Syria is allowing aid to reach embattled Sweida province through the most direct route from Damascus, easing a two-month siege on the Druze minority's heartland.
Aid deliveries have been accompanied for the first time by lorries carrying a private food consignment financed by Druze people. However, Sweida's Druze population remains trapped and shortages of basic goods are rife, The National was told on Monday.
The area has been virtually cut off since an outbreak of violence in Sweida this summer ended with a ceasefire under US and Israeli pressure. Syrian authorities had restricted aid deliveries to to the UN and Red Crescent, and only through the adjacent province of Deraa where convoys were often intercepted by pro-government militias.
By contrast, “the deliveries in the last two days have been smooth”, an international aid official in neighbouring Jordan told The National. The supplies consisted of peanut butter, high-energy biscuits, vegetables, diesel for operating bakeries, water pumps for the municipal authorities in Sweida, solar panels, clothes and 350 tonnes of wheat.
But only 23 aid conveys have entered Sweida so far, according to the Syrian Red Crescent. The official said that the free flow of goods and people, and not sporadic aid, is needed to sustain the governorate, the 500,000 population of which is overwhelmingly Druze.
A diplomat in Amman said Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, has been urging the authorities to open the Damascus-Sweida motorway. “He is pushing for a full civilian access to the highway. The Druze are trapped in Sweida and those outside – students, for example – cannot go in,” he said.
Sweida, which is on the border with Jordan, has emerged as a main obstacle in US-sponsored peace talks between Syria and Israel. Since July’s fighting involving Druze fighters, local tribes and government forces, the main Syrian Druze religious figure, Hikmat Al Hijri, has called for international support for Sweida to separate from the rest of Syria.
The prospect appears unrealistic, given that Sweida is landlocked and has no direct access to Israel. Jordan and other Arab countries do not support such a move.
Government troops and auxiliaries have been surrounding Sweida since Israel's intervention prevented the takeover of the governorate by the new central authorities. Syria has been governed by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda, since the overthrow of the dictator Bashar Al Assad in December. Pro-government militias in Deraa often stopped the convoys and sometimes abducted their drivers and other personnel.
Suhail Thebian, a prominent civil figure in Sweida, said that the new route represents a "very slight" improvement in the situation. "Remember the deliveries are minute,” said Mr Thebian, who said food prices are high and that most public workers and pensioners have not been paid for two months.
Expatriates, upon whom many in Sweida depend, can no longer transfer money, and education has come to a halt because the schools are full of refugees. “Sweida is under siege. It might seem less obvious now. But it exists” Mr Thebian said.
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
SPIDER-MAN%3A%20ACROSS%20THE%20SPIDER-VERSE
%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20Joaquim%20Dos%20Santos%2C%20Kemp%20Powers%2C%20Justin%20K.%20Thompson%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Shameik%20Moore%2C%20Hailee%20Steinfeld%2C%20Oscar%20Isaac%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
