US President Joe Biden is currently on a whirlwind trip to Europe. After attending the G7 meeting in the UK, he is scheduled to hold discussions with EU and Nato leaders. He will then proceed towards Geneva, where he is due to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The primary objective of Wednesday's US-Russia summit is for the two powers to establish and reinforce red lines with each other and calm tensions.
No significant breakthrough is expected. Bearing in mind the fact it has been scheduled for only a few hours – rather than a few days – it is a meeting essentially to repair the impression, via a photo op, that all is not well between the two countries. There will neither be a draft communique after it, nor a joint news conference involving the leaders.
Moscow, it is said, sought to insert a paragraph in the proposed joint statement that affirmed respect for the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs. This could be the reason for the US to reject the text. After all, the EU-US summit a day earlier is not expected to issue praise for the Kremlin, whether on Russia's domestic affairs or the political crises in Ukraine and Belarus.
Mr Biden has been critical of Russia's human rights record, with his administration seeking to press Moscow over the fate of Alexei Navalny, the jailed dissident. The US and EU may even impose additional sanctions on the Kremlin, in response to a Russian court's recent ruling to outlaw Navalny's political organisations.
Then there is the issue of Ukraine, a part of which is under the control of Russian-backed forces. With the crisis right on Europe’s border, Ukraine’s security has become a matter of concern for the West. While the Biden administration may consider what it sees as Russian interference in Ukraine as a red line, the US president will be mindful of Mr Putin’s own red line regarding Russia's neighbour: its possible admission into Nato, a US-led security alliance created after the Second World War as a bulwark against the erstwhile Soviet Union.
The West’s rhetoric of “hostility” towards Russia is no doubt set to intensify, but if Mr Biden’s recent remarks are anything to go by, there will be no decision to invite Ukraine to Nato. Indeed, the president has so far only hinted at opening the door to Ukraine and nothing more.
Mr Putin’s red lines are likely to be in the realm of security.
US President Joe Biden is using this year's summit as an early opportunity to present his plans for a greener future. Bloomberg
He and Mr Biden are both keen to discuss cyber security, especially in the context of recent cyber attacks inside the US, but they have a completely different approach to this issue. Moscow also hopes to discuss disarmament issues and resolving the current diplomatic standoff that has seen consulates shut down and diplomats expelled from both countries. The two sides will likely seek to reach an agreement on joint measures to stabilise Afghanistan.
The two leaders may even discuss a rising China. It won’t be a stretch to expect Mr Biden to try and dissuade Mr Putin from building closer ties between Moscow and Beijing. The Kremlin’s response to such a proposal might be that Russia will continue its strategic co-operation with China without necessarily increasing military co-operation. It is worth pointing out that the two countries have a joint air defence network in place.
Experts focused on the changing US-China relations fear the eruption of a “localised” military showdown between the two powers, specifically near Taiwan, which Beijing has insisted for decades must be integrated with mainland China. The US, however, is currently focused on stepping up pressure on China in the technological and economic spheres. On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives approved a $250 billion budget to counter China’s technological ambitions. Mr Biden, who approves of the bill, has made US-China competition a cornerstone of his visit to Europe, working to close western ranks against Beijing. It’s hard to imagine this won’t be a talking point in Geneva, too.
Iran's nuclear weapons programme will also be in the mix. Talks are under way in Vienna involving Iran and global powers including the US and Russia, with the purpose of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that the previous Trump administration pulled the US out of.
The terms and conditions are likely to be discussed in Geneva, including the nature of the sanctions that Washington is reluctant to lift against Tehran, namely military sanctions. Moscow wants them so that it can then secure arms deals with the Iranian regime. The two leaders are unlikely to reach a deal on this issue just yet, but the keenness shown by American and Russian negotiators to ensure that the Vienna talks succeed will, no doubt, have implications for the summit.
It will depend on what the negotiators will accomplish in Vienna on Tuesday, a day before the summit. It is widely expected that a general deal will be reached, sending a signal that everything is moving in the right direction, but without agreeing on a final solution.
The reason for this is simple: the Biden administration is unwilling to lift military sanctions, while Tehran is adamant about having all sanctions lifted. Given that these crucial details cannot be papered over, the parties will probably agree to delay a final agreement until they can work out the details. This means there won't be a deal before the Iranian presidential election in a week's time.
A worker prepares a campaign banner of presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi at a print shop in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 7, 2021. Iranians are set to elect a successor to President Hassan Rouhani on June 18 amid widespread discontent over a deep economic and social crisis caused by the reimposition of crippling sanctions after the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal. / AFP / ATTA KENARE
A little cordiality in a time of hostility is useful for both the US and Russia
Some regional issues are likely to be discussed in Geneva, including additional security guarantees for Israel that Mr Biden will want Mr Putin to be part of. This will require Russia to not only leverage its relations with Iran to rein in its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, but also restrain the various players operating inside war-torn Syria that Israel views to be threats to its security, notably the Moscow-backed Syrian forces, the Iranians and Hezbollah.
Mr Putin is likely to agree to this request but for it to materialise, Tehran will need to co-operate. Will the regime be willing to do so? It is unlikely, as it seeks a comprehensive nuclear deal with the global powers and the lifting of sanctions.
Given the obvious challenges to resolve the aforementioned issues, it is more likely that the Biden-Putin summit will serve as a platform for the leaders to exchange views and remind each other of their red lines than to reach any meaningful settlements. But a little cordiality in a time of hostility is useful for both sides. This is precisely why both leaders have insisted on holding a summit, no matter how uninspiring it might end up being.
Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute and a columnist for The National
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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”.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13') Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
