If you listen to the foreign policy specialists in London on Keir Starmer’s first year as UK Prime Minister, you will get a wholly different appraisal from that dominating this week’s front pages in the country.
From the pitched battles Mr Starmer is waging in Parliament for his Plan for Change, the impression emerging of him is not good. In short, the Prime Minister has a supermajority that should guarantee his dominance on the political scene but he is instead a premier on the run.
Rebellions are proving effective in the Labour party, which is providing to be its own opposition, at least far as Parliament goes.
On the world stage, Mr Starmer has proven himself as an operator who can exploit Britain’s post-Brexit place in the world.
In an interview ahead of the first anniversary of Labour in government, Mr Starmer asserted one tangible achievement of his premiership: his administration has landed a hat-trick of trade deals in recent months.
On Monday, the most prominent of these came into effect. Tariffs from the US on British-made cars, aircraft parts, and favourable treatment for aerospace and steel have been secured. There are promises of more to come to build on that special access. No other country has yet sealed anything with Washington.
The return of US President Donald Trump was undoubtedly a test for Mr Starmer, a centre-left politician who tries to avoid the culture wars for domestic political reasons.
The trade deal combined with the state visit for Mr Trump, plus a dollop of extra defence spending, were swift antidotes to any divisions that the US President’s lieutenants had been preparing to hurl London’s way.
The challenges for Starmer in foreign policy are not just to keep Trump on side and keep racking up the trade wins
The hat-trick also includes a more sophisticated market access agreement with the EU that can use Britain’s largish defence industry as leverage, as the Europeans undergo rearmament.
And lastly, a free-trade agreement has been sealed with New Delhi, bringing the promise of a new alignment with the Indian economy.
Hopes have consequently risen that Mr Starmer can also seal a GCC-UK free trade agreement. The Bahraini ambassador to London, Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, last week told me he hoped to push for a deal by the time his country hosts the GCC Summit in December.
Mr Starmer has made a difference in these talks, as he was much more engaged than his predecessor Rishi Sunak had been.
The challenges for Mr Starmer in foreign policy are not just to keep Mr Trump on side and keep racking up the trade wins. The backbenches of the Labour party and throughout the progressive or left-wing spectrum of politics are grounds for seeding discontent over the policy on Israel.
Mr Starmer directly controls this policy and exercises an iron grip on the government position. It is an approach that goes to the foundational moments of his own rise to Labour leader. Purging the acolytes of Jeremy Corbyn, and eventually the former Labour leader himself, became the way the ex-prosecutor proved his political strength.
After almost two years of war in Gaza, there is no doubt of the mood among Labour supporters and voters in general.
There are those who argue that the Labour party now faces a huge cultural squeeze. Not only is the Reform UK party bringing Maga-style politics to the country, one poll has predicted it would end up as the biggest party in terms of seats if a new election was held now.
There is also the rise of activists on the left who combine appeals on Gaza with Corbyn-style socialism and environmental politics to create a space that Labour is losing. In Westminster, talk of Mr Corbyn and other independents combining and capturing this grassroots activation with a new party is growing.
The government continues to promote its mantra of change in every statement. A year ago, the big idea was that Labour could show it had a grip on the economy to boost investment and create a higher rate of growth.
Its early mistakes on spending mean the growth shift has not come. It is a big blow to Labour, which essentially gambled on there being a kickstart for the taking when it came to power. Reforms like welfare cuts have run aground amid those rebellions that are playing out just as the one-year anniversary looms on Saturday.
If, like Margaret Thatcher, Mr Starmer sees growth returning only three or four years down the track, he will have to withstand enormous political pressure in the meantime.
The historian and political commentator Anthony Seldon points out that there is a big issue at stake for the UK with Mr Starmer. His time in Downing Street has a sense of last chance for the political system as we know it.
Mr Seldon asks if the UK can afford to have another failed prime minister after the Conservative party's costly run. Mr Starmer must hope his touch in foreign affairs can transfer over to a defence of his performance at home fairly soon.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
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
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
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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.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
