Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers could meet in early May

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria may hold talks early next month as part of Moscow's attempt to help broker a rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made the comments to a broadcaster on Monday.

Nato alliance member Turkey has been a major backer of the political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad during a 12-year civil war, and has sent its own troops into swathes of the country's north.

“The meeting will most probably take place in early May, in Moscow,” Mr Cavusoglu told broadcaster A Haber, saying it could lead to a leaders' meeting.

Syrian and Turkish defence ministers held talks in Moscow in December, in the highest-level encounter since the war began.

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said last month during a meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Al Assad that a Turkey-Syria rapprochement would be on the agenda.

“Turkey-Syria relations will certainly be touched upon in one way or another,” Mr Peskov said.

Moscow is Mr Al Assad's main ally and Russia has encouraged a reconciliation with Ankara, but Damascus has demanded a full withdrawal of Turkish troops for relations to be restored.

Before the 2011 conflict, Syria was one of Turkey’s largest trading partners in the Middle East, with bilateral trade in 2010 worth around $2.5 billion. At the time, Mr Erdogan pursued a foreign policy called “zero problems with neighbours.”

Relations between the two countries soured bitterly amid accusations that Turkey was harbouring militant groups, including organisations linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS, in a bid to topple the government in Damascus.

Trade has picked up again in recent years, but mainly between Turkey and areas under rebel control, where militias backed and funded by Ankara hold sway in strips of land along Syria’s northern border.

Much of this trade has been disrupted by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, shattering an already fragile economy in Syria after 12 years of war.

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company

'Cheb%20Khaled'

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Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

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The years Ramadan fell in May

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INFO

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'Joker'

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix

Rating: Five out of five stars

Marathon results

Men:

1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01

Aggro%20Dr1ft

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VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

At Eternity’s Gate

Director: Julian Schnabel

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen

Three stars

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

Rating: 5/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

How our nine-month-old has made the Canadian winter a little bit warmer for us

Canadians rallying around a targeted Syrian restaurant is telling about attitudes to migrants

Don Cherry and the real issue with being one of 'you people'

Everybody%20Loves%20Touda

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Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.

In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

The essentials

What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

When: Friday until March 9

Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City

Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.

Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.

Information: www.emirateslitfest.com