Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
A Dubai teacher lost her sister, niece and nephew after their building collapsed in the Syria earthquake. Her other nephew was the only one in the family to survive.
Eman Al Sabbouh, 39, her sons Ahmad, 12, and Mohammad, 17, and daughter Rama, 22, were sleeping in their fourth-floor apartment in Hama on Monday when the earthquake struck.
“Ahmad said they awoke to pieces of the ceiling falling off,” said Syrian Rima Al Sabbouh, 50, who has been living in Dubai for 27 years and worked as a supervisor at Dubai’s National Charity School until two years ago.
She said Eman gathered her children and rushed to get out of the building, that was falling apart.
“Ahmad said that before they could open the door, his elder brother returned to the room to pick up the mobile phone, but didn’t come back,” said Ms Al Sabbouh.
A wall fell on top of him and he was killed.
Eman then opened the apartment door to find the stairs had completely collapsed, leaving them with no way out.
Ms Al Sabbouh said that her sister started screaming and repeating the Shahada — the Islamic declaration of faith.
“Ahmad said they all went into silence after which he lost consciousness. He opened his eyes to see people’s arms trying to get him from under the rubble,” said Ms Al Sabbouh.
Ahmad fractured his leg and arm and suffered bruises to his face. He hasn't been able to sleep at night since it happened.
“He keeps repeating ‘would the earth shake again’, my sister told me,” said Ms Al Sabbouh.
After he recovers from his injuries, Ahmad will move to live with his other sister Diana, 20, who moved to the outskirts of Aleppo after getting married three months ago.
“For three months, Diana kept posting how much she misses her mother. Now she lost her forever,” Ms Al Sabbouh said.
She said Eman had moved her family south from Idlib to escape the conflict there.
“In 2013, her husband was shot dead in the head by snipers in Idlib city in north-western Syria,” she said.
“When she was in Idlib, we begged her to move out so she would not be killed in the war and when she moved out, she died in the place where we thought she would be safe.”
Ms Al Sabbouh said Eman, her daughter and her son were laid to rest in Idlib on Monday.
She said she has two brothers and one sister living in Turkey.
“They lost their homes in the earthquake and are now stranded,” she said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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.
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
Results
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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