Volunteers descended upon Dubai World Trade Centre in great numbers. Photo: Dubai Media Office
Volunteers descended upon Dubai World Trade Centre in great numbers. Photo: Dubai Media Office
Volunteers descended upon Dubai World Trade Centre in great numbers. Photo: Dubai Media Office
Volunteers descended upon Dubai World Trade Centre in great numbers. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Dubai's ruling family join thousands at Turkey-Syria earthquake aid event


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, along with his family visited thousands of volunteers on Monday who were packing relief aid for those displaced by last month's earthquake.

From 9am until 6pm, inside the vast halls of Dubai World Trade Centre, a production line worked non-stop filling aid boxes to be shipped out to Syria and Turkey.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiative issued a call for volunteers last week to boost the Bridges of Giving appeal, one of the latest UAE relief efforts helping those most in need.

Posting pictures from the event online, Sheikh Mohammed said everyone was united by their mission for the day.

We were hoping for [some] volunteers, but to have this many is heartwarming
Sara Al Nuaimi,
Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiative

"2,000 volunteers participated in today's campaign, including children, school students, employees from the government and private sectors, businessmen, intellectuals, and others. Their goal is one," he wrote.

People from all walks of life responded to the Bridges of Giving appeal in Dubai, with many given the day off to form the crowds of volunteers.

“The target by the end of the day is to fill around 15,000 aid boxes,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiative.

“This is a continuation of the allocation of $100 million in aid from the UAE for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

“We have had more than 2,000 volunteers here from the private and public sector, as well as individuals, who have come forward through our volunteering programme, schools and universities.

“It is an amazing response and took around a week to organise.

“We were hoping for [some] volunteers, but to have this many is heartwarming.”

Aid delivered daily

From building boxes and labelling them with stickers, to filling each one with an assorted cache of supplies, the operation ran like clockwork — from 9am until 6pm later that day.

“There remains a huge need for this support as thousands of people have lost their homes,” said Ms Al Nuaimi.

“Planes are departing to these areas on a daily basis, so this aid will be flown out almost immediately.”

An estimated 14 million people, or 16 per cent of Turkey's population, have been affected by the earthquake that struck near the Turkey-Syria border on February 6 and killed more than 50,000 people.

The latest aid to arrive at the Syrian port of Latakia included 37,500 food parcels, under the directive of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiative is working locally in Syria and Turkey with NGOs to ensure aid is delivered to the sharp end of disaster zones across the region.

“I heard of the appeal through social media,” said Joana Talostan, from Syria, who lives in Sharjah and volunteered with the Emirates Red Crescent.

“Because I am Syrian, I wanted to help as much as possible. I have relatives in Aleppo and Damascus, hopefully they will be OK but they are not doing very well.

“These kinds of initiatives are so important — because of war and the natural disasters that have happened there is a real need.

“We know everything is getting delivered to the camps, refugees and even to people still in buildings who have no food or clothes.”

Step up to help

Production lines were split into clothing, food and medicine, with most volunteers working in shifts from 9am to 1pm or 1pm until 6pm.

Food boxes were filled with tuna fish, pasta, chickpeas and other foodstuffs, while other packages included hygiene items and children’s toys.

Winter clothing and medication were also included.

Danish Ahmed, from India, a postgraduate medical student in Dubai, was packing food items, mainly pasta and tinned food. He said he'd been looking for an opportunity to volunteer and this platform offered the chance to contribute to a good cause.

“I have been following the coverage of what happened and it is heartening to see people step up and want to help,” he added.

Teams of volunteers decked out in beige tabards emblazoned with national flags and UAE Aid logos lined up to build and pack boxes in a race against time to fill as many supply packs as possible.

Susie Schlesinger volunteered at the charity donation drive at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Susie Schlesinger volunteered at the charity donation drive at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Susie Schlesinger, originally from Britain, who works with the Chaloub Group and lives in Dubai, responded to an email asking for volunteers on Friday afternoon.

“I was very moved by what has happened and work with a lot of people from the areas affected by the earthquake,” she said.

“I was horrified and wanted to do something other than just donate money.

“A lot of women and children have been displaced so I wanted to do something to help them.

“Work allowed us time off and around 30 of us came down to help.

“We’ve been told the more boxes we can pack, the more aid will be sent out, so it was important it was well co-ordinated.”

THE BIO

BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

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China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

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Singapore

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Australia

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Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

If you go

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.

The car

Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.

Parks and accommodation

For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.

HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?

Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.

They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen 

They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.

The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

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THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

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Vikram%20Vedha
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The biog

Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199

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Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Updated: March 13, 2023, 1:02 PM`