US President Donald Trump’s rise to power – twice – was built on the idea he is different from “politics as usual”. The Trump style is certainly one-of-a-kind and unpredictable.
Few, for example, would have guessed that if re-elected, Mr Trump’s first-year priorities would include the sudden demolition of the White House East Wing to create a ballroom. But in one respect, Mr Trump sits precisely in the long traditional history of US leaders.
Like all US presidents since the 19th century, he is fixated with American security to the south, from “building a wall” against migrants from Mexico to now threatening Venezuela and its Caribbean coast with enormous military force and regime change.
The Caribbean and Latin American countries are sometimes called “Uncle Sam’s backyard”, and Uncle Sam now appears anxious to clean up that backyard. There have been deadly US military attacks on small boats from Venezuela alleged to contain drug smugglers.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that the most recent attack was on a vessel operated by what the US considers a terrorist organisation. That organisation was not named but three people were killed in the US strike. According to Mr Hegseth, as many as 64 alleged smugglers or terrorists have been killed in similar recent operations. While precise details are sparse, Mr Hegseth spoke of “narco-terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans at home” and insisted they would be treated “exactly how we treated Al Qaeda”.
Critics say that the most problematic imported drug – fentanyl – actually comes through laboratories in Mexico. Either way, the decision to send an aircraft carrier to the region has increased speculation that the real strategic mission is regime change to remove the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The well-informed US magazine Foreign Affairs reports that “over the course of two months, President Donald Trump’s administration has deployed 10,000 US troops to the region, amassed at least eight US Navy surface vessels and a submarine around South America’s northern coast, directed B-52 and B-1 bombers to fly near the Venezuelan coastline, and ordered the Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group – which the US Navy calls the ‘most capable, adaptable and lethal combat platform in the world’ – to US Southern Command’s area of responsibility”.
The show of firepower in the Caribbean is a change of emphasis from Mr Trump’s previous focus on trying to bring an end to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. It also puts Mr Trump in a long and extremely troubled American tradition in Latin America.
The show of firepower in the Caribbean is a change of emphasis from Trump’s focus on ending conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza
The most stunning example was then-president John F Kennedy’s decision to face down Russian attempts to put missiles in communist Cuba and for the Central Intelligence Agency to back attempts to overthrow Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro in the 1960s. The result was the Bay of Pigs invasion which turned into a fiasco.
Even so, since the 1960s, under very different presidents, American administrations have invaded Grenada and Panama, tried to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, and built on a long history going back to what were described as the “Banana Wars” against various countries from 1898 onwards, including the armed occupations of Haiti for 20 years from 1915 and the Dominican Republic, occupied for eight years from 1916.
Whatever Mr Trump intends to do with the 10,000 US troops plus air and sea power in the Caribbean, there is alarm in Washington that the lessons of history may be repeated if “regime change” in Venezuela becomes official US policy. It would upend the idea of “America First” and Mr Trump’s self-image as a peacemaker.
Nevertheless, reports from Washington suggest that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has for now at least won an internal political battle in the White House. One faction wanted a deal with Mr Maduro on Venezuela’s enormous oil resources. The other faction, led by Mr Rubio, has pushed for the US to use limited force to destabilise the Maduro government.
Washington’s hope appears to be that Mr Maduro’s opponents in Venezuela – presumably including some in the military – might attempt a coup. Mr Trump seems willing to go along with this strategy for now, although relying on a section of patriotic Venezuelan military officers to act in US interests may be the triumph of hope over repeated experiences in Latin America.
I spent some time as a reporter in the region. In Nicaragua, I discussed with Sandinista politicians attempts to overthrow their left-wing regime by the US backing of “Contra” guerrillas. One prominent Sandinista quoted to me the words of a historic Latin American freedom fighter, Simon Bolivar. He was the Venezuelan leader who inspired Latin America's independence from the Spanish Empire. In 1829, Bolivar said that ”the United States appear to be destined by providence to plague America with misery in the name of liberty”.
Mr Trump could, however, respond that the corruption and cruelty of the Maduro government is itself plaguing oil-rich Venezuela with misery as a result of corruption. Nonetheless, the big question remains: is the new Trump Caribbean strategy a show of force, the threat of force, or ultimately the use of force?
Perhaps Mr Trump himself does not yet know for sure.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The%20Roundup
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Ronaldo's record at Man Utd
Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09
Appearances 230
Goals 115
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
What's%20in%20my%20pazhamkootan%3F
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
More on animal trafficking
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
Company%C2%A0profile
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Superliminal%20
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20One%20%26amp%3B%20X%2FS%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PC%20and%20Mac%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HEY%20MERCEDES%2C%20WHAT%20CAN%20YOU%20DO%20FOR%20ME%3F
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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