If Donald Trump thought Kim Jong-un was going to be taken in by a charm offensive, he now knows differently.
The work of diplomacy is often dull and painstaking. Language matters. Details count. When it comes to dismantling the labyrinthine infrastructure required to become a nuclear-armed state, you cannot wing it.
Unfortunately, Mr Trump's transparent shtick has fallen a long way short of the due diligence that any disarmament deal would require. While he did walk away on his own terms, he did so at a cost. His opponent did not blink or yield to overtures that lacked substance. If anything, Mr Kim, who leads a communist regime that abuses its citizens, presides over food poverty and has shown willingness to threaten its neighbours with nuclear annihilation, emerges stronger.
Mr Trump should now realise that the North Korean leader is not a nice guy. The pair's supposed chemistry is not a substitute for deeds. It will take more than the unsubstantiated promise of an economic transformation to persuade North Korea to give up nuclear weapons. The estimate of Mr Trump's intelligence agencies – that Pyongyang has done nothing to reverse its atomic activities – is starkly at odds with the proselytising rhetoric that the president has reserved for Mr Kim.
This disconnect, eight months after a promising if sketchy start to nuclear talks in Singapore, shows the current lack of an enforceable US strategy to bring about the North's denuclearisation.
Mr Trump's preferred messaging device is limited to 280 characters or less. It is there, on Twitter and in public, that he has routinely pilloried Barack Obama's administration for the nuclear deal it did with Iran, and other world powers. It took years of painstaking face-to-face talks between those countries to persuade Iran to rein in its atomic programme. Unlike North Korea, Iran does not and has never possessed nuclear weapons.
The biggest risk following Hanoi is that Mr Kim can use the diplomacy spearheaded by Mr Trump to buy himself more time. The talks in the Vietnamese capital took place against the incongruous background of Mr Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen's testimony to Congress about the US president. In many ways, the unseemly details overshadowed Mr Trump's talks with Mr Kim, which never really got off the ground.
The North Korean leader may well be wondering how long Mr Trump will be in the White House. Why should he do a deal? Does he really need to? His answers will emerge soon enough as he and his team in Pyongyang will digest the past two days and plan their next move. Mr Trump should do the same because he left Vietnam without anything to back up his big talk. He faces an adversary, not a friend, and when it comes to diplomacy he has been made to look like an amateur whose words have so far proven the adage that talk is cheap.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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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South Korea
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
