Live updates: Follow the latest on Syria
Qatari diplomats have established a channel of communication with Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) to lead international discussions with the militant group that led factions in the offensive to topple Bashar Al Assad's regime in Syria.
“The Qataris have established the first channel of communication with HTS,” an official said on Tuesday. “Communications with HTS and Qatari diplomats are expected to continue in the next 24 hours with [transitional authority head Mohammed] Al Bashir, with the focus of the communication with HTS and others on the need for HTS and other groups to maintain calm and preserve Syria's public institutions during the transition period."
On Sunday, Damascus fell to the rebels, ending Syria's more than five-decade rule of Mr Al Assad and his late father Hafez Al Assad, both of whom were president. Rebel forces have kept the civil administration but to achieve stability they will need to fill the political vacuum and curb fragmentation along sectarian and ethnic lines. Mr Al Bashir was on Monday given the task of forming a new transitional government in Damascus.
HTS is made up mainly of groups from the extremist organisation Jabhat Al Nusra, which was linked to Al Qaeda. It broke those ties with Al Qaeda in 2016 and rebranded itself as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, after a purge undertaken by the group's leader Ahmad Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani.
The UN and countries including the US and Russia have designated HTS a terrorist organisation. Mr Al Shara previously participated in an Iraqi insurgency against the US as a member of a group that eventually became ISIS. He then led the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda in 2011, in the early years of the civil war.
HTS played a significant role in the Syrian civil war and there are doubts over whether it has shed its Al Qaeda past and extreme ideologies.
During a meeting in Doha on Saturday, at which Qatari, Turkish, Iranian and Russian diplomats were representing the main countries backing different sides in Syria’s war, it was agreed that Qatar was best equipped to lead the contact with HTS, as it has not normalised relations with the Assad regime.
“Consensus was reached by all parties at Saturday’s meeting: the priority is to bring the situation in Syria under control and to ensure that extremist groups like Islamic State [ISIS] are not able to gain a foothold in Syria,” the official source said.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday said the collapse of the Assad regime was a “fundamental act of justice” and that the US would work with all in the country, including HTS, as Syria's next chapter is written. A senior US administration official confirmed that Washington is in contact with all Syrian groups, including HTS.
The US has about 900 troops in Syria, most of them in the north-east where they have been based for nearly a decade to help Kurdish forces fight ISIS. Mr Biden said he is “clear-eyed” that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to re-establish itself or create a safe haven.
The UN, Qatar, Turkey and other countries have urged HTS to establish an inclusive administration in Syria.
Qatari government adviser and Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari, told reporters on the sidelines of the annual Doha Forum on Sunday that his country, which has mediated in several conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, would want to see a “viable state” in Syria.
“We would love to see a transition to a viable state that provides for the people, reflects the ambitions of the Syrian people and embodies the sacrifice by the Syrian people,” said Mr Al Ansari.
“But we know also that together, cynically, there are a lot of challenges coming ahead. There are a lot of militants on the ground. There is ... the possibility of Syria becoming a failed state."
He called on the international community to make sure that all support possible is provided to the Syrian people and that “no one party will be excluded, not racially and ethnically, not [in a] sectarian way, that everybody will be represented in the new Syria”.
Asked about HTS, he said Qatar, which has long supported the opposition to the Assad regime, was “quite hopeful that they would present a reasonable, rational player in the Syrian system now”.
“The international committee has no choice but to engage with the group right now and start talking with them.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Britain's travel restrictions
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Mobile phone packages comparison
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
ABU DHABI T10: DAY TWO
Bangla Tigers v Deccan Gladiators (3.30pm)
Delhi Bulls v Karnataka Tuskers (5.45pm)
Northern Warriors v Qalandars (8.00pm)
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
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.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
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- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
