conflict.
Syrian men, pictured here in June last year, wave goodbye to relatives and friends leaving to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia via the Bab Al Hawa crossing with Turkey. AFP
The Bab Al Hawa crossing with Turkey remains the only route for international aid to reach people in this part of Syria. That this lifeline – through which thousands of aid lorries passed last year – has now reportedly been damaged by the earthquake is a cause for grave concern. Other crossings that could carry emergency help remain closed amid political divisions at the UN.
The length and intractability of the Syrian conflict has allowed war fatigue to set in, both in terms of media coverage and at the diplomatic level. Other wars, such as the invasion of Ukraine, have emerged to dominate the headlines.
One effect of this earthquake, in all its profound cruelty, has been to mobilise the international community. Forty-five countries, including the UAE, have sent aid, equipment and personnel to Turkey, which has suffered more than 4,500 deaths so far.
The Emirates is among the countries also sending help to Syria but the challenges of distributing emergency aid in a divided nation highlights the need to revive the diplomatic process. Time is of the essence here, as many people remain trapped under collapsed buildings and the harsh winter hampers rescue efforts.
Syria’s people deserve better than years of hardship and exile. Although this natural disaster may have turned the world’s attention on the country again, this focus must be translated into efforts to revive the moribund process of resolving the conflict and finally giving Syrians a country they can return to and something like a normal life.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un shake hands ahead of one-on-one discussion
US and North Korean teams sit down for bilateral summit
Kim: “I believe this is a good prelude for peace."
Trump: “We will solve it, we will be successful.”
All times UTC 4
All Blacks line-up for third Test
J Barrett; I Dagg, A Lienert-Brown, N Laumape, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, C Taylor, O Franks, B Retallick, S Whitelock, J Kaino, S Cane, K Read (capt).
Replacements: N Harris, W Crockett, C Faumuina, S Barrett, A Savea, TJ Perenara, A Cruden, M Fekitoa.
NINE WINLESS GAMES
Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (Oct 27, PL)
Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (Oct 30, EFL)
Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Nov 02, PL)
Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal (Nov 6, Europa)
Leicester 2-0 Arsenal (Nov 9, PL)
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Nov 23, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Nov 28, Europa)
Norwich 2-2 Arsenal (Dec 01, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Brighton (Dec 05, PL)
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
