A young British child who experienced the “worst horrors of war” in Syria has been taken back to the UK from a camp holding suspected ISIS extremists.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced the return of the child as part of a campaign to bring back unaccompanied or orphaned children from Syria.
Charity workers in the camps say there are about 60 British children among the 10,000 foreign youngsters in 11 camps in the former ISIS stronghold in Syria's north-east.
“These are children who have experienced the worst horrors of war and bringing them home is the right thing to do,” Mr Raab said.
Officials declined to give the child's details but the operation followed the return of three British orphans of ISIS-supporting parents in November last year.
Earlier reports suggested that plans to bring back dozens of British children were blocked after several ministers raised concerns that some posed a security risk.
“As I have said previously, we assess each case carefully,” Mr Raab tweeted.
Save the Children said it had been involved in caring for the child in the camp but declined to give further details for legal reasons.
Amjad Yamin, the charity’s advocacy director, said that Covid-19 had added to a crisis in the camps, leading to a rise in malnutrition and hunger among children.
“The conditions are not fit for children to continue to live in across the north-east camps,” Mr Yamin said.
Families were not able to feed children fresh food and their ability to buy supplies had been hit by the continuing conflict and economic downturn.
“These children have suffered more from ISIS than anyone in the world and have seen some awful things,” Mr Yamin said.
“The only thing we can do is to bring them back so society can look after them.
"The only viable solution at the moment is to be rehabilitated and reintegrated.”
The fate of British citizens languishing in north-east Syria, parts of which came under the control of a Kurdish-run administration after the defeat of ISIS, has been deeply contentious in the UK.
UK authorities have stripped many accused ISIS members of their citizenship in a move criticised by activists.
One of the most high-profile travellers, Shamima Begum, is in a legal battle with the UK government over the withdrawal of her British passport.
Ms Begum, now 20, travelled to Syria in 2015 as a schoolgirl with two friends.
She married a Dutch member of ISIS and had three children, all of whom died. She remains in a Syrian camp pending the outcome of the case.
Children taken back to the UK are placed in the care system and given anonymity as part of efforts to rehabilitate them.
In the UK, more than 150 children have been taken from their parents since 2013 because of fears of radicalisation, Parliament was told last year.
The former Middle East Minister, Andrew Murrison, confirmed that many would be taken into the care of extended family and foster carers, or adopted, with special support put in place.
They included two children, aged 2 and 3, who were born in Syria.
Their parents met after travelling separately to Syria in about 2014.
The family returned to the UK after being held in an immigration detention camp in Turkey but the children were separated from them and put into foster care, court papers show.
A UN-backed team monitoring abuses in Syria criticised the failure of foreign countries to repatriate women and children held in the overcrowded camps.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that tens of thousands of women and children had been confined in Al Hol camp since early 2019.
It said that at least 75 unaccompanied foreign children from unspecified countries being held at Al Hol and Al Roj camps were particularly vulnerable.
The commission said medical services had been stripped to “skeletal” levels because of Covid-19.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
Company%20profile
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Manchester City 0
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BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
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Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
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Name: Younis Al Balooshi
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Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
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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
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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
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
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Favourite hobby: Football
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
