Before the war, Bakr Sabbaghe was a tailor in the same area of Aleppo where he was born. Even when bombs rained down on the rebel-held half of the city in which he lived, Mr Sabbaghe said he did not want to flee.
With his wife and young children, Mr Sabbaghe, 38, struggled amid the rubble to survive. "We used to be bombarded every day, but I didn't leave because I don't want to leave my city," he tells The National.
But then, in late 2016, four years after most of the city fell to rebels, forces loyal to the government of Bashar Al Assad recaptured Syria’s former industrial powerhouse.
The toll of the fighting was extreme. Aleppo was once described as “Syria’s Stalingrad”.
Mr Sabbaghe said that when the guns fell silent, life appeared to regain a sense of normality, despite the shattered environment left to those who remained.
“We were no longer afraid of bombs or air strikes. Our children could go out to school or play,” he says. “Services started to gradually get better – in terms of electricity, we didn’t have any before the government came to east Aleppo but it started to get better at the beginning of 2017. Water, fuel and food started to be available at reasonable prices.”
But the situation did not last long, he says. “Electricity has become rare in recent months. It comes one or two hours per day ... we don’t have running generators because not many people live here yet, so we ended up using candles,” Mr Sabbaghe says.
But sitting in the dark is the least of their worries, he says. Now the biggest concern is the government militias.
“I don’t let my children go to school alone and have forbidden them from leaving the house,” he says. “Even though the war has ended – at least here in our city – no life has yet made its way back to the city streets.”
Abductions have become common and there has been a spate of killings. Adults and children have been raped.
Esra’a Obada, who lived throughout the war in a front-line neighbourhood between the rebels and regime forces, worries about her three daughters being kidnapped.
“Many girls have disappeared in the city in the last few months, taken in cars or followed home and taken in front of the house,” she says.
“We’ve got a lot of foreign militants running the city’s checkpoints,” she says.
Many are Lebanese or Iranian. “The police aren’t in charge here, they are frightened of them.”
The situation is especially bad in areas around Aleppo University, she says, where cars flying the yellow of Hezbollah or green flags with Shiite slogans cruise the streets.
“They are controlling the city with fear,” Ms Obada says.
She says people report the crimes to the police but little is done. “We’re known among other Syrian provinces as the ‘Chicago of Syria’,” she says.
“When the city was liberated, we felt so enthusiastic and positive,” she says. “We had high hopes that the city would get back on its feet and we would rebuild what the war destroyed.”
But those hopes are becoming more and more forlorn. Mr Sabbaghe has now been ordered to leave his home.
Hundreds of families in the shattered city have been left with nowhere to live after Aleppo city council said buildings could collapse. Although few areas escaped unscathed from the fighting, many residents have no alternative.
“I didn’t leave my house because I can’t afford to live anywhere,” Mr Sabbaghe says of the eviction notice. “It’s ironic that we survived all this and will be displaced by a council order.”
He said he does not know where he will end up because he is struggling to make enough to feed his children let alone rent accommodation elsewhere.
“Food is available but where can I get enough money to buy food?” he said. “I earn barely 15,000 Syrian pounds (Dh110) a month; we’re relying on lentils and rice and cooking using wood – cooking gas is unaffordable and not for the poor people here,” he said.
Mr Sabbaghe said that although they were promised compensation for their house, none of the families affected by the eviction know how much it will be or when it will be paid. “It’s not fair on us to undergo another displacement after the fighting has gone.”
He believes the order is less about unsafe buildings and more about moving people out of communities that supported opposition to the government. The Assad regime has been accused of using redevelopment to reshape Syrian cities’ ethnic and political make-up.
In nearby Homs, builders set to work in pro-regime neighbourhoods shortly after the Syrian government retook the city. Homs’s Sunni districts remain shattered and deserted.
In Aleppo, a controversial redevelopment plan has also drawn criticism for tearing down parts of the historic city and putting up skyscrapers and malls.
“Our neighbourhood of Al Zahra’a in western Aleppo was the last front line with the rebels,” Ms Obada said. “They didn’t stop bombarding us after 2012. It’s not as intense as it used to be, but we are still suffering from the impact of the war.”
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
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Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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
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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
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Company%20Profile
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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