Two years ago this month, the image of Aylan, a Kurdish toddler washed up on one of Turkey's sandy beaches, shocked the world. The Kurdi family were part of the large wave of Syrian refugees fleeing civil war in their country. The small inflatable boat in which they had set sail for Europe capsized in the choppy waters of the Mediterranean. The little boy, only three years old, drowned along with his mother, Rehana, and five-year-old brother Galip. When photos of his dead body surfaced, there was outrage, accompanied by what felt like a resolve on Europe's part to devise a humane solution to the refugee crisis.
Two years on, that determination appears to have floundered, and the problem of refugees has only intensified and spread. Over the last week, nearly 50,000 Rohingya Muslims, arguably the most persecuted of any minority group on Earth, abandoned their homes and fled in the direction of Bangladesh to escape the Myanmar military's brutal crackdown. South Asia, much like Europe, is failing people in need of urgent help. Bangladesh is unwilling to take in the Rohingyas. India is looking for ways to expel Rohingya refugees who have settled in the country.
Part of the reluctance on governments’ part to take in refugees stems from the fear that they may never return home, that temporary visitors may become permanent settlers -- because of the nature of the conflicts they are attempting to escape. This was not always the case. For instance, most of the Belgians who sought refuge in Britain during the First World War returned when the war ended. After the Second World War, which created some 40 million refugees, multiple international agencies were instituted in a concerted effort to help refugees. Those wars had definitive ends. Even in the 1990s, millions of people displaced by the Balkan wars returned home.
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Read more
Aylan Kurdi’s death has changed little for Syrian children
Nearly 50,000 of Myanmar's Rohingya have fled towards Bangladesh in past week
Most young Syrians not planning to return home after peace, survey shows
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Things have got much worse in the 21st century. According a report released last year by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 65 million refugees across the world, people driven from their lands either by unending conflicts or the pressures generated by globalisation. The children among them will forever be haunted by the memory of bloodshed. Even adults can barely cope. The trauma induced by war, particularly in the case of Syrian refugees, is so overpowering that most say they cannot conceive of conditions that will allow them to return. Their pain is only compounded by the hostile and humiliating reception they often receive in Europe and other places, where the refugee crisis has become grist for xenophobic and chauvinistic political parties and groups.
There are spots of hope, however. As The National reports today, the Italian island of Sicily is refusing to succumb to the anti-refugee bigotry prevalent in other parts of the continent. But such examples, though inspiring, cannot conceal the fact that the world desperately needs to acknowledges the reality before it: permanent resettlement of refugees is unavoidable if the crisis is ever to be resolved.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New schools in Dubai
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
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If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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