Syria is a country experiencing two realities. At the level of high diplomacy, the change from the Bashar Al Assad era is remarkable. Earlier this week, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani spoke with State Department officials in New York, the first time American figures and Mr Al Shibani have met in the US. The meeting came after Mr Al Shibani raised Syria’s new flag at the UN. Just days before, Saudi Arabia and Qatar said they would settle Syria’s World Bank debts of about $15 million. Last Friday, the UK lifted a tranche of sanctions including those imposed on its defence, financial and energy sectors, an important step in restoring the country’s economy.
On the streets of Homs, Damascus and other parts of Syria however, serious challenges are arising. Another outbreak of sectarian violence, this time involving Druze fighters, militants aligned with President Ahmad Al Shara’s Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and unidentified gunmen, threatens to tip the country into another full-blown crisis.
The trigger for the clashes appears to be a doctored video circulating online, purportedly showing a Druze cleric insulting the Prophet Mohammed – an audio fabrication debunked by both the Syrian authorities and Druze religious leaders. In a fragile country where differences between religious and ethnic communities were exploited by the previous establishment, the spread of such disinformation is proving deadly. However, hopes that the security forces can swiftly restore order must be tempered by the fact that Syria is less than two months on from similarly alarming violence.
March’s string of attacks in coastal Syria in which nearly 1,400 civilians – most of them from the minority Alawite community – lost their lives should have been the moment for the government to ensure accountability for those found guilty of crimes. Despite some initial steps, this process has not been quick enough.
Instead, the country’s fragile sectarian mix remains painfully vulnerable to attack from a combination of local warlords, foreign fighters and even manipulation from outside in the form of Israeli military interventions, masquerading as protecting Druze communities. In addition, the hard work Syria’s new administration has undertaken to restore relationships with neighbours like Lebanon, the wider Arab world, Europe and the US is imperilled by the sight of gunmen exchanging fire in the suburbs of Syrian towns and cities. To ensure sustained international support for Syria’s project of stabilising the country, this violence must not only be stopped, it must be banished for good.
Verbal and political disagreements are better than letting gunmen set the pace
The HTS-led administration – despite its roots as an insurgent movement – has plenty of experience in governing, having overseen an imperfect but largely stable system when it controlled Syria’s Idlib province. It should harness this experience to dismantle rogue militias and build on practical achievements such as the March 10 agreement to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into the country’s state structures. Socially and politically, Damascus must renew and expand its National Dialogue for all of Syria’s communities to chart an agreed future.
None of this is easy and political disagreements are to be expected. But working through these issues politically is vital; gunmen cannot set the pace. Syria still has the chance to build a future of recovery and renewal. Its leaders, governmental and from the community, must act now to make that chance a reality.
Company%20profile
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Blonde
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
MATCH INFO
FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
The%20National%20selections
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