Ten years on from the start of Syria's uprising-turned-civil war, the country's leader, Bashar Al Assad, has announced plans for presidential elections to be held on May 26. Previous votes during the Al Assad family's iron-fisted rule have been viewed widely to be a farce. The last election, in 2014, saw the President secure 92 per cent of the poll. There is no reason to suspect that this year's will be any different.
If anything, the country's fractured state will render them even less credible. Large pockets of territory remain outside of government control, and a decade of brutality that has resulted in a civilian death toll in the hundreds of thousands will deter any serious opposition candidates.
This year's election will instead primarily serve as a means to undermine any serious effort to secure a lasting, inclusive peace for all Syrians. Talks between the government and opposition factions to form a new constitution have been taking place intermittently in Geneva for years, admittedly with little progress. But they will be rendered entirely moot, as far as Damascus is concerned, when a new election touches up the facade of popular support for Mr Al Assad's status quo.
Success in Geneva can bring fair elections
The Geneva talks involve representatives from across Syria's various factions and civil society, with input from a number of foreign powers. These are the stakeholders with the power to settle the conflict. The progress of their negotiations is slow in part because their mandate precludes the luxury of cementing a result through an empty election. Instead, they are faced with many complex questions that need answering quickly if Syria is to get the reformed constitution it needs in order to restore trust in its public institutions. A framework for a sustainable political settlement will require sincerity and a great deal of effort, particularly in a splintered country where the ideologies and foreign backers of parties differ so profoundly.
Mr Al Assad's move will no doubt create a significant obstacle to further progress in these constitutional negotiations, as his government will likely seek to ignore, delay or cancel them altogether. The pressure, therefore, will be much greater on the international community to remind Damascus that what happens in Geneva still matters, and that elections based on reformed constitutional principles must be the ultimate mechanism through which Syria's government affirms its rule.
A defining aspect of the country's conflict is the complex role that a number of foreign powers have played. Pressure from them could hurry negotiating parties into actually making progress.
The correct order for securing peace is success in Geneva first, then a more transparent and internationally monitored vote. Ignoring this and repeating the faux elections of the past can result only in a prolongation of the conflict. There is little doubt at this stage of Syria's war that Mr Al Assad has beaten his opponents into submission, and secured for himself a role in Syria's politics for some time to come. But this does not give him a free pass to endanger his country any more than he already has.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Most match wins on clay
Guillermo Vilas - 659
Manuel Orantes - 501
Thomas Muster - 422
Rafael Nadal - 399 *
Jose Higueras - 378
Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
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Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
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The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
Dunki
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